The day after the last day of the regular season, two franchises are already looking for a coach: the Lakers and the Kings. in Sacramento, there are already eight names circulatingand the duo Fox-Sabonis likes to speak† In Los Angeles, we envision that the future coach will be “LeBron-compatible” and his ideas on how to use Russell Westbrook will be important.
Vice chairman and GM of the Lakers, Rob Pelinka assures he hasn’t drawn up a “list” yet.
“It’s going to be a very methodical process, one of the rules here is not to give yourself a deadline. We want to find the right person and that is the most important. All things considered, it would be great to have someone for the Draft. But our process will be thorough and methodical, and we haven’t even started listing or discussing who will be the replacement. We wanted to commit ourselves to end the season on a good note and we succeeded. We didn’t want to skip steps and move on to those decisions once the season is over from today. †
Four names emerge
According to the Los Angeles Times, four names come up most often to replace Frank Vogel, and these are four coaches under contract. Quin Snyder first, even if the Lakers’ method of thanking Frank Vogel would have cooled him down. He knows the franchise because he was an assistant there ten years ago. His name has been circulating for several weeks because his contractual status remains unclear, and he himself perpetuates the mystery.
Then there’s Nick Nurse, NBA champion in 2019 and still working wonders this season. He would be management’s first choice, but it will be difficult to snatch him away from the Raptors where he extended 18 months ago. Since he has the same agent as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the connection is clear.
Former teammate of LeBron James in Miami as well as former Heat assistant with Dave Fizdale, Juwan Howard is said to be on the “shortlist” of leaders. Under contract to Michigan, he plans to continue coaching his children, Jett and Jace. in 2019, he had an interviewand management had preferred Frank Vogel.
Experience
Finally, there’s Doc Rivers who would be in an ejection seat in Philadelphia, even though he still has three years to go. Daryl Morey might have other names in mind for the Harden-Embiid duo, and Doc Rivers could be hitting the market. He might just be the ideal coach to get the most out of the “Big Three” LeBron-Davis-Westbrook.
A priori, it will not be a coach without experience. Some half words confirms Rob Pelinka.
“Given the current needs of the team and given the presence of superstars on our team, we want a strong voice that can motivate the players to give their best every night” says the leader. “I think that’s going to be one of the key qualities we’re looking for to empower everyone from the best player on the team to the 15th player. And that’s going to be one of the many features I think you’ll need stands out today.”
