2010 NBA Offseason: Top 10 Coaches to Replace Phil Jackson in L.A.

In my first article regarding Phil Jackson's possible departure from the Lakers, I honestly thought there was absolutely no chance of Phil Jackson actually leaving.

There was a part of me that thought there was a .0001 percent chance he would back-door Mike D'Antoni in New York, but I never even considered the possibility of his retirement.

During the season, Jackson dismissed retirement completely saying he would coach next season whether that be in L.A. or somewhere else.

I guess that's what I get for taking the word of the often tongue-in-cheek Jackson.

However, with the news that Jackson is "leaning toward retirement" after undergoing a multitude of medical tests, Laker fans should begin preparing themselves for life without the "Zen Master."

Because of that, my B/R NBA editor asked me to update the article in the aftermath of an already hectic NBA coaching carousel.

Much like in my first article, I weighed three different criteria for ranking the coaches: strict coaching ability, the ability to handle Kobe Bryant, and the ability to handle the near-impossible task replacing of a legend.

You know it's certainly not lost on Laker fans what happened the last two times Phil "retired."

Tim Floyd, Phil's replacement in Chicago, became so hated in the Windy City that he received death

threats. Even Michael Wilbon, one of the media's most rational minds, and co-host of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," has an irrational hatred for Floyd.

I'm pretty sure Floyd is coaching rec league YMCA basketball somewhere in Tuscaloosa or something now.

(Writer's note: Tim Floyd is actually currently the head coach at UTEP.)

Rudy Tomjanovich, Phil's first replacement in Los Angeles, couldn't even bear more than 43 games as Lakers coach.

One could attribute that to Tomjanovich's secretive battle with cancer, however, dealing with Kobe Bryant at the height of his petulance and struggling in the aftermath of Kobe vs. Shaq/Phil probably made his resignation letter easier to write.

Regardless of whether the rosters inherited by Phil's replacements were depleted or not (and they were), fans only saw their team's new coach as a representation of failure.

So, in the event Phil leaves, here are the best options for the Lakers to avoid a Floydian situation.

10. Mike Brown

Coaching Resume: 272-138 (.663 winning percentage) in five seasons as the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, one NBA Finals appearance.

The only way this would ever work well is if Brown kept most of the current Lakers offensive staff around.

In his five seasons as Cavaliers coach, Mike Brown proved he is a fantastic defensive mind.

However, he also proved to have absolutely no offensive coaching capabilities whatsoever.

If Brown delegated the offensive side of the ball to an assistant coach who knows the triangle offense and its terminology, Mike Brown could be a great choice as the next Lakers coach.

Sadly, egos on both Brown's side, and the newly scorned Lakers staff would get in the way of this ever happening.

9. Sam Mitchell

Coaching Resume: 156-189 (.452 Winning Percentage) in four-plus seasons as Toronto Raptors head coach.

If I am being bluntly honest here, I think Sam Mitchell is a better NBA basketball coach than all but three members of this list (it will be inherently obvious which ones are if you continue reading through).

However, there is absolutely no chance Sam Mitchell becomes the next Lakers head coach.

He has no elite coaching resume that would garner any locker-room respect, has no ties to the Lakers organization, and hasn't made a blip on the NBA radar screen since being fired by the Raptors in 2008.

Despite that, if you ask anyone "in the know" to name their top five/10 available NBA coaches, Mitchell's name always pops up.

Why is that?

Because the man proved he can coach at a near-elite level in the NBA.

Given mediocre talent at best in Toronto, Mitchell (with the help of Chris Bosh) helped resurrect the Raptors franchise into back-to-back playoff appearances before being dubiously fired just 17 games into the 2008-2009 NBA season.

While he is an unrealistic choice, my belief in Mitchell as a coach has more than earned him a spot on this list.

8. Mike Krzyzewski

Coaching Resume: 868-279 (.757 winning percentage) in 35 seasons as Duke and Army head coach, four NCAA Championships, 10 Final Four appearances.

The Lakers job is the only offer that ever almost pried Coach K away from his perch atop the college coaching landscape.

However, Krzyzewski felt like he still had more to prove at the college level and stayed at Duke.

Although he now says he's never leaving Duke, you have to wonder how often Coach K stays up at night wondering "what if."

After winning another NCAA Championship and re-establishing Duke as a top-tier program after a few down seasons, it would be interesting to see what Krzyzewski would say if Jerry Buss came calling again.

All that I do know is that Coach K replacing Phil would be unprecedented.

How often is a legend replaced by a legend of equal or greater standing?

However, the question remains the same as it was six years ago:

Can Krzyzewski translate his immense success at Duke into NBA greatness?

And the answer also remains the same:

No one knows.

7. Larry Brown

Coaching Resume: 1089-885 (.552 Winning Percentage) in 24+ seasons as Charlotte Bobcats, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, and Denver Nuggets head coach, one NBA Championship, two NBA Finals appearances.

Whenever any NBA coaching position becomes vacant, it is wholly irresponsible to not mention Larry Brown.

Whether he is entrenched on a perennial contender or dwelling in a conference cellar, the coaching legend has never heard a job offer he didn't like.

The question with Brown is not whether he would take the job (he would in a heartbeat), it's how good of a fit would he actually be in L.A.?

While Brown is Hall of Fame coach and basketball mastermind, his best work comes with quickly rebuilding teams—not "coaching up" already great teams.

I also wonder whether Brown's hands-on coaching style would grate on a veteran back-to-back champion team like the Lakers.

Playing the "right way" 82 games a year may elevate a team full of also-rans into the playoffs, but one has to wonder whether it would wear down a team that has played over 200 games in the past two years.

