NBA Rumors: Kurt Rambis favorite to land Lakers coaching job
By Josh Hill
The New York Knicks are trying to round out their coaching staff after hiring former Lakers and Thunder point guard Derek Fisher to lead the team, and one name that keeps popping up is former Phil Jackson assistant Kurt Rambis. It was Rambis who learned the ways of the coaching force from the Zen Master and it’s Rambis who many think can help guide Fisher in his first gig as a head coach.
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But while it seems Rambis is being penciled in as an assistant for the Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers have other ideas and may be moving in to offer the former assistant a job as head coach.
According to Howard Beck from Bleacher Report, the Lakers remain high on Kurt Rambis and he’s the leader among three candidates Los Angeles has seemingly narrowed their search down to.
"Another (Phil) Jackson loyalist, Kurt Rambis, could join the Knicks as Fisher’s lead assistant. However, Rambis also remains a favorite for the Lakers’ head-coaching position, according to league sources. The Lakers have interviewed at least a half-dozen coaches, but sources say they are focused on three primary candidates: Rambis, Alvin Gentry and Byron Scott."
Rambis was already a head coach in the NBA and he flamed out badly with the Minnesota Timberwolves a few years ago. He’s seemed to only thrive when in an environment in which Phil Jackson is in some way present and that’s why he’s such a great fit for Fisher’s staff in New York.
The Lakers have three candidates they’re zeroing in on and by no means is anyone saying Rambis is finalizing a deal or anything of that nature. But he’s the first on a short list of names he can seemingly beat out for the job and taking a head coaching gig over another assistant job seems to be a road many wouldn’t blame Rambis for traveling.