It sure took some time, but L.A. Lakers new president of basketball operations Magic Johnson has finally converted to the Church of D’Antoni.
Speaking with reporters in Houston on Tuesday, Johnson said that Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni is this season’s Coach of the Year and credited D’Antoni for “an amazing job,” per FOX 26 Houston’s Mark Berman.
.@MagicJohnson on Mike D'Antoni:"He's got2be Coach of theYear.He's done an amazing job.I don't know how he's not going2win Coach of theYear" pic.twitter.com/sbJmMJvNcD
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) April 4, 2017
While D’Antoni is the most popular pick for the award with the way he has transformed the Rockets into a legitimate title contender in his first season at the helm, Johnson’s comments are interesting given the contentious relationship between the two in the past.
D’Antoni was formerly the head coach of the Lakers for two seasons, and Johnson was one of his most vocal critics, even sending out a celebratory tweet when D’Antoni resigned in 2014. For his part, D’Antoni never seemed to forget it and recently expressed skepticism that Johnson would be able to make much of an impact with free agents in his new front office role.
Nevertheless, D’Antoni is clearly the most deserving candidate for top head coaching honors this season, so it’s great to see Johnson give credit where it’s due, no matter his prior history with D’Antoni.
