There probably won’t be 13 coaching changes like last offseason, but with vacancies on high-profile teams like the Lakers and Knicks and plenty of disharmony surrounding Mark Jackson‘s dismissal from the Warriors, there’s no shortage of chatter. Here’s the latest:
- University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie still hasn’t heard from any NBA teams about their openings, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. Ollie is nonetheless likely to start talks with NBA teams if his negotiations about a new deal with the school don’t bear fruit, Charania adds (Twitter links).
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group believes race played a role, if not the deciding role, in the Warriors‘ firing of Jackson, whether or not co-owner Joe Lacob and the front office intended it. The cultural and racial divide led to misunderstandings and discomfort, Thompson argues.
- It’s a “safe assumption” that late Lakers owner Jerry Buss would have hired Byron Scott as head coach in 2010 had he not already been coaching the Cavs, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes, making the case for Scott as the most logical Lakers hire this year.