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When Rambis took over for Del Harris in 1999, one moment that might have kept the "interim" tag from getting removed was a late-season huddle incident in which Bryant refused to follow Rambis' directions and an exasperated Rambis gave up and told Bryant to do whatever he wanted. Shaquille O'Neal wasn't enamored with Rambis either -- this might have been the only thing the squabbling superstars agreed on -- and went upstairs after the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs by the Spurs to demand a coach on the level of Jackson or Chuck Daly.

He's professed his interest in Mike Krzyzewski, and one observer noted that Coach K's declaration in June that "I would never leave Duke until I leave coaching" came just before Jackson's public announcement that he was returning to coach the Lakers next year. In other words, if the signs pointed to Jackson's retiring, Coach K would have kept the door open wider. As it stands now, don't consider it closed. "Never" seems to have the same meaning to coaches as it does to Brett Favre.

If Bryant still wields influence, another name to keep in mind is New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. That means that what LeBron James does or doesn't do in free agency next summer could be as significant to the Lakers as to the Knicks. If the Knicks fail to land an impact free agent in the 2010 derby and their program doesn't make progress, D'Antoni could come into play for the Lakers. That's another coach for whom Bryant has shown respect, a relationship that dates back to Bryant's youth in Italy when D'Antoni played there.

Another name that would probably get a nod from Bryant would be Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, a teammate on the three-peat squads at the start of the decade. When the Kobe-Shaq rift threatened to blow up the team at the start of the 2003-04 season, it was the recently retired Shaw who came down from his home in Oakland to broker a truce between the stars, a summit made possible by their mutual respect for Shaw, who was always one of the cooler (and balder) heads in the locker room.

Shaw showed his leadership skills in a pregame speech before the Lakers' dramatic overtime victory in Game 4 of the 2009 Finals against Orlando. Scouting the Magic fell to Shaw in the Lakers' division of duties among the assistant coaches, but on this night Shaw didn't diagram any plays on the dry-erase board. After the Lakers watched video and Jackson addressed the team, it was Shaw's turn. Jackson noted the empty board. At that point, after playing the Magic twice in the regular season and three times in the playoffs, the Lakers had nothing to gain from X's and O's. Instead, Shaw told the players, it was simply up to them. He reminded them that when he played, he might have been a journeyman, but he felt confident when he stepped on the court with dominant players like Shaq and Kobe, a great coach in Jackson, veterans such as Ron Harper and Robert Horry. This 2009 group still had Jackson plus Bryant, the coldest player around, one of the best centers in Pau Gasol, one of the most versatile in Lamar Odom. There should be nothing to be afraid of. Afterward players said the speech gave them chills.

If the Lakers want experience and resonance with their fan base in addition to Kobe approval, they could go after New Orleans coach Byron Scott, a three-time champion as a Lakers player in the 1980s whose return to Los Angeles for his final year in 1996-97 coincided with Bryant's rookie year.

Riley's ownership stake in the Heat makes extracting him from Miami difficult, but that didn't keep the Lakers from talking to him in 2004.)

Asianiac_24 wrote:How about Jeff Van Gundy? I think he'd be a great coach here

j-far wrote:

Asianiac_24 wrote:How about Jeff Van Gundy? I think he'd be a great coach here

Offensive black hole of a coach. His Houston teams were often a pain to watch. Kobe would drive him out of LA in a week's time.

Danny Darko wrote:Thanks for posting this.

D-Antoni sucks... he best not even be considered by Buss not matter what Kobe thinks of him.

I actually have misgivings about Coach K, too. I don't like the transitional period he'd go through and I think olympic players tend to be on their best behavior and would be a different gig than a year with a team full of guys who aren't stars on their best behavior.

I like Scott then Shaw... maybe Shaw more depending on what we do with the triangle concept.

enlightenment wrote:A new generation will come through sometime though