The Los Angeles Lakers are in no rush to replace Mike D’Antoni.
While plenty of other NBA teams are in a mad dash, searching feverishly for their next head coach, the Lakers are going to take it easy and really dig into to this entire process. That’s the plan, anyway.
General manager Mitch Kupchak sat down with Lakers.com’s Mike Trudell and provided a well of information with regards to Los Angeles’ immediate plans. When it came time to discuss the Lakers’ coaching search, he preached patience:
MT: To shift over to the coaching vacancy, does having only three players on the roster right now for next season change how you approach the hire?
Kupchak: You do take into consideration the make up of your roster. Although I won’t rule out hiring a coach prior to the lottery on May 20, I think it’s likely that we don’t, because that’s really the first step in terms of additional information for this franchise. Let’s find out what kind of pick we have. That may even help us decide what direction to go with for our coach. It will be a consideration.
This is interesting. You wouldn’t think the Lakers’ lottery position would impact their coaching search much, if at all. Maybe their current roster, their free-agency plans and whatever else they’ve mapped out for the next couple years, but the lottery? That seems weird.
And yet, it makes perfect sense.
Consider this: Depending where the Lakers land, they may elect to trade or keep the player they draft. If they somehow land in the top three, maybe they draft a prospect they believe could be dangled in a trade for Kevin Love. Or maybe they keep him.
Whatever they decide to do will speak volumes on their direction. Will they be a rebuilding team looking to summer 2015 as their primary opportunity to turn things around, or will they be all in on now, fresh off dealing their selection for a star?
The answer to that question can lead to a pool of head coaching candidates. If the Lakers believe they’re about to pull off a blockbuster deal or strike gold in free agency, they may want a more experienced coach. If they’re going to ride out another season’s worth of mediocrity or losing, perhaps they’re inclined to roll the dice on a rookie sideline-meanderer.
Regardless, waiting isn’t really a problem. The lottery isn’t that far off anyway. If this search draws out, say, past the draft itself and into free agency, that’s when you have to start thinking.
Postponing a decision for that long would imply the Lakers are waiting for input from prospective free agents. If, for some reason, they feel LeBron James, Chris Bosh or Carmelo Anthony are legitimate free-agent options, they could seek their opinions. But that’s only if they’re confident in their ability to sign one, otherwise it’s pointless.
No matter what they ultimately do, this approach adds intrigue to the situation. Other positions are bound to fill up between now and the lottery, so you have to wonder if the Lakers have a name in mind that they believe will still be available (Byron Scott, perhaps?).
It’s too early to tell much of anything at this point. The Lakers are looking. And they’re taking their sweet-ass time. And they’ll continue taking their sweet-ass time if they see fit. That’s all we know.
Lakers gon’ be the Lakers: confident in their ability to find a suitable coach—no matter when, no matter how.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
