The Los Angeles Lakers practically find themselves now starting from scratch with erstwhile favorite Tyronn Lue stricken off the list of potential next head coaching candidates. Both sides failed to agree on the longevity of tenure, forcing negotiations to come to an abrupt end.
While Juwan Howard and Jason Kidd are still in the mix, it looks like the Lakers have added some more names in their head coaching search. Frank Vogel, someone who was initially being considered as an assistant coach, is now being interviewed for the head coaching vacancy, NBA.com said. Vogel is best known for leading the Pacers to the NBA playoffs from 2010-14.
Since being fired back in 2016, Vogel has yet to recall the same genius that allowed him to lead Indiana to the postseason wars. He moved to the Orland Magic, a team he handled from 2016-18, but his system failed to succeed. If talks go well, he will have the chance to redeem himself with the Lakers.
However, the road is not expected to be easy for Vogel. First, he has to hit it well with LeBron James. Lue was a favorite mostly because of the three-time MVP with Howard seen as the next favorite to earn the nod. The only problem with Howard is that he has no head coaching experience despite the Lakers reportedly impressed with him, Lakers Nation said.
The Lakers are obviously in turmoil as of this writing as they try to fill in key positions. They have yet to find a new president for basketball operations, a position that Earvin "Magic" Johnson previously held before stepping down some months ago. Tasked to oversee everything for now is general manager Rob Pelinka.
Filling up the head coaching vacancy will be critical for the Lakers so that they can get things together. Los Angeles is expected to try and lure in some big names in free agency - including Anthony Davis whom they failed to latch on to back in February.
Kyrie Irving is another name being mentioned although the New York Knicks are also pursuing uncle Drew. A reunion between the two NBA stars who previously played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers is back in play after the two started communicating last season.
Aside from Vogel, other names being mentioned include Mike Woodson and Lionel Hollins. The Lakers are back to square one in the head coaching search - something that must be addressed if they want to turn things around in Hollywood.
