Only one day after Mike D’Antoni resigned as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the list of potential candidates for the vacancy has grown considerably.
Practically every single big-name NBA and college coach not currently employed, and a few that still have jobs, have been mentioned as candidates for the Lakers.
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Another candidate emerged on Thursday that has ties with the organization. Mike Dunleavy Sr. let it be known that he’d be interested in the position if given the opportunity on his SiriusXM radio show according to Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times:
“Clearly, if I had an opportunity to interview with them I would definitely be interested,” said Dunleavy on his SiriusXM NBA Radio show on Thursday. “I had a great run there when I coached in the ’90s. I interviewed the last time the job was open.
“They’re just a great organization. I have lots of friends, obviously, from the organization from when I was there last and a lot of interaction over the years because I played them so many times in the playoffs.”
Dunleavy coached the Lakers from 1990-92 and led the team to the NBA Finals in 1991, but fell to Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls. The 60-year-old hasn’t coached in the NBA since 2010 when he was fired by the Los Angeles Clippers after seven years with the team.
Before the Lakers hired D’Antoni over Jackson, Dunleavy was considered a legitimate candidate along with Jerry Sloan and Jeff Van Gundy.
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