Since the Lakers fired all members of their coaching staff, including Ham, a week ago, their hiring cadence has not been as urgent as people would see, and there are not many head coach resources left on the market, and with the Lakers' intentional Budenholzer being cut off by the Suns, the Lakers have even fewer options.
According to well-known journalist Shams, the Suns will hire championship coach Budenholzer as the team's head coach. And just 24 hours ago, the Suns fired Vogel. You look at the efficiency of other teams, and then look at the Lakers......
Moreover, the Suns give Budenholzer an annual salary of up to 10 million, as a comparison, Vogel's annual salary with the Suns is 6 million US dollars. The Suns' chief assistant coach, David Fitzdale, will not leave the team and will be promoted to a managerial job. Fitzdale was an assistant coach for the Lakers, and he and James also worked together with the Heat, and the two sides have a good relationship.
In 2023, the Suns lost 2-4 to the Nuggets in the playoffs and stopped in the semifinals, when the Suns owner fired head coach Monty, who had more than 3 years and more than 20 million left on his contract at that time. Then the Suns signed Vogel on a five-year, $30 million contract, and with the Suns being swept in the first round this year, Vogel was also fired. In other words, the Suns have gone through three head coaches in one year. Moreover, the Suns have to pay the salaries of all three head coaches at the same time.
The manager didn't get the chemistry he deserved, didn't lead the team to a good performance, didn't make the players extremely united, then he should be sacked. The Lakers learn from the Suns in this regard, be decisive, and don't be so mother-in-law. The Suns are efficient and willing to spend money, which makes our Lakers fans look red.
Budenholzer is a two-time NBA Head Coach of the Year award, and in 2021 he led the Bucks to an NBA championship. The regular season record is 484-317, with a winning percentage of 60.42%. The playoff record is 56-48, a 53.9% win rate. Such a championship coach is actually quite suitable for the Lakers.
Over the past 13 years, six coaches have tried to take over Phil Jackson's position with the Lakers, but none have managed to last more than three seasons.
Shams said the Lakers have no interest in bringing back Vogel, and the Lakers are expected to begin interviewing for a new head coach next week.
湖人随队记者Jovan Buha报道,湖人有意热火助教Chris Quinn。
"I think the Lakers are going to ramp up their selection efforts in the coming week, with Pelicans assistant coaches James Borrego and JJ Redick being the two candidates," Woj said on the TV show. There isn't a single strict standard when it comes to the Lakers' new head coach. Mike Budenholzer has been picked out, and I don't think there's a clear coach with a lot of coaching experience that the Lakers can hire directly to the team, and the current coaching market is not a buyer's market. ”
Borrego is an experienced head coach, having served as the head coach of the Hornets this season, and has been the Pelicans' head offensive coach this season. The Pelicans' regular season offensive efficiency of 116.5 ranks 11th in the league, better than the Lakers' 115.4 and 15th in the league.
As a regular on TV shows, Redick has no coaching experience, are the Lakers serious? What is the difference between choosing a rookie coach and choosing Hamm two years ago? Woj said Redick was a smart and talented guy who could handle the players.
Therefore, there are not many excellent coaches left for the Lakers to choose from. Before James' final championship window is completely closed, hopefully the Lakers won't go down the wrong path again.
According to reports from many sources, the main targets of the Lakers are currently locked in 4 people, and they are:
Kenny Atkinson (Warriors Assistant Coach, France Men's Basketball Assistant Coach)
David Adelman (Nuggets Assistant)
JJ Redick (Former NBA Player)
Borrego (Pelicans assistant coach, former Hornets coach)
If you were Lakers management, who would you choose?