Though on Crutches, D'Antoni Is Ready to Energize Lakers EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - The offense will fly, eventually. The points will accrue at a mind-bending rate, most certainly. But the man writing the script for Showtime: The Sequel would not fly, or jog, or even amble on his first day coaching the Los Angeles Lakers. Mike D'Antoni held crutches in each hand and sat on a tall barstool, presiding from the sideline Thursday while his brother Dan roamed the lane and barked out pick-and-roll principles to an audience that included Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol. Occasionally, D'Antoni hobbled over to make a point. The circumstances were not ideal, but then nothing about this season has been, including the unexpected arrival of a new coach after eight games - indeed, a new coach who just had knee-replacement surgery and expected to be relaxing at home for a few months. Still, D'Antoni arrived at 6:30 a.m., went through meetings, ran an extensive practice and installed an offense and an optimism. The coach famous for his up-tempo style projected nothing but energy, even at quarter-speed. "He was moving around on his crutches," Bryant said. That just shows the level of enthusiasm that he has. He was chomping at the bit to be out there. It will be at least a few more days until D'Antoni is ready to coach a game - either Sunday against Houston or Tuesday against the Nets. Thursday was a day for introductions, to a team with huge expectations and to a curious news media horde that was about 70 strong. After shuffling to the table for his news conference, D'Antoni was all smiles, taking questions for 40 minutes. He was glib, self-deprecating and relaxed - all typical D'Antoni traits, which nevertheless seemed remarkable under the circumstances. All of Southern California seemed to be chanting for Phil Jackson's return after the Lakers fired Mike Brown last Friday. Magic Johnson, perhaps the most popular Laker in history, has ranted about the team's failure to rehire Jackson and questioned the selection of D'Antoni. And everyone in the city expects a title in June. Can D'Antoni - who does not have even one N.B.A. championship ring and has never been to the finals - possibly get a fair shake? "If we win a championship, I'll get a fair shake," D'Antoni said with a smile. Winning takes care of a lot of stuff. He repeated a joke he has been telling all week: that his friends who are Lakers fans were also disappointed the team hired him over Jackson. "The reality is I'm extremely fortunate that they went this direction," D'Antoni said. After years of coaching against the Lakers while with the Phoenix Suns, D'Antoni seemed quite at ease in a purple-and-gold environment, with 16 championship banners hanging in the gymnasium. He admiringly referenced Showtime, the precursor to his offensive style. He said he planned to reach out to Johnson. As for loyalties, D'Antoni has embraced the Lakers before. "I grew up in West Virginia in the "60s - guess who I rooted for?" he said with a chuckle, alluding to the former Lakers star Jerry West. The Lakers" immediate challenge will not necessarily be acclimating to D'Antoni's offense - "He simplifies the game to its purest form," Bryant said - but getting their enviable assortment of stars on the floor. Steve Nash, who played for D'Antoni in Phoenix and may be the key to the offense, is still recovering from a leg injury. Howard, who had back surgery in the spring, said he was "probably about 75, 80 percent." Bryant is playing through a foot injury. And the roles for just about everyone else may change profoundly. Jodie Meeks and Steve Blake, in particular, could become more critical because 3-point shooting is vital to D'Antoni's spread-the-floor system. Chris Duhon, who played for D'Antoni with the Knicks, might also assume a greater role, at least until Nash gets healthy. Gasol is a curious piece because he is not the typical 3-point-shooting power forward that D'Antoni favors. But D'Antoni raved about Gasol, calling him "the best big man that's played the game in a lot of years" in terms of his skill set. He also said Gasol had the shooting range - out to 20 feet - to stretch defenses. But D'Antoni seemed most excited about Howard, and his ability to dominate in the pick-and-roll. "If we can clear this up and clear some room," D'Antoni said, waving his hands as if to move bodies out of the lane, "then he's unstoppable."