The Los Angeles Lakers have officially begun the search for Mike D’Antoni’s replacement after the head coach resigned following a franchise worst 27-55 record.
Plenty of candidates have already surfaced as the coaching search gets underway, but the Lakers front office appears to be in no rush to hire a new leader on the sidelines.
According to Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, the organization will take its time to hire a replacement:
The Lakers might redefine the phrase “slow-speed chase.”
They are in no hurry to fill the coaching vacancy created Wednesday by Mike D’Antoni’s resignation and are planning a long search with many candidates.
With a long list of potential candidates, the Lakers have no shortage of viable options moving forward. Many believe the team will come closer to a decision on the next head coach after the NBA draft lottery on May 20.
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The team’s position in the upcoming 2014 NBA draft will help determine the direction of the franchise. A pick outside of the top-three in the upcoming draft could drastically change the team’s intentions.
With that being said, the Lakers may not make a final decision on a new head coach for quite some time. A wise move for a team that hasn’t had much success with that last two heads coaches in Mike Brown and D’Antoni.
Currently, there are a number of different candidates. A few of the candidates have ties to the organization like Byron Scott, Derek Fisher, Ettore Messina, Mike Dunleavy Sr. and Kurt Rambis.
Other notable candidates are George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Kevin Ollie, John Calipari, Lionel Hollins and Tom Thibodeau.
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Mike D’Antoni OUT, Resigns As Lakers Head Coach – Magic Johnson Says He Couldn’t Be Happier
