Lakers: 5 Candidates to Replace Byron Scott as Head Coach

Mar 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott reacts during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. The Phoenix Suns won 95-90. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott reacts during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. The Phoenix Suns won 95-90. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
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Mar 17, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie on the sideline against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie on the sideline against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Ollie — UConn Head Coach

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One of the things that always seems to happen when high-profile NBA head coaching jobs open up is that some of the top coaches from college basketball start getting tossed around as potential candidates. Brad Stevens was a guy whose name you always heard before he got hired with the Boston Celtics. Moreover, Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari always seems to be linked to NBA jobs when they open up. However, the college coach that the Lakers should be looking at now that Byron Scott is out of the picture is Kevin Ollie, the current head coach of the UConn Huskies. He’s simply the guy that makes the most sense for the job right now.

Ollie has proven time and again since he took the job with UConn that he’s able of coaching up teams despite adversity. Though getting rid of Byron obviously rids the Lakers of a great deal of their problems in a sort of “addition by subtraction” situation, they’re still going to face adversity and Ollie seems equipped to deal with it and persevere.

More than that, though, the Lakers also have young talent that needs to develop and build a rapport together, which is why a college coach might be a decent fit in Los Angeles. At the very least, the front office in LA needs to listen to see what Ollie would have planned for the Lakers and the young core if he were to get the job.

Next: Jeff Hornacek, Former Suns Coach