Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak wants a coach in place in time for June 23 National Basketball Association draft: In firing Byron Scott on Sunday night, the Lakers not only freed themselves of the coach who oversaw the two worst seasons in franchise history, but also gave themselves a chance to make a correct coaching hire after the past three coaches failed to deliver on big promises.
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Scott went 38-126 over two seasons, the worst record of any Lakers coach who spent at least two seasons leading the team.
Instead of picking up Scott’s options for his last two years on his contract, the Lakers chose to dismiss him of his coaching duties. The Lakers waited to fire Scott while two top candidates for head-coaching positions took other jobs: Tom Thibodeau landed in Minnesota, and Scott Brooks was hired by Washington.
Contrary to what pundits have expected, the Lakers may have plenty of coaching candidates in line to take over Scott’s place, and according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton is “an obvious choice” to fill the position.
If the Warriors eliminate the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of their first-round series in Oakland on Wednesday, that could make it easier for both the Lakers and Walton to schedule any possible interview before the Western Conference semifinals begin.
Many fans in Los Angeles turned on Scott this year or last – even though he previously played 11 seasons with the Lakers and won three championships with them. Last season, which concluded just two weeks ago, ended 17-65 for the Lakers. The closest the Hall of Fame head coach ever came to leaving East Lansing was back in June of 2010 when the Cleveland Cavaliers came knocking and he said “no” to one of the more talented teams in the league after much deliberation. The first name is Derek Fisher, who played with the Lakers and was just fired by the Knicks this past season.
But Scott was unable to jump-start the Lakers.
The Lakers are officially in the market for a new coach.
However, it would be nice to have a coach for the entire summer to gain some consistency and grant more time to establish a new culture in LA.
The next coach will be in for a challenge as the Lakers attempt to get back into championship contention after three hard and unusual years in Los Angeles. While we expect the process to be long and arduous, here’s a look at three candidates they should consider. So, according to reports, Jeff Van Gundy is also likely to be in the race for the post of Lakers’ coach.
This much is clear: this coaching choice is crucial if the Lakers are to finally find their way out of the National Basketball Association cellar.
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But the Lakers, struggling with a mixture of rookies and veterans, have struggled to put together coherent game plans over the past two seasons. What will the Lakers do if one of their targets wants to have final say in personnel decisions?
