The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of one of their roughest off-seasons in recent memory. After striking out on UConn boss Dan Hurley to fill their head coaching vacancy, the team may turn to NBA retiree JJ Redick, who's never coached at any level.
New Orleans Pelicans forward and former Laker Larry Nance Jr. weighed in on the NBA's hottest non-Finals storyline, via FanDuel TV's Run It Back.
“Personally, I think a first-time head coach is not the answer,” Nance said. “The LA market is really hard if you've never dealt with something like that before. If you miss a shot, you're the next fill-in-the-blank. If you miss a shot, you should've never picked up a basketball in your life. It's tough, I think you'd probably need an established coach, but I can't necessarily put a name out there for that. You need someone with some clout.”
While Nance has a valid point, there aren't many former or current head coaches left to pick from. Pelicans assistant James Borrego, who led the Charlotte Hornets for four years, is the only name left in the rumor mill that's held the big chair before. However, he's also been rumored to be a frontrunner for the Cleveland Cavaliers' head coaching gig. If Los Angeles doesn't land him, their pick will most likely be Redick, Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, or Nuggets assistant David Adelman, none of whom have been the head honcho before.
Nance was also asked if he thought LeBron James would be a good player-coach.
“I'm gonna say no, because a lot of times, the very best have a hard time teaching others how to do something because it comes naturally to them,” Nance continued. “There are certain times a coach will have to explain something. ‘Bron, I'm not saying he's done this before, but there are certain times he'll have to explain something, and it's like ‘I just don't understand how you don't get that. Why can't you just take the ball, take two dribbles and dunk on their bigs, like just do it.' You need someone that wasn't the greatest player ever. Somebody with experience…I actually thought Vogel was really good for them when they had him, but you know…”
Is Nance right, or would the Lake Show be fine with a first-time locker room leader?
Nance is on the money, and the Lakers should listen
While Nance couldn't think of a name off the top of his head, Borrego is the best candidate according to his criteria. Luckily for Los Angeles, he appears to still be considering the job, via CBS Sports. The 46-year-old interviewed twice for the position.
Even if the Lakers don't land Borrego, they'd still be better off with Cassell or Adelman than Redick. Having years of assistant experience is a reasonable way to work up to a high-pressure head coaching job. Playing in the league and then working for ESPN, however, is not. Los Angeles will risk losing its credibility as an organization if they hire someone completely unqualified.
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