The Los Angeles Lakers interviewed former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts on Tuesday for the Lakers’ head coaching job. The veteran coach is reportedly ‘intrigued’ to coach Russell Westbrook and is looking forward to making him a more effective player.
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After a disappointing 2021-22 season, the Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Frank Vogel a few months ago. Since then, the Lakers’ front office have been looking for a competent candidate that can repeat Vogel’s 2020 feat.
The Lakers team had reportedly shortlisted three candidates for the job, including Stotts. The other two candidates are Milwaukee Bucks’ assistant Darvin Ham and Kenny Atkinson of the Golden State Warriors.
ESPN Sources: The Lakers interviewed former Blazers coach Terry Stotts for franchise’s head coaching job in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Two more assistants will meet with LA in near future — Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson and Milwaukee’s Darvin Ham.
But they are yet to confirm anyone for the position.
Terry Stotts is looking forward to coaching Russell Westbrook
Terry Stotts wants to coach Russell Westbrook. He intends to make him a more lethal weapon, both on the offensive and the defensive end.
Terry Stotts is intrigued with potentially coaching Russell Westbrook and believes he can help him be more effective and comfortable with his role than he was last season
ESPN Sources: The Lakers interviewed former Blazers coach Terry Stotts for franchise’s head coaching job in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Two more assistants will meet with LA in near future — Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson and Milwaukee’s Darvin Ham.
Stotts has the experience of coaching a transcendent superstar. He took Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference finals in the 2018-2019 season.
However, coaching the Lakers will not be an easy task. Handling three veteran MVP caliber superstars is not the same as handling one superstar, who is the centerpiece of the team.
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Especially, if one of the superstars is LeBron James.
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This season, the Lakers failed to qualify even for the play-in tournament, finishing 11th in the West with a record of 33-49. With five potential Hall-of-Famers and three MVP caliber players in the team, the Lakers’ performance this season was underwhelming, to say the least.
The head coaching job for the Lakers has always been a dream job for any pro coach in basketball. But candidates started to re-evaluate the position after Michigan Wolverines’ coach Juwan Howard refused the position.
The thought of managing a group of ageing, injury-prone superstars with exorbitant salaries and no chemistry together didn’t attract many coaches. To add insult to injury, there is that extra pressure from fans and the media to produce results from day one.
Stotts, if selected, faces an uphill task to solve all these puzzles. Besides, with no championship experience, it will be difficult for him to navigate this team to a championship.
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Is Stotts the right guy for LeBron and company? Let us know in the comments.