Los Angeles Lakers to Interview Brown, Skiles for Coaching Vacancy
Two headstrong and defensive minded gurus are being considered by the Los Angeles Lakers for their head coaching vacancy.
Larry Brown and Scott Skiles are both scheduled to interview with the National Basketball Association's most successful franchise. They join the pool of former coaches and potential candidates for the head post such as Byron Scott, Alvin Gentry, Mike Dunleavy Sr., Kurt Rambis, and Lionel Hollins who are already in consideration to helm possibly the final two years of Kobe Bryant's career and which would make Bryant the only NBA player to play for the same franchise in a span of 20 years.
Marc Stein and Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com reports that the Lakers "have also internally discussed reaching out to Scott Skiles and former NBA championship-winning coach Larry Brown, who has spent the past two seasons in the collegiate game at SMU."
This development comes as the Lakers are in a rare rebuilding mode and having been removed from the playoffs for only the fifth time in its storied franchise. The next season comes with the uncertainty of Pau Gasol's free agency, Kobe Bryant's return from a major surgery and the mystery of the 2014 seventh pick in a deep draft pool. These factors are nevertheless expected to be outshined by the glamour of Los Angeles and the history of competent management of the Lakers, enticing several names to be attached to the coaching vacancy.
This includes Larry Brown, the only coach to win on both the NCAA and NBA levels and most notably able to reform the careers of Allen Iverson and the new generation of bad boy Pistons such as the Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups. Scott Skiles has had trips to the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns where he achieved some playoff success but also allegedly wore out his welcome with his controlling scheme and non-player friendly style.
Leading up to the draft day, the Lakers, while expected to be busy selecting their coaches, are not in any pressure to select soon and are expected to create a large pool of candidates to choose from.