The Lakers’ coaching search is a mess, their top choice – Tyronn Lue – suddenly out of the picture.
Who’s in charge here?
General manager Rob Pelinka holds the top title in the Lakers’ front office, and he appeared to be running things. But he’s not married to Linda Rambis, who some call the Lakers’ shadow owner.
Kurt Rambis is officially the Lakers’ Senior Basketball Advisor, but they reportedly want to make him associate head coach or assistant general manager. At this point, why not head coach?
The Lakers are out on their apparent top two choices, Lue and Monty Williams, whom the Suns hired. The only other candidates Los Angeles interviewed were Jason Kidd and Juwan Howard.
But apparently the Lakers will re-open their search.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
The Los Angeles Lakers are adding these former NBA coaches to their coaching search: Lionel Hollins, Frank Vogel and Mike Woodson, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 8, 2019
Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies and Nets), Frank Vogel (Pacers and Magic) and Mike Woodson (Hawks and Knicks) are all experienced head coaches, but they’re available because they ultimately failed in their last jobs. Sometimes, coaches thrive in different opportunities with new perspectives. Sometimes, they prove why the pejorative “retread” label was deserving.
That the Lakers are now considering these new names is an indictment of their previous coaching search. If Hollins, Vogel and Woodson are so great, why didn’t they warrant even an interview the first time around?
This could signal the Lakers don’t actually believe in Kidd and Howard. More likely, it shows the factions within the organization. The same person who deemed Kidd and Howard worthy of interviews might not be the same person pushing Hollins, Vogel and Woodson.
The big questions: Who makes the final choice? Can the final decisionmaker actually guide the selection through all the fractures in the organization to a signed contract?