Probably for the best. If we hire a competent coach, they should be allowed to choose their own staff. Not straddled with Kidd or Handy, regardless of whatever people think of their abilities.
I see your point there keyword being competent. Ham was given the luxury of choosing his own staff and look how it turned out. Everyone else was stupider than he is
Yeah and ironically the Lakers picked Vogel's staff and resurrected Kidd's HC career in doing so.
There's a lot of gray when it comes to a coaching staff. It's too reductive to claim either way of the FO picking it or the HC picking it is inherently good or bad.
It isnt Stotts. Not sure why his name keeps coming up. He is the most average coach ever.
Dont want to run with D'Antoni again either, ugh.
Im guessing one of Bud, Atkinson or Lue if he becomes available gets the gig.
3 of the last 8 titles were won by rookie coaches.
* Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors, 2019.
* Tyronn Lue, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016.
* Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors, 2015.
It depends who the other options are. It's not necessarily stupid as shit when you look at recent results. And we know Reddick is close with Lebron which is important for 1) Keeping Lebron and 2) Team cohesion if he does stay. He has no track record as far as leadership goes, but there's no question he has the Xs and Os basketball IQ for the job.
Lakers finished the year at 45-37. And from January were on a 55 win pace. Both winning records bud. And one of those afformentioned HOF'ers was out for the season 4 games into the season. Another was struggling to run up the court due to plantar fascitis. And Dwight had severe back issue that would eventually cut his prime short.
I get what you’re saying but Kidd was the secret sauce behind the success. When he left for Dallas Vogel got exposed and completely lost the locker room.
Kidd helped with the offense, but Vogel was the one who set us up for success with his defense.
We also had the right roster for defensive dominance.
We had big bodies like Javale and Dwight to absorb center minutes to keep AD healthy, plus also having the option to play big against some lineups like Denver.
We had guards like KCP and Caruso who can slow down the other team to allow our big bodies to slide over.
We had instant offense off the bench with Kuzma and Rondo.
That 2020 team was dominant because we could play small and big with elite defense. We have since traded that elite defense for slightly better offense.
Honestly I’m Surprised he’s gone. He’s an excellent player development guy. It’s not like he’s only tied to Bron, he’s worked with Kobe, Kyrie, Kawhi and the list goes on.
AR also credits handy for his development so there’s that as well
You might be right. Check out the choice of words Woj used in his follow-up tweet to Ham getting fired:
> ... it’ll likely be Ham’s successor who’ll get chance to benefit from organization using major draft capital to upgrade…
Tells me the Lakers broke it to Woj so Woj would add this part because the Lakers are actively marketing the open job right now. Signaling to candidates that they will have a clean slate on the coaching staff is also a way to draw interest.
Hopefully they just hire him on as part of basketball operations like Head of Player Development or something, instead of just another assistant coach.
No I think he had to be sent packing. This dude was never HC material and his impact was limited. I’m not saying he wasn’t a positive but for a new HC it should be allowed for them to pick up their line up.
He has good rapport and a good relationship with the players, and he has their respect. I personally wouldn’t call that limited impact. That alone should’ve put him above Ham for the HC job to begin with.
Love Handy, but yea you don’t hire a coach and tell him who his assistants are. Ham chose to keep Handy around from the Vogel staff because he knew how important he was. Maybe the next coach will do the same
I don’t see how the dude is going to accept a position he just got fired at especially when he’s good enough that he’s going to get other suitors for sure
I don’t get why they didn’t let Handy audition for the main job months ago. There was no reason to keep Ham till the end. That would have been a free look at Handy’s potential as coach.
Why exactly people are crying over Phil Handy? What exactly he has done to warrant this? Or does anyone know for a fact he’s some kind of X’s and O’s genius? (He’s not)
He’s just a developmental guy.
They don't know, they just know his name. Handy is development specialist, not a coach in any form of fashion. This is LA we need real coaches sitting court side. Not a bunch of first year guys. The goal is to win
If I were the new HC, I would bring back Handy as an assistant because he knows all the players. Could be very helpful in the locker-room if one of your assistants know everyone and could help the HC to make his job easier. The players would also be familiar.
