The Los Angeles Lakers are beginning to ramp up their search for a head coach after parting ways with Darvin Ham. A number of different names have been brought up as potential candidates, many of whom are current assistant coaches and it looks as if the Lakers are beginning to take the next steps.
The franchise is expected to conduct a thorough interview process and things should be picking up soon as according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have secured permission to interview a number of assistant coaches including New Orleans’ James Borrego, Philadelphia’s Sam Cassell, Denver’s David Adelman and Minnesota’s Micah Nori:
ESPN Sources: The Lakers have secured permission to interview several assistants for head coaching job, including New Orleans’ James Borrego, Denver’s David Adelman, Boston’s Sam Cassell and Minnesota’s Micah Nori, among others. https://t.co/4m4lIC98Pe
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 15, 2024
Among those listed here, only Borrego has prior head coaching experience as he spent four years as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets before joining the Pelicans staff this past season. In fact, Borrego is reportedly an early leading target for the Lakers along with Cassell and JJ Redick.
Cassell had long been viewed as one of the top assistant coaches in the league and has had plenty of head coach interviews in the past, but has yet to receive that first opportunity. Perhaps that could come with the Lakers if they deem him the right person for the job.
Both Adelman and Nori are viewed as two of the brightest assistants in the league and get a lot of credit for the recent rises of the Nuggets and Timberwolves, respectively. Adelman is the son of former Sacramento Kings head coach Rick Adelman and has an extensive offensive background while Nori has taken on a larger role on the Minnesota bench thanks to head coach Chris Finch suffering a torn patellar tendon.
The Lakers have also secured permission to interview Miami Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn, according to Wojnarowski:
The Lakers secured permission to interview Miami assistant Chris Quinn too, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/Z8ZWVxedQz
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 15, 2024
Quinn is another rising young assistant coach who has spent 10 seasons on the Heat bench under arguably the best coach in the NBA in Erik Spoelstra. There is still a long ways to go and plenty of candidates for the Lakers to sort through, but it sounds as if they will take a long look at a lot of people before settling on the right person for the job.
Lakers head coach hire more about appeasing Anthony Davis than LeBron James?
Regardless of who the Lakers hire, the new head coach will have a lot on their plate. This is a franchise that is in win-now mode, but also must look towards the future as LeBron James doesn’t have much time left in his NBA career.
As such, a recent report noted that the Lakers’ next head coach will not only be tasked with guiding the end of this current era, but also be prepared to take on the next era with Anthony Davis at the forefront, adding that the coach hire should actually be more about Davis than LeBron.
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