It appears there are at least two names to watch if the Lakers head coaching job opens up.
Darvin Ham’s job doesn’t seem particularly safe after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Nuggets and JJ Redick and Tyronn Lue are two possible replacements, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
McMenamin mentioned the two — one a 15-year NBA veteran and the other a veteran coach with an NBA ring to his name — during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“JJ is definitely a real candidate if he opens this coaching search,” McMenamin said. “But there are, I would say, half a dozen people, including maybe the guy who just lost last night to the Mavericks, Tyronn Lue. He has one year left on his contract. What will happen with his deal with the Clippers? There will be a process whereby several viable candidates will be interviewed.
The writing is on the wall for Ham’s time with the Lakers and Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported Thursday that “the Lakers’ plan is still to move on from Darvin (Ham) at some point, likely by the end of the week”.
Ham went 90-74 in two seasons leading the Lakers and was reportedly “frustrated” with his coaching decisions during the season, according to a report from The Athletic.
Lue would be a familiar face to succeed Ham, especially if the Lakers hope to keep LeBron James.
Lue of course coached James when they won an NBA title in Cleveland.
Redick’s name surfaced recently in connection with another coaching vacancy in Charlotte.
Redick scored more than 12,000 points during his NBA career and has been an analyst for ESPN since leaving the game.
New York Post
