The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly have ‘no plans’ to hire a new president of basketball operations, but they are currently looking for a new head coach.
Without Magic Johnson and Luke Walton now, general manager Rob Pelinka has been empowered to conduct the team’s coaching search.
After meeting with Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams and former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, both candidates are expected to be brought back for second meetings which will include owner Jeanie Buss.
As for their third candidate, Pelinka will reportedly meet with Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard on Tuesday, according to Tania Ganguli and Brad Turner of Los Angeles Times:
Pelinka also will meet with Juwan Howard, his former teammate at Michigan, who is an assistant coach with the Miami Heat. That meeting is expected to take place Tuesday, according to people familiar with the Lakers’ plans.
Unlike Lue and Williams, Howard has no head coaching experience which may work against him. However, the 46-year-old has relationships with Pelinka and LeBron James as former teammates at Michigan and with the Heat.
While there are currently more questions than answers, the Lakers are actually going through a hiring process for their next head coach. While Los Angeles may not want to give James ‘too much control,’ the reality is all three candidates have connections to him and it is a matter of hiring the best one for the job.
