Even before the Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, they weren’t looking like the title contenders they once were. The desperation to fix that led to Darvin Ham getting the ax. Now Jeanie Buss’ organization is amplifying its search for a new head coach with renewed effort. One name that’s been floating for Ham’s replacement is JJ Redick, a former NBA player whose unfair notoriety underlined his unrivaled shooting skills. But when fans were starting to react to the idea of Head Coach Redick, a new name was thrown in the hat. James Borrego, one of the best assistants the New Orleans Pelicans have, is another likely candidate.

Ahead of the NBA draft combine in Chicago, the front offices are overactive with serious talks on coaches. While the Lakers head coach position remains vacant, the NBA community weighs in on who’s a stronger candidate.

Two strong contenders on the Lakers’ radar

NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed that JJ Redick and James Borrego are the frontrunners to lead the Los Angeles Lakers. At the draft combine, they will be in talks with other teams regarding assistant coaches not on contract. Borrego is in consideration during these talks.

He worked with Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and built an incredible resume. Formerly ranked at the bottom of the list, the New Orleans Pelicans rose to the top 10 in offense since Borrego took charge last year. When he was in Charlotte, the team went from a meager 23 wins to 43.

The other candidate is Redick, who’s got proven sportscasting chops. He’s not had coaching experience but he has a knack for analysis. “He is certainly somebody that the Lakers are drilling down on, they’re making calls and trying to get a sense of what a head coach, head coach JJ Redick would look like,” Wojnarowski said to explain who the Lakers are leaning towards. Fingers crossed, he’d take to coaching as quickly as Bulls legend, Steve Kerr, adapted to leading the Dubs. Or their in-city rival, Clippers’ coach, Tyronn Lue, taking over the Clippers.

Borrego and Redick have never been head coaches. Both have vastly different but impressive resumes. The question is, who is the bigger gamble for the Lakers?

What are the Lakers looking for?

What any team would want – a coach who can win a championship. Their approach has its own risks, though. Darvin Ham had not been a head coach before. Instead of giving him a chance to gain his footing, he was given the pink slip. Whether the Lakers were right or wrong to fire him is not the discussion though. It’s more about whether their criteria for coaching staff changed.

Concrete head coaching experience still isn’t a major requirement for the Lakers. Other than Redick, with no coaching experience, they’re shopping among other assistant coaches. Other names in the running but a little low on the list are Micah Nori (Minnesota), David Adelman (Denver), Sean Sweeney (Dallas), and Chris Quinn (Miami). Warriors assistant, Kenny Atkinson, is also a candidate who has head coaching experience from his time with the Nets.

But it’s not clear if the team wants another Ham who moved up the ranks or if they want someone the players would defer to. After all, it was rumored that the players didn’t like Ham during his last few days in the Lakers’ locker room. In terms of fans’ POV, the combination of Redick and LeBron James is very enticing. But Bron also has his own favorite candidate for coach. Moreover, his career window is shrinking and they can’t wait to test out Redick later.

Most analysts, and even former Lakers players like Shaquille O’Neal have asserted that the team’s MO is to see the last decision that went wrong and do the opposite of it. Ham was a player-turned-assistant-turned-HC. The opposite would be a former NBA player and sportscaster with no coaching experience thrust right into the deep end.

Or it might not be about the opposite at all. It could be availability, contractual obligations, or player preferences. The list goes on. But for the down-and-out Lakers, everything is an option.

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