The L.A. Lakers are "leaning toward relieving" veteran coach Mike D'Antoni of his duties at the end of the season, according to ESPN.
With the Lakers a loss away from tying the franchise record and setting a new mark since the team relocated to Southern California more than 50 years ago, D'Antoni has largely become the scapegoat for the team's struggles among its fan base. Making matters even worse, Tuesday night's futility could come with the much despised Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets in town.
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"It's one of those years," forward Wesley Johnson told ESPN. "It's tough to fight through it."
While injuries to everyone from Kobe Bryant to Pau Gasol to Steve Nash have immensely hurt the Lakers, D'Antoni's reputation for not having his teams prepared to play defense has also come back to bite them.
The Lakers allow the second-most points in the NBA at 109.0 per game and are surrendering an average of 114.5 during their most recent skid. Overall, the team is 2-34 when giving up at least 109.
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With Phil Jackson now in New York and in charge of the Knicks, Kevin Ollie and John Calipari, both of whom had their teams competing for the national championship Monday night, have been mentioned as possible candidates to replace D'Antoni.
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