Longtime NBA analyst Bill Simmons shared some harsh opinions about the future of LeBron James and the LA Lakers amid their head coaching search. The California-based team is looking to improve the group they currently have to potentially contend with next season. However, some believe the team won’t significantly improve, even if they make major changes.
The Lakers came up short this season as they finished the season as the seventh seed. While it was impressive to see the team make the postseason, not everyone was counting on them to come out of the Western Conference. Additionally, they had to play against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
The Lakers won only one game in their seven-game series against the recently eliminated defending champions. Since then, the organization has started to look for a head coach to replace Darvin Ham, who they recently fired.
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However, Simmons doesn’t believe that the Lakers will still be effective or achieve anything with their current group, no matter who they hire as a head coach.
“The Lakers are f**king done. Put a fork in them,” Simmons said. “It’s over. They’re in the same conference as Minnesota, Dallas, OKC and [Victor] Wembanyama.
“You guys are done. If you guys aren’t one of those four teams in the West, it’s a wrap. They might as well hire Linda Rambis as the head coach. Hire a f**king actor, hire Jon Hamm.”
This season, the emergence of the Minnesota Timberwolves and OKC Thunder was one of the biggest surprises. Additionally, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have surpassed all expectations. Lastly, the arrival of Victor Wembanyama could mean that the San Antonio Spurs will soon return to their postseason glory.
With the rise of these teams, the Lakers could struggle to win in the West.
JJ Redick jokes with LeBron James about rumors of the Lakers head coaching search
Former NBA player JJ Redick has been involved in rumors that the Lakers are considering him as their new head coach. Redick has become close to LeBron James as they’ve started a podcast called “Mind the Game” together. The ESPN analyst joked with the four-time champion about the head coaching rumors in their most recent episode.
“There’s other things happening in the NBA world, non-playoff related, that I feel like the NBA media is using as well,” Redick said.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, James isn’t involved in the head coaching search for the Lakers. Usually, the superstar has a bit of influence on which coach he wants to have on the team.
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