The Los Angeles Lakers are a mess right now, as they finished a terrible 2021/22 NBA season, leaving serious questions for the offseason. The Purple and Gold need to make some changes after missing the play-in tournament following an offseason that placed them among the top candidates to win the NBA championship.
They already fired Frank Vogel after three seasons with the squad, and many candidates have surfaced as the team’s next head coach. While some suggest that Mark Jackson could be finding his way to Los Angeles, others say that Doc Rivers could leave Philadelphia to join LeBron James.
Another name that has been linked with the Lakers is a former coach that still has an opinion on team matters. Some people have shown their desire to see Phil Jackson returning to the Lakers and see what he can do with LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
One of his former players, Lamar Odom, recently made a case for Jackson, as he thinks the triangle offense would benefit LeBron and keep him in the league for a longer time.
“It’s hard to be able to coach LeBron [James] this far in his career. He’s so advance mentally, as far as the game is concerned. I was gonna say Phil Jackson, I know he can coach LeBron with the triangle offense. I think that would keep LeBron around a little longer. Preserve him a little longer. I would love for Phil Jackson to be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers,” Odom said.
Phil Jackson has been retired for a while and it’s unlikely that he will come out of retirement for a last tenure with the Lakers. He won many championships with the Purple and Gold, becoming the Lord of the Rings in the process, but a comeback at this stage is not possible.
The Lakers still have good candidates, and it seems like LeBron is favoring a Mark Jackson arrival. However, time will tell how this situation plays out for the 17-time NBA champions.
