NBA Rumors: Lakers Eyeing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony

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The Lakers are always going to go after the best players in the league. That’s their approach to putting together a team. That’s why they nearly had Chris Paul in a trade and why they went after Dwight Howard without any guarantee that he’d stay with the team long-term. Unlike other franchises that try to rebuild through the draft and find their next star player that way, the Lakers are always going to be confident in their ability to go out and land one via trade or free agency because of their history and willingness to spend.

Landing LeBron James is a dream, but if there’s any chance at all of landing a player of his stature, they’re going to at least pursue it.

The chances of landing James likely went way down with Kobe Bryant signed his monster two-year extension. If they had a little bit more financial flexibility to bring in another star player, perhaps they would have had a better shot.

There are appeals that come with playing in Los Angeles; however, James is an iconic star, the kind who is going to get the same amount of media attention and sponsorship deals no matter where he plays. The most important thing for him is being in a position where he can compete for a championship. Doing so with the Lakers would be a lot more difficult than some of his other options in free agency.

Anthony on the other hand is much more obtainable, especially now that the Lakers have parted ways with Mike D’Antoni, who clashed with Anthony during his tenure as the Knicks head coach. He has a close relationship with Kobe Bryant and the Knicks are a year away from having the ability to go after anyone of substance in free agency.

The Lakers have conducted an opening round of interviews, talking to the likes of Byron Scott, Lionel Hollins and Mike Dunleavy Sr. most notably. With only one other head coaching opening in the league, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers can afford to wait as their choice will likely be available even deep into free agency.

It always seemed like Sterling’s departure was too good to be true. During NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s NBA Finals media availability he seemed a bit concerned about the lawsuit and the fact that it hasn’t been dropped yet.

The Sterling Trust Fund did not need Donald’s signature in order to sell the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, as his estranged wife Shelly has been made the sole trustee. She has also indemnified the NBA from any lawsuits, so in essence Donald is suing himself.

The NBA is expected to move forward with the sale of the team to Ballmer, but additional steps are required before he can officially take over. Donald’s options to try and stop that are extremely limited at this point. He has to get Shelly’s decision to sell the team ruled illegal in probate court, but has yet to initiate the process.

Donald is rumored to be battling the early stages of Alzheimer’s, which could be playing a part in his flip flopping on accepting the league’s ruling and selling the team.

Fisher's staff is very likely to include Kurt Rambis. Others in mix: Rick Fox, Luke Walton, Bill Cartwright.

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 9, 2014

via Twitter

The trend is clear here. Fisher is going to fill his staff with other players who played for Phil Jackson and have an understanding of the triangle offense.

As a first time head coach, it’s going to be important for Fisher to have a good mixture of experienced coaches like Cartwright and Rambis to help show him the ropes of being a head coach and also young guys like Fox and Walton to connect with the players and help with player development.

Expect to hear Jim Cleamons and Frank Hamblen’s names to come up as well, due to their ties and long history with Jackson.