Lakers News: Rumored Top LA Head Coaching Candidates to Interview with Cavaliers

There are now only two head coaching vacancies left in the league. For the time being.

Apr 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; THe Los Angeles Lakers logo on the video board at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Alleged top Los Angeles Lakers head coaching prospects James Borrego, currently a New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach for head coach Willie Green, and Kenny Atkinson, an assistant coach under Steve Kerr on the Golden State Warriors, have been given the green light to interview with the Cleveland Cavaliers for their head coaching vacanies, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Both assistants have prior head coaching experience, though neither is exactly Erik Spoelstra.

Both coaches have gotten a bit of an unfair shake during their respective head coaching stints.

Borrego never once made the playoffs during his years spent as an interim head coach with the Orlando Magic (in 2014-15, for 30 games) and the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets (in 2018-22). Borrego did lead Charlotte to a pair of respectable finishes right around .500 records (39-43 in 2018-19 and 43-39 in 2021-22). The Hornets have sported some of the most miserable rosters of the past few decades.

Atkinson coached the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-20. He ohelped an overachieving Nets squad reach the playoffs in 2018-19 off a 42-40 record, but when All-NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving parachuted in during the 2019 offseason, he resigned midway through that 2019-20 year.

The Lakers' head coaching carousel remains fairly full. But one of these two contenders could go off the board quicky.

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