Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
According to sources familiar with the matter and league sources, the Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to hire James Borrego, Jared Dudley, Terry Stotts or Sam Cassell.
Phil Handy is also unlikely. The Lakers are more willing to bring him back, but sources say he was not happy at all about not being considered for the head coaching job in the last two opportunities.
Sources say the Lakers have moved on to candidates lower on their initial roster like Jacque Vaughn and Dwane Casey, while keeping Scott Brooks in mind as they look to surround new head coach JJ Redick with as many experience they can find.
Borrego was considered the overwhelming favorite to land the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching job, league sources say, until Dan Gilbert stepped in at the eleventh hour and reversed his front office to hire Kenny Atkinson. Borrego, having missed out on the Lakers and Cavaliers jobs, turned his attention to the Detroit Pistons, but decided to withdraw his name from the race and will remain with the New Orleans Pelicans as an associate head coach, sources say.
Dudley is a valued member of the Dallas Mavericks coaching staff that helped lead that team to the Western Conference Finals. Sean Sweeney has a real shot at the Detroit head coaching job, sources say, and if he lands there, Dudley would be in line for a promotion. Even if Sweeney returns, it’s likely Dudley will stay in Dallas, which is currently considered a more stable position than the Lakers.
Cassell is also in line for a promotion to Boston, with Charles Lee leaving to coach the Charlotte Hornets and Jeff Van Gundy leaving to become Tyronn Lue’s lead assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers. Cassell would become Joe Mazzulla’s lead assistant in Boston after a championship season and will likely be one of the most sought-after candidates for the head coaching job next season.
ESPN reported that the Lakers contacted Casey, who is currently a management advisor in Detroit. Sources say Casey previously turned down an offer to be Billy Donovan’s primary assistant with the Chicago Bulls. Los Angeles is hoping he changes his mind on that and would like to have him as Redick’s primary assistant.
Stotts was offered a position on the coaching staffs of Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham, according to sources, but he spurned the Lakers on both occasions. Pelinka could try again, but it seems unlikely that Stotts will consider the third time a charm.
Brooks is still on the table and sources say the Lakers value his experience working with superstars in the past. Rob Pelinka and Redick decided to integrate at least two former head coaches into his staff. Right now, the most likely candidates in this regard appear to be Vaughn, Casey, and Brooks.
Rajon Rondo has also emerged as a possibility for Redick’s team, but sources say the Lakers are divided internally over him. He may be a combustible personality and have legal issues that would accompany it, but LeBron James and Anthony Davis would both appreciate his voice coming back into the locker room.
Sources also say that if Chris Paul became a free agent, the Lakers would be very interested. Paul and Rondo don’t like each other, however, and while the two are considered professional enough to work together, there are people in the Lakers organization who would prefer their rookie coach not have to worry about this relationship in addition to everything that comes with learning on the job.
Sources have indicated that Miles Simon and Greg St. Jean may be able to return to the organization this offseason. Both served under Vogel during his tenure. Simon also worked with Luke Walton’s coaching staff and coached the South Bay Lakers. Given the franchise’s focus on development, Simon especially makes a lot of sense.
The Lakers have faced two major obstacles in attracting elite assistant coaches to Los Angeles: First, they don’t have the best reputation for salaries that keep up with the rising cost of living in Southern California. Compared to most other organizations, the Lakers are considered below average in that regard.
Another major factor in this process has been their recent history with head coaches. Redick is the seventh head coach in 13 years since Phil Jackson was on the sidelines. Mike Brown has publicly stated that he regrets taking over the Lakers gig when he did.
“If I could do it again,” Brown said in an interview with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on the “All the Smoke” podcast, “I probably wouldn’t.”
Assistant coaches tend to stay as long as their head coaches. There are certainly exceptions, but this is standard procedure. So if an assistant coach feels safe in one spot, he’s unlikely to move to a more unstable situation, and few situations have been less predictable than the Lakers’.
Vogel was fired two seasons after winning a championship. Ham was fired a year after reaching the Western Conference Finals. If success isn’t enough to ensure a long-term future, then what will?
Some league sources point to ambiguous roles at the top of the organization as reasons why the Lakers can’t stick with one direction.
Pelinka is vice president of basketball operations and general manager, but he gets input from Jeanie Buss, Linda Rambis, Kurt Rambis and Tim Harris on major basketball decisions. Which voice carries the most weight seems to vary.
“If you’re not nice to Linda and Jeanie, you won’t last,” said one Eastern Conference executive. “They’re just not run like the multi-billion dollar franchise that they are. Until this is resolved, they will continue to use coaches. Look at how Vogel and Redick’s recruiting processes went. Does this seem stable to you? »