The Los Angeles Lakers have a tumultuous offseason ahead of them after failing to qualify for the play-in tournament. One of the expected changes is the departure of Frank Vogel if reports are to be believed, which would create a vacancy. The team may have its issues but it also has some big stars that any coach would be excited to work with and several potential candidates have been named.
Doc Rivers has been mentioned as a possibility, although how he performs in the playoffs with the Sixers will certainly be a factor. And while everyone has their ideas of who the new coach should be, Shannon Sharpe has thrown in his ideal candidate for the job, Mark Jackson.
(Sharpe’s suggestion starts at 2:27 minutes)
“If they get a new coach, my first candidate, I want Mark Jackson to get interviewed first… Mark Jackson needs to get an interview. Jeannie, can you do that for me? I’ll let you come on the podcast too. Can somebody interview Mark Jackson? I mean, come on now. That man didn’t suddenly forget how to coach. That man was the foundation behind the Golden State Warriors.”
Jackson coached the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2014 and has often been credited with putting together and developing their foundational trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. He carried the team to the playoffs in consecutive seasons but the Warriors supposedly felt that they needed another coach to take them to the next level and Steve Kerr arrived to win the NBA title.
Jackson hasn’t coached in the NBA since he left the Warriors, he’s been broadcasting huge games alongside Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen. It remains to be seen whether he would even be interested in joining the Lakers but Sharpe feels like he is what the team needs.
