There are just over three weeks to go before the NBA draft, and while the Los Angeles Lakers don’t appear to be in any real rush to hire their next head coach, they don’t have all the time in the world.
Multiple reports have indicated that JJ Redick is a strong favorite to win the job. On the other hand, Los Angeles did call in James Borrego for a second interview a few days ago, and Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the team is “nowhere close” to naming a head coach.
In addition, there have been reports about who the Lakers are looking at to possibly serve on the staff of their next head coach. Borrego could end up doing so if he doesn’t win the head coaching gig, as could Sam Cassell, former Lakers championship guard Rajon Rondo and Greg St. Jean, a former Lakers assistant under Frank Vogel.
Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times said while on the “Roggin and Rodney” show that one other name he has heard as a candidate is Scott Brooks (h/t Silver Screen and Roll).
“Scott Brooks is a name I’ve heard,” said Woike. “James Borrego is a name I’ve heard. Jared Dudley is a guy that has real close LeBron James ties and has obviously done a really good job in Dallas. Rajon Rondo is a name that I reported this week that got people in a tizzy a little bit on the internet as a player they could add to a coaching staff.”
Brooks has definitely been around the block a few times. He became a head coach for the first time early in the 2008-09 season when the Oklahoma City Thunder fired P.J. Carlesimo. With a younger Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on his side, Brooks got the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals just two years later and the NBA Finals the following season.
He was fired in 2015, and he then began a five-season stint at the helm of the Washington Wizards during the 2016-17 campaign. He has been an assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers for the last three years.
If the Lakers do indeed hire Redick, they will need multiple assistants who have plenty of experience. Brooks would fit that description.
