NBA Rumors: Lakers interviewed Byron Scott for head coach role

The coaching search is officially on, and the Lakers have reportedly contacted their second candidate to fill the coaching vacancy. Chris Broussard of ESPN has reported that the Lakers interviewed Byron Scott as a possible head coaching option.

Scott is arguably the most popular choice as head coach. As a former Laker and also a former coach, fans see Scott as a one of the “Laker family” and the most reasonable hire. Scott has made multiple Finals appearances, even facing the Lakers during the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal three-peat as head coach of the Nets.

Furthermore, Scott is a player’s coach who has maintained relationships with former players, including one Kyrie Irving. The commonly held belief is that Scott could be a deciding factor in bringing Irving to Los Angeles if he declares for free agency.

Scott is also a friend of Bryant’s and the two have talked since Mike D’Antoni‘s firing, adding more fuel to the Scott hype train. Going against him is the fact that he has lost many locker rooms and 416-521 career record is nothing to brag about.

Still, he remains the most likeliest of candidates and the earlier front-runner for a job that Mitch Kupchak stated would not have a replacement hired within the next 2-3 weeks. To put it bluntly, the Lakers have screwed up the last two coaching hires and don’t want to repeat it for a third time.

Scott is reportedly the second candidate interviewed for the vacancy, with Mike Dunleavy having already sat down with Kupchak to discuss the job. Dunleavy confirmed that he and Lakers met, but it did not happen this morning.

The hunt is on and it’ll be going strong within the next handful of weeks. Let us know down below who you most want to see as head coach next season.