the problem is that the lakers just do not play defense consistently. that's not a specialty of d'antoni- and he's never been a good in game adjuster.
there's too much pressure on the front court to clean up the guards' letting the opposing point get into the paint at will. can't get stops, can't win.
as disjointed as the offense is, that's not the issue. steve nash will make them more efficient but they still gon struggle with guard penetration.
also, looking at the roster- the bench is suspect. d'antoni don't play a lot of players anyway- i wouldn't be surprised if the lakers wear down late in season due to the pressure and tired legs the top players inevitably will have due to heavy minutes. they may squeeze in as a lower seed but it's gon be hard to advance vs a top 4 team.
phil was obviously better suited for this job- he used to pressure. d'antoni felt it in new york and resigned.