Everyone here has so many damn opinions on coaches who have never been in an NBA locker room, when 95% of coaching is what’s done out of the public eye.
Damn Bron’s guy got fired too? But they told me on r/NBA Bron runs the show behind the scenes!!! /s
Def gonna miss the 3x champ 🐐 on the bench tho. You can really see also how engaged he was on the sidelines. Wish he gets a Head Coaching job somewhere.
Handy is a good skills specialist but doesn't have the coaching cache to be sitting court side on a Lakers staff. He will easily find a new home with one of the young teams in the league.
This shouldn't be a surprise, handy already express his desire to leave at the start of this past season anyway to focus on other things. In a way he had nothing else to prove
Phil will likely land on his feet with the Clippers. This was expected. Assistants are rarely kept when a coaching change is made. It was odd that Phil was even retained in the first place, perhaps him and Ham are close.
They kept him on after the Vogel firing, seems odd to let him go now when 1.) he wasn't brought on by Scam 2.) he is not an idiot like Scam
I guess it's too give the next coach more power in choosing his staff, but hopefully they bring him back. Players love him and he's great in that role
I hope Lakers open their wallet and hire the best HC possible even if they have to lure someone out of retirement. I am tired of the second-rate coaches we've had since Phil left. Lakers need to hire the best if they want to be the best.
I like it. Need new coaches and new players. Handy was very animated on the sideline so it kind of looked like he was coaching half the time anyway, so whatever he was doing wasn’t working. Also, when LeBron was yelling at the coaching staff about not challenging that call in game 4, he appeared to be yelling at Handy. And that wasn’t the first time I’ve seen LeBron get into it with Handy. What I’m trying to say is that I think Handy was like a semi head coach already, or was sharing a lot of the head coach coaching responsibilities with Ham, just based on my observations.
Handy is only gone because the organization wanted to give him the oppurtunity to find a head coaching job if he wantas to. They did the right thing by him. Hes always welcomed back
Nah. This is pretty standard. No reason to keep a fired coach’s staff on. The Lakers asked Ham to take Handy on his staff, and Ham agreed. The same can happen with the next coach.
We also don’t know what Handy wants to do though.
Between this and the rumor we are about to hire a podcaster who coaches 8 year olds, the FO is doing everything possible for me to think the Ham firing was stupid.
Probably for the best. If we hire a competent coach, they should be allowed to choose their own staff. Not straddled with Kidd or Handy, regardless of whatever people think of their abilities.
I see your point there keyword being competent. Ham was given the luxury of choosing his own staff and look how it turned out. Everyone else was stupider than he is
Yeah and ironically the Lakers picked Vogel's staff and resurrected Kidd's HC career in doing so. There's a lot of gray when it comes to a coaching staff. It's too reductive to claim either way of the FO picking it or the HC picking it is inherently good or bad.
Don't do Handy like that. Dude is great at his job
Either way, you're arguing that the entire staff should hedge been fired
who's the best coach on the market?
One of Atkinson, Stotts, Bud, or D'Antoni.
It isnt Stotts. Not sure why his name keeps coming up. He is the most average coach ever. Dont want to run with D'Antoni again either, ugh. Im guessing one of Bud, Atkinson or Lue if he becomes available gets the gig.
What do yall think about Ty Lue?
Acceptable coach, he'd be on the list if he was available.
Not much
I'm hearing JJ Reddick's name tossed around as well.
If we hire a rookie coach, we're stupid as shit. Even if it ends up working out.
3 of the last 8 titles were won by rookie coaches. * Nick Nurse, Toronto Raptors, 2019. * Tyronn Lue, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016. * Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors, 2015. It depends who the other options are. It's not necessarily stupid as shit when you look at recent results. And we know Reddick is close with Lebron which is important for 1) Keeping Lebron and 2) Team cohesion if he does stay. He has no track record as far as leadership goes, but there's no question he has the Xs and Os basketball IQ for the job.
D’umbtoni. 😂🤡
Great insight.
