Multiple media reports indicate that Ty Lue is the favorite to be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ty Lue becoming the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is likely according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Per Woj: The expectation is the Lakers will move toward Ty Lue as head coach, but there’s been no offer made to him yet, league sources tell ESPN.
The expectation is the Lakers will move toward Ty Lue as head coach, but there’s been no offer made to him yet, league sources tell ESPN.
Jeanie Buss seems to want to canvass Lakers legends before making the call. According to Tania Ganguli and Brad Turner of The L.A. Times, she spoke to two of the biggest names in team history about Lue lately and both endorsed him as a potential hire.
“Both Phil Jackson, who coached Lue, and Magic Johnson have told Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss that they supported the hiring of Lue, according to a person familiar with their discussions.”
Jackson had previously been reported, and doesn’t come as a surprise given his personal relationship with Buss. The two were formerly engaged and remain close. But Johnson, purely in light of his specific circumstances, is a strange person to be recommending coaches. He resigned as president of basketball operations for the team on the night of their season finale, but Buss still values his opinion.
“Even though Johnson abruptly resigned as the president of basketball operations on April 9, Buss still considers him a close confidante and values his opinion on the direction of the franchise. Johnson expressed his support for Lue and impressed upon Buss how difficult a feat it is to make three consecutive NBA Finals appearances, the source said.”
Lue is a former NBA Champion as a head coach and has had two interviews with the Lakers.
Ty Lue is believed to be up there because of ties to LeBron James.
IF Ty Lue becomes the Los Angeles Lakers’ next head coach, the foreshadowing of this pic is crazy!
But other names have surfaced, too.
Jason Kidd’s been mentioned.
Kidd posted a 139–152 record in his 291 games coached in Milwaukee before he was fired last season.
Kidd was higher on the list during the NBA season. Magic Johnson was also calling the shots back then, as well.
Philadelphia assistant Monty Williams has agreed to a five-year deal to become the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
On Friday, the Phoenix Suns hired Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams as their new head coach to replace the fired Igor Kokoskov.
The deal is for five years, confirmed 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added that Williams will remain with the Sixers until their playoff run comes to an end.
“I am thrilled to welcome Monty Williams to the Suns family as our next head coach,” said Suns GM James Jones in a statement. “Monty brings a wealth of NBA experience, both as a coach and former player, in addition to being a high-character individual who will infuse basketball wisdom and life lessons into our locker room. Monty is well respected for his coaching pedigree, leadership and commitment to the community, all of which make him the ideal person to lead our team moving forward.”
Multiple reports in the last three days indicated that the Phoenix Suns had an interest in Williams.
On Wednesday, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported the possibility of Phoenix hiring Monty Williams to fill the role is “gaining real momentum.”
Stein noted the job is his “if he wants it” but pointed out the fact Williams could have multiple opportunities means he “has the rare ability to be choosy about where he wants to coach next.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in April the Suns were “planning to target” Williams, who is currently an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers, after they fired head coach Igor Kokoskov. However, he also noted the Los Angeles Lakers were planning to interview him a second time, as well.
Williams was a player before he was a coach, entering the league out of Notre Dame as a first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks in 1994. He played nine seasons for the Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and 76ers.
He was then an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers before he became the head coach of the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans prior to the 2010-11 season. He spent five seasons in New Orleans and accumulated a 173-221 record with two playoff appearances, although he lost in the first round both times.
Williams has been the associate head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder and an assistant with Philadelphia since.
As for Phoenix, it finished with the worst record in the Western Conference (19-63) this past season. Organizational stability is also a question mark following the decision to fire Kokoskov after just one season.
According to controversial Twitter account, Igotsources: The Phoenix Suns had an edge over the Los Angeles Lakers in the bidding war for Williams because the Suns are willing to give more front office input to Williams as way to to pry him away from Lakers.
Igotsources also claimed that the Lakers would never consider such idea and that a decision on Williams’ part is expected by this weekend.
What about Mark Jackson?
Could Mark Jackson become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers?
Well he hasn’t been interviewed.
Mark Jackson was one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. That brilliance translated to the NBA when he went from the television booth to coaching sidelines.
Jackson was named head coach of the Golden State Warriors on June 6, 2011, the first head coach hired by new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.
In three seasons, Jackson, 54, went 121-109 and developed All Stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Jackson was fired in 2014, despite leading the dubs to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in over 20 years with the Warriors.
The Lakers also interviewed Miami Heat assistant Juwan Howard, but he’s not viewed as highly as Lue or even Williams was.
According to Turner: Howard also impressed the Lakers during his interview at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo, according to people with knowledge of the talks.
Howard also has the advantage of being teammates with LeBron James and winning a championship with him during their Miami Heat playing days.
On the coaching side: Howard has had no head coaching experience, yet.
But objectively speaking: Neither did former Lakers coach, Luke Walton. Walton, a former Golden State Warriors assistant coach, did however serve as an interim coach with the Golden State Warriors after Steve Kerr took significant time off due to health concerns.
As for Howard: he has served as the Miami Heat’s defensive coordinator under head coach, Erik Spoelstra.
And as SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll’s Harrison Faigen brilliantly pointed out: Under Juwan Howard’s assistant coach tutelage, the Miami Heat have had a top-10 defense for the last four seasons.
Howard also has a background in player development, which would certainly help with the Lakers’ young core; if any of them are still around next season.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot to figure out between now, the NBA Draft and the NBA’s free agency period this July.
They also don’t have a President of Basketball Operations.
LeBron James was not pleased about Magic Johnson stepping down from his post as President of Basketball Operations of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Appearing on Saturday’s episode of his HBO Special, The Shop, James weighed in on Magic Johnson’s departure.
“I found out from Randy [Mims],” said James.
So this is how @KingJames & @ZO2_ found out about Magic stepping down 😲 #TheShopHBO 💈
“During my stretching session, my right hand [man] says to me: ‘Magic just stepped down.’ And I’m like: Man get the f*** out my face you’re bulls****ing. I go and check my phone, I look at it, the shit happened.”Personally for me, I came here to be apart of the Lakers organization, having a conversation with Magic. So it was just weird for him to just be like: ‘I’m outta here,’ and not even have no like: ‘Hey ‘Bron, kiss my ass, I’m gone.’ It wasn’t even that.”
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Lakers Coach: Tyronn Lue Updated News