As most of the basketball world focuses on free agency and Kevin Love trade rumors, there is an extremely important trial going on regarding Donald Sterling and the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Sterling continues to fight to keep the team and the longer this drags out, the more things begin to get uncomfortable for the NBA and the Clippers themselves.
Yesterday, interim Clippers CEO Dick Parsons testified that head coach Doc Rivers would leave the team if Sterling was still the owner. With that possibility, Grantland’s Bill Simmons appeared on The Herd and believes that the possibility of Rivers could be the reason the Lakers haven’t hired a coach yet:
Another conspiracy theory that I don’t think is a conspiracy theory, this is clearly why the Lakers are waiting on not hiring a coach. They must feel like they have a chance with Doc Rivers if this keeps dragging on.
This is an intriguing theory as no one understands why the Lakers have not hired a coach, especially after having interviewed Byron Scott three times already.
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Rivers is one of the best coaches in the NBA, and has shown that he can turn around a franchise and change the culture. Lakers fans may not care for him too much after his stint with the Boston Celtics, but Rivers’ coaching acumen and ability to motivate is one of the best in the NBA.
Make no mistake, Byron Scott is still the favorite to land the job, but just like a superstar player, a big-time coach can make a huge difference. At the least, this would explain the Lakers delaying a coach hiring for this long.
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