While fans continue to rejoice over the news of Mike D’Antoni resigning as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the team is looking to find its next leader.
With such an important decision to make, the Lakers will need to figure out the determining factors for their choice. Are they looking to win now and get the most out of Kobe Bryant’s final years, or build for the future? Do they want a candidate with NBA head coaching experience or a younger option with upside? These are just a few of several questions facing the Lakers as they begin their coaching search.
Although the Lakers will reportedly ask the Chicago Bulls for permission to interview their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, it is still seemingly a long shot to land the 2011 Coach of the Year award winner. With the possibility of stealing Thibodeau away from Chicago being unlikely, a thievery that is more achievable would be snagging Billy Donovan away from the University of Florida.
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Many Laker fans believe that if the team decides to hire a college coach, it should be Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie, due to his connection to Kevin Durant. Ollie mentored the soon-to-be MVP in his lone season with Oklahoma City and it is believed he could give the Lakers the edge to sign Durant when he is a free agent in 2016. However, if Durant wins a championship as a member of the Thunder, it would be unlikely that he would leave, although a lot can happen in a matter of two years. Connecticut is also in the process of doubling Ollie’s salary, making it hard for him to part ways with his alma mater.
He hasn’t been mentioned by many as a candidate for the Lakers coaching job, but Billy Donovan has an extremely impressive track record at Florida.
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BREAKING: Mike D’Antoni OUT, Resigns As Lakers Head Coach
PAGE 2: Why Florida’s Billy Donovan Should Be The Next Lakers Head Coach
The majority of Florida’s success in the history of their men’s basketball program can be attributed to Billy Donovan. He has only had two losing seasons in his 18 years at Florida — both of which came in his first two seasons after taking over a tough situation. Since then, the Gators have made the NCAA tournament 14 of the last 16 seasons. Florida also has played in 3 title games and made 4 Final Four appearances during Donovan’s tenure.
Hiring a college coach may not be a popular option, but Billy Donovan’s defensive oriented coaching style could be very successful at any level.
Donovan has always put an emphasis on his teams being tenacious on the defensive end. This season the Gators were third in the country in points per game allowed and their opponents shot only 40.2 percent against them. His teams play with the same level of intensity that he uses when he coaches. After being horrendous on that end this season, the Lakers could use a defensive minded coach.
The Lakers head coaching job will certainly be appealing to the candidates for the position and could make it much easier for Donovan to make the leap to the NBA this time around.
For the first time in years, Los Angeles will have a substantial amount of salary cap space, which could be used to build the roster to Donovan’s liking. Although the entire field of free agents that will be available this summer is still somewhat unknown, the Lakers cap flexibility will give them a ton of options this summer or in 2015 if they choose to wait for a likely better free agent class. Of course, the city of Los Angeles and the market it possesses has a history of attracting elite talent.
Another thing the Lakers will have this summer is a very high first-round draft pick. As it stands, the Lakers are sixth going into the draft lottery on May 20, with a 21.5 percent chance of moving into the top 3. Unfortunately, they have a 74.4 percent chance of picking sixth or seventh. Mitch Kupchak has stated that trading the draft pick is also a possibility. Either way, it just adds to the list of options available to them this offseason.
Billy Donovan would also be inheriting a highly motivated Kobe Bryant who will still be around for at least the next two seasons. The Black Mamba would certainly make the adjustment period considerably easier for Donovan.
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At the age of 48, Donovan, if successful could be the long-term solution the Lakers have been seeking since the departure of Phil Jackson. If the team decides to keep their draft pick this year, Donovan and that pick could grow together and build a great player-coach relationship for several years to come.
Expect to hear a plethora of names come up as possible candidates to be the next Lakers head coach. The amount of immediate success Los Angeles has in these next one to two years is more dependent on the level of talent that Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss bring in to work with. However, if given the correct pieces to work with, Billy Donovan could be a tremendous fit with the Lakers now, and down the road.
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BREAKING: Mike D’Antoni OUT, Resigns As Lakers Head Coach