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As the off-season progresses for the LA Lakers, their search for a new head coach, potential for acquisitions and trades, coupled with the general media attention that the Lakers get has sparked plenty of rumors.
Since firing Frank Vogel as the head coach, the Lakers have interviewed former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham.
They have also considered former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts and Golden State Warriors' assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.
The Lakers roster was ridden with injuries, lackluster performances and holes on both the offensive and the defensive end. They finished the season in the bottom 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings.
Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee for the LA Lakers head coach position
According to Jovan Buha of the Athletic, the LA Lakers had requested the Milwaukee Bucks to interview Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee for the position of head coach.
The LA Lakers have expressed their interest in hiring a rookie head coach, in case a big name like Doc Rivers, Quin Snyder or Nick Nurse isn't available:
"Aside from Nick Nurse, Quin Snyder or another elite coach becoming available, it looks like the Lakers are strongly considering the upside of a rookie head coach.
"Rob Pelinka made it clear that the team was going to take their time with the search and that one of the most important coaching qualities would be gravitas." (h/t) The Athletic
In the article, Buha stated that despite their rookie status, it is the coach's familiarity with the players that makes them viable for the job:
"That suggests a coach with experience, but several of the first-year candidates they’ve been linked to are former players that are known to command respect." (h/t) The Athletic
Darvin Ham, Terry Stotts amongst frontrunners for the Lakers' head coach
In the same article by Buha, he alluded to the Portland Trail Blazers' veteran coach Terry Stotts and Milwaukee Bucks' assistant coach Darvin Ham as being the favorites among the interviewed candidates for the position of head coach for the LA Lakers. He wrote:
"The Lakers have already been linked to over a dozen candidates for their head-coaching vacancy, but none of them have emerged as a clear front-runner yet. Ham and Terry Stotts are probably the closest to current favorites." (h/t) The Athletic
Darvin Ham served as an assistant coach for three franchises in the NBA: the LA Lakers from 2011 to 2013, the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2018 and has since been the lead assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.
He has two championships under his belt, in 2004 as a player and in 2021 as a coach.
Terry Stotts was the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers from 2012 to 2021. Stotts had several successful runs with the Blazers in the regular-season, but his prowess remains to be seen in the post-season.
In the final five years of his tenure with the Blazers, they suffered four first-round exits and one conference finals berth.
Phil Jackson's belief in Russell Westbrook may swing front-office decisions
Lakers former head coach Phil Jackson has quite often been associated with Jeanie Buss and the LA Lakers organization in recent times.
After a miserable run in 2021-22, at the helm of which were injuries and underwhelming performances from the star players, Phil Jackson is apparently backing Russell Westbrook, who was in the hot seat all-season long.
As reported by The Atheltic's Sam Amick, Jackson has analogized the issues surrounding the position of Gary Payton on the 2003-04 LA Lakers roster to the Westbrook situation:
"For Jackson’s part, sources say he has cited the Gary Payton dilemma in the 2003-04 Lakers season as a way of illustrating a coach’s need to make the best of roster decisions that weren’t his preference. In essence, deal with the hand you’re dealt rather than complain about it." (h/t) The Athletic
Last week, there were also some rumors surrounding Phil Jackson wanting to trade LeBron James, as reported by Bill Plaschke of the LA Times.
Guess the Lakers players!
