The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off the worst season in franchise history so, naturally, Head Coach Byron Scott's job was on the line. The Lakers took their time with a decision, which led many to believe he would be retained, but this past weekend they finally decided to move on from Scott and head in another direction.
Since Scott was just let go, the Lakers front office is still in the process of compiling a list of candidates for the position, but considering it's the Lakers, the job should draw plenty of interest. It has been said that Tom Thibodeau would have had interest, but he already took the Minnesota Timberwolves head coaching job.
As for who is available to the Lakers, there are plenty of really good names out there, but there have been reports of a couple of intriguing names that have interest in the job. The first name is Derek Fisher, who played with the Lakers and was just fired by the Knicks this past season. Fisher reportedly wants the job, but it is unclear if that feeling is mutual.
Fisher is an interesting option for the Lakers because he is a familiar face and is young. The 41-year-old coach lasted less than two years in New York, but didn't really get a fair shake as Phil Jackson was pushing the triangle offense and didn't provide Fisher with a very talented roster to coach. On the other hand, Fisher often looked over his head as a head coach and the Lakers might look to someone more experienced.
UConn Head Coach Kevin Ollie may be a more likely candidate for the vacancy than Fisher and there is a report out that he finds the job intriguing. Ollie has been mentioned in NBA coaching searches over the past few years, but each time turned them down. The 43-year-old is under contract with UConn for three more seasons, but since the school's athletic director left earlier this season, he could leave without any major buyout fees.
Ollie has had a ton of success as the head coach of UConn in just four years, including winning a national championship. Ollie is young and is seen as someone that could be instrumental in the development of young players like D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and others.
Names like Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Luke Walton have popped up as possible candidates for the Lakers, but Ollie might be the most intriguing. All of these other guys have NBA head coaching experience, but Ollie has been viewed as a future NBA coach for quite some time, so he should certainly be towards the top of their list, especially considering he may have interest in the job.
