Lakers Thread

[Alpha_]

Melo is not the solution. The first priority would be re-signing Gasol and firing D'Antoni lol, then drafting the right player (probably Exum or Wiggins and Parker if they somehow move up in the draft).

[Andrew]

Unless their hand is forced (ie Kobe demands it), I'm guessing they won't fire Mike D'Antoni. He's still got a couple of years left on his contract and they're still paying out Mike Brown's contract on top of that; I'm guessing they'd rather avoid paying out two former head coaches while getting a third on the books.

[Kevin]

Lakers organization already said that they ain't gonna listen to Kobe's whining.

[Stress Fracture]

Should've waited the offseason to re-sign Kobe. That contract is a huge hindrance with their plans.

[shadowgrin]

Lakers organization already said that they ain't gonna listen to Kobe's whining.

Not listening to Kobe's whining is what made the Lakers end up in their current state.

Kobe whined that he wanted Phil Jackson, instead Lakers got D'Antoni.

Kobe whined that Dwight Howard's a soft bitch. Howard like the soft bitch he is left the Lakers.

Kobe whined that he wanted to come back early from injury. Lakers agreed, Kobe came back.
He got injured again which improved the Lakers chances of getting a high pick in this year's draft.

Good things happen if the organization listens to Kobe.

[Andrew]

Should've waited the offseason to re-sign Kobe. That contract is a huge hindrance with their plans.

My guess is that they'd have still offered him similar money, even if they'd waited.

[_Steve_]

Lakers organization already said that they ain't gonna listen to Kobe's whining.

Not listening to Kobe's whining is what made the Lakers end up in their current state.

Kobe whined that he wanted Phil Jackson, instead Lakers got D'Antoni.

Kobe whined that Dwight Howard's a soft bitch. Howard like the soft bitch he is left the Lakers.

Kobe whined that he wanted to come back early from injury. Lakers agreed, Kobe came back.
He got injured again which improved the Lakers chances of getting a high pick in this year's draft.

Good things happen if the organization listens to Kobe.

Amen!

[Kevin]

Lakers sticking with D'Antoni

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/04/2 ... 26/#lakers

[Andrew]

Not too surprising. Again, they're still paying out Mike Brown, so it was unlikely they'd be eager to pay out two former coaches while presumably shelling out a considerable amount to bring in a third high profile coach.

[Jackal]

What I don't understand is that don't they realize no one wants to play for him? If they are seriously depending on draft pick to Minny for Love as their only plan it's gonna be another sucky year for Laker fans.

[benji]

It's because they're still paying Mike Brown too and expect another lost season. So they'll punt until 2015 and try and rebuild with new coach, cap space, etc.

[Bruce]

It's because they're still paying Mike Brown too and expect another lost season. So they'll punt until 2015 and try and rebuild with new coach, cap space, etc.

I think Mike Brown's deal has already expired. My Guess is keeping MDA probably means Lakers want's to tank some more...or the Lakers are still playing wait and see on where the pick they will get in the draft before actually deciding on one more season.

[Andrew]

Just checked and it was a three year deal, with an option for a fourth that presumably wasn't picked up. So yeah, it will actually expire with this season.

[Jackal]

To top it all off the fucktard wants them to pick up the option for the season after next.

[stereoxide]

Apparently D'Antoni just resigned as the Laker's head coach.

[Andrew]

Seems they couldn't come to terms on an extension.

I'm guessing not many Lakers fans will be shedding any tears over this development. The question is, who do they bring in now? Obviously, Phil Jackson is no longer an option.

[shadowgrin]

Mark Jackson. Frank Vogel. Lionel Hollins. Rick Adelman. Vinny Del Negro looooooool. Lawrence Frank? Mo Cheeks. COACH SHEED. Brian Scalabrine.

[stereoxide]

Jerry Sloan, George Karl or maybe make Kobe the coach.

[Alpha_]

[[Q]]

Really hoping for Byron Scott on this one

[Kevin]

Screw that. Let's drag Phil away from the Knicks

[Patr1ck]

I vote for no coach. Just a fully democratic player decision structure.

[Andrew]

How about Derek Fisher?
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-lakers ... 17950.html

Or perhaps Steve Nash could be the first player-head coach in a few decades.

[Kevin]

Wow... they're going to fish for Durant in the 15-16 season

[benji]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... y-wildcats

The Los Angeles Lakers plan a drawn-out and exhaustive search for Mike D'Antoni's successor as coach, but sources close to the process insist the team hopes to "make a splash" with its eventual hire.

To that end, sources say, Lakers officials intend to reach out to two of the biggest names in the college game -- UConn's Kevin Ollie and Kentucky's John Calipari -- to at least gauge their interest in the job.

The Lakers also plan to reach out to the Chicago Bulls for permission to interview coach Tom Thibodeau, a source told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin. The Lakers are closely monitoring the playoffs, believing that several viable candidates could become available should their respective teams be eliminated.

The Lakers' immediate aims, sources say, are to focus on the draft and free agency, and to "hold back [on the coaching front] until they get a better sense of the marketplace."

...

Ollie's close relationship with Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant is well known around the league and bound to make the young coach of the newly minted NCAA champions a target of any team with aspirations of trying to lure Durant from the Thunder in free agency in 2016.

Sources say Derek Fisher, who came into the league alongside Kobe Bryant in 1996-97 and currently is Durant's teammate in Oklahoma City, will also be considered if he's indeed interested in making the immediate jump to coaching. Fisher has maintained for months that this will be his final season as a player and is believed to prefer a front-office career to coaching, but his relationship with the Lakers is such that Fisher has to be considered a viable candidate for the bench.

To this point, sources say, Bryant has not made any coaching suggestions, but the Lakers are expected to consult the 35-year-old star on the matter as he prepares to return from a 2013-14 season in which he was limited to six games because of Achilles and knee issues. Bryant's two-year, $48.5 million extension will kick in next season.

The Lakers are also expected to look at the current NBA coaching ranks and consider a number of veterans and top assistants, so several more names are likely to surface as the search unfolds.

...

In terms of other potential candidates, Lakers officials have long held ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy in high regard. They also, according to sources, plan to again interview former Lakers and Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, who was considered for the job in the wake of Mike Brown's dismissal, when the Lakers ultimately opted for D'Antoni over Phil Jackson and Dunleavy.

It's believed that Byron Scott and Kurt Rambis, both former Lakers from the team's 1980s glory days, will be considered as well.