It has been just over five weeks since Mike D’Antoni resigned as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and only a handful of candidates have been interviewed for the vacant position.
Los Angeles has made it clear that they intend to hire someone with previous NBA head coaching experience, though the amount of time it may take is still unknown.
Mike Dunleavy, Kurt Rambis and Byron Scott are among the names linked to the job. Rambis is the worst candidate for the position. All the proof one needs to validate that is the 32-132 record he accumulated in his two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not to mention, it was rumored that it would kill any hope that the Lakers have of landing Kevin Love. With that being said, Mike Dunleavy would not be much better than Rambis. Fans would dislike Dunleavy just as much, if not more, than D’Antoni.
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During his time in New Jersey, Scott only had success with the Nets after the arrival of Jason Kidd. The Eastern Conference was also noticeably weak while Scott coached the Nets, making it easier to accrue wins. His tenure with New Orleans was rocky until 2008 when he won Coach of the Year on the shoulders of Chris Paul’s near MVP season. The team began to decline after that season, leading to Scott being fired early into the 2009-2010 season. He then coached the Cavaliers for three disastrous years, although Cleveland had just been devastated by the departure of LeBron James. That combined with the incompetency of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise makes it hard to point the blame solely at Byron Scott.
Despite all of that, Scott seems to be the fan favorite of all the candidates that have discussed the job with general manager Mitch Kupchak and the rest of Laker management. However, there is another option that would be more ideal for not only the team’s immediate success, but also developing whichever prospect the Lakers draft with the seventh pick. That man would be Lionel Hollins.
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Lakers Likely Draft Candidates
PAGE 2: Why Lionel Hollins Is The Best Coaching Candidate For Lakers Draft Pick
Hollins was interviewed by the Lakers on May 29 and reportedly felt confident after it concluded.
Hollins served two brief stints with the Grizzlies franchise as an interim coach back in the 1999-2000 season as well as 2004 when he coached just four games. Hollins was brought back to the team for a third time in 2009, coaching the final 39 games of the regular season while shedding the “interim” label. Once he took over the team in 2009 and was given some job stability, the Memphis Grizzlies saw an increase in win percentage each season until management decided not to renew his contract at the end of the 2012-2013 season.
When Hollins was officially named the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009, the team needed to be developed. Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo were in their rookie years while Rudy Gay and Mike Conley, among others, had less than three NBA seasons under their belts. Conley is now one of the most underrated players in the league where the point guard position is loaded with exceptional talent. Marc Gasol has developed into a premier big man in the NBA.
Although the acquisition of Zach Randolph in 2009 helped speed up the process, Hollins was still responsible for integrating an important piece to the team. After trading for Randolph, Hollins adjusted the team’s playing style to his personnel. Each season, the Grizzlies’ pace continued to decline while their defensive efficiency improved each year, climbing all the way to second-best in the league during his final year coaching the team.
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The Grizzlies went from a rebuilding project to one series victory away from a trip to the NBA Finals in a matter of four years. Simply put, the man knows how to develop talent.
Hollins was notorious during his time in Memphis for getting the absolute most out of his big men, along with preaching defense — which brings us to the Lakers.
Sitting with the seventh pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Los Angeles is projected to end up with either Noah Vonleh, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle or Aaron Gordon. Vonleh and Randle are strictly power forwards while Gordon and Smart tremendous on the defensive end. Gordon is also a power forward, but his versatility may allow him to play multiple positions in the NBA. Either way, Hollins would be getting an excellent defender or a big man loaded with potential to work with. In fact, Randle has drawn a popular comparison to Randolph, making the player-coach pairing look very intriguing.
With guidance from Hollins, along with Kobe Bryant and even Steve Nash, whoever the Lakers select in the draft could develop fantastically. Laker fans would witness much more development and production out of the team’s first round draft pick if they hire Hollins, as opposed to the other candidates that have been linked to the head coaching position.
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Lakers Likely Draft Candidates