“I just saw you fire your championship coach” - Kevin Wildes says prospective coaching candidate should take a stand and tell the LA Lakers they don’t want former All-NBA player
The LA Lakers continue their search for a head coach ahead of the NBA season. While there have been a lot of prospective coaches linked to the job, the franchise has yet to make a final decision.
It was reported recently that candidates have been questioned by Rob Pelinka and the management on how they will get the best out of Russell Westbrook.
Analyst Kevin Wildes on "First Things First" show was against posing such questions to prospective coaches during interviews. He shared what the right response to such a question should be.
He said the right answer should be "so if you want me to be the coach, I don't want Russell Westbrook on the team." He is of the opinion that if the coach takes such a stand, he will most likely get the job.
"I think the coaching leads, all the coaches or prospective coaches for the Lakers are being asked, 'How would you utilize Russ?'" Wildes said. "You know what the right answer is there? I wouldn't. If Russ is on this team, I do not want to be the coach.
"I just saw you fire your championship coach because he didn't know how to utilize Russ. When Russ in the reports are said 'Yeah, we can bring the ball up,' and Russ said, 'No, I'm bringing the ball up.' So if you want me to be the coach, I don't want Russell Westbrook on the team. That's the actual right answer."
What direction will the Lakers take going into next season?
With the next NBA season months away, the LA Lakers have time to figure out the team. Possible immediate issues that need to be tackled include securing a competent head coach and making a stand on the Russell Westbrook situation.
NBA executive names Duncan Robinson, Christian Wood and Malik Beasley as hypothetical Lakers trade targets: lakersdaily.com/nba-executive-…
While the franchise is on the verge of finding Frank Vogel's replacement, there has been no definite response from the front office on the team's stand on Westbrook. While some have predicted he will be traded from the franchise, others firmly believe that he will be retained and that he will have a great season.
These are vital pressure points the Lakers will be looking to fix and address ahead of training camp. While the direction the front office will take remains unknown, the Lakers Nation looks forward to the decision being in the best interest of the team.