Mike D'Antoni to make Lakers coaching debut Sunday

New Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni has been in town the past several days running practices and installing his offense and defense philosophies, but it has been Bernie Bickerstaff in charge during the games so far. That will all change on Sunday, the new Lakers head coach tells Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register.

It means Mike D'Antoni will officially take over for Mike Brown as the new Lakers head coach when he makes his Lakers debut on Sunday, when the team takes on James Harden and the Houston Rockets.

It will be the first time D'Antoni coaches for the Lakers, but also the first time he will be a head coach in a NBA game since parting ways with the New York Knicks mid-season last year after an 18-24 start in the lockout-shortened 2011 season.

While it is a new start for the Lakers and D'Antoni, the new Lakers head coach is familiar with the core group, having coached Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard with the USA Olympics team. Also, D'Antoni spent several years with Steve Nash as his starting point guard when the two were together in Phoenix.

Since the firing of Mike Brown, the Lakers have gone 3-1.