LeBron James wants Jason Kidd as new Lakers head coach for one main reason
LEBRON JAMES will be a big fan of the Los Angeles Lakers going after Jason Kidd as their new head coach.
LeBron James admits he HAS thought about summer plans
That’s according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who believes whoever the Lakers go after will need to have the respect of LeBron James.
Luke Walton is under increasing pressure as the Lakers head coach and a number of reports suggest he will be sacked come the offseason.
It seems there are three names being linked with taking over from Walton at the Lakers.
Mark Jackson and Tyronn Lue have been mentioned as possible candidates, but recent reports have suggested Kidd could be a “serious candidate”.
Whatever happens, James is likely to have a big say in who the Lakers choose to bring in.
And Windhorst believes the respect the four-time MVP champion will have for Kidd stands him in good stead to get the job.
“I think it’s clear from what he said today that he is very interested in the job,” he said on SportsCenter.
“He wants to be respectful of Luke Walton and he was several times.
“The thing about Jason Kidd and LeBron James is one of the difficulties of coaching LeBron is he has to respect you.
“He really has to respect you when you walk in the room.
“It’s much harder to sell respect over the course of time.
“That’s something that Jason Kidd will absolutely have.
“Not only did he play against him many times, but he also has great respect for the way he played even before when LeBron was learning the game.
“That’s something that Jason Kidd brings to the table and that’s why he would be a serious candidate if the Lakers decide to make a coaching change because of that respect level that he brings.”
Walton has had to contend with a Lakers side in a re-building process since taking over from Byron Scott in 2016, who had the worst record of any Lakers coach in NBA history.
But with James coming on board this season, there was plenty of optimism that the Lakers would return to the playoffs and build towards a championship contender.
Now it seems Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka are ready to move in a different direction from Walton, with Kidd, Jackson and Lue the leading candidates.