As national and local reporters alike continue to seek out info in relation to the Lakers' coaching opening, we'll round up all of today's new updates right here. Be sure to check out our previous posts to catch up on news of Mike Brown's firing and vote on who would make the best hire for the Lakers.
- Phil Jackson is open to a return, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles, who adds that he hears the Lakers have not yet been in touch with Jackson.
Earlier updates:
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News hears that Brown's firing has been in the works for the last two or three weeks, and Goodwill's source hinted that the Lakers have already been in contact with Phil Jackson (Twitter link).
- If the Lakers wanted to hire Mike D'Antoni, he could be cleared to travel with the team later this month, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Former Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy will also be considered by the Lakers, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Speaking to the media this afternoon, GM Mitch Kupchak said he wouldn't rule out pursuing other teams' assistant coaches, but that the Lakers are more likely to hire a free agent coach (Twitter link via Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com).
- Dwight Howard has told the Lakers his preference is for the team to bring back Phil Jackson, according to Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.
- A source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link) that the Lakers plan to interview four or five candidates. "It's not going to be a long process, that's for damn sure," said the source.
- The Lakers fired Brown without having made a short list of potential replacements, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. The team will put together a list this afternoon, according to Broussard.
- Bernie Bickerstaff doesn't expect to be the Lakers' interim coach for longer than a game, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It sounds as if that means another assistant would take over the job in the interim, rather than the Lakers completing their search that quickly.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports and J.A. Adande of ESPN.com both share tweets on the odds of Phil Jackson returning to the Lakers — the consensus seems to be that Jackson wouldn't rule it out, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wants the job.
- Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register adds (via Twitter) that there don't seem to be any obstacles from either the Lakers' or Jackson's side that would preclude Jackson returning, if both parties are interested in a reunion.
- When asked if they'd have interest in the Lakers' job, Brian Shaw and Jerry Sloan both declined comment, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link) and Jazz announcer David Locke (Twitter link), respectively.