Yep, let’s bring back the guy who ran Kobe to the ground and could not get a winning record with 4 HOF. Indeed a dumb pick. 😂😂🤡🤡🤦🏻♂️
Lakers finished the year at 45-37. And from January were on a 55 win pace. Both winning records bud. And one of those afformentioned HOF'ers was out for the season 4 games into the season. Another was struggling to run up the court due to plantar fascitis. And Dwight had severe back issue that would eventually cut his prime short.
Budenholzer - the only one that has a ring.
JJ Redick has been prepping for this HC job since he linked up with Bron on the pod. That's what I'm expecting.
JJ Redick has been prepping for this HC job since he linked up with Bron on the pod. That's what I'm expecting.
I get what you’re saying but Kidd was the secret sauce behind the success. When he left for Dallas Vogel got exposed and completely lost the locker room.
No the vampire in the locker room ruined that season and the following one
Kidd helped with the offense, but Vogel was the one who set us up for success with his defense. We also had the right roster for defensive dominance. We had big bodies like Javale and Dwight to absorb center minutes to keep AD healthy, plus also having the option to play big against some lineups like Denver. We had guards like KCP and Caruso who can slow down the other team to allow our big bodies to slide over. We had instant offense off the bench with Kuzma and Rondo. That 2020 team was dominant because we could play small and big with elite defense. We have since traded that elite defense for slightly better offense.
Rondo was clutch off the bench too, we don't have anyone who can run the offense like him when LeBron sits.
unplayable during the regular season tho
They don’t wanna remember the regular 5-8 minute intervals of not scoring under Vogel after Kidd left.
That happened before Kidd left too
Doesn't matter when we locked down every team, elite defense traded for slightly better offense.
Yeah. I had a feeling Handy would be gone. But maybe he comes back if Bron vouches for him.
Honestly I’m Surprised he’s gone. He’s an excellent player development guy. It’s not like he’s only tied to Bron, he’s worked with Kobe, Kyrie, Kawhi and the list goes on. AR also credits handy for his development so there’s that as well
Damn, would've thought they would have at least kept Handy on...
I’m guessing they’re going to let the new coach choose their own coaching staff and they’ll probably bring Handy back anyway because he’s LeBron’s guy
You might be right. Check out the choice of words Woj used in his follow-up tweet to Ham getting fired: > ... it’ll likely be Ham’s successor who’ll get chance to benefit from organization using major draft capital to upgrade… Tells me the Lakers broke it to Woj so Woj would add this part because the Lakers are actively marketing the open job right now. Signaling to candidates that they will have a clean slate on the coaching staff is also a way to draw interest.
Good point
It's possible Lakers cleaned house for a fresh start. Lakers can still offer Handy the HC job later or the new coach can hire Handy as the assistant.
Hopefully they just hire him on as part of basketball operations like Head of Player Development or something, instead of just another assistant coach.
No I think he had to be sent packing. This dude was never HC material and his impact was limited. I’m not saying he wasn’t a positive but for a new HC it should be allowed for them to pick up their line up.
He has good rapport and a good relationship with the players, and he has their respect. I personally wouldn’t call that limited impact. That alone should’ve put him above Ham for the HC job to begin with.
Handy may be offered a HC job somewhere else. Or another team wants him on their staff.
That alone isn’t enough. Just cause he’s cool?
Hopefully the new coach brings Handy back on staff man that sucks
Love Handy, but yea you don’t hire a coach and tell him who his assistants are. Ham chose to keep Handy around from the Vogel staff because he knew how important he was. Maybe the next coach will do the same
We won a championship by picking Vogel’s staff. Otherwise I would agree in theory w tou
Just gotta hope the next coach at least offers Phil to be a part of the staff & Phil accepts 
I don’t see how the dude is going to accept a position he just got fired at especially when he’s good enough that he’s going to get other suitors for sure
Why the hell would he be an assistant at his age. He should be running for president.
He’s only 52, which feels like a common age for head and assistant coaches.
I thought you meant Phil Jackson lol
handy nooo
Nobody around to slap
Handy is the one that should’ve stayed. Hope they’ll bring him back.
