Isiah Thomas was as shocked as anyone when he got the call to be the Lakers' head coach
From key part of the multi-champion Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys era to reviled front office head and later head coach in New York to disgraced and failed Florida International coach, the path of Isiah Thomas has been anything but easy. After failing to win more than 11 games in any of seasons coaching the Golden Panthers, many felt that Thomas was done in the coaching profession. Until he unexpectedly got a call from the Los Angeles Lakers to come an interview for their head coach position following Del Harris' retirement after one of the worst seasons in team history.
And even more surprisingly, Thomas was awarded a 4 year contract that will pay him $4 million a season, passing up potentially more talented candidates like another former Lakers' head coach, Mike Dunleavy, Sr, who joined the Brooklyn Nets. No doubt it's a signing that will cause considerable discomfort amongst fans who are familiar with how insanely unpopular and the butt of jokes Thomas was in New York, but GM Jestor defended the signing at a press conference announcing the hiring.
"I think Isiah would be the first to admit that he's made his share of mistakes in the past," Jestor said. "But one of the greatest stories we have as humans is the tale of redemption - of falling from grace, and then rising forth to become even brighter than we originally were. After talking extensively with him these last few days, it became very clear to me that Isiah deserved that chance to soar anew. Out of all the candidates we interviewed, no one else came close to demonstrating the kind of offensive awareness that Isiah did, and that's very important for us going forward - to have someone capable of recognizing offensive talent, as we really struggled with that this past season."
Both Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash are gone from the Lakers
In other news, Steve Nash officially retired, leaving the Lakers on the hook for the last season of his salary and with 8 players under contract. 2 more players are currently slated to come via the draft, but with Jordan Hill looking for the winning team that Los Angeles currently can't provide, the plan seems to be shifting towards going best player available at #7 and #15, sign a few minimum salary players, and having another terrible year next season.
With Nash gone and Jordan Farmar out of contract, Randy Foye is the top remaining point guard option, which spells trouble for a system that relies so heavily on strong point guard play to flow effectively. Lakers sources say that this does not mean Shabazz Napier and/or Kyle Anderson will be selected in the draft. Instead, the situation means that the priority will be even more firmly on the best players still on the board at #7 and #15. One source also said, "There's very little chance we trade either pick at this point - it's the typical shark type offers we always get in these kinds of leagues, and those are ones we just politely say no to and move on."
It does seem increasingly likely that the team will be one of the worst 5 in the league next year, and so gain their pick back via protection. The draft has no players capable of being first or second options in the Lakers' range, and even if there were, they would be so raw as to be a far ways off from reaching their ceiling.
