Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Even in the throes of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals and all of the excitement the matchups of the Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors is bringing to NBA fans around the world, one of the biggest stories around the league is still the Los Angeles Lakers’ search for a new head coach.
That’s not exactly surprising, especially when considering the fact that the Lakers are one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, that LeBron James currently wears the Purple and Gold and, of course, that they missed the playoffs even though No. 23 had another MVP-caliber season.
Not surprisingly, head coach Frank Vogel was immediately fired and the front office began its due diligence to find a suitable replacement.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, that search has yielded three finalists: Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham.
Ham is the only candidate with no previous head-coaching experience, but has separated himself as having made the “strongest impression” of the trio, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Sam Amick.
And then there’s the wild card: current Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers.
In keeping with the card-playing metaphor, the Lakers are basically playing UNO and holding out hope that Rivers can be the “Draw Four” card that they can throw down to end the game.
That’s going to be a tall order, though, not only because Rivers drew a public line in the sand last month, asserting that he’s “very happy” coaching in Philly, but also because Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey let it be known that Rivers would be back behind the bench for a third season in the city of Brotherly Love.
“I just think he’s a great coach,” Morey told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps two weeks ago. “I love working with him. I feel like I’m learning from him. I think [general manager] Elton [Brand] and I and him make a great team, and we’re gonna see where this journey takes us.
“But we feel very good about where it’s gonna take us, and it’s gonna be where we have a very good chance to win the title.”
All of that sounds very well, final, but as the past transactions in the NBA has shown, it’s never over until it’s over.
As word of Ham being the top candidate makes its way around the league, Los Angeles still hasn’t completely abandoned hope that Rivers becomes unexpectedly available, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
The big question then, is why is the already taken Rivers the Lakers’ preferred choice?
He didn’t exactly end the season on a high note with Philly, who was bounced from the second round of the playoffs by Miami in six games.
Apparently, the biggest reason is Russell Westbrook.
The mercurial nine-time NBA All Star guard had his worst season as a player since his third year with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Additionally, Los Angeles’ front office didn’t feel that Vogel brought out the best in Westbrook or set him up for success, so they want a coach that can find a way to salvage the former MVP’s career, if they decide not to trade him.
That’s easier said than done, but Rivers has experience dealing with big personalities. He’s coached Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
Then there’s their superstar duo of Anthony Davis and James.
Rivers found a way to make a cohesive group of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett while with the Celtics and won a championship in 2008, so there’s the hope that he can get the most out of Davis and James moving forward.
However difficult it might be to pry Rivers away from the Sixers, it’s completely understandable as to why they would want to do it.
Rivers is an all-time coach with 23 seasons on the bench, a 1,043-735 regular season record, 104 wins in the playoffs and an NBA title.
So if L.A. can actually get Rivers, to steal one of Westbrook’s famous quotes, “why not” do it?
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
