The Lakers are still without a head basketball coach. The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham following their 1st round exit way back in April. Here we are in the middle of June and they STILL haven’t named a head coach.
Over the past week, there was speculation that current Uconn coach Dan Hurley was going to take the Lakers job. They reportedly offered Hurley a massive contract of 6 years $70 million. Hurley announced Monday morning that he would be turning down the job and staying with Uconn.
Now the question is where does Los Angeles go from here? There are still some names out there that are intriguing, but the biggest fish they were aiming for was not reeled in. It’s back to the drawing board for now with the Lakers head coaching search.
Why Are The Lakers Struggling To Find A Head Coach?
The Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job is touted as one of the best jobs in all of sports. The “Laker Brand” is iconic. The bright lights and the beaches of LA make it such a prime destination to go to. The brand, the glitz and glamour, the star power of Lebron James and Anthony Davis, and $70 million weren’t enough to pry their top target in Dan Hurley away from college. General Manager Rob Pelinka (pictured above) better have a backup plan ready.
The current situation with the organization may be making it less appealing for a job. The shelf life to be a Lakers is about as short as it can be right now. Lebron James is going to be turning 40 years old during the season so there is no time to waste. If you are the Lakers coach and you win, you get none of the credit. If you lose, you are the number one scapegoat.
Frank Vogel won a championship with the Lakers and 2 years later was fired. Darvin Ham made it to the conference finals in his first year and was fired the very next season. If you are going to coach the Lakers and Lebron James, you better be ready to win immediately and keep winning or you are going to be canned within a year or two. The pressure is on right as you walk through that door.
Potential Candidates
Now that Dan Hurley is off the market, the Los Angeles Lakers will have to shift their coaching search. The biggest name that has been floating around is former NBA player and current broadcaster JJ Redick. Redick retired from the NBA a few years ago but has remained very involved with the game. He is currently an NBA color commenter for ESPN and has multiple basketball podcasts. Funny enough, one of his podcasts is co-hosted by the player he may coach for, Lebron James.
The other candidate that has been talked about is James Borrego. Borrego was the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-2022. Since being let go by Charlotte, Borrego has been an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.
My gut feeling is that the Los Angeles Lakers will hire JJ Redick to be their next head coach. Redick not having any previous coaching experience may make them hesitant, but there is no question his basketball IQ is off the charts. Sometimes you have to take a chance on somebody and that’s what the Lakers would do with Redick.
About the Author
Cory is an Oregon Duck alumni from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been playing, watching, and following basketball + baseball his whole life. Follow Cory on X @cory_pappas1 for more breaking stories and game previews.
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