Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly given Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham a four-year deal to be their next head coach, the attention turns to who he will hire for his staff.
Reportedly, he will be given the autonomy to choose who he wants for his staff without meddling from the front office, particularly senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis.
A key member of the incumbent staff is Phil Handy, who is regarded around the NBA as one of the finest, if not the finest, player development coaches.
Will Ham keep Handy? According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Handy may be headed to the Brooklyn Nets.
Via The Stein Line:
“Great curiosity is already bubbling in coaching circles about the sort of staff Ham will assemble with the Lakers. Two primary questions: Will Ham indeed have the autonomy to make all the choices and will be David Fizdale be retained? And another: Will the Lakers keep highly rated developmental coach Phil Handy … or is Handy potentially Brooklyn-bound? The Nets have a need on the developmental side in the wake of Adam Harrington’s expected departure, and Handy, remember, has a strong working history with Nets guard Kyrie Irving from their Cleveland days. If the Nets are bringing Irving back, having Handy on the staff to forge a stronger connection with him would be, well, handy.”
The Lakers have a number of young players who need development, especially guards Austin Reaves and Talen Horton-Tucker and frontcourt players Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel. If Handy departs, it could have a detrimental effect on their careers.
Handy, who is 50 years old, recently said he wants to be a head coach in the NBA.
