Following the news of Byron Scott being interviewed for a second time by the Los Angeles Lakers for the vacant head coaching position, the consensus is that the three-time NBA champion is the frontrunner for the job.
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According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Scott is the leader in the coaching search for Lakers:
Multiple league sources with knowledge of the Lakers’ hiring process have told ESPNLosAngeles.com that Scott is considered the leader in the clubhouse at the moment, but the search still has several more stages to progress through.
With the Lakers possibly done with the first round of interviews, Scott emerging as the frontrunner comes as no surprise. Ever since being considered a candidate for the job, the former Laker has won over the majority of the fans of the franchise as the coach they want on the sidelines next season.
Along with winning over the fans, Scott has also maintained a close relationship with Kobe Bryant over the years potentially giving him the advantage against the competition.
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One of the main things the Lakers brass want out of the next head coach is the ability to get the most out of Kobe in what could be his final two years in the league. A close relationship with the superstar would almost certainly help get the most production out of Kobe.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers are sold on hiring Scott to be the next head coach. A rumor surfaced earlier this week about the team potentially holding off on hiring a new coach before finding out if they can land a superstar like Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James in free agency. Although unlikely able to sign LeBron or Anthony, waiting to see if it is possible to bring in another superstar might be a course of action the team could take.
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