It as never my intention for this to be a political blog so I’m going to start fixing this today. How about some basketball?

After the glacial 1-4 start for the hometown Lakers, the cries were growing for Mike Brown’s ouster. During games, cries for Phil Jackson echoed off the banners in Staples Center. And so Brown got the axe, lickety-split.

And everyone thought that Phil would get the job – even Phil. But Lakers brass went with another rumored name: Mike D’antoni.

From the first rumor, I thought that D’antoni would be a weird choice. The run-and-gun transition style that he made famous with the Phoenix Suns might be fine for the young bench players (who need every advantage they can get), but would kill the aging starting five the Lakers are relying on. But maybe not – they system also is heavy on pick-and-roll, which even ancient ballers can handle.

A lot of pixels have been spilled writing about how D’antoni has learned from his stint with the Knicks and will adapt his system, and how his teams aren’t nearly as bad defensively as everyone thinks they are (they gave up more points because their pace-of-play generated more possessions for not only themselves, but for their opponents as well).

Will it make a difference? The interim coach, Bernie Bickerstaff basically just got out of the way, and the Lakers immediately started playing winning ball (though they haven’t played a decent team since the Clippers (is that right?!)). So clearly talent, knowledge, and experience can do a lot on its own. Having a dedicated offensive system will help. Getting Steve Nash back from his fractured knee knob will also do wonders.

But there’s only one thing that will ultimately make this all work: how will Kobe adapt? Will Kobe adapt?

This, I think matters more than the coach, the system, the other starters, the bench… anything. If Kobe is happy with his role, the Lakers will do well. If not, not.

He’s shown a willingness to adapt to new styles of play, but this is a man that wants the ball in his hands, needs the ball in his hands to feel like himself. He’s led the league in usage for like…. ever.
Can he be satisfied with the ball in Nash’s hands? Will he be happy camped in the corner or setting screens? Of course he should be, and he’ll say he is. But how patient will he be this time?

As Kobe goes, so go the Lakers. Period.