5 coaches LA Lakers should target to replace outgoing Frank Vogel
NBA and Western Conference powerhouse the LA Lakers have had a miserable campaign which saw them not even make the Play-In tournament, let alone make the playoffs. Poor performances have seen head coach Frank Vogel's job constantly under jeapoardy.
After winning against the Denver Nuggets in the last game of the regular season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Frank Vogel is expected to be fired from his job as the head coach of the LA Lakers. Known for being a defensive mastermind, the Lakers finished the season ranked 21st in the league for defensive ratings, testament to how bad the franchise was.
Bringing in a replacement for Vogel is obviously on top of the priority list for the Lakers front office as the team still has two vital pieces in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who can deliver a championship if surrounded by the right players. With that said, we look at five such candidates the LA Lakers should target to replace outgoing Frank Vogel.
#5. Terry Stotts
Former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts is currently unemployed and might be a candidate the Los Angeles Lakers will be looking at. Terry Stotts spent nine years with the Trail Blazers and got them to the postseason on eight occasions.
The last three head coaches Russell Westbrook played for
2020 Mike D'Antoni, Rockets
2021 Scott Brooks, Wizards
2022 Frank Vogel, Lakers
All three were gone after the season ended
However, he failed to make it to the NBA Finals in any of the nine seasons despite possessing Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, albeit in an extremely competitive Western Conference. Stotts has the experience to handle the head coaching job of the LA Lakers.
#4. Mike D'Antoni
Mike D'Antoni would be an interesting option, to say the least, as the former Houston Rockets head coach has a history with the LA Lakers having coached them from 2012 to 2014. He was part of the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Nets last season.
D'Antoni specializes in producing offensive juggernauts as all his teams have produced sinciliating displays on the offensive end of the floor. However, his system works on having deadly three-point shooters, something the current Lakers lacked as they finished the regular season ranked 22nd in the league for offensive ratings.
#3. Juwan Howard
According to rumors coming out, the LA Lakers are looking at hiring Juwan Howard and having former Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo as his assistant ahead of next season. Howard was interviewed by the Lakers management before the appointment of Frank Vogel back in 2019.
Report: Rajon Rondo could join Lakers as assistant coach under Juwan Howard if Michigan coach gets ‘pried’ away from program lakersdaily.com/report-rajon-r…
Howard was teammates with LeBron James for the Miami Heat, winning championships in 2012 and 2013. He is currently coaching Michigan and led them to the Sweet 16 this year but had a disappointing campaign overall.
#2. Doc Rivers
The Philadelphia 76ers head coach has been linked heavily with the LA Lakers head coaching job despite working for the 76ers at the moment and is involved in the postseason. Rivers was the head coach of the Lakers' two eternal rivals - the LA Clippers and the Boston Celtics.
Doc Rivers has 29 losses with a chance to clinch a playoff series, the most losses by a head coach in NBA history.
His .341 win percentage is the worst all time among coaches with 20+ games. https://t.co/yfNmh2BavS
Doc Rivers won the championship with the Celtics in 2008 but has been on the receiving end of blown leads ever since, especially for the Clippers. However, having managed the Celtics, Rivers knows the expectations with the Lakers, having managed one of the NBA's most storied franchises.
#1. Quinn Snyder
Another possible head coaching candidate who is currently under contract with another NBA team is Quinn Snyder of the Utah Jazz. Like Doc Rivers, Snyder has been heavily linked with a move to the Lakers for a couple of weeks now.
It is unclear how many years Snyder has remaining in the contract extension he signed in 2019 with the Jazz, but he has led the team to the best offensive rated team in the league this season and has also been linked with a move to the San Antonio Spurs as a long-term successor to Gregg Popovich.