Lakers Hire Mike D’Antoni as Coach

Mike D’Antoni, not Phil Jackson, will be the next coach of the Lakers.
“We signed Mike D’Antoni to a multi-year deal,” Lakers spokesman John Black said, mentioning the team’s owner and top two executives. “Dr. [Jerry] Buss, Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak were unanimous that Mike D’Antoni was the best coach for the team at this time.”
D’Antoni, 61, coached the New York Knicks last season and the Phoenix Suns before that. He will officially take over the Lakers within a week or two, depending how quickly he recovers from knee-replacement surgery.
The Lakers will introduce their new coach at a news conference as early as Tuesday but more likely later in the week. Bernie Bickerstaff will remain the team’s interim coach for now.
D’Antoni signed a three-year deal for $12 million. The team holds an option for a fourth year.
Jackson was the overwhelming favorite to return to the Lakers until they heard his informal demands, which included a stake in team ownership, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Pacers’ Rising Star Craves Pressure

With all the pressure on Paul George to succeed, it’s has proven challenging to just kick back and be easy about things. George knows that the best players in the league take on those expectations, and that’s exactly what he is trying to do.
“Of course I want that pressure,” he said. “A lot of guys my age, I don’t t think they would approach the game the way that I would. At the end of the day I do want to be an All-Star. I do want to be the best player I can be. But most of all, I just want to win. Whether that’s scoring 15 points and 10-12 rebounds or 20-plus points a night, at the end of the day, with the team that I am surrounded by, I just want to win.”

James, Faried Named Players of Week

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James and the Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried were today named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 5, through Sunday, Nov. 11.  
James guided the Heat to a 3-1 week with averages of 21.0 points on .569 shooting from the field, a conference-best 11.0 rebounds (tied with the Brooklyn Nets’ Kris Humphries), and 6.0 assists. James grabbed his 5,000^th career rebound on Nov. 9 during Miami’s 95-89 win over Atlanta. James posted a point-rebound double-double in all four of Miami’s contests on the week and handed out six or more assists in three-of-four games.
Faried helped the Nuggets to a 4-0 week, posting three point-rebound double-doubles in the process. Faried averaged 16.8 points on .563 shooting from the field to go alongside 12.8 rebounds (second in the conference to Memphis’ Zach Randolph’s 14.3 rpg), 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals. Faried tallied 18 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks and two steals during a 107-101 victory at Golden State to close the week.

DeRozan the Key To Toronto’s Rise

One of the primary reasons why the Raptors are expected to be in the playoff mix once they get healthy is the anticipated emergence of DeMar DeRozan, who just inked a contract extension that will keep him in Toronto for the foreseeable future.
“Yeah, it is [nice to get the extension]; it definitely is,” DeRozan tells HOOPSWORLD. “It’s where I started and it’s where I want to end at the end of the day, so I’m just going to go out and lay everything on the line every time I’m on the floor.”
Not only is DeRozan committed to being the best player he can be on the court, he is also committed to making Toronto an attractive destination for free agents who are looking for a winning situation.
“That’s my whole goal is to change that around, show guys that it’s fine to play here and once everything gets rolling our way, it’ll be well worth it,” says DeRozan. “I’m very confident once we give the city what they’re expecting, it’ll be well worth it playing in Canada. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Aldridge Wants To Own The Block

Aldridge has always wanted to be more of a post player, but the Blazers haven’t always wanted that to be his role. He welcomes the comparison to Nowitzki, but sees some key differences, too.
“I’ve always wanted to be that guy, if the team let me be that guy, that was always a question,” says Aldridge. “But, I’ve grown into that role of being that guy who is trying to make shots for my teammates. We can’t do pick-n-rolls all game, we can’t take jump shots all game, so we’ve got to have that guy that can go down low and make teams double team.”

Lakers Meeting with Phil Jackson Today

The Lakers are moving quickly toward hiring Phil Jackson as their next coach, with one person in the organization calling it a “95%” chance he will return for a third tour with the team.
The Lakers plan on meeting with Jackson on Saturday morning to make sure he is interested in the job. The unknown 5% in their equation is the chance Jackson doesn’t want to fill the vacancy created by the Friday firing of Mike Brown, either because of health reasons or other unknown issues.
Ultimately, Lakers management wants Jackson too. It’s just a matter of where Jackson stands right now. People who have spoken with him in recent weeks say he enjoys his life away from the game but is also intrigued by the Lakers’ roster and the opportunity to return to the only franchise he has known since 1999.
Jackson left the Lakers after the 2010-11 season, and at least one prominent player said he wanted a chance at redemption on Jackson’s behalf.

Durant, Westbrook Have New Agreement?

Russell Westbrook on KD (Kevin Durant) playing an almost passive game: “I think Kevin’s just playing his game. He lets the game come to him. Everybody’s got different personalities. Kevin’s the laid-back type. Everybody knows me as the crazy type. So my job is to do that and his job is to be relaxed.”
Westbrook again said something tonight that he’s repeatedly said in the past. KD’s the go-to guy down the stretch.
Maybe that’s what’s in play here. Maybe Durant is letting Westbrook do his thing for three quarters and taking the reins in the fourth. Maybe that’s something the two stars have agreed to so there can be harmony.
How else can you explain Durant simply watching Westbrook throw up shot after shot throughout the first three quarters tonight, missing more than 70 percent of them? Durant literally did nothing. He didn’t demand the ball. He didn’t make a fuss. He didn’t even appear to try to corral Westbrook.