I don’t get why they didn’t let Handy audition for the main job months ago. There was no reason to keep Ham till the end. That would have been a free look at Handy’s potential as coach.
I hear you. That one stings a little. I was surprised they let him go.
Look at how they massacred my boy
 Ham gone but at what cost
Balanced, as all things should be
makes sense for the next coach to pick their staff. Maybe Handy could be one of them who knows
Fire the medical staff as well please
They dedicated everything to keeping AD healthy this year I guess lol
This is the healthiest we've had Bron and AD in their entire tenure
Haven’t we done it twice since Kobe/ Viti retired.
For a second I thought I was on the Chelsea sub reddit. But yes, get rid of them for sure!
WTF WHY??????
Allow the next coach full power to choose their staff. If you want the best you have to give them everything they want Probably to help lakers offer
Yeah. I realized. But Phil been good.
Ham probably had a slew of yes men that brought nothing to the table.
Meant for Phil Handy.
oh wow
Nooooo uncle Phil 
Why he don't want me?
Them not challenging that obvious call LeBron was yelling them to must of sealed their fates
That’s great next head coach can have more Control far as having picking their staff
Why exactly people are crying over Phil Handy? What exactly he has done to warrant this? Or does anyone know for a fact he’s some kind of X’s and O’s genius? (He’s not) He’s just a developmental guy.
this is what i’ve always wondered kol
This right here.
Likely because the players love him and he’s a direct contributor to the ascent of Austin Reaves
They don't know, they just know his name. Handy is development specialist, not a coach in any form of fashion. This is LA we need real coaches sitting court side. Not a bunch of first year guys. The goal is to win
If I were the new HC, I would bring back Handy as an assistant because he knows all the players. Could be very helpful in the locker-room if one of your assistants know everyone and could help the HC to make his job easier. The players would also be familiar.
He’s just a developmental guy. … that’s really important when you are drafting 19 year olds
He has the players’ respect. A lot more than what ham had going for him.
Everyone here has so many damn opinions on coaches who have never been in an NBA locker room, when 95% of coaching is what’s done out of the public eye.
Damn Handy but not surprised tbh.
I have a feeling they already have someone in mind and they want their whole own staff
Phil Handy's gotta be one of the best offensive skills coaches out there. He improved AR and Rui so much. I miss him.
It does suck but again the team sucked. A fresh start is the way to go.
Monkey's paw...err Hand?
I mean any good coach that comes here is gonna want to hand pick his own staff.
I hope he either gets a HC job or he goes to the college ranks and turns into basketball Saban or something.
I would hire Handy back as player development at minimum
Damm sad to see Handy go
Don’t get the Phil thing at all. The players really respect what he had to say. Bron legit only went to him when talking to the staff lol
Me thinks whoever they have in line for the head coaching job wants his own assistant coaches.
Handy likely will be brought back, just don’t want to single him out as being kept.
That’s up to the next head coach now. Otherwise they would have kept him. But he got fired. Period.
I am a big Phil Handy fan so this is tough but it may be for the best
Phil Handy no 😭😭😭
Damn nobody’s safe
Bron and AR gonna ask for Handy back
Nooo free handy 😭
Damn Bron’s guy got fired too? But they told me on r/NBA Bron runs the show behind the scenes!!! /s Def gonna miss the 3x champ 🐐 on the bench tho. You can really see also how engaged he was on the sidelines. Wish he gets a Head Coaching job somewhere.
that narrative died when the Lakers let Caruso walk
handy gone? dang does that mean lebron goes? that's his guy
Wait no not Phil
Does this mean we are gonna lose LeBron?
This next coach will have ALL the power!!! Unlimited Power!!! Bring on a legend! Jay Wright or Coach K!
This makes sense. The last “great” assistant coach the lakers had was Jason Kidd. Nobody on this staff was that.
Handy is a good skills specialist but doesn't have the coaching cache to be sitting court side on a Lakers staff. He will easily find a new home with one of the young teams in the league.
