There may be another name to add to the head coach candidate list for the Los Angeles Lakers. Recently, there has been more names crossed off after Larry Brown expressed no interest in the job, and Derek Fisher took the New York Knicks job.
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While everything was informal and there is no interview scheduled, the Lakers have apparently reached out to former Portland Trail Blazers head coach, and current Indiana Pacers assistant, Nate McMillan, according to Comcast Sportsnet Northwest:
Contact was made merely on an exploratory basis to gauge his level of interest, said a source who requested anonymity. Being that the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers are the only two teams currently without a head coach, I think it’s safe to speculate that they inquired about McMillan
McMillan is definitely a new name to be mentioned, but he does check off all the boxes that the Lakers seem to be looking for. He is an experienced, tough-minded, defensive oriented head coach who connects with his players and will command respect.
McMillan has experienced varied levels of success as head coach of the Blazers as well as the Seattle Supersonics, despite some extenuating circumstances. He took over the Sonics as star Gary Payton was getting older, and eventually was traded away, yet still took the Sonics to the playoffs twice in five seasons.
He also led the Blazers to three consecutive postseason appearances before the team was ravaged by injuries to Greg Oden and Brandon Roy.
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McMillan will be facing some tough competition for the job as Byron Scott seems to be the favorite and Lionel Hollins was very successful in his last job. Nothing is for sure here, and there is no guarantee that McMillan even interviews, but he could be an interesting choice.
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