Triangle Offense Worried Lakers’ Brass?
From the beginning, the Lakers’ brass was uncertain about whether it should be (Mike) D’Antoni or (Phil) Jackson, with there being an underlying belief that despite what the fans and certain players wanted in Jackson, D’Antoni was a better fit for the team’s personnel. (Steve) Nash and Dwight Howard, the centerpiece for the Lakers’ future, are renowned for their ability in pick-and-roll sets, which are the foundation of D’Antoni’s fast-shooting system.
The Lakers were also concerned about how much the team struggled in Mike Brown’s read-and-react system and worried it would take too long for players such as Nash and Howard to learn the triangle offense that is also rooted in reading the defense instead of set plays. The Lakers want to see as soon as possible what they have here in case they need to make more personnel changes, looking at an open championship window of this season and next before cutting payroll to avoid particularly heavy luxury-tax penalties.