Brown's resume would initially garner plenty of respect within the locker-room.

However, by mid-season, Brown's tactics would wear thin when players realize that D.J. Mbenga and Adam Morrison have more rings than their coach.

6. Kurt Rambis

Coaching Resume: 39-80 (.328 winning percentage) in one-plus seasons as Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers coach, former assistant under Phil Jackson.

Before taking the Timberwolves job, Lakers management supposedly promised the heir-apparent throne to Kurt Rambis.

However, after actually watching Rambis be a head coach, should Laker nation be collectively sighing in relief that he left for Minnesota?

I think so.

Say what you want about the lack of talent on the Timberwolves' roster, and the idiocy of upper management, but some of the coaching decisions made this season were completely idiotic.

How, in 24 games in Minnesota, does Darko Milicic start 18 games considering Kevin Love started only 22 games out of 60?

Am I the only one who thinks handing over the keys to a potential dynasty to a guy who makes decision like that isn't the best idea?

That said, the players know and trust Rambis.

Successful coaching changes do one of two things: Completely change the culture of the franchise or change absolutely nothing.

Rambis changes nothing.

And that could be a great thing.

5. Derek Fisher

Coaching Resume: None. He is the current Lakers starting point guard.

Despite Fisher's heroics in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, it is inherently obvious to anyone who knows the game of basketball that Derek Fisher's best days as a player are far behind him.

However, anyone with a more intricate knowledge of the game can also tell you Fisher is by far the NBA player with the most coaching potential.

So if Fisher decided that the 2009-2010 NBA season was his last, why not seamlessly transition D-Fish into the head coach role?

He also has the respect of every single Laker player—something Jackson might not even have—and knows the triangle offense better than anyone not named Phil or Kobe.

Fisher's retirement would also open up an opportunity for the Lakers to add even more salary for his potential replacement.

L.A.'s first priority this offseason (besides replacing Jackson in the event he retires) should be finding a point guard of the future.

Their current point guard retiring and taking over as coach prevents any ruffled feathers and makes for a seamless transition into the future.

4. Byron Scott

Coaching Resume: 352-355 (.498 winning percentage) in eight-plus seasons as New Orleans Hornets and New Jersey Nets head coach, two Finals appearances.

Lakers fans that grew up in the 1980s would absolutely love this hire.

Scott was an instrumental member of the Lakers team who finally exorcised the NBA Finals demons against the Boston Celtics.

Scott as a basketball coach, though, has been a mixed bag.

He not only built up the New Orleans Hornets, but he also wore out his welcome, and they fired him after just nine games this past season.

In New Jersey, Scott led the Nets to two NBA Finals appearances, but after his departure, the team took off under unknown coach Lawrence Frank.

After over eight years at a job, an employer should have a read as to whether someone is good or bad at their job.

Byron Scott somehow has managed to stay an unknown.

Therefore, despite his strong Laker ties, you have to wonder whether Scott has the capabilities to captain the back-to-back NBA champions' ship.

3. Jeff Van Gundy

Coaching Resume: 430-318 (.575 winning percentage) in nine-plus seasons as New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach, one NBA Finals appearance.

Jeff Van Gundy has been the best "free agent" NBA coach from the moment he was fired as Houston Rockets head coach after the 2006-2007 NBA season.

Since then, he has become an good to above-average analyst on ESPN's NBA broadcasts, but has always been steadfast in his desire to return to coaching.

Van Gundy was the Knicks' last truly successful coach, and ankle biting incidents aside, handled himself with a great deal of class in the most intense media market in the world.

He also would bring a fresh approach from a coach with a vast understanding of how to play winning basketball.

If Van Gundy's stay on television has taught us anything, it's that he is often the most intelligent man in the room.

If Van Gundy is in a room with Jalen Rose, that's not saying much.

However, his intricate knowledge and ability to provide a different perspective could reinvigorate a team with a tendency to get complacent.

If anyone with no Lakers ties should get this job, it's Jeff Van Gundy.

2. Brian Shaw

Coaching Resume: Lakers lead assistant coach.

If there was a "most likely" box to check under potential Phil Jackson replacements, Brian Shaw would get checked every time.

Even Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant said that if Phil retires, Brian Shaw takes over, and the Lakers move forward.

It seems absolutely seamless.

Shaw has done nothing to prove he would be any less than a good NBA head coach, the players trust and like him, and he knows the triangle offense after being a Phil disciple for all these years.

As I said before, the two best coaching changes involve franchise overhaul or no change at all.

Brian Shaw is the best "no change at all" candidate.

1. Pat Riley

Coaching Resume: 1210-694 (.636 winning percentage) in 24 seasons as Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks coach, five NBA Championships, nine NBA Finals appearances.

If the Lakers are looking for a two-to-three year coach to ride out the rest of the Kobe Bryant-era, Pat Riley is the only choice.

With reports of Riley itching to come back to coach, why not end his career where it began?

Coming back to Los Angeles would not only help Riley avoid looking like complete scum for Stan-Vanning another coach (current Heat coach Erik Spoelstra), but it would give Riles an opportunity to go out on top—something he most likely will never get in Miami.

Riley's resume commands instant respect from all players and fans, so he would have no problem stepping right in, and making his mark.

He would also add toughness to this Lakers nucleus—something it has been sorely lacking in the 2010 playoffs.

He also knows how to coach in Los Angeles.

Actually, he practically wrote the book on it.

If I'm Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak or owner Jerry Buss, and Phil decides to leave, I'm calling Pat Riley the second I find out.

Knowing Riley, it could be the only call either man makes.