It is no secret the Los Angeles Lakers have had some trouble finding their next head coach and it appears they have now enlisted the help of senior basketball advisor Kurt Rambis.
The Lakers had seemingly been on the cusp of making former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue their next head coach. Reports have since surfaced that negotiations ended due to the team’s unwillingness to give Lue the five-year deal he wanted.
With Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams now the Phoenix Suns head coach, Los Angeles is seemingly back to square one in their head coaching search. Fortunately, they will be aided by a familiar face in Rambis moving forward.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Rambis is playing a major role and is emerging as a powerful voice:
Lakers advisor Kurt Rambis is playing a major role in the franchise's coaching search, league sources tell ESPN. He's emerging as a powerful voice in basketball operations.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2019
With the Lakers set to interview more candidates, former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins is reportedly a favorite of Rambis, according to Wojnarowski:
“Well, Lionel Hollins. He was a candidate four years ago. He’s been out of the league. He’s a favorite of Kurt Rambis.”
The prospect of Rambis taking on an integral role in the coaching search hardly comes as any surprise. He has long been a staple in the franchise as a player and coach.
Rambis is not the only one with heavy influence with his wife Linda Rambis also serving as a close advisor to owner Jeanie Buss throughout the whole process. At this point, it is safe to say the coaching search has become a joint effort between the Buss and Rambis family.
Regardless, the Lakers will have their work cut out for them moving forward after they decided to move on from negotiations with Lue.
