In addition to bringing in Darvin Ham as head coach this offseason, one of the Lakers‘ other more important victories came on the sidelines retain assistant coach Phil Handy. Now, it looks like Handy will be around for a lot longer than just this upcoming season.
Let’s take a look at the latest reports and rumours.
A practical extension
Handy is one of the most respected assistants in the league by both coaches and players. It was no small victory that the Lakers were able to retain his services when the vast majority of Frank Vogel’s staff left.
But the Lakers not only convinced Handy to return, they also agreed to an extension with him, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears.
It really can’t be understated how great keeping Handy is. For one thing, he’s one of the best player development coaches in the league and the Lakers have a number of young players, including recent recruit Max Christie. Perhaps just as importantly, Handy has the respect and support of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, two very important figures in the franchise.
Now, even when the Lakers have him locked up for an extended period, Handy is someone who expressed his desire this offseason to move to a head coaching position. Like Ham, Handy will be looking to make that leap from respected assistant to head coach in the next few years, which means his time with the Lakers could still be limited.
Silence around Carmel
One of the fan favorites from a generally rotten team last year was Carmelo Anthony. Particularly early in the season, Staples Melo gave fans a lot of hilarious moments. However, later in the season, Melo’s age showed considerably, especially on the defensive end, which also left a sour taste in the mouths of fans.
Still, his scoring prowess remained, even in his 19th season, and his adaptation to the modern game late in his career means he can still have a role on a team. However, until now there has been no noise around his name according to Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein in his latest Spotify Live session.
“I haven’t heard Carmelo’s name once since free agency started. I think he was pretty solid last season for the Lakers. Can he find his way to a job? I think he played well enough that the answer is yes. I know there are people out there who are still hoping there will be one more. knicks reunion in your future. But it will probably be a later signing in the summer.”
After last season Anthony spoke about his time in Los Angeles. and he didn’t sound like someone who was likely to return. The Lakers’ flurry of movement and complete lack of reports linking them to Anthony likely paints the picture of the end of their time together. We will always have Staples Melo.
Does Kyrie Irving prefer to stay in Brooklyn?
Look, Kyrie Irving’s roller coaster ride has been wild and it’s barely a month long. And he’s not even a Laker.
Yeah, big deep breath.
Reports have long reached a silly level, but the latest indicating that Irving prefer staying in Brooklyn regardless of whether Kevin Durant is there or not is as wild as it sounds.
Not that it’s necessary, but it’s just a reminder that we’re about three weeks away from a point where a large contingent of people were convinced that Kyrie could legitimately opt out of his contract. take the taxpayer’s mid-level exception and take a $30 million pay cut. He too explored trading options at the timealso.
Now, are we at a point where he’s willing to play in Brooklyn? When can we get off this wild ride?
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