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The former LeBron James teammate who could be the Lakers’ next coach

By Jason Reed

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 12: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers high fives Jared Dudley #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 12, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 12: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers high fives Jared Dudley #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 12, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are in the market for a new head coach this offseason after unceremoniously firing Frank Vogel as soon as the 2021-22 season ended. While most of the team’s issues stemmed from things out of Vogel’s control, someone has to be the fall guy and the head coach is always first.

Since firing Vogel, there has been a myriad of names connected to the Lakers from current assistant coaches to current acting head coaches, such as Quin Snyder, Doc Rivers and Nick Nurse.

Most of the proposed candidates thus far have not made a lot of sense for the Lakers. However, there is one current assistant that has Sam Quinn of CBS Sports listed as a potential candidate that could wind up being the Lakers’ choice at the end of the day. That current assistant is none other than Jared Dudley.

Why Jared Dudley getting hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is more likely than you think:

The idea of Jared Dudley returning to the Los Angeles Lakers to be the head coach may seem a bit absurd but there definitely are seeds planted that could result in this being the reality. It starts with LeBron James.

It is no secret that James is a huge fan of Dudley and he made it clear that he was not a fan of Dudley leaving the Lakers to be an assistant coach under Jason Kidd on the Dallas Mavericks this season.

Dudley’s overall coaching experience may not be a hang-up at all if both LeBron and the Lakers want to bring him back to LA and based on previous decisions, there is a chance that the two sides could come to an agreement on this.

First, Jeanie Buss has always been about relationships and if you have a previous relationship with the Lakers you are much more likely to get a job. Rob Pelinka had a relationship because he was Kobe Bryant’s agent. Luke Walton got the coaching gig because of his long time with the team.

Dudley obviously has that relationship with the team and while he only has one year of official assistant experience, he essentially acted as an assistant when he was on the Lakers merely to be a veteran presence in the locker room.

Former players have dominated the coaching market in recent years and we have seen guys like Steve Nash get a coaching gig without having any prior experience. Granted, Nash’s resume is still much better than Jared Dudley’s but that is not a hurdle that is as large anymore.

Plus, LeBron has always seemed to mesh better with coaches who are former players. He had a good relationship with Jason Kidd when he was an assistant (filling in that former player void) and still speaks highly of Ty Lue.

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Jared Dudley shouldn’t be the runaway favorite to get the job but there should be more conversation around him being the next coach of the Lakers.

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