[h2]Sources: Lakers wrap up interviews[/h2]
By Dave McMenamin
ESPNLosAngeles.com
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[h5]Lakers In Talks With Brown[/h5]
Sources: Lakers in serious discussions with Mike Brown about head coaching position
Tags: Mike Brown
LOS ANGELES -- The
Los Angeles Lakers have moved past the interview phase of their head coaching search and have narrowed down the field of candidates they will consider extending an offer to, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.
The leading names on the Lakers coaching list are former
Cleveland Cavaliers front man and current ESPN analyst Mike Brown; Rick Adelman, who recently parted ways with the
Houston Rockets; and Brian Shaw, who has been a Lakers assistant coach since 2004, according to sources.
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In an interview with Sirius XM Radio on Tuesday, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss characterized the team as being "very close" to filling its coaching vacancy.
Brown's candidacy has started to pick up steam and the 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year has emerged as the front runner as he has already talked salary figures with the team, according to ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.
Sources told Broussard that while a deal could be struck as early as Wednesday, it's also possible a deal will not happen if Brown does not get enough security -- in terms of years and money -- to empower him as coach.
No formal offer has been extended to Brown however, according to an individual with knowledge of the negotiating process.
At least one source close to the process said he believed the Lakers might prefer one candidate right now, but "it might be a game of chicken" and the team could move on to another candidate very quickly if negotiations do not go well.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak had plans to return to Los Angeles late Tuesday night after being out of town for a week in Chicago and Minneapolis attending pre-draft camps to evaluate prospects; the Lakers have four second-round draft picks, but no first-rounder.
A key factor shaping the Lakers coaching search is compensation. The team intends to lower its coaching salary after paying the outgoing Phil Jackson more than $8 million in his final season and $12.5 million in 2009-10. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that the Lakers are looking to lower their commitment to their head coach to the $3-5 million range.
Many factors are contributing to the team's cost-cutting measures, starting with the potential lockout that could occur when the league's current collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30. The Lakers have already informed several members of its training and scouting staff that they will not be renewing their contracts for next season in light of the labor unrest.
While doling out a league-leading $92 million payroll last season in hopes of securing a three-peat championship, the Lakers also did not profit from the 2011 playoffs as they had hoped after their unceremonious ousting by the
Dallas Mavericks in the second round. Los Angeles played seven fewer games at Staples Center in the 2011 postseason than they did in the 2010 playoffs, costing the team more than $10 million in potential earnings.
Brown, 41, fits the bill of some of the parameters that have laid out by the Lakers thus far, as Kupchak said after the team's exit interviews that it typically hires coaches that "stick with us for a long time," and Lakers guard
Kobe Bryant emphasized the need to find a coach who will bring a defensive identity that's more important than what offense he runs.
Brown was fired in 2010 after making a 2007 Finals appearance and two trips to the Eastern Conference finals in five seasons with Cleveland.
Shaw, 45, was the first in-house candidate to interview for the Lakers opening and has also interviewed with Golden State. The Warriors have also expressed interest in Brown.
Adelman, 64, has a .605 winning percentage and has made two trips to the Finals in 20 years of experience with Portland, Golden State, Sacramento and Houston.
The Lakers have also expressed interest in former
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy, who coached the Lakers from 1990-92, current ABC/ESPN analyst and former Houston and
New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy and also Chuck Person, who has been an assistant with the team the last two seasons.
Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngles.com, Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine, and ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein contributed to this report.
Follow Dave McMenamin on Twitter: @mcten