NBA Betting – Lakers Get The Right Man For The Job
When it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, there is no such thing as next season. The Lakers’ organization has and always will be about winning now, so it was no surprise when the team fired former head coach Mike Brown following a 1-4 start to the 2012-13 sports betting season. After all, Los Angeles had lost 14 of its last 15 games dating back to their playoff elimination loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, including eight-straight preseason games in Brown’s new “Princeton offense”, and four of their five regular season games. While the decision to hire Mike D’Antoni rather than Phil Jackson may seem like a surprise to some, the franchise finally did get the right man for the job. Jackson was the right fit for the Lakers when they last went to the NBA Finals, but D’Antoni is undoubtedly the right choice to lead this group going forward.
After all, D’Antoni has coached new point guard Steve Nash in the past, helping him win two MVP trophies and leading the Phoenix Suns to the postseason. D’Antoni will know how to best use Nash, and find ways to make the other online betting players work around him. The offense that D’Antoni will implement is also a lot easier than Jackson’s triangle attack and Brown’s Princeton offense, relying more on reading and reacting than structure. Considering the numbers that some of D’Antoni’s Suns’ teams put up with Nash as the floor general, it is scary to think of what this offense will be capable of doing together.
The decision to hire D’Antoni also works from a business standpoint, as the demands made by Jackson were apparently too high. While a considerable contract and organizational control were among the things that Jackson wanted from the Lakers, there may have been more that led to management unanimously voting in favor of hiring D’Antoni. D’Antoni’s deal is worth $12 million over three years with a one-year option, and that could take the team to the end of the current structure in terms of player personnel.
As for now, the online sportsbook talent on this Lakers’ roster alone should warrant considerable improvement regardless of who the coach is. With Nash, Dwight Howard, and Antawn Jamison being added to the mix it was going to take some time to build the chemistry necessary to succeed, the same way it did when the Miami Heat first signed Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. However, unlike the Heat, the Lakers expect a championship to be delivered this season, with no excuse for anything less. That will put a ton of pressure on Kobe, Nash, and Howard, as well as on D’Antoni to get things in order in a hurry. Fortunately for Los Angeles’ new head coach there is a ton of talent at his disposal, and a considerable amount of time to get things in order. For all of the latest NBA news and odds, be sure to check out the best sports betting sites.