EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Although Mike D’Antoni is still on crutches after his recent knee surgery, he’s already at work with the Los Angeles Lakers.
D’Antoni coached his first practice with his new team Thursday, four days after the Lakers hired him to replace Mike Brown.
The former Knicks and Suns coach had knee replacement surgery earlier this month, delaying his arrival to take over the star-studded roster that got off to a 1-4 start to the season. Los Angeles has gone 2-1 since Brown’s firing.
D’Antoni’s assistant coach and brother, Dan, ran drills with the Lakers during the portion of practice open to the media, with Mike watching from the perimeter.
Interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff also was in practice. The Lakers haven’t said who will run the team Friday night against Phoenix.