Mike Brown Right to Question Mike D’Antoni’s System for Los Angeles Lakers

During an interview with Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio, former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown stated that he believes the Lakers will turn their season around. With that being said, Brown also offered skepticism in reference to their current system.

Plain and simple, Brown is right to question Mike D'Antoni's style of coaching the Lakers.

Brown was infamously fired after starting 1-4 with the L.A. super team. The Lakers proceeded to hire D'Antoni, which caused many to question whether or not his up-tempo system would work in L.A.

Brown is a member of the majority who still questions this match.

"I did not feel that was a running team," said Brown, who was fired in November after a 1-4 start to the season. "Kobe [Bryant] is a guy who can run, but if you look back at the history of his career, he really hasn''t been on a running team, in his 15, 16, 20 years -- whatever he's been in the league.

"Then you talk about having two bigs," Brown said of [Dwight] Howard and Pau Gasol. "And both of those bigs are agile and capable runners, but they're not the type of runners that you need to have to play in a system that's going to score those types of points."

Love D'Antoni or hate him, Brown has a point about his approach.

D'Antoni has two elite interior players in Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. For that reason, one would imagine a coach would want to slow the game down and pound it inside.

Not D'Antoni.



Improper Use of the Interior Presence

With Dwight Howard on the roster, the Los Angeles Lakers are in position to run an elite pick-and-roll offense. Prior to Pau Gasol's injury, they also had an elite back-to-the-basket player who can both score and facilitate.

Within coach Mike D'Antoni's system, both players are brought out of their comfort zone.

Howard should be running the pick-and-roll, but he has been the La...

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