Lakers Choices For 2014-15 Head Coach

[True Lakers Fan]

1. Keep D'antoni and wait til his contract runs out since the Lakers most likely will not get the players to be serious contenders - If the Lakers get the right players to be contenders - I contend D'antoni has to go. The good news is Kobe had a serious talk with the Buss family and he has made it known that he doesn't like the small ball game which has to go. That means D'antoni's days may be numbered

2. George Karl - Old and came close to death with the cancer, but he has a nice up tempo game, but also focuses on the fundamentals and a physical game - Lakers could do much worse

3. Brian Shaw would be my first choice if he were to be fired - but not going to happen

4. Kurt Rambis - this would a return to the triangle - which Kobe has been said to promote. Kurt plays defense and is much smarter than he was before.

5. Jerry Sloan - if his age would permit it - he would be fine with one year at a time in contracts - tough coach

6. Vinny Del ***** - I don't think he's a good fit, but he is available

None of these choices seems to peak my interest - any one has any better suggestions?

 

[Steelboy84]

1. Keep D'antoni and wait til his contract runs out since the Lakers most likely will not get the players to be serious contenders - If the Lakers get the right players to be contenders - I contend D'antoni has to go. The good news is Kobe had a serious talk with the Buss family and he has made it known that he doesn't like the small ball game which has to go. That means D'antoni's days may be numbered

2. George Karl - Old and came close to death with the cancer, but he has a nice up tempo game, but also focuses on the fundamentals and a physical game - Lakers could do much worse

3. Brian Shaw would be my first choice if he were to be fired - but not going to happen

4. Kurt Rambis - this would a return to the triangle - which Kobe has been said to promote. Kurt plays defense and is much smarter than he was before.

5. Jerry Sloan - if his age would permit it - he would be fine with one year at a time in contracts - tough coach

6.Vinny Del ***** - I don't think he's a good fit, but he is available

None of these choices seems to peak my interest - any one has any better suggestions?

This

 

[True Lakers Fan]

George Karl would be my choice in the absense of Brian Shaw. Had the Lakers given it to Shaw Two years the Lakers might have been a very different team. It's too bad that the ownership did not have the Jerry Buss Vision. Even though they claimed Jerry Buss agreed with them, I believe he was too sick and frail to know much. My mother is 89 and she has been long past making tough decisions like that. Jeannie and Jim have been running this show for several years before the old man died - in my opinion

 

[Steelboy84]

Jim Buss needs to go some where. Anywhere, just go.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Jim Buss needs to go some where. Anywhere, just go.

Jim Buss is not going anywhere - like it or not - Jeannie and Jim own the company which is held in a irrevocable trust for the stockholders. Jeannie said recently she could make changes if she needed to, but it was her job to "empower Jim and Mitch with the tools to make the right decisions and they will get better in time. I believe it was Jim and Mitch that almost brokered the Chris Paul decision which you can't blame them for the failure - it was Ainge and Stern that broke up that deal

 

[Retroram52]

Nobody has mentioned John Calipari if the rumors by the tweeting by Rex Chapman are true.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Nobody has mentioned John Calipari if the rumors by the tweeting by Rex Chapman are true.

Just too unknown - he has never coached a game in the NBA. We need a coach that can work with Kobe and utilize his talents which is the reason I think Rambis or Karl would be conducive to making it work. This small ball crap that D'antoni has really got to be dismantled

 

[trojanfan12]

Nobody has mentioned John Calipari if the rumors by the tweeting by Rex Chapman are true.

Rex has been backing away from those comments ever since he tweeted them out. Plus, what makes anyone think Calipari would be better than D'Antoni? His previous stint in the NBA didn't exactly end well.

 

[trojanfan12]

1. Keep D'antoni and wait til his contract runs out since the Lakers most likely will not get the players to be serious contenders - If the Lakers get the right players to be contenders - I contend D'antoni has to go. The good news is Kobe had a serious talk with the Buss family and he has made it known that he doesn't like the small ball game which has to go. That means D'antoni's days may be numbered

2 main reasons to keep D'Antoni: He hasn't been given a healthy roster to work with and firing him would mean 5 different coaches in 6 seasons. That does not speak to the kind of stability that a top level FA is looking for. The Lakers have always been known as a stable franchise, but changing coaches like underwear make them the Clippers, not the Lakers.

