All the current talk revolving around the Los Angeles Lakers concerns their head coaching search.
The Lakers, alongside the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets, are scouring the market looking for a new leader on the sidelines and it looks like they are looking at the same candidates. Mark Jackson has been linked to Los Angeles and Sacramento, while Darvin Ham is in the running for both the Lakers and Hornets.
One person of note who has not been brought up is Lakers assistant Phil Handy. Handy believes he is ready to become a head coach but in an appearance on the “The Forum Club,” Bill Oram of The Athletic reported that he has not been seriously considered to this point:
“Phil Handy has been an assistant with the Lakers for the last three seasons, and obviously has had tons of success as an assistant coach, has a long history with LeBron James and has interviewed for head coaching jobs in the past, in Washington a year ago. Not a name I’ve heard, though, in terms of internally the Lakers looking at Phil Handy. Whether that’s because of an overall reset on the coaching staff, or because he doesn’t bring exactly what they’re looking for, hard to say.
“But I mean obviously (he is) revered as a skills coach in the NBA and this job requires a whole lot of managerial skills, which I think Phil Handy actually does have some of in terms of having the respect of the players, but like you were talking about Jovan, the tactical side of things is going to be so key, especially as the Lakers are probably going to have to get creative again, because it’s going to be difficult to build this roster top to bottom with real, comprehensive depth… So I don’t know if Phil Handy is a guy that you’re going to see in the late stages of this coaching search.”
Handy has earned the respect of the league for his ability to develop and teach players, and it only seems like a matter of time before he gets his shot. However, L.A. seems to be more interested in candidates with previous head coaching experience, which means Handy may not get his opportunity with the Purple and Gold.
Shaquille O’Neal endorses Mark Jackson for Lakers head coaching job
Jackson is a popular name considering what he did with the Golden State Warriors and he has supporters connected to the Lakers as Shaquille O’Neal recently endorsed him to become their next head coach.
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