After Mike D’Antoni resigned from the Los Angeles Lakers 12 days ago, numerous coaches have expressed interest in the vacant head coaching position. While the speculation will continue, the Lakers still have not reached out to any of the names they are considering.
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According to ESPN LA’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers are expected to begin a preliminary round of phone interviews soon, but will not have any sit-down sessions until later this month:
“The Lakers have still not reached out to any of the names they are considering, according to a team source familiar with the coaching search. They are expected to commence a preliminary round of phone interviews soon, but will not schedule any sit-down sessions until later in the month.”
Taking into consideration that the NBA draft lottery is on May 20, the Lakers may be looking to see what pick they actually have before making a decision on the next head coach of the franchise. It is important that the next coach not only fits with Kobe Bryant for the final two seasons, but also with the draft pick who is expected to lead the Lakers for years to come.
The Lakers face their most important off-season in nearly a decade. Fortunately for the team, there are highly-qualified coaches available to go along with their lottery draft pick and ample cap room. With Bryant completely healthy and looking to get into basketball shape, there should be optimism as the Lakers look to rebound from their worst record in franchise history since moving to Los Angeles.
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