The Lakers brass will take their time in finding a new head coach to replacement Mike D’Antoni. The team will likely wait until after the NBA draft lottery to kick their head coaching search into high gear with numerous candidates said to be in contention for the job.
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One name that might not be a candidate for the storied franchise is Lionel Hollins.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers and New York Knicks have yet to show interest in Hollins:
The Jazz, Cavs, Warriors & Wolves have shown interest in Lionel Hollins for head coach openings, a source said. The Lakers, Knicks have not.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) May 14, 2014
With Hollins potentially off the list of candidates for the Lakers, a lot of potential coaches remain on the open market. George Karl and Byron Scott continue to get mentioned as potential targets along with Kevin Ollie, Derek Fisher, Marc Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy to name a few.
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If Steve Kerr is hired by the Knicks, Hollins may become the frontrunner for the Golden State Warriors. Hollins didn’t coach this season after the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with the head coach following a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
After May 20, once the Lakers know their draft position in the upcoming NBA draft, the coaching search will likely intensify with more candidates potentially emerging.
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Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak Q & A: Kobe Bryant, NBA Draft, Coaching Search