The Lakers Nation wants changes, and "Fire D'Antoni" is the no-brainer as far as the Purple and Gold goes.

Breaking up is hard to do but not as much as admitting your own mistake. Kobe had already put the front office on the spot and Pau Gasol all but specified D'Antoni's ouster if he was even to consider returning. Kobe and Pau are franchise cornerstones so the team officials should listen to them.

However, it's such a bad rep for a front office to fire two coaches in two years. Especially since GM Mitch Kupchak just agreed to a multi-year extension. The challenge is how to lead him out the door in an amicable manner. From the NY Daily News:

"The Lakers are hoping for a best-case scenario: Another team asks to hire away D'Antoni. Then he could be freed up to leave and the Lakers wouldn't get their hands dirty with their second firing of their coach in 17 months, following Mike Brown's dismissal after a 1-4 start in November, 2012. They would then be able to make a popular move with their fans by hiring Byron Scott or current assistant coach Kurt Rambis, both of whom are part of the Lakers' brand as ex-players from the Showtime days of the '80s."

Despite last year's unprecedented number of coaching changes last summer, a horde of tacticians will find themselves on the hot seat again. This is an opportune time for the Lakers to get rid of D'Antoni while saving face.

However, most of the teams who want to give their coaches the pink slip would not be great fits for the former advocate of Seven Seconds Or Less. They want more defense or a more organized halfcourt execution scheme (ex.NY Knicks, Golden State Warriors). Neither of those are D'Antoni's strengths.

The Los Angeles Lakers front office needs to man up and face the fans. They owe them that much after this horrible season.