2. George Karl - Old and came close to death with the cancer, but he has a nice up tempo game, but also focuses on the fundamentals and a physical game - Lakers could do much worse

Karl is a great regular season coach, but how have his teams fared in the playoffs? Lots of 1st round exits. That's why he got fired after a season when he was named coach of the year. Our current coach has more playoff success than Karl. It's too bad too, because I have always liked Karl.

3. Brian Shaw would be my first choice if he were to be fired - but not going to happen

Yeah, it's too bad that the Lakers blew this one when Kobe was lobbying for him. He has also shown that he's not beholden to the triangle which was Short Buss's issue with him.

4. Kurt Rambis - this would a return to the triangle - which Kobe has been said to promote. Kurt plays defense and is much smarter than he was before.

Honestly, I don't think it would necessarily mean a return to the triangle. Remember, Rambis was a big part of Showtime and should know how to run that type of offense. My concern would be that he really didn't do much in Minnesota. He was hired to handle defense for the Lakers, unfortunately, with all of the injuries, we haven't gotten to see his defense at it's best.

5. Jerry Sloan - if his age would permit it - he would be fine with one year at a time in contracts - tough coach

I seriously doubt that he has any interest in returning to coaching and really don't see him being interested in coaching in L.A. He's kind of a "poor man's Popovich" and has never seemed interested in the inevitable attention that would come with being the Lakers coach.

6. Vinny Del ***** - I don't think he's a good fit, but he is available

You NEVER hire a coach just because he's available. If it comes down to that, the Lakers would be better served to keep D'Antoni for next year and see who is available after his contract expires.

None of these choices seems to peak my interest - any one has any better suggestions?

Byron Scott's name keeps coming up. The problem with him is that while he has had some success, he has also been fired at both head coaching stops because his players basically mutinied on him.


A couple of names that have been tossed out there that have peaked my interest are Steve Kerr, Jeff Van Gundy and believe it or not, Derek Fisher.


Kerr is considered the frontrunner for the Knicks job and it is rumored that if he doesn't want it, D-Fish is the next choice. When asked about the Lakers job, Kerr said "the Lakers have a coach". When pressed and asked what if they didn't? He said: "Well, I live in San Diego so I wouldn't have to move".


Having said all of that: If I'm Mitch and/or Short Buss, as soon as the season is over, I'm on my way to SMU to have a chat with Larry Brown. He is the only coach on the planet, imo, that could have gotten any more out of this team than D'Antoni has.

 

[Steelboy84]

Just too unknown - he has never coached a game in the NBA. We need a coach that can work with Kobe and utilize his talents which is the reason I think Rambis or Karl would be conducive to making it work. This small ball crap that D'antoni has really got to be dismantled

He coached for the Nets and Sixers, but I still dont want him.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

1. Keep D'antoni and wait til his contract runs out since the Lakers most likely will not get the players to be serious contenders - If the Lakers get the right players to be contenders - I contend D'antoni has to go. The good news is Kobe had a serious talk with the Buss family and he has made it known that he doesn't like the small ball game which has to go. That means D'antoni's days may be numbered

2. George Karl - Old and came close to death with the cancer, but he has a nice up tempo game, but also focuses on the fundamentals and a physical game - Lakers could do much worse

3. Brian Shaw would be my first choice if he were to be fired - but not going to happen

4. Kurt Rambis - this would a return to the triangle - which Kobe has been said to promote. Kurt plays defense and is much smarter than he was before.

5. Jerry Sloan - if his age would permit it - he would be fine with one year at a time in contracts - tough coach

6. Vinny Del ***** - I don't think he's a good fit, but he is available

7. Byron Scott - I forgot about him - available and a good coach

8. Mychael Cooper - coached for the Lakers wnba and also a good coach


None of these choices seems to peak my interest - any one has any better suggestions?

Just added a few names to the list

 

[True Lakers Fan]

He coached for the Nets and Sixers, but I still dont want him.

How about Byron Scott or Michael Cooper?