The Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of another transition period at head coach following the resignation of Mike D’Antoni. Although there are plenty of viable options for the storied franchise, three-time NBA champion James Worthy believes the next head coach needs to emphasize a few things.
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The current Time Warner Cable SportsNet analyst recently expressed his opinion on what the next head coach must preach via Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
“It’s got to go back to somebody who preaches, ‘No rebound, no ring. No defense, no ring,’” former Lakers star James Worthy said recently on a Time Warner Cable SportsNet telecast, repeating Pat Riley’s well-known mantra.
Worthy had the pleasure of playing under legendary head coach Pat Riley in Los Angeles and won three titles in the process during the Showtime era. Riley led the Lakers to four titles during his stint with the Lakers and earned the distinction as one of the best head coaches in NBA history as a result.
Even with all the stars and different egos on the Lakers squad during the Showtime era, Riley was by no means a pushover and had the Lakers firing on all cylinders on both ends of the floor for almost a decade. Magic Johnson and company were as tough to beat as any team in the league during the ’80s due to their dominance both offensively and defensively.
Ideally, a coach of Riley’s caliber would be the just what this team needs moving forward. Unfortunately, there’s no telling if there’s a coach out there that can make such a culture change in order to get this team back to title contending status.
Among the current candidates already linked to the head coaching vacancy in Los Angeles are Byron Scott, George Karl, Roy Williams, Kevin Ollie, Derek Fisher, Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson.
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