Del Harris returns to the Lakers as head coach
Mike D'Antoni, despite being considered one of the greatest coaches in the CSL, was tossed out on his ear, and the Lakers took a massive coaching budget cut by sacking him and the rest of the staff. High profile courtships of Rudy Tomjanovich, Mike Fratello, and Jerry Sloan soon followed, but all ended in disaster, while D'Antoni took a cut-rate contract to sign with the contending Oklahoma City Thunder.
And so the Lakers were left with little choice but to turn to 74 year old Del Harris, who coached the Lakers in the mid-late 1990s, leading the Purple and Gold to two second round appearances, a first round exit, and a West Conference finals appearance in his last full season, before being fired early in the 1998-99 season. Although now inferior to the more lauded D'Antoni, Harris nonetheless brings an eye for offensive talent, recognizing the potential of young players, and then developing them once they're brought into the fold. With the Lakers expected to pursue a rebuilding path, making such a change is at least defensible on that score.
Although the team appeared to have Eddie Jordan locked up as the first assistant, the league office didn't process the contract, and so in the formal bidding round that followed, they lost out on him, and then their second choice, Frank Hamblen. Initially Larry Krystowiak was hired, but the contract was later found to be illegal, meaning the Lakers now have to scramble to try and find a new right hand man for Harris.
The other efforts were more successful:
Jeff Capel Jr will be responsible for player development
59 year old Jeff Capel Jr is part of a proud family of basketball coaching tradition, and he was the Lakers' first choice of the remaining candidates following the first hiring phase to take over the 2nd assistant spot. Noted for his exceptional ability to coach up young talent, he's another piece in what is quite clearly looking like a rebuilding staff, as ability to coach in-game is not a particular strength of any of the current coaches. Still, with an extensive college coaching background, having headed up the programs at Old Dominion, North Carolina A&T, and Fayetteville State, he clearly will work well with the youngsters on the roster when they arrive.
Lee Rose takes over as the staff's primary scout
Last but not least, 76 year old Lee Rose accepted an offer to become the third assistant coach. Despite his advanced years, Rose had two NIT runner-up appearances and two Final Four appearances, one each for UNC-Charlotte and Purdue in the mid-late 70s before taking over for the fledgling University of South Florida program, where he took the Bulls to 3 NIT trips in six seasons. He then launched a second career as an NBA assistant and eventual vice president of player personnel with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1990s.
It's that front office capacity that figures to serve him in the greatest stead, as he's the single best evaluator of player potential outside of Harris, and will likely be the one most responsible for looking at the potential draftees with the Lakers and Bulls first round picks owned by the team. Doubtless he'll stay with the Lakers until he's ready to retire a third time from coaching.
No word on who the Lakers' next target for Harris's top assistant will be, as they're still recovering from the shock of losing Eddie Jordan, whom they planned to make Harris's eventual successor if the team missed out on Sloan and Collins, which they did. In short, it's been a somewhat miserable coach hiring process for the Purple and Gold, and doubtless there will be turnover in staff again once the three years is up on the current coaches.
But in happier news, the team announced the trade of Wesley Johnson to the Utah Jazz for Utah's 2016 1st round pick, further continuing their trend of asset accumulation signaled by the Pau Gasol trade.
The offer for Wesley Johnson was simply too good to refuse
The Lakers front office did like the 26 year old Johnson - a low-usage player who had some ability to draw fouls, secure the ball, and play solid defense. But when Utah came calling with the offer of a first round pick, the offer was far too tempting to resist, and so the team quickly signed off on it. The default starter at the 3 in Los Angeles, he's moved to a bench role with the Jazz, where he's displayed a surprising knack for rebounding as a 26 MPG backup at SF to Gordon Hayward. He's no doubt attempting to increase his value ahead of his impending free agency.
As for Los Angeles, the selection makes the third first round pick (along with Chicago's 2014 1st and Sacramento's 2015 Top 10 protected 1st) Jestor has acquired early in the CSL. There's also heavy rumors that Kobe Bryant could be on his way out very soon for what one source speaking on condition of anonymity said "makes a lot of sense for us, but will probably cause something of an uproar if and when it comes to pass"
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