This Los Angeles Lakers coaching search hasn’t been much fun.
All along, the assumption was that the Lakers would make a splash by inking a big, flashy, oh-my-god-did-they-really-sign-him? name. Instead of action and visions of grandeur, though, there have been the same old recurrent, drab rumors that have them interviewing prospective candidates like Mike Dunleavy, Alvin Gentry, Kurt Rambis and blah, blah, blah. Lionel Hollins and Byron Scott offer a certain level of coaching star power, but not the kind you expect the Lakers to sync up with. Maybe Hollins. Scott is more familiar than anything else.
Don’t get me wrong, each of those guys is a respected basketball mind. Rambis knows his defense when you don’t give him a crap roster to work with like the Lakers had last season. Gentry’s offense is very Mike D’Antoni-like, in that’s it’s high-powered and fun to watch and everything the Lakers don’t need. Scott would get along with Kobe Bryant, which is clearly of interest to this team. Hollins might clash with Kobe and everyone else in Los Angeles, so that could be fun. And Dunleavy—yeah. He coached the Lakers to the NBA Finals once. Let’s assume that counts for something.
Still, their quest for a new coach has lacked something, it’s bereft of the intrigue we expect. It needs something, someone.
Maybe someones.
And maybe those someones are George Karl and Larry Brown.
From ESPN New York’s Ian Begley:
Sources say that the Lakers, meanwhile, remain interested in discussing their vacancy with Fisher but also continue to proceed with a more deliberate coaching search than the Knicks. The Lakers — who have interviewed coaching veterans Byron Scott, Alvin Gentry, Lionel Hollins and Mike Dunleavy, in addition to discussions with former Lakers player and coach Kurt Rambis and ESPN analyst George Karl — are not yet locked into one candidate. The Lakers, sources add, have also internally discussed reaching out to Scott Skiles and former NBA championship-winning coach Larry Brown, who has spent the past two seasons in the college game at SMU.
Now we’re talking. We might not be saying anything sensible, but we’re most definitely talking.
Karl would be an interesting fit for the Lakers. He most recently spent nine years with the Denver Nuggets, during which time he guided the team to nine successive playoff berths. The work he did with the roster on the heels of Carmelo Anthony’s departure was truly exquisite.
To this day, his exit remains a mystery. He was basically shown the door last season, weeks after directing the Nuggets to 57 victories and earning Coach of the Year honors. It only sounds unfair because it is. The methodology behind the Nuggets’ decision was beyond vexing. And stupid. Maybe they were high. On crack. They let storied general manager Masai Ujiri set up shop with the Toronto Raptors last summer too, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
Brown, by comparison, is a less exciting prospect. His last two stints in the NBA haven’t gone well at all. He was tasked with managing the transitioning New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats and things quickly went south. Heading a team like the Lakers—who are still in the throes of rebuilding—hardly seems like a good idea for an impatient man such as himself.
Between the two, Karl is the better fit, though neither of them appear to be likely hires. But the Lakers are operating in mysterious ways at the moment. There’s really no predicting who they’ll turn to next.
It could be Karl.
It could be Scott.
It could be Hollins.
It could be Derek Fisher.
It could be you.
Rest assured, though, knowing this: It won’t be Dunleavy.
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.