This shouldn't be a surprise, handy already express his desire to leave at the start of this past season anyway to focus on other things. In a way he had nothing else to prove
Gotta think Handy will be back.
One question any candidate will ask: can I pick all of my assistant coaches? It's still a player's league, I'm sure LBJ or AD have a say in it.
Could this possibly mean they know who the coach is going to be?
Should keep phil
The biggest problem is Lakers decision makers. Mom and Pop ops.
Phil Handy probably joins Ty Lue
Phil will likely land on his feet with the Clippers. This was expected. Assistants are rarely kept when a coaching change is made. It was odd that Phil was even retained in the first place, perhaps him and Ham are close.
Yes!
Idiots got rid of Phil Handy too.
Sad to see Handy go but sacrifices must be made for Ham to get the boot
I guess he didn’t come in handy when we needed him
They kept him on after the Vogel firing, seems odd to let him go now when 1.) he wasn't brought on by Scam 2.) he is not an idiot like Scam I guess it's too give the next coach more power in choosing his staff, but hopefully they bring him back. Players love him and he's great in that role
Damn they really cleaned house. Sucks to see Handy go but it might be for the best moving forward.
Damn
I hope Lakers open their wallet and hire the best HC possible even if they have to lure someone out of retirement. I am tired of the second-rate coaches we've had since Phil left. Lakers need to hire the best if they want to be the best.
JJ AND RONDO PLS SAVE US
Dumb af
I like it. Need new coaches and new players. Handy was very animated on the sideline so it kind of looked like he was coaching half the time anyway, so whatever he was doing wasn’t working. Also, when LeBron was yelling at the coaching staff about not challenging that call in game 4, he appeared to be yelling at Handy. And that wasn’t the first time I’ve seen LeBron get into it with Handy. What I’m trying to say is that I think Handy was like a semi head coach already, or was sharing a lot of the head coach coaching responsibilities with Ham, just based on my observations.
They forgot to fire one more guy
Time to clean house
Handy is only gone because the organization wanted to give him the oppurtunity to find a head coaching job if he wantas to. They did the right thing by him. Hes always welcomed back
[удалено]
Come on Jay Wright.
Maybe Handy had more to do with it than we thought. Maybe it’s many of his schemes that Ham used and they know it. Bring in Jay Wright and Bob Myers.
Operation: Keep Labron has commenced.
Mmmm ditching Phil Handy is wrong. Roast me.
Getting rock hard every time I see a Ham fired post. Feels like we just won the chip
Bring in new everything, sorry handy
Hate that this means Pelinka stays
Whoever we hire, y’all will still kill them.
Good job and thank everyone for their services. Now try to get a GREAT coaching staff to have one last shot with LeBron-AD.
Now do the FO
The Lakers need to stick to someone. They can’t keep firing coaches like this year after year. There’s no consistency for the players.
Mark jackson
Do the Dr. Buss move and hire JJ Redick. I say this and I can't stand JJ...but his mind is A1 and he won't be bullied.
Rob Pelinka is safe in all this how?
He's in the jeanie buss circle. If he leaves the gm spot, it'll be because of a promotion.
He's very close with jeannie, his job security is basically the highest unless for some reason the other buss takes control
GMs don’t just get fired left and right.
pelinka is a good gm
Is he? Because in NBA2k I've made a Lakers team with 5 Lebron Jameses. Wake me up when that bum can do that
He's got the Kobe protection.
🤣🤣🤣
They must have a coach in mind already if they’re doing this. No way they’d do this for another rookie HC, right??
Nah. This is pretty standard. No reason to keep a fired coach’s staff on. The Lakers asked Ham to take Handy on his staff, and Ham agreed. The same can happen with the next coach. We also don’t know what Handy wants to do though.
That’s good to know. Something I was not aware of
Good riddance. Im expecting them to be delivering my Amazon packages this week
I bet handy will come back just a formality at the moment
Look how they massacred our player development. 
Between this and the rumor we are about to hire a podcaster who coaches 8 year olds, the FO is doing everything possible for me to think the Ham firing was stupid.
Just promote Handy to HC
We are fucked