Exactly one week ago today, Mike D’Antoni made the decision to step down as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, unwilling to coach the team without a long-term contract. D’Antoni’s resignation signaled the end of a very short-but-dreadful era in Lakers history, a two-season span in which the 16-time NBA champions went 67-87, including a franchise-worst record of 27-55 in 2013-14. While all the blame can’t be placed D’Antoni’s shoulders, he did play huge role in the team’s failure, and most Laker fans are more than thrilled to see him gone.
Many questions remain unanswered in Los Angeles, however. Where do the Lakers go from here? Who can lead the Lakers back to their winning ways? After two straight failed coaching hires in Mike Brown & Mike D’Antoni, the Lakers’ front office is undoubtedly under immense pressure to get it right this time around.
In the seven days since the the position became available, it seems that just about everybody’s name has been mentioned in connection to the most intriguing coaching opening in the NBA, from TNT Analyst Steve Kerr to current Lakers SG Nick Young, who somewhat sarcastically announced via Twitter that he is interested in coaching the team earlier this week.
Here is a look at the top 5 candidates to take over as Head Coach in Los Angeles, in no particular order:
Lakers Coaching Search
1. Mark Jackson
It almost seems that Jackson was meant to end up coaching the purple and yellow. Jackson is an absolutely tremendous coach who shouldn’t even be available after turning the lowly Golden State Warriors into contenders in just three short years. Nonetheless, the Warriors fired him after two consecutive playoff seasons on Tuesday, and he will surely be a strong candidate for the Lakers’ job.
2. Steve Kerr
This guy seems to be at the top of everybody’s most-desired list, drawing serious interest from the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and now, the Lakers. While he has no coaching experience at any level, Kerr is a former general manager, and won three NBA championships as a player in Chicago under legendary coach and current Knicks GM Phil Jackson.
3. Byron Scott
Byron Scott is a very interesting candidate for the job, as he is a former Laker player who won three rings with the team in the late 1980s, and has experienced success as an NBA coach, leading the New Jersey Nets to two NBA Finals and winning the Coach of the Year award with the New Orleans Hornets in 2008. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of bringing Scott in is his ability to possibly lure Kyrie Irving, who he coached in Cleveland, to LA.
4. Kevin Ollie
While it is highly likely the Lakers would be willing to bring in a college coach at this point, Ollie is on several NBA team’s radars after leading UConn to a NCAA National Championship victory in 2014, and will definitely be considered. Ollie is a former NBA player that is well-respected across the league, with his former teammates LeBron James and Kevin Durant both publicly vouching for him before.
5. Jeff Van Gundy
Don’t act surprised. You knew this was coming. His name must be mentioned in every major coaching search, regardless of the fit. As coach of the Knicks between 1995-2001 and the Rockets between 2003-2007, Van Gundy has compiled an impressive career record of 430-318, with his teams qualifying for the playoffs nine times. It would come as a surprise if he took a job in Los Angeles, however, as there is almost no chance that the Lakers will give him any control over the roster/personnel decisions.
With a storied history, a huge market, and tons of cap space to spend in upcoming years, the Los Angeles Lakers have arguably the most desirable head coaching position available. There is no need for the team to rush things, hire another bad fit like D’Antoni, and end up in the market for another coach three years from now. General manager Mitch Kupchak and owner Jim Buss need to slow down, do their homework, and pull the trigger on the guy that they really want.
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