Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts have advanced to the final round of interviews for the Lakers‘ head coaching job, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Former Nets coach and current Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson is also among the Lakers’ finalists, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says the next round of meetings is expected to occur in person in Los Angeles.
Charania doesn’t definitively state that the Lakers have eliminated all but those three candidates, but his wording suggests that’s the case. Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, Bucks assistant Charles Lee, and former Warriors coach Mark Jackson were among the other candidates who reportedly interviewed with L.A.
Ham, a veteran assistant on Mike Budenholzer‘s staff in Milwaukee, is said to be a “serious candidate” for the Hornets’ head coaching vacancy as well. Ham has received consideration from multiple teams with head coaching openings in recent years and interviewed with Sacramento before the Kings hired Mike Brown.
Stotts, who is also in the mix for the Charlotte job, spent 10 years in Portland before he and the organization reached a mutual agreement to part ways after the end of the 2020/21 season. Stotts ranks second on the Blazers’ all-time wins list with 402 and previously had brief head coaching stints in Atlanta and Milwaukee.
Atkinson led the Nets to 118-190 (.383) record from 2016-20, though that underwhelming mark was due in large part to the fact that he took over a rebuilding team. He took Brooklyn to the playoffs in 2019, but was let go the following season after the team added Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Like the Lakers’ other two finalists, he is believed to still be a contender for the Hornets’ job.
The Lakers are seeking a head coach who can lead the team back to the postseason – and, ideally, title contention – following a disappointing 2021/22 campaign that resulted in Frank Vogel‘s ouster.
Woj forgot Atkinson?— or does he know a little more? The prophets compete.
Fun fact reading Sham’s tweetings:
I am seeing screeners pause to spar with the players they are screening, not just stick out a shoulder or elbow, or shuffle away from the rim after contact to get more stick. Dinwiddie is doing it, must admit.
Not sure this is the ref’s intention…
Who does Bron want?
Not Stotts. Wrong “type”.
Bring back Walton lol
Do any of these guys move the needle? It’s pretty clear they are no longer a contender- they’re headed to another rebuild in the next couple of years- who is next qualified for that?
Stotts and Atkinson both kind of got raw deals in Portland and Brooklyn, although I don’t know if Atkinson is a great fit in LA.
Stotts at least could juice up their offense.
Ham seems really well-regarded – couldn’t imagine this LA team being a guy’s first HC gig though.
Love Kenny but I don’t think is the job for him.
He is great with young guys, creating culture, getting the best out of the young guys, installing belief and stuff like that. Pretty good X’s and O’s but nothing special.
He won’t suit a veteran heavy locker room with big egos like LeBron and Russ. Having to play LeBron ball, it’s just not him at all.
Terry Stotts I could see him getting the job and doing reasonably well. Although he had limited playoff success with the blazers he didn’t really have a GM helping him make moves. It’s was Dame and CJ with next to no defence vs whoever.
I’d like Hamm to get it, he seems good and I like the ascension from assistants going to head jobs. Not all of them work out but some do really well.
What a bunch of mediocre meh names… real shame if they are the best the LAL could manage, SMH!
Atkinson to be good needs full control of the team. Hes much better with younger players that listen to him over establishes vets that just want to play how they want to play. I think he would be fine as coach of the Lakers but there are better situations for him out there. The Lakers are making a big mistake if they hire Ham. Need an experienced coach that won’t take any bs. D’Antoni would of been my pick for the Lakers headcoaching position considering that hes already coached Westbrook in the past with some success
Stotts is the right guy for this gig
LeBaby’s casting couch will have the final say.
All candidates better be ready to passionately lick Bron Bron’s behind.