Lakers: NBA Insider Indicates LeBron James' Preferred Head Coaching Candidate
The Lakers head coaching search has kicked into another gear in recent days. After conducting initial interviews with various candidates, reports surfaced that the Lakers are down to three candidates for their head coaching vacancy: Terry Stotts, Darvin Ham, and Kenny Atkinson.
On Saturday, Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus provided brief scouting reports on each of the candidates and highlighted their perceived strengths and weaknesses. Embedded in the Pincus pearls was one source revealing that LeBron James is in favor of hiring Bucks assistant Darvin Ham.
"He's the guy LeBron wants," a competing source said.
Pincus believes that Ham is the "best fit" for a Lakers team that is coming off of a depressing 49-loss season.
"The Lakers may be willing to take that leap of faith because Ham spent two years with the organization. His personality isn't easily forgotten. Ham brings a lot of energy to a gym. He's arguably the best fit for the locker room, with veterans like LeBron James, Anthony Davis and possibly Russell Westbrook in need of a coach they can relate to and respect."
Pincus also brought up how the success of the arch rival Celtics is worth noting in the context of concerns about the Lakers hiring a rookie head coach.
"But don’t make that argument to the Boston Celtics, who are in the Eastern Conference Finals with a rookie coach in Ime Udoka. Ham can't build a resume as a head coach without an opportunity. In part, Ham has the most significant upside because he's more of an unknown."
