UPDATE (11:00 AM PST): In addition to John Calipari and Kevin Ollie, the Lakers will also interview George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott, and Kurt Rambis according to LA Times’ Mike Bresnahan:
Lakers will interview George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott and Rambis for coaching vacancy. Also, as reported earlier, Calipari + Ollie
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) May 1, 2014
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With Mike D’Antoni’s resignation, the Los Angeles Lakers will immediately look to fill their head coaching vacancy. After numerous rumors during the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, it appears the Lakers will reach out to Kentucky’s John Calipari and Connecticut’s Kevin Ollie according to ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne:
To that end, sources say, Lakers officials intend to reach out to two of the biggest names in the college game — UConn’s Kevin Ollie and Kentucky’s John Calipari — to at least gauge their interest in the job.
With that being said, the Lakers will focus on the draft and free agency until they get a better sense of the marketplace:
The Lakers’ immediate aims, sources say, are to focus on the draft and free agency and “hold back (on the coaching front) until they get a better sense of the marketplace.”
Before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game, Rex Chapman’s tweet started rumors that Calipari would be the next Lakers head coach. With D’Antoni currently the coach at the time, Calipari disputed any reports of him coming to Los Angeles.
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After being the No. 7 seed in the tournament, the Huskies became the first team to not only reach but win the championship game led by their coach, Kevin Ollie. It was an impressive run for the former NBA player who became Connecticut’s coach just two seasons ago.
With so many possible candidates, it will be interesting to see what direction the Lakers will go. While some want the team to hire established NBA coaches like George Karl or Lionel Hollins, fresh faces like Kevin Ollie or Derek Fisher could be intriguing as the Lakers look to rebuild themselves into championship contenders.
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Lakers Rumors: John Calipari To The Lakers? Lakers ‘Leaning Towards’ Parting Ways With D’Antoni?