-
May 15, 2008 5:51 pm US/Pacific
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Rambis Update And Game 6 Preview
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Reports continue to surface out of Phoenix that Kurt Rambis remains a candidate for the Suns head coaching job, but the Suns are in no hurry.
Phoenix interviewed Detroit assistant Terry Porter today, and plans to interview ABC analyst Mark Jackson tomorrow. According to ESPN.com, besides Rambis, other potential candidates could be Suns assistant GM Vinny Del Negro, part-time Utah coach Jeff Hornacek, former NBA coach Paul Silas and Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau.
While I feel that Rambis has the credentials that no other candidate has (see my previous blog entry), there are some hurdles to clear in order for this to happen. First, the Lakers would have to give the Suns permission to "officially" speak with Rambis, something they might hesitate to do while the team is still involved in the playoffs. Secondly, Rambis has the same agent as former Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, and to say that things with D'Antoni ended badly would be a huge understatement.
My guess is that everybody on the above list will have a shot at this. Suns GM Steve Kerr said as much when he told ESPN's Mark Stein, that he plans to be "thorough and methodical" and might need "a month" to settle on a coach.
"There's not a huge rush because we're not one of five or six teams out there looking for someone," Kerr said. "So we don't feel like we're competing with other people."
You can read all of Stein's article here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3398493
Meanwhile, the Lakers have arrived in Utah for game six, and I'm happy to report that Kobe Bryant seems visibly improved. He has a spring in his step, and told me that he feels confident about the Lakers chances to end the series in game six. You can see that game on KCAL, starting with LTV at 7 pm.
One thing I would look for in game six is for Kobe to pass more, and shoot less. He did that in the fourth quarter of both games four and five, and the Jazz can't stop it. He had six assists in each of those quarters, and the Lakers become a much more dangerous team if the Jazz can't figure out what Bryant is going to do. When Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Vlad Radmanovic all get a chance to find their shots, the Lakers are almost impossible to defend. In game five, all five starters scored in double figures.
Defensively, the Lakers did a much better job on Mehmet Okur, which helps tremendously. I think that Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are going to get their points, but if they can limit Okur, Kyle Korver, Andre Kirelinko and even Ronnie Brewer, the Lakers can win in Utah for the second time this year.
Remember, if a game seven is necessary, it will be Monday night at Staples Center.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)