The Los Angeles Lakers and former head coach Luke Walton mutually agreed to part ways yesterday, capping a strange week in which former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson stepped down so that he could “be himself.”
The Lakers' search has officially begun, and ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski indicates that the frontrunners for the job appear to be former Cleveland Cavaliers coach and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams:
Sixers assistant Monty Williams joins Ty Lue as the central candidates in the Lakers search, league sources tell ESPN. Process is expected to center on them.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 12, 2019
Any hire will have to have the approval of LeBron James, who has become notoriously demanding when it comes to his head coaches and the relationship he has with them as the star player.
ESPN analyst and correspondent Richard Jefferson played with James for two seasons in Cleveland under the leadership of Lue, and while he says there would be familiarity with Lue in charge in L.A., the job itself has too much baggage.
Jefferson appeared on SportsCenter on Saturday morning to discuss the vacant head coaching position, saying that it is “not a very good job” because of the current instability in the organization. Jefferson cited that the Lakers have already had five different coaches since Phil Jackson stepped down in 2011.
This is a far cry from the days of old, when the Lakers job was one of the most sought-after gigs in all of sports. From Paul Westhead to Pat Riley to Phil Jackson, the Lakers have employed some of the greatest coaches in the history of the game.
But–given all the drama that has been associated with the Lakers this season and the general uncertainty of the franchise–the head coaching job is not nearly as attractive as it once was in Los Angeles.
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