Rudy Tomjanovich stepping down as Laker's coach.

[rkmsuf]

Someone start a Kobe for coach petition.

It's really the way it should be.

[Deattribution]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1981564

ESPN.com news services

Rudy Tomjanovich will step down as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after tonight's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.

His health, although not a relapse of bladder cancer, and dissatisfaction with the way the Lakers are playing contributed to the decision, sources told Bucher.

Tomjanovich missed Sunday's game because of a stomach virus, and did not attend practice on Monday.

Assistant coach Frank Hamblen will become the interim coach.

The Lakers hired Tomjanovich on July 10, replacing Phil Jackson. They are 23-19, in seventh place in the Western Conference.

Tomjanovich left the coaching ranks over a year earlier to fight bladder cancer. He previously coached the Houston Rockets for 12 seasons, winning NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.

"It's just excitement, nothing but excitement," Tomjanovich said this fall about his return. "It's a positive. I've been like a young school boy since this has happened. At times I haven't gotten to sleep, but it's not anxiety. It's excitement."

After losing to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, the Lakers ended their successful partnership with Jackson and traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[MrBug708]

Sad Sad Sad

Maybe the Hornets will fire Byron Scott so he can come to the Lakers?

[Tigercat]

Someone start a Kobe for coach petition.

It's really the way it should be.


Post in order ya bastard! Besides everyone knows Kobe is already the GM, being coach would just be a step down. Maybe Kobe has a potential coach in mind already.

[SackAttack]

Hey, maybe they can go get Rick Majerus.

[MrBug708]

Post in order ya bastard! Besides everyone knows Kobe is already the GM, being coach would just be a step down. Maybe Kobe has a potential coach in mind already.

kobe being the GM is a step better then Mitch Kupcake

[Swaggs]

I'm reading Phil Jackson's book, "The Last Season," right now. I'm about 80% finished and from reading it, it really sounds like Kobe (as well as the other huge egos) is a trip to coach.

Pretty good read. Almost like a FOFC NBA dynasty, as it is written in diary form.

[jbmagic]

Larry brown has a home here in Los Angeles.


talks on the sports show here, is maybe Larry Brown comes to the Lakers after this season

[JeeberD]

Thank you lord!

Come back to Houston, Rudy! Even it's just for a front office position, you were meant to always be a Rocket...

[jetpunk2000]

Now ESPN has changed their story and have said that resigning is one of the options Tomjanovich is considering. Plus he won't make an announcement tonight. Now, he may very well resign, but I think ESPN is becoming an embarrassment to media with their apparent need to scoop everyone else. Their baseball signing rumors were so way off base that it became comical. I used to like Peter Gammons, probably because I was a young impressionable kid, but we all know what he is now. Well it seems like his disease has spread throughout the network. It's truly awful.

[jbmagic]

so it does it mean that Rudy will coach tonight game?

sport radio here in LA is saying he will coach his last game tonight. just doesnt make sense if he going to resign why coach one more game?

[jetpunk2000]

so it does it mean that Rudy will coach tonight game?

sport radio here in LA is saying he will coach his last game tonight. just doesnt make sense if he going to resign why coach one more game?
He's not coaching tonight.

[Kodos]

Larry brown has a home here in Los Angeles.


talks on the sports show here, is maybe Larry Brown comes to the Lakers after this season

Larry Brown would be insane to want to coach Kob-me.

[jetpunk2000]

Larry Brown would be insane to want to coach Kob-me.

Well, there were reports (by the Post, so not exactly reliable) that he wanted to coach the Knicks next year. Not that coaching Kobe is a walk in the park, but I think you'd have to be more insane to want to coach the Knicks the way they are currently constituted.

[Eaglesfan27]

Well, there were reports (by the Post, so not exactly reliable) that he wanted to coach the Knicks next year. Not that coaching Kobe is a walk in the park, but I think you'd have to be more insane to want to coach the Knicks the way they are currently constituted.
I'm willing to bet most coaches would much rather take over the Knicks job rather than the Lakers job. Everyone has to know that Kobe has become one of the most powerful players in the game, and that he is control of the moves they are making. For all of the Knicks flaws, Isiah is in charge there. I'd much rather have Isiah making GM moves over Kobe (not that either is great.)

