Current:Home > FinanceWho should be the Lakers' next coach? Ty Lue among leading candidates -Trailblazer Capital Learning
Who should be the Lakers' next coach? Ty Lue among leading candidates
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:22:54
The Los Angeles Lakers, again, need a new head coach.
The Lakers on Friday dismissed Darvin Ham after just two seasons, both of which ended with losses to the Denver Nuggets – in the Western Conference finals in 2023 and in the first round of the playoffs this season.
The next hire will be the Lakers’ fourth head coach in seven seasons. They didn’t bring back Luke Walton after his third season, they canned Frank Vogel after three seasons that included the 2020 championship and now Ham is gone.
Who do the Lakers turn to next? They’ve had former players (Walton and Ham) and first-time head coaches (Walton and Ham) and went with an experienced coach (Vogel).
With LeBron James and Anthony Davis, there remains potential for the Lakers to compete for a title.
Who are the potential candidates for the Lakers’ head coaching job?
Terry Stotts
Terry Stotts has been a head coach for three teams – Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland. His longest tenure was nine seasons with the Trail Blazers. He was 402-318 with Portland, helping the Blazers reach the playoffs eight consecutive times. They reached the conference finals once (2019) and conference semifinals two other times, and the Blazers won 50-plus games three times under Stotts.
Stotts, who played college basketball and professionally in the CBA and overseas, is a strong offensive coach and is very good in calling plays late in the fourth quarter of close games and adopted quickly to the NBA’s pace and space style. Stotts didn’t return to the Blazers after the 2020-21 season and accepted a job on Adrian Griffin’s Bucks staff last season. But after the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard, who Stotts coached in Portland, Stotts resigned as an assistant.
Stotts interviewed for the Lakers job in 2022, the offseason in which the franchise decided on Ham.
Ty Lue
Ty Lue is the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Lue’s contract is up after this season, adding some intrigue to his situation as it relates to the Clippers and Lakers. Wherever Lue coaches next season, a team will need to pay up as Lue is expected to be in the $10 million per season range. Lue coached James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the title in 2016 and back to the Finals in 2017 and 2018.
A strong Xs and Os guy with a specialty in after-timeout plays, Lue is a former player and spent his first three NBA seasons with the Lakers. He has the respect of today’s players – and knows how to manage a variety of stars from James to Kyrie Irving to Kevin Love to Kawhi Leonard to Paul George to James Harden.
Mike Budenholzer
Mike Budenholzer is a championship coach, leading the Bucks to the 2021 title. Plus, he was an assistant on four San Antonio Spurs championship teams. A two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Budenholzer owns a 484-317 regular-season record and 56-48 playoff record in 10 seasons – five with Atlanta and five with Milwaukee.
Whether coaching the Hawks or Bucks, Budenholzer has assembled teams that produce offensively and defensively. After the Bucks parted ways with Budenholzer after last season’s first-round exit, Budenholzer took the 2023-24 season off and recently had some interest in the Brooklyn Nets opening that went to Jordi Fernandez.
Budenholzer is a great coach for a short stint, and the Bucks thought a new voice was necessary. But for a team trying to capitalize on success in a short window, Budenholzer fits the template.
Kenny Atkinson
Kenny Atkinson, a Golden State Warriors assistant, coached the Brooklyn Nets, and while his record in four seasons was 118-190, his teams showed improvement. He’s been a finalist for other jobs, and he grew as a coach working with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, his staff and the players.
Phil Handy
Phil Handy has long been recognized as a strong player development coach and has spent considerable time as an assistant on James’ teams in Cleveland and Los Angeles. He worked for the Lakers from 2011-2013, and in addition to his time with the Cavaliers and Lakers, he worked for Toronto as an assistant coach. He played college basketball at Hawaii and professionally in the CBA and overseas. He has been a part of three championship teams as an assistant coach but has no high-level head coaching experience.
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson, the former Warriors coach and NBA analyst for ESPN/ABC, interviewed for the Lakers job in 2022, too. However, he coached the Warriors for just three seasons and hasn’t coached since 2013-14. He has interviewed for other coaching jobs and had no interest in others.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
veryGood! (63724)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Julie Chrisley's sentence in bank fraud and tax evasion case thrown out as judge orders resentencing
- Zach Edey mock draft: Where will star Purdue basketball center go in 2024 NBA Draft?
- What to know about Netflix's 'Tell Them You Love Me' documentary
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Michigan’s top court to consider whether to further limit no-parole life sentences
- Jonathan Majors cries while accepting Perseverance Award months after assault conviction
- Ink Master Star Ryan Hadley Dead at 46 After Cancer Battle
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- NASA again delays Boeing Starliner's return to Earth, new target date still undetermined
Ranking
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Horoscopes Today, June 24, 2024
- Cameron Young shoots the 13th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history at the Travelers Championship
- Millions in the US prepare for more sweltering heat as floodwaters inundate parts of the Midwest
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Wisconsin judge to weigh letting people with disabilities vote electronically from home in November
- Justin Timberlake Breaks Silence on DWI Arrest
- Mets' Edwin Diaz ejected before ninth inning against Cubs after check for sticky stuff
Recommendation
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
Federal prosecutors recommend to Justice Department that Boeing be criminally prosecuted
New York’s Chronically Underfunded Parks Department Is Losing the Fight Against Invasive Species, Disrepair and Climate Change
'Only by God's mercy that I survived': Hajj became a death march for 1,300 in extreme heat
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
U.S. fast tracks air defense interceptor missiles to Ukraine ahead of other countries
Horoscopes Today, June 23, 2024
Joseph Quinn on how A Quiet Place: Day One will give audiences a new experience