The Los Angeles Lakers are in for an offseason full of shake-ups after faltering in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
Vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has the unenviable task of trying to improve a roster with limited financial flexibility or trade assets and so far it looks like he is already busy working the phones as reports surfaced that he has been offering Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to almost every team in the league. The two players were mainstays in head coach Frank Vogel’s rotation but it appears as though Pelinka and the front office feel they can upgrade at those positions.
Aside from the players, the sideline has also taken a hit as the Lakers lost Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks after he agreed to become their new head coach. Although Los Angeles responded quickly by hiring David Fizdale, reports came out that Lionel Hollins will also be leaving the franchise after the two sides could not agree on terms for a new deal.
With Hollins on the way out, the Lakers will reportedly promote Mike Penberthy to the front of the bench, via NBA insider Marc Stein::
The Lakers are expected to move Mike Penberthy to a front-of-the-bench role on Frank Vogel’s staff, league sources say.
Lionel Hollins, formerly a head coach in Memphis and Brooklyn, has left the Lakers after two seasons as an assistant, @jovanbuha and @sam_amick reported.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 27, 2021
Penberthy was a member of the 2001 Lakers championship roster and has been an assistant on Vogel’s staff since the 2019-20 season. Penberthy is well-regarded among the Lakers players and staff and has a good relationship with Anthony Davis whom he coached in his lone year with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Lakers do not have specific coaches who are in charge of the offense or defense, but it can be assumed that Penberthy will handle more responsibilities for Vogel. With Penberthy now at the front of the bench, Los Angeles could look internally to fill his old spot.
Coby Karl out as South Bay Lakers head coach
The coaching changes for the Lakers organization did not stop with the parent team as the South Bay Lakers announced that Coby Karl will not be returning as head coach.
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