Kobe Bryant has publicly stated that he wants a say in who the Los Angeles Lakers hire as their next head coach, but Steve Nash -- not so much. The oft-injured Lakers veteran said he'd be okay with whomever L.A. chooses as the next man to guide the team.
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Nash said that so far the Lakers don't have a leading candidate as GM Mitch Kupchak is taking a patient approach to making a new hire. Nash also said that he's more focused on his recovery than on wanting to be consulted on who the team will hire.
"No kind of front-runner, Nash told ESPN about the team's coaching search. "To be honest, I've tried to get away and clear my mind, and hopefully clearing my mind will help my body. So I'm kind of just sitting back and not getting involved in the process -- even emotionally -- and just waiting to see what they decide."
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Nash, who will enter his 19th season in the fall and may retire after it, said he isn't apathetic about who coaches the team and would be open to talking to team brass about it, but said he isn't pining for that type of conversation.
"I'm completely happy to have a conversation," Nash said via ESPN. "But I'm also fine having nothing to do with it."
Los Angeles has interviewed five candidates so far, and Kupchak has stressed he will take his time to find Mike D'Antoni's replacement. Former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins interviewed Thursday, current Los Angeles Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry interviewed Wednesday, and Byron Scott, Mike Dunleavy and Kurt Rambis all interviewed last week.
D'Antoni resigned as the Lakers coach following the season due to not wanting to be a lame duck coach next season after Los Angeles refused to pick up his option for the 2015-16 season. Woodson and the Lakers were a franchise-worst 27-55 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Nash said he understood why D'Antoni resigned and took a $2 million buyout with one year remaining on his deal.
"I get it," Nash said of D'Antoni's decision, according to ESPN. "It wasn't an enjoyable year for him. I think he could foresee that next year wasn't going to be any more enjoyable from his standpoint, so I'm happy for him that he was able to walk away."
Nash is continuing to recover from nerve root irritation in his back and hamstrings that limited him to just 15 games this past season, and he's focused on his recovery more than his long-term future and the coaching search.
"I know I can get to 100 percent; it's just how can I sustain it," Nash told ESPN. "And that's going to be the goal this year."
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