For the Los Angeles Lakers, the No. 1 priority this offseason will be figuring out who their next head coach should be.
The Lakers were quick to dismiss previous head coach Frank Vogel after he failed to lead a lackluster roster to the playoffs, and with the clock ticking on LeBron James’ future with the organization, they face even more pressure to get things right. Los Angeles is reportedly going to take their time in their search, but an optimal deadline would be before the 2022 NBA Draft.
As far as how they will approach their search, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports that the top brass will be meeting with eight to 10 candidates via Zoom to start:
The Lakers are conducting their initial wave of interviews over Zoom. They anticipate interviewing 8-10 candidates. Coaches are speaking with Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, Kurt Rambis, Jesse Buss and Joey Buss https://t.co/LMOJ2aePcH
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 7, 2022
It was reported earlier that they would be casting a wide net and that many candidates support that notion. This is an encouraging sign as the Lakers need to make sure they leave no stone unturned as they look for the next coach to hopefully lead them back to an NBA championship.
To ensure they pick the right person for the job, L.A. is also pulling out all the stops and having their primary decision-makers involved in the conversations with candidates. Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are the two most important personnel involved, but Kurt Rambis, Joey Buss and Jesse Buss being present speaks to a more aligned group as far as the head coaching search goes.
So far, the Lakers have reportedly interviewed Mark Jackson and Terry Stotts and will also eventually meet with Darvin Ham and Adrian Griffin. As of now, there does not seem to be a front runner for the position but it will be interesting to see who gains momentum in the coming weeks.
Darvin Ham frontrunner for Hornets job
Ham was one of the first names officially linked to the Lakers and he would make a ton of sense given his previous ties to the franchise and his championship pedigree as a player and assistant coach.
However, the longer L.A. waits to make a decision the more likely Ham goes elsewhere as he is rumored to be the front runner for the Charlotte Hornets job.
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