Bryant says excited about new Lakers coach D'Antoni

Abruptly fired

D'Antoni will take charge of a Lakers team that made a dismal 1-4 start to this season before winning their next two games after Brown was abruptly fired as coach on Friday.

He is known for his fast-paced offense-oriented system and Bryant believes the new coach will adapt quickly in Los Angeles, despite inheriting an ageing team led by a quintet of thirty-somethings.

"It's gonna be fine," said Bryant. "It's not like he takes the same thing that he did in Phoenix and incorporates that here. He has different personnel.

"He can use Steve (Nash) to his greatest advantages and me to mine and Dwight (Howard) to his and Pau (Gasol) to his and so on and so forth. It's really about spacing and reading. It shouldn't be too hard."

D'Antoni had a 388-339 record as head coach of the Denver Nuggets, the Suns and the Knicks, achieving his greatest success in Phoenix where he twice guided the team to the Western Conference finals.

During his five seasons with the Suns, D'Antoni established a strong relationship with point guard Nash which will certainly help him as he adjusts to the Lakers but some critics point to a perceived lack of focus on defense.

Bryant scoffs at such suggestions.

"That's just because he hasn't won any (NBA) championships," said Bryant. "To be honest with you, in all years I've been with Phil, we've maybe done three defensive drills. I'm not understating it at all.

"Phil's philosophy was always, 'You guys need to figure it out on your own', and that's what made him a phenomenal coach. He was able to sit back and trust the process, trust the players to communicate with each other.

"That's when a team is at its best, and as a result we've had some great defensive teams."