Lakers Rumors: Derek Fisher is Best Option of Potential Head Coach Candidates
Hiring Derek Fisher as the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers would be the best move for the storied franchise.
Other candidates have more experience, but no one currently available is a better fit.
At 39 years old, Fisher is getting too old to play, but he's the perfect age to begin a long coaching career.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne recently reported via Twitter that Fisher and two big name candidates had surfaced as possible fits for the Lake Show's head-coaching vacancy.
Considering the Lakers are headed for a rebuilding period—at least by their standards—an older coach like Brown with a history of short coaching stints doesn't seem like the smartest choice.
The current head coach at SMU is 73 years old. He's also apparently not going to allow speculation about his potential hiring in L.A. to linger.
Per Sam Amick of USA Today, Brown told the publication:
"I've always kept in touch with [Lakers general manager] Mitch [Kupchak]; I admire the hell out of him. I talk to Mitch all the time. ... (But) we're not talking about coaching the Lakers. I've read some of the names. They've got a long list of good people to choose from, and I'm here at SMU. I want to win a national championship.
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Winning a national championship will be a tall task at SMU, but dealing with today's NBA players may be even tougher for the old-school coach.
It's better for both parties that Brown stay south.
Skiles is an interesting candidate. He is 50 years old and last coached in the NBA during the 2012-13 season for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite having some marginally talented squads, Skiles has a career coaching record of 443-433, and he's taken teams to the postseason six times.
He's noted for getting his teams to overachieve, but that's not the mission in L.A.
The team has a winning tradition and organization. Coaching the Lakers is not a reclamation project.
The Lakers aren't alone in their pursuit of Fisher. The New York Knicks and Fisher's old coach Phil Jackson have made their interest in Fisher known.
In fact, the Zen Master has already picked up a $25,000 fine for tampering following his public gushing over his former point guard.
As B/R's Howard Beck writes, who can blame Phil or any other potential boss for being excited about hiring Fisher.
Beck writes:
"When you've played in 259 playoff games (a record) and won 161 of them (also a record), including five championships, people tend to covet your expertise and wisdom.
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The Lakers need a smart leader, a proven winner; a guy who has some familiarity with the team's current figurehead, and a connection to the organization's most-recent success.
Who better than Fisher?
He spent 12.5 of his 18 NBA seasons in L.A., winning five championships along the way.
Fisher served as the president of the player's association. He gained a tremendous amount of credibility with his peers, and potential subordinates during the lockout negotiations in 2011.
Also, Fisher's relationship with Kobe Bryant is well documented. In 2013, per ProBasketballTalk's Kurt Helin, via Yahoo!, Bryant called Fisher his all-time favorite teammate.
It appears that Fisher is one of the few players Bryant trusts and respects. Being a coach and a teammate are obviously two different things, but per a tweet from Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman, Fisher thinks he and his "brother" would find a way to work it out.
While Bryant's time in L.A. is limited, hiring Fisher as the head coach would ensure the final years of The Mamba's career are harmonious.
Bryant and Fisher can help usher in the next era of Laker title contention, and potentially add to the championship tradition they helped build.
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