Immediately after news of Mike D’Antoni’s resignation came out, a number of names began to emerge as potential candidates for the Lakers head coach position.
From established NBA coaches like the Chicago Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau, popular young college coaches like UConn’s Kevin Ollie, and everyone in between, there have been at least 10 names linked to the Lakers.
One of the most popular names in coaching circles is current TNT analyst Steve Kerr who has been heavily linked to the New York Knicks vacancy. So much so in fact, that according to the NY Post’s Mark Berman, the Lakers don’t even have Kerr on their list of candidates:
Steve Kerr, the overwhelming favorite to be the next Knicks coach, is not on the Lakers’ candidate list, according to an NBA source. The Lakers believe Kerr is too far along in the process of joining Phil Jackson’s Knicks
If this turns out to be the case, than there was nothing the Lakers could have done to change this. Timing is everything in the NBA, and the Lakers job apparently just opened up too late in order for them to have a chance.
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But if this truly is the case, it has to be because the Lakers have reached out and heard this from Kerr himself. To assume a West Coast guy like Kerr wouldn’t at least listen to the Lakers, regardless of how far along he is somewhere else, would be a huge mistake.
This coaching search will likely stretch out for a while, so consistent reports of this nature should be expected. Nothing will be certain about this position until the Lakers make the announcement themselves.
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Mike D’Antoni OUT, Magic Johnson Says He Couldn’t Be Happier
