Why Cavaliers Head Coaching Job Is Better Than Lakers, NBA Opinion

Multiple NBA analysts view the Cleveland Cavaliers' head coaching vacancy as a more attractive job than the Los Angeles Lakers' opening.

Apr 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Taurean Prince (12) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Now that Brooklyn, Charlotte, Phoenix and Washington have all hired new head coaches, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers have everyone's attention as the only remaining franchises that haven't locked in a new leader during this cycle.

At quick glance, a lot of fans might believe that the Lakers job is a better opportunity. But the Cavs job offers a much better chance for long-term success.

Yes, the Lakers are located in one of the most popular cities in the world, they’re a historic franchise and one of the most well-known brands in sports. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best available opening for head coaching candidates.

In fact, an argument can be made that the Cavs coaching vacancy is a better job than the Lakers. 

Let’s start with this rant from ESPN’s Zach Lowe which perfectly sums up some of the potential red flags with the Lakers job. 

“The Lakers job is not that great of a job. They’re a play-in team pretty much every year.”

- Zach Lowe

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“The Lakers job is not that great of a job. They’re a play-in team pretty much every year in a conference that is only getting better all around them. The bottom and the top and the middle it’s a fight every year just to get out of the play-in. LeBron is almost 40. What’s the vision for this team after LeBron leaves? Yeah, they have Anthony Davis. That’s great. They have Austin Reaves and some other things. Like, you’re not starting a no-brainer championship window. Every coach gets fired, I don’t care how many years you have left on their contract."

Lowe makes some great points, but what exactly makes Cleveland’s coaching job more attractive than LA’s?

First, the Cavs have a substantially younger roster with room for improvement both internally and externally.

The core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen have an average age of 25.75. There’s plenty of room for them to develop in their own game and grow as a group if the front office decides to keep them all together. Even if one of them does end up getting traded this offseason, it would be for a piece that helps them win now.

The Lakers roster is in a far more challenging spot.

There’s also the job security factor.

J.B. Bickerstaff took over as Celveland’s head coach in 2020 and lasted four and a half seasons before being let go. The organization stood by him and gave him multiple opportunities before going in a different direction. The Lakers had two different coaches (Frank Vogel, and Darvin Hamm) in that same time period and Vogel even won the franchise an NBA title in 2020. Luke Walton was the coach before them and even he only lasted three seasons.

Building something over several seasons was a theme of Koby Altman’s end-of-season media availability. A head coaching candidate could go into the job to build with the team instead of facing immediate pressure to win. 

Apr 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) and forward Evan Mobley (4) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN’s Brain Windhorst also touched on this topic and shared a similar viewpoint about the glamour of Cleveland’s coaching vacancy. His reasoning came down to the Cavs playing in the Eastern Conference which according to Windhorst, is “the ability to compete and win at the highest level, it's an easier path.”

An interesting note that Windhorst also mentioned was, “Frankly, the Cavs organization might out-pay the Lakers on a head coach.” Coaching is a job after all and the idea of being compensated more is never something to overlook.

At the end of the day, Cleveland is going to offer the position to the candidate they feel is best suited for their job. However, it seems to me that the best candidates have a compelling reason to find the Cavs position better than the Lakers.