[Neuqua]

Then again, Brown did coach Me, Myself and I-verson in Philly for a few seasons so something like this may not exactly be unheard of for him.

I like Rudy, I dislike the Laker fanbase, this works for me.

[Kodos]

Then again, Brown did coach Me, Myself and I-verson in Philly for a few seasons so something like this may not exactly be unheard of for him.


Of course, wasn't Brown miserable coaching Iverson?

[Eaglesfan27]

Of course, wasn't Brown miserable coaching Iverson?
Yes and he had a powerful personality in Pat Croce to smooth the waters (and remind Iverson who was in charge.)

[jbmagic]

its getting crazy over here on the sports talk shows


now possible replacement can be bring back Phil Jackson or Pat Riley

[Swaggs]

Again, I've been reading Jackson's book, so I have his slant, but I cannot imagine him going back as long as Kobe is there. And, Jerry Buss will never let Kobe go because he feels that he gives the team a ticket draw for the next 12-14 years (this according to Buss's daughter, Jeanne, who is dating Jackson).

Riley would be interesting, but now that he has Shaq and Wade in Miami, would he want to step down from the front office to be a coach again?

[jbmagic]

Its Offcial now.

"After half a season, Rudy Tomjanovich has resigned as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the team said Wednesday."

according to ESPN

[Anthony]

i wonder if this prevents him from ever getting another HC job. stuff like this kinda taints one rep.

[jbmagic]

i wonder if this prevents him from ever getting another HC job. stuff like this kinda taints one rep.


according to ESPN

"He will stay on with the team for two years as a consultant, a role he said will be defined as he goes, although it will include scouting."

[digamma]

according to ESPN

"He will stay on with the team for two years as a consultant, a role he said will be defined as he goes, although it will include scouting."
in other words: Rudy got fired.

[ScottVib]

ESPN Radio's evening drive show suggested that other then Phil Jackson, with the Lakers already having been turned down once by Coach K, and Roy Williams that if they go the college route UConn's Jim Calhoun will get a call.

[jbmagic]

strange thing is Rudy T. turn down 6 mil contract for 5 years (30 mil total)


if it was health reason, why didnt he ask for 30 days off and see how he feels.
i am sure the Lakers will let him.


this kinda tells me, that the Lakers fire him too.

[sterlingice]

Rudy, come back to Houston, be bronzed, and flanked by your two NBA titles so that we have a statue to your eternal greatness :D

SI

[Swaggs]

How much does Isiah Thomas think of himself?

He issued a statement saying that he wasn't interested in the Lakers' job.

[KeyserSoze]

Kobe will be the next coach of Los Angeles Bryants

[Radii]

How much does Isiah Thomas think of himself?

He issued a statement saying that he wasn't interested in the Lakers' job.

Good idea. I should do that too, just in case they were going to call me. Wouldn't want to waste the Lakers time, ya know. :D

[Danny]

Kobe will be the next coach of Los Angeles Bryants

Give it a rest people. While there is some substance regarding Kobe having a lot to do with Jackson leaving, Kobe had nothing to do with this situation.

Of course, the fact that Jackson would even consider coming back tends to show that the reports of Kobe's devilish plan to oust Jackson were incredibly exaggerated. The main thing in the book that people like to point out was that Jackson said Kobe was uncoachable and selfish blah blah blah. What people always seem to leave out is that Jackson was specifically referring to ONLY after the all star break of last season. What people also fail to quote when they do their Kobe bashing is that Phil said that Kobe was unhappy being a sidekick and wanted to be an EQUAL partner, but that it wasn't going to happen with Shaq around.

Tex Winter, long time friend and assistant of Jackson with the Bulls and Lakers happens to like and respect Kobe and had much more of a problem with Shaq. Yesterday in an interview on ESPN 710, Tex Winter was asked why he thought this new roster was a better fit for the triangle. "No Shaq to deal with." Yep, that's what he said. Specifically, "Although Shaq was the apex of our offense, he was never satisfied". That made him difficult to deal with in the context of running the system.