NBA News Wire
Kerr not a Lakers candidate
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Steve Kerr, who is favored to be the next coach of the New York Knicks, is not even on the Los Angeles Lakers’ list of candidates, the New York Post reported Friday.
According to the report, the Lakers believe Kerr is too far along in the Knicks’ hiring process. Knicks president Phil Jackson is engaged to Lakers president Jeanie Buss.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Jackson informed Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony during a dinner meeting earlier this week that he expects to hire Kerr.
The Knicks are looking to replace Mike Woodson, who was fired at the end of the regular season. The Lakers are also looking for a new coach after Mike D’Antoni resigned Thursday.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers have plenty of candidates, including George Karl, Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis, Kevin Ollie and John Calipari (who has since eliminated himself as a candidate). The Lakers also reportedly want to seek permission to speak with Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
Former Arizona coach Lute Olson told the Post the perception that Kerr prefers to stay on the West Coast (he lives in San Diego) is not accurate. Kerr played for Olson at Arizona in the 1980s.
Olson said Kerr’s children are now in college and his wife, Margot, approved of him moving to the East Coast without her if he gets the Knicks’ job. Kerr helped the Bulls win three NBA titles in the 1990s as a player when Jackson was coach.
Kerr is currently an analyst for TNT. Negotiations between Kerr and the Knicks are expected to heat up next week after the first round of the playoffs end.
