3. Do the homework on hiring a head coach; don’t just hire a big name
The Los Angeles Lakers have officially fired Frank Vogel after just three seasons in a move that we will all look back on as a mistake. While Vogel was far from perfect this season, this is a massive overreaction to something that was not even Vogel’s fault. Someone has to be the fall guy, though, and that is what comes with the job.
We have already heard several names attached to the Los Angeles Lakers and they all are relatively big names. There are guys like Quin Snyder and Doc Rivers, who are currently coaching their respective teams and would have to be fired to be hired by the Lakers.
If either of those coaches are let go by their team then that means they fell short in the playoffs (yet again). Somehow the Lakers think it is a good idea to hire a coach who just was fired for falling short… again.
Then there are names like Mark Jackson, who has not coached since being let go by the Golden State Warriors. That would be an interesting hire by the Lakers and the hope is that the team at least does its homework.
Based on how the franchise operates and how LeBron James operates it seems like the Lakers are just going to make a big-name splash hire like Jackson, Rivers or Snyder. Unfortunately, that the wrong attitude to have. The Lakers should be doing their homework on every head coaching candidate and not just hiring someone that gets headlines and can “handle” stars.
Look at Ime Udoka. He has turned the Celtics into one of the best teams in the league and he was the opposite of a big name before being hired. The Celtics did their homework and hired a not-so-well-known assistant from Brooklyn and it has panned out. A big-name hiring is not destined to fail, but the Lakers need to put in the homework.