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Even though the Lakers eventually rebounded to record the league's fifth-best record during the second half of the season at 28-12, and even though General Manager Mitch Kupchak has given him a vote of confidence, it still feels as if he's not the right coach. Dwight Howard seems to agree with that, and if the Lakers re-sign Howard, D'Antoni soon could be gone. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni, Dwight Howard 

For support, he has phoned his 99-year-old father, Lewis, a former high school coach who has lived in the same Mullens, W.Va., home for nearly a century. "He's followed every one of my games this year," Mike D'Antoni said of telecasts during which he's been frequently criticized. "Good thing about being 99, he probably doesn't hear." For inspiration, just before some games he would sit in his Staples Center office and watch streaming videos of his son Michael's high school basketball games in Rye, N.Y. "I do not regret taking this job for one minute," D'Antoni said. "The only thing I regret is not being there with my son all the time during his senior year." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

Against Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker. And in this universe, that can only mean one thing: Final score, 120-89, the worst home playoff loss in franchise history. San Antonio up 3-0 in the series. “I thought our guys played as hard as they could play,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said after. “but they ran out of gas toward the end.” SheridanHoops

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Mike D'Antoni, Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan 

Hall of Famer and former Laker Jerry West came out in support of Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni, who has received heat from media and fans after the team squeaked into the playoffs with a 45-37 record. "I think there's been far too much criticism of Mike [D'Antoni]," West said to Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley on ESPN LA 710 radio. "I think it's grossly unfair to him. He inherited a team that had a bunch of injuries," West said. "He inherited a team without a training camp. I think he's done a nice job, to be honest with you." Althoguh West said he expected the Lakers to rehire Phil Jackson, he doesn't understand why people are still fixated on what didn't happen. "I think all of us felt they were going to hire Phil, and it didn't happen," West said. "People have to move on. That's what makes sports so interesting. You have to let decisions that are made be made and see what happens." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni, Jerry West 

Janis Carr: D'Antoni: "They are much more efficient than we are." Twitter @janiscarr

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Mike D'Antoni 

Mike Bresnahan: So what's Jordan Hill been up to the last few months? "Well, his car got out of control a little bit," Mike D'Antoni said. #bentleybash Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Mike D'Antoni, Injuries, Jordan Hill 

Dave McMenamin: D'Antoni said he was happy for Mike Brown to get the Cleveland job. He said he has not thought about how it could impact his coaching staff Twitter @mcten

Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni, Mike Brown 

Dwain Price: "Obviously he can play better. He has been the MVP twice, so we’ve all seen that.'' -- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni on point guard Steve Nash Twitter @DwainPrice

Los Angeles Lakers, Steve Nash, Mike D'Antoni 

Mike Bresnahan: Jodie Meeks (sprained ankle) did not take part in Lakers practice today but should be available for Wednesday's game, D'Antoni said. Twitter @Mike_Bresnahan

Los Angeles Lakers, Mike D'Antoni, Injuries, Jodie Meeks 

Also, Patrick asks him how he felt about Kobe Bryant tweeting during the game. D’Antoni’s too smart to say anything negative about the 800 pound gorilla of the Lakers organization. NBCSports.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Mike D'Antoni 

D'Antoni rolled his eyes when asked about Kobe tweeting to get the ball inside, muttering: "It's great to ... have that commentator." Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Mike D'Antoni 

D'Antoni said they tried to get the ball inside. Then he tried to clean it up, saying it's fine that Kobe is tweeting: "He's a fan right now. You guys put a little bit more importance on that kind of fan. ... He wants to be part of it, so that's good." Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Mike D'Antoni 

Arash Markazi: Bad choice of words by D'Antoni. He's playing it off but you can tell Kobe was not happy being called "a fan." Twitter @ArashMarkazi

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Mike D'Antoni 

Kevin Ding: D'Antoni on how much Spurs have beaten him over the years: "I've had therapy." Twitter @KevinDing

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Mike D'Antoni 

Janis Carr: D'Antoni when asked about Kupchak comments about him being back next season: "Whatever happens, happens." Twitter @janiscarr

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

On Friday, Kobe Bryant got a visit from Lakers Vice President Jim Buss, General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Coach Mike D'Antoni. Bryant is still on crutches, recovering from April 13 surgery to repair a torn left Achilles' tendon. The Lakers All-Star guard uploaded a picture to his Instagram account with the caption, "Got a few more visitors today ... Jimmy B, Mitch K and Mike D. We talked about the season, next season and more importantly about the strategy for this upcoming series #lakerfam #amnestywho?? Lol #coachvino." Bryant is expected to be out for six to nine months. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Mitch Kupchak, Mike D'Antoni, Injuries, Jim Buss 

Jessica Camerato: #Knicks Mike Woodson and #Lakers Mike D’Antoni named #NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month (April). Twitter @JCameratoNBA

Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Mike Woodson, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni will be back next season, General Manager Mitch Kupchak said Wednesday. "Yeah, he's back. I think he's done a great job," Kupchak told The Times. "There's been no discussions otherwise. "He's made adjustments. He's been flexible. He's evaluated how he coaches as the season's progressed. He's listened to the players. He's very easy to work with and we think in particular since the meeting the day of the Memphis game, yeah." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

The Lakers have remained patient with D'Antoni. "Much has been made of the injuries, and the coaching change [in November] and no training camp, which is certainly a part of it," Kupchak said of their up-and-down season. "It takes a while. You're in New York coaching and you see the Lakers once or twice a year, you don't know the personnel. And the injury situation when he got here, Steve Nash had the broken leg. There's just too much going on to really look at it any other way." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

Arash Markazi: D'Antoni on who takes the last shot with Kobe out: "We'll run a play and the ball will find whoever's open." Twitter @ArashMarkazi

Los Angeles Lakers, Mike D'Antoni