According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Jeff Hornacek is also expected to be on the Lakers’ list. The possibilities seem endless.
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Over the last couple of years, it seems as if every National Basketball Association franchise with a head-coaching vacancy has had Kevin Ollie on its wish list. We’ve seen some odd hires and non hires from Jim Buss (Mike D’Antoni to coach, Phil Jackson to the Knicks come to mind). Kupchak once dubbed Messina the “Phil Jackson of worldwide basketball” after coaching extensively in Russian Federation and Italy. The difference is, the Lakers have tradition, a dedicated (and demanding) fan base, a culture that is supposed to be about winning and winning big. He led the Nets to two NBA Finals in his first head-coaching job, and he won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award with the Hornets in 2008. For example, the New Orleans Pelicans were granted permission to interview former Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry in mid-May before the Warriors’ eventual title run. According to a person with knowledge of Walton’s situation, the Lakers had not requested permission to speak with him as of late Sunday night. Blatt can coach. And it’s not like firing Blatt made the Cavaliers any better, as Cleveland is still the hot and cold team it was all season long. Oklahoma City used Durant’s injury as an excuse for fire Brooks, who had taken the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012. Ollie also grew up in South Central Los Angeles and formerly starred at Crenshaw High. He was both a great fit for the Lakers and someone the team had interest in.
Ollie has three years left on his contract with UConn after signing a five-year extension in 2014.
Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss has said he would step away if the team isn’t competing for the Western Conference final next season. A source added, however, those terms would not go into effect until March, though the costs are believed to be relatively nominal.
“There are a lot of different arenas that we can look to to find a coach”, Kupchak said.
Scott, 55, played 11 seasons with the Lakers. By waiting until Sunday to relieve Scott, the Lakers will dip into a coaching pool considerably shallower than it was a week ago. Or his heroic performance against the Dallas Mavericks in 2005 when he outscored the entire team 62-61 over the course of three quarters. “I don’t think it’s going to drag out, but you don’t know”. “But I understand the business of basketball, and it’s all about wins and losses”.
But the Lakers, struggling with a mixture of rookies and veterans, have struggled to put together coherent game plans over the past two seasons.
Kupchak said the Lakers dropped Scott due to “a bunch of things”.
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But because they’re the Lakers, it couldn’t happen without drama. There isn’t a coach in America, including Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Bill Belichick or Butch Harmon, who can get the Lakers anywhere near presentability anytime soon, even if they do hang onto their draft pick and even if it turns into Ben Simmons, Buddy Hield or Brandon Ingram.
