Lakers officially add Mark Madsen, Larry Lewis as development coaches
The Lakers officially announced the addition of two player development coaches Friday.
As previously reported by The Times, the Lakers have added Mark Madsen and Larry Lewis, both of the D-Fenders, to Coach Mike D’Antoni’s staff.
“Both Mark and Larry bring a high level of credibility to our staff,†D’Antoni said in a statement. “Mark has endless energy and is a workaholic. He’s developed players at the college level and I think he’ll do a great job making the jump to the NBA.â€
“Larry has proven to be a natural at helping develop players for the D-Fenders since transitioning from nearly two decades of playing abroad and in the CBA,†D’Antoni continued. “We expect that he will make a great player development coach at the NBA level as well.â€
Madsen, who as a player won NBA titles with the Lakers in 2001 and 2002, recently had been named head coach of the D-Fenders, the Lakers’ Development League affiliate. With the move to the Lakers’ bench, his stint with the D-Fenders lasted about a month.
“While we were looking forward to having Mark as our head coach for the upcoming season, we’re thrilled that he now has the opportunity to help further develop players on the Lakers roster,†said Joey Buss, the D-Fenders’ president and chief executive. “Both he and Larry, who has done a tremendous job working with our players over the past two seasons, are perfect examples of what the D-Fenders are all about; namely developing talent. Having sent eight players to the NBA over the past two seasons, we’re excited to now see the synergy of the Lakers and D-Fenders pay off in the coaching ranks as well.â€
D’Antoni is expected to have three assistants on his bench this year with Dan D’Antoni the lone incumbent. Reports have pegged Kurt Rambis, a former Lakers player and coach, as a probable hire under D’Antoni, but the team has yet to make any official announcement.
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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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