The Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham and are searching for his replacement. Ham led them to the conference finals last year, but could not survive a disappointing second season that saw the purple and gold bounced in the opening round of the playoffs. There is certainly pressure on the franchise, front office, and whoever takes over as head coach.
Convincing LeBron James to return should be the Lakers’ top priority this summer. After that, they must improve their roster around him and Anthony Davis. LA did not have enough size, shooting, or defense to compete with the best teams in the West.
The Lakers are about to hire their seventh head coach since Phil Jackson’s departure in 2011. They keep repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst called out the franchise on a recent episode of the Rich Eisen Show.
The Lakers are unwilling to pay top dollar for a coach
Windhorst made note that the head coaching job in LA is not as prestigious as it seems. The Lakers may be the most popular franchise, but they are unwilling to pay the market rate for a top head coach. That price has risen in recent years with championship head coaches getting over $10 million per season. LA was paying Darvin Ham half of that.
Fans cannot expect the Lakers to hire Mike Budenholzer for $5 million per season with the top coaches making three times that salary. Ownership must open their wallets if they plan on hiring a marquee name. If not, they will be searching in a lower tier, which has burned them in recent years.
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