Al Michaels Says Doc Rivers Could’ve Been Lakers Coach Back In 2004-05

After Phil Jackson stepped down as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers following the 2003-2004 NBA season, no one knew what the future held for the storied franchise.

Despite reaching the NBA Finals, nothing was going right for the Lakers. Jackson left the team in the summer of 2004 after the Detroit Pistons dismantled the team in five games. To make matters worse, the Kobe-Shaq feud kicked into high gear forcing the team to make a difficult decision to trade O’Neal to the Miami Heat.

— Have You Seen These LIMITED EDITION “Try Me” T-Shirts? —

During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Al Michaels says Doc Rivers was in Dr. Jerry Buss’ crosshairs before he took the job with the Boston Celtics. Two-time NBA champion Rudy Tomjanovich ultimately took over for Jackson, but only lasted 41 games before stepping down after 41 games due to mental and physical exhaustion.

Jackson eventually returned to the Lakers and helped lead the team to two more titles, but it’s interesting to think how things would’ve drastically changed for the Lakers and Celtics had Buss hired Rivers.

H/T to Pro Basketball Talk

[divide]

Kobe, ‘Things Go Good, It’s Us. Things Go Bad, It’s Me’


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

You May Also Like

Piece Of Staples Center Floor From Kobe Bryant’s Last Game Sells For Big Money

Kobe Bryant spent two decades wearing a purple and gold Lakers uniform, battling night in and night out in pursuit of victory. Unfortunately, Father Time catches up to even the best of us, and Bryant’s basketball career came to an end in April…

Michael Beasley Not Concerned With Lakers’ Perceived Lack Of Shooting Around LeBron James

With the signing of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers have immediately moved from a young, upstart team to…

Lakers News: Xavier Henry 5-6 Weeks Away From Being Fully Cleared

[new_royalslider id=”132″] One of the more pleasant surprises of this past season…

VIDEO: Oklahoma State PG Marcus Smart Pushes Fan During Loss

[new_royalslider id=”162″] Oklahoma St. point guard Marcus Smart surprised many when he…