The Los Angeles Lakers have yet to name a new head coach, but according to the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan, they've begun narrowing their parameters: "The Lakers have decided they need a coach with previous NBA coaching experience, which means one thing for Derek Fisher: He isn't a candidate."
There had already been some indications that Los Angeles wasn't especially interested in handing Fisher the job, so Bresnahan's report shouldn't come as a shock.
Fisher's name has mostly been linked to Phil Jackson's ongoing search with the New York Knicks, but he had been linked to the Lakers, as well. In May, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski wrote, "As for the Lakers' coaching job, it holds tremendous appeal to [Fisher], sources with knowledge of his thinking told Yahoo Sports."
It remains unknown just how appealing Fisher was to the Lakers, but Bresnahan does note that, "The Lakers think Fisher will be a solid NBA coach or executive at some point."
In other words, this decision isn't personal.
It's just that Los Angeles has ruled out anyone without prior experience coaching an NBA team. The reasoning is unclear, but the organization may believe it needs someone with the kind of history and pedigree that will solicit buy-in from the veteran likes of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
Fisher almost certainly would have been well-liked by the duo, but it's hard to say how he would have been perceived—whether he'd be viewed as a legitimate leader with the capital to really tell these guys what to do.
Wojnarowski liked the idea of Fisher teaming up with his old team. He wrote that, "It is risky to hire a coach with no experience, but the right minds and right coaching staffs can make it work. Fisher will command respect and he'll be synonymous with a championship heritage that Lakers fans crave as a face of the franc...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
