Lakers: 5 assistant coach candidates to hire under Darvin Ham
By Jason Reed
3. Steve Clifford
Like Darvin Ham, Steve Clifford has a connection to the Los Angeles Lakers as he once served as an assistant head coach on the team’s staff. Clifford spent just the 2012-13 season in LA before he got a head coaching gig in Charlotte.
Clifford is someone who the Lakers should have never considered to be the head coach of the team. He has a lot of head coach experience in the league without having much success in the playoffs. We have covered in depth multiple times here at Lake Show Life why that would be such a big mistake for the team to make.
MUST-READ: Why the Lakers should trade Talen Horton-Tucker
That being said, he could add value as an experienced assistant on Ham’s staff. After all, there is no substitute for eight years of head coaching experience and there is value in the perspective that Clifford could bring to the team.
He is not as good of an option as Stotts or Borrego from a coaching standpoint but because of his connection to the team, he has to be considered as a potential candidate. And while his 5-16 playoff record is abysmal, he also coached for two franchises in the Hornets and Magic who have not boasted a lot of talent in recent years.