Seven weeks since the position became vacant; the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers are still in need of a new head coach. The organization has interviewed NBA coaches Mike Dunleavy, Lionel Hollins, Kurt Rambis , Alvin Gentry; and Byron Scott twice. Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak even had informal discussions with fellow University of North Carolina Alum George Karl.
Although Karl runs a fast paced system similar to the one run by former L.A. head coach Mike D’Antoni, it would make the team look hypocritical to hire Karl after not backing D’Antoni and his style. The Lakers are not in a rush to hire their next leader and do not need to have one in place before the NBA Draft on this Thursday (June 26).
This team is after an experienced coach. A dark horse candidate for the Lakers’ job and one worthy of an interview would be Nate McMillian. McMillan played his entire 12-year NBA career in Seattle and then coached the team from 2000 to 2005. After 19-years with the SuperSonics, McMillan left to coach the Portland Trailblazers from 2005 to 2012. His overall coaching record is 478-452 and in 12 seasons as a coach in the NBA, his teams have made the playoffs five times.
The Lakers have stated that they are still interviewing candidates, but it appears that Byron Scott is the leader in the clubhouse. Scott was a three-time NBA Champion with the Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He has coached three NBA teams: the Brooklyn Nets, the Charlotte Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Nets made back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002- 2003 and in 2008 Scott was the NBA Coach of the Year. He was NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant‘s teammate in 1996 and still has a close relationship with the ‘Black Mamba’. Scott’s head coaching record is 416-521 in 13 NBA seasons as a head coach. While he might seem like a legacy pick to many, he checks off a lot of the boxes that the Lakers want to fill with championship experience.
Byron Scott understands the Lakers’ culture and what this team means to Los Angeles. The championships games he was involved with of were secured by defending and rebounding. The next L.A. Lakers head coach will need to spend time teaching the game to a lot of young players. The team will need to keep their seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft as well as select a top-10 player in the lottery. It’s important as well that Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre are the most notable names currently on the roster.