The Lakers reportedly had an abrupt change of heart when they hired former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni to replace Mike Brown, and the news did not sit well with the legendary Phil Jackson, who many thought was headed back to the bench.
Lakers fans were chanting "We want Phil" at home games Friday and Sunday, and it appeared that the team agreed after general manager Mitch Kupchak and team vice president Jim Buss met with Jackson on Saturday. Jackson told The Los Angeles Times that he thought he was going to give the team his decision on Monday, but then he got a phone call late Sunday night, after the Lakers agreed on a three-year, $12 million deal with D'Antoni.
"I wish it would have been a little bit cleaner," Jackson told the Times. "It would have been much more circumspect and respectful of everybody that's involved. It seemed slimy to be awoken with this kind of news. It's just weird."
Kupchak explained his stance this way in a statement: "After speaking with several excellent and well-respected coaching candidates, Dr. [Jerry] Buss, Jim and I all agreed that Mike was the right person at this time to lead the Lakers forward."
Read more about that story and others -- including a report that Jets coach Rex Ryan cried in front of the team after Sunday's loss to the Seahawks -- plus check out videos, trivia and more, at Tuesday's Morning Mashup [1].
Links:
[1] http://leeinks.weei.com/sports/2012/11/13/tuesdays-morning-mashup-phil-jackson-calls-lakers-handling-of-coaching-change-slimy
[2] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/general