NBA glamour team looking to rebuild from the ground up next season.
Mike D’Antoni resigned Wednesday as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after one of the worst seasons in the NBA club’s history.
The Lakers announced D’Antoni’s resignation less than 18 months after they brought him in to take the place of Mike Brown early in the 2012-13 campaign.
The Lakers under D’Antoni’s Lakers went a total 67-87, including a 27-55 mark this season with injured superstar Kobe Bryant missing all but six games.
Their .329 winning percentage was the second-lowest in the Western Conference and the Lakers’ worst since the 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers went 19-53 (.264).
The news was met positively by former Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who tweeted out his clear thoughts on D’Antoni’s departure from the team.
Happy days are here again! Mike D'Antoni resigns as the Lakers coach. I couldn't be happier!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 1, 2014
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was more understanding of the difficult situation D’Antoni found himself in while at the helm of the Lakers.
“Given the circumstances, I don’t know that anybody could have done a better job than Mike did the past two seasons,” Kupchak said in a statement.
“On behalf of the Lakers, we thank Mike for the work ethic, professionalism and positive attitude that he brought to the team every day. We wish him the best of luck.”
D’Antoni, 62, is 455-426 as an NBA coach for Denver, Phoenix, New York and the Lakers.
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