Lakers Sign Mike D'Antoni for Four Years

Late Sunday night, the Lakers reached an agreement that Mike D'Antoni, of "7 Seconds or Less" fame, would fill their head coaching vacancy. Mike will get a 4-year deal with the Lakers.

Phil Jackson was not offered the Lakers job, as he was "asking for the moon". Phil wanted his old salary of $10 million, limitations on his travel, control over the roster, and control over his assistant coaches.

Likely, the move was ultimately a financial one for the Lakers, who already have a massive payroll going forwards, and are now paying Mike Brown 4.5 million dollars a year to not coach their team. The tasks of paying Jackson his massive salary, paying off their remaining assistant coaches, and negotiating with Jackson's preferred assistants would have stressed the Lakers front office budget, no matter how large it was.

D'Antoni worked with Nash in Phoenix for several years, going as far as the Western Conference Finals together.

Kobe reportedly told the Lakers after tonight's game that while he preferred Phil, he would still be satisfied with D'Antoni. "I'm not sure what direction we are heading in next. All I can do is focus on the here and now," Kobe said tonight on facebook.