Even with Dwight Howard gone, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni is on record in asserting he believes his team can improve on last year’s 45-37 finish.
“I don’t see why not,” he told the L.A. Times. “I think we can be better because I don’t think we reached our potential last year. Our lack of defense came mostly from lack of energy from guys that didn’t feel right in their place on the team. Defense is energy, concentration and the desire to do it.”
Not many would disagree with D’Antoni’s assessment the Lakers dramatically underachieved last season. With Kobe Bryant, Howard, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace all in tow, much more was expected than the team’s No. 7 seed finish.
But that’s all in the past now, as is Howard, who bolted L.A. for Houston via free agency. While D’Antoni concedes the Lakers will be hard-pressed to replace Howard’s individual talents, he seems to think the parts for this year’s team are much more in tune with the up-tempo style he’s long preferred playing.
“If something is sapping that energy — distractions, injuries, not feeling good about the team — then you’re not going to put your heart and soul into it and it comes out,” he said in a not-so-veiled shot at Howard. “They just didn’t feel each other.”
The Lakers added perimeter scorers Nick Young, Jordan Farmar and Wesley Johnson this off season and signed Chris Kaman to replace Howard in the middle. With that, D’Antoni has grown more emboldened.
“I’m sure it’s out there,” he said of the prospect of the team getting off to slower start than he would like and questions about his job security emerging. “If you don’t win, it’s there. “If you’re coaching in Fort Wayne, it’s going to be the same thing. I think the Lakers are a special case because they’re the No. 1 team that’s on ESPN. You just do the best job you can do and go on. If you get caught up in what they’re saying, you can’t do your job.”
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