Will D'Antoni escape Phil's shadow?

One reason the Lakers and Phil Jackson worked so well together is that they looked at the world the same way: gazing down their nose at it. It always seemed that the high chair Jackson was perched upon on the Lakers' bench, ostensibly to comfort his ailing hips, was a perfect metaphor. It was less a seat than a throne, a symbol of basketball royalty. It was in keeping with a franchise for whom its front-row celebrities, its outrageous fortune in acquiring talent and (oh, yes) its 16 titles always seemed to be shouting out the same chorus: we are the Lakers and you are not. And in case anyone needed a reminder, lo and behold, injured guard Steve Blake made it to a doctor's appointment Monday by catching a lift with Kobe Bryant in his helicopter. Is this how it works in Milwaukee? The Lakers will find out soon enough if this is how it works with Mike D'Antoni, whom they shockingly hired late Sunday night instead of Jackson, who had led the franchise to five titles since 2000. T...