Lakers apparently now realize they need their next head coach to work hard
Various new reports on traits the Lakers desire in their new head coach and apparently the front office has realized their next coach needs to be a hard worker.
It’s never particularly difficult when looking at the qualities a team values in a head coaching search to not look at it as a sign of what the previous head coach lacked.
When the Lakers hired Frank Vogel, it was an experienced coach right after firing a first-time head coach in Luke Walton. When they hired Darvin Ham, it was a player-friendly coach right after firing one that struggled to handle the Russell Westbrook situation (which, I mean, wasn’t an easy one to handle).
This time around, though, the Lakers are leaking some interesting things about their next head coach. First, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that the team is targeting a “grinder.”
In Pelinka’s conversations with officials across the league, the term “grinder” keeps coming up in the general manager’s description of an important characteristic for the next coach, sources said.
Truly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a head coach described as a “grinder.” What does that even mean as a coach? Do you want them grinding film? Grinding in the gym for workouts?
But the Lakers didn’t stop there. On Tuesday, Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that they also wanted a tireless worker.
The Lakers are seeking a coach who will command the locker room and hold players accountable, as well as tirelessly gameplan and provide a level of structure and organization, according to those sources.
Are the Lakers just now realizing that a head coach needs to work hard? If so, what did the last interview process look like? Is the new interview process going to include clauses for time in the film room? Is there going to be a maximum amount of rounds of gold that can be played in one week?
And, boy, what does this say about Darvin Ham? If they’re immediately leaking these types of things, it certainly doesn’t indicate good things about Ham’s work ethic.
We already know he effectively lost the locker room by season’s end, so that part isn’t a surprise. But the rest of it certainly is new and, while I’m not going to sit here and say things about Ham that I don’t know, it’s not hard to read between the lines!
I guess the bright side is the next Lakers head coach isn’t going to be running from the grind.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.