Does Kobe Bryant really want to be the next coach of the L.A. Lakers?
Listening to what Bryant recently told talk show host Jimmy Fallon, you might think so as the 16-time All-Star guard insists he’s expecting to have some say in the hiring of the team’s next head coach.
Mike D’Antoni and Mike Brown, the team’s last two coaches who were hired without the team’s star player’s input, were both colossal failures, creating the climate for Bryant to now justify taking center stage in voicing his opinions as to who the Lakers should pursue in their current search.
The names of Tom Thibodeau, Mark Jackson, and Byron Scott have all been bandied about on varying levels in connection with the opening. And Bryant is on record in pushing for Thibodeau, as the Hall of Fame bound guard has already vowed 2014-15 will be an “epic” season.
It won’t take much for one of the league’s most storied franchises to improve on what easily was the team’s worst overall season. The Lakers posted just 27 wins last season, with Bryant suiting up for just six games. Chemistry often figured as one of the team’s biggest issues, with various players, particularly veteran forward Pau Gasol, spending much of the season grumbling about playing in D’Antoni’s uptempo, largely undisciplined system.
Fortunately for whoever lands in L.A., the Lakers will be a different team from the one that lost 55 games last season, as 11 of the team’s current 15 players will become free agents this offseason. Given that, the Lakers are already on record in stating they plan to pursue Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony among other free agents this season.
In addition, the team will be drafting in the lottery in this year’s draft, which features one of the deepest pool of players in years led by the likes of freshman stars Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, and Tyler Ennis.
