It’s been six years since the Los Angeles Lakers last made the playoffs. And this past season has proven that — whether LeBron James is on the team or not — getting into the playoffs in the Western Conference proved even more difficult than they imagined. It may be because their issues are bigger than LeBron alone can fix.
And it’s fair to wonder how those issues might impact their head coaching search, which reportedly got started yesterday when the Lakers interviewed Philadelphia assistant Monty Williams. The sharp folks at Silver Screen and Roll found some interesting stuff from the local L.A. radio stating that people close to Williams and Ty Lue are telling them to avoid the job.
Lue has been through a few wars with LeBron, so it’s not as if he doesn’t know the stakes. But Williams, on the other hand, could be looked at as a replacement for Philadelphia’s Brett Brown if they’re unable to get out of their first round series against the Nets. Although the Sixers have cashed in all their assets to win now, they still have two of the best young players in the league today.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have an aging James and a cast of young pieces with no playoff experience to speak of. And it also doesn’t help that whoever is the next Lakers coach will be their sixth different coach since 2011.
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