After former Lakers‘ coach, Mike Brown, was fired on Friday talk immediately began surrounding who would take the position over. It came down to another former Lakers’ coach, Phil Jackson, or former Knicks coach, Mike D’Antoni. For many, Jackson was the obvious choice with multiple championships under his belt; and one who many consider the greatest coach ever in the NBA. But Mike D’Antoni brought something to the table that even Jackson couldn’t — a reputation as being the offense king. And in the end, that’s what the Lakers were looking for.

Truthfully, either coach could be considered as one of the best offensive coaches of all time. But Jackson’s Triangle strategy wasn’t as good a fit for the Lakers as D’Antino’s up-tempo system. Mitch Kupchak, Lakers’ general manager, said that while the Triangle system is effective, he thinks that it may take some of the newer players too long to adapt to it. D’Antino also had one thing that Jackson didn’t — he’s worked with Steve Nash before, in Phoenix, and the two were very successful together. Now, fans are hoping that they’ll bring some of that to the Staples Center, too.

Of course, whenever Dwight Howard’s on a team, you must consider how he’ll work with any new coach he’s asked to. D’Antoni seemed on board there too, says that he’s going to be using Howard a lot in gameplay, and that was also a huge consideration for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant on the other hand, called D’Antoni a “genius” after the hiring was made official; and looks forward to his offensive style of play.