Mike D'Antoni declares this year's version of his relatively starless Los Angeles Lakers team has been "lot easier to coach."
"They listen and do kind of what they want to do," he told the L.A. Times. "So, I haven't made a whole lot of adjustments; it's just a different atmosphere."
Different, as in, D'Antoni no longer has to verbally spar with former star center Dwight Howard, who has since moved on to Houston, and injured star Kobe Bryant. With the Lakers off to a surprising 9-9 start, harmony seems to be the new normal in Los Angeles.
"He's telling everybody what their roles are and he's believing in everybody and giving them the confidence to go out there and just play basketball," forward Wes Johnson told The Times of D'Antoni."'You've been playing this game your whole life; just go out and play it.' "
That approach has aided the Lakers in knocking off such Western Conference powers Houston, Golden State and the Clippers without Bryant and with only a smidgen of the former great known as Steve Nash.
Through 17 games, nine players have led the team in scoring, as much a testament to their newfound chemistry as an indictment of their lack of star power.
Still, the Lakers have won five of seven games with Bryant on the way, perhaps as early as this Friday against Sacramento.
"We have a bunch of good guys and they all accept who they are, where they are in this stage of their career and what needs to be done to win," D'Antoni told The Times. "Different games will call for different things, and you just play basketball."
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