The Los Angeles Lakers have yet to make a decision on their new head coach, and just when things started to look clear, new reports suggest that the search is not over as of right now. Following the departure of Frank Vogel, the Purple and Gold started to look for a new helmsman and the job is still not done.
In recent weeks, we learned that LeBron James wanted to have Mark Jackson as his head coach, but things have taken a turn now. After Darvin Ham made a good impression on the team, the King was reportedly high on the Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach, only to change his mind now.
According to Sean Deveney of Heavy, while Phil Jackson and Kurt Rambis look at Darvin Ham with good eyes, LeBron would prefer to wait and see if Doc Rivers becomes available:
“Most of the front office, it seems, has zeroed in on [Darvin] Ham, with former head coaches Terry Stotts (Portland) and Kenny Atkinson (Brooklyn) also in the mix,” wrote Deveney. “Ham was briefly an assistant with the Lakers, and according to league sources, he is the favorite of the Phil Jackson-Kurt Rambis layer of Lakers decision-makers.”
“’I think those guys want a young coach they can mold a little bit,’ one Western Conference executive told Heavy.com. ‘I do not think Darvin is a pushover by any means. I just think that they want a guy they can point in the direction they want to go, more traditional basketball, using Russell Westbrook a certain way.’”
“And the [Doc] Rivers rumors? Seems the players, and perhaps general manager Rob Pelinka, too, would rather see an experienced, win-now coach on the sidelines. ‘If LeBron could pick,’ the executive said, ‘it’s pretty certain he’d pick Doc.’”
After a complex season, the Lakers enter an even harder offseason. They have to find the right head coach for the squad, while also deciding what to do with their stars and if it’s worth giving it another shot with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook on the roster. But first, they need to figure this out and see what’s best for them in the future.
