The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to rebound from a tough season and the fact that they lost Dwight Howard in free agency and now the team is bringing some old school toughness back, as reports say they are close to hiring Kurt Rambis for a coaching job.
According to ESPN Los Angeles, Rambis is close to coming to the team as part of the coaching staff after working as an ESPN analyst in recent years and it wouldn't be the first time, as he previously worked for the team at various times over the past decade. Rambis was the lead assistant from 2001-04 and 2005-09 and he has eight rings during his career between being a player, coach and front office man.
In 2009 he was hired to be the head coach of the Timberwolves, but he was fired after two rough seasons and now Rick Adelman is head coach. Rambis was tasked with rebuilding the entire team and now he comes back to the Lakers in a great way, as the team feels that he is a connection to the older years of the franchise, including time with Phil Jackson. The report says that Rambis has been in Vegas watching summer league games with Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni and his brother, Dan and that the team also may hire former Orlando Magic coach Johnny Davis.
The Lakers have made a number of significant moves this offseason after losing Dwight Howard to the Rockets and Kobe Bryant is excited about the prospect of trying to win another championship. The team brought in Kaman as well as Wesley Johnson, who averaged 8.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last year for the Phoenix Suns and will provide depth off the bench. He played the previous two years with the Timberwolves and Kaman comes over from the Clippers.
Kaman averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks last season for the Mavericks and now along with Pau Gasol, he will give some size and depth in the middle after the team lost Howard. Nick Young was also signed to a contract that has a player option for the second season and the team also added Robert Sacre and should be primed for a better run than last year. While Howard is an elite player, he never fit in with the Lakers and now the team can concentrate on getting back to the top of the West.
