The LA Lakers are looking to make a splash this offseason and in the 2014 summer a sign and trade could be in the works for Kyle Lowry, while names like Luol Deng, Lance Stephenson and Pau Gasol are free agent targets and this comes as the team is searching for their next head coach and names like Alvin Gentry, Byron Scott and Lionel Hollins along with Mike Dunleavy all could be options for Los Angeles and Kobe Bryant.
This time around the franchise would be wise to get Bryant's opinion on the head coach, because last time things did not work out and now the team is in a huge hole because of the ego of Jim Buss. The Lakers should have Phil Jackson right now and they never should have hired Mike D'Antoni, but Buss has a huge ego and he has continued to make terrible decisions because of it. The Lakers are a joke right now because of Buss and now general manager Mitch Kupchak has to work to make a big splash this summer and the team is planning on being very deliberate as they look for a new head coach.
According to ESPN.com and Pro Basketball Talk, the team has spoken with Alvin Gentry about the job and has also interviewed with Scott, who was previously a player with the franchise. Last season Bryant was injured apart from a handful of games and things went from bad to worse under D'Antoni and he never felt like a fit and now he is gone. The team missed the playoffs and went just 27-55, their worst record in years. The team needs to make a splash and names like Lowry, Stephenson and Deng could be options.
The Lakers are just a few years past back to back championship appearances and now they are the worst team in the Staples Center and that is saying a ton when comparing to the Clippers right now. D'Antoni never fit in and he did not mesh well with Bryant or Pau Gasol and the way he used Chris Kaman was terrible, as he was a former All-Star and was barley used and averaged 10 points and five rebounds.
The Lakers ranked 11th in the league in scoring, but they were 29th in points allowed per game and that always put the team in a tough position for every game and they couldn't recover for the most part. The Lakers ranked 25th in rebounding and now they have the seventh overall pick in the draft and that should help in a deep class like this. The team won't get Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins like they dreamed about, but they at least have a top 10 pick.
The Lakers have some young players that could stick around, including Kent Bazemore, who is just 24 and came over in the Steve Blake trade. He averaged 13 points with the team and was good enough towards the end of the season and now he could be back, while Wesley Johnson finished the year with nine points and four rebounds per game and showed that he could be a versatile player on the court. Bazemore could end up being a long term option based on his age and he showed the team he can play in a number of spots and under duress as well and the deal helped save the team money by moving Blake.