Lakers News: College Great Advising LA's Head Coach Search

A legendary college coach is reportedly lending a helping hand in the Lakers' search for their next head coach.

Aug 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; United States assistant coach Tom Thibodeau (left to right) and / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are searching far and wide for their 29th head coach in franchise history. It's almost been two weeks since the Lakers let go of Darvin Ham, and the front office wants to get this one right this time around. 

The Lakers are pulling out all the stops to ensure they make the right decision, including seeking invaluable guidance from legendary college head coach Mike Krzyzewski. 

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Krzyzewski is advising owner Jeanie Buss and the rest of the front office on their decision-making process regarding their next head coach. 

The Lakers have some ties to "Coach K" as former legendary owner Dr. Jerry Buss made a strong purist at Krzyzewski for his team's vacant head coaching job in 2004. Buss almost successfully pulled Krzyzewski out of Duke to coach to purple and gold.

Although Coach K has been out of the game for two full seasons, he still has a brilliant basketball mind. The 77-year-old has deep knowledge of basketball and, more importantly, could give some insight into his former player and Lakers head coaching candidate, JJ Redick. 

Redick appears to be the leading candidate for the job and was reported to be among the initial top targets the Lakers are interested in. Among the other candidates for the job are James Borrego, Sam Cassell, David Adelman, Micah Nori, and Chris Quinn. 

Coach K is arguably the greatest basketball coach in the sport's history. He's led his Duke Blue Devils to five national champions, 13 Final Fours, 15 ACC tournament champions, and 13 ACC regular season titles. The basketball Hall of Famer is also a three-time Naismith College Coach of the Year and has led Team USA to three gold medals as the head coach. 

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