National Basketball Association

Ranking 5 candidates who could be head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers

Published Apr. 25, 2016 10:38 a.m. ET

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The Los Angeles Lakers fired Byron Scott on Sunday night. Nothing about this was a shock, except the timing. The Lakers waited until two attractive candidates were off the market before they made their move, and now they don’t have the opportunity to interview Tom Thibodeau or Scott Brooks.

That's a shame, but it's also not the end of the world. There are still plenty of capable coaches left to interview, and it appears Los Angeles already has a few on its radar (via The Vertical):

Here’s a look at five options that may very well fit into Los Angeles' current franchise life cycle:

When you look at how Mark Jackson left the Golden State Warriors -- the toxic environment he helped create and how successful they’ve been since he left -- it’s easy and fair to view him as radioactive material.

One can argue that Jackson’s offensive philosophy held back Stephen Curry and prevented Golden State from reaching the unprecedented levels they’ve soared to under Steve Kerr. But from Jackson’s first season to his third, the Warriors’ defense leapt from bottom-five to top-five in the league, a nearly impossible jump that helps balance out his case for this (or any) job.

Sure, swapping Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut helped, as did trading for Andre Iguodala. But Jackson’s contributions can’t be overlooked, and as a short-term option just to get them out of the mud, the Lakers could do worse here. Players play hard for him.

He’s won four Euroleague titles and been named Euroleague Coach of the Year twice. That's very nice, but the two reasons Los Angeles would ever hire Ettore Messina are 1) He’s been an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs for two seasons, which basically means he’s royalty, 2) he was a consultant for the Lakers and head coach Mike Brown back in 2011.

The organization already knows Messina. He’s well respected all over the world and has spent the past two years basking in the glow of an organization that only exists on the cutting edge. Even if it doesn’t work out, the optics behind this hire would be extremely positive for a franchise that can't seem to get out of its own way.

David Blatt was reportedly loathed in Cleveland, fired when the Cavaliers had a stranglehold over first place; a few months after he helped lead them to within two wins of an NBA championship. It's unclear what that says about his future in the league, but LeBron James' approval or not, this man knows how to coach, and he’s far and away the most qualified candidate on the market.

But does he fit in Los Angeles? Would prospective free agents be pumped to play for him? Does Blatt have the patience to oversee what may be a steady, frustrating rebuild?

The answer to all three of these questions is probably “no,” but sometimes you need to ignore potential cracks, hire the best guy available and cross those bridges when you get there.

It’s odd to see Kevin Ollie in Wojnarowski’s report, but the University of Connecticut’s head coach is Kevin Durant’s former teammate, and L.A.’s pitch meeting this summer (or next) would be a hundred times more appealing with a familiar face in the room.

Other than that, Ollie is an outside-the-box hire with no head coaching experience at the NBA level. Typically that’s something the Lakers frown upon, but Ollie is highly respected by players around the league, and there’s a good chance his temperament is an upgrade over Scott’s regarding how he deals with D’Angelo Russell and the rest of L.A.’s youth movement.

The golden boy. If Walton is serious about leaving Golden State, the Lakers will hire him. They’ll fork over whatever he wants to bring home Kobe Bryant’s former teammate, the 36-year-old Warriors assistant who oversaw a miraculous 24-game win streak at the start of this season while Steve Kerr wasn’t healthy enough to be on the sidelines.

Walton won’t have that type of success with the Lakers, but he can still implement the modern traits Golden State embodies: ball and player movement, a fast-paced infatuation with the three-point shot, switch-happy, swarming defense, etc. Obviously, personnel dictates playing style, but the Lakers have young players and tons of cap space. They can build a roster of necessary characteristics.

Walton was a player development coach for the Lakers' D-League team in 2013, and obviously has strong ties with the franchise. He’s been their first and most obvious choice for quite some time, and if anyone else gets the job it means Walton didn't want it.