Commentary: Kevin Ollie off the market; Lakers still have no head coach

Last week, Stan Van Gundy and Steve Kerr found NBA coaching jobs.

On Monday, according to Yahoo Sports, Kevin Ollie came off the market with a contract extension to stay at the University of Connecticut for approximately $15 million over five years.

Still the Lakers have no head coach.

Mike D’Antoni resigned his position at the end of April. Lakers officials have debated their next step internally but have yet to make a serious push to hire a replacement.

Ollie, coming off an NCAA title, would have been an excellent choice for the Lakers. Obviously the team didn’t agree, choosing to wait until Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery before truly pursuing a new head coach.

The Lakers have a 21.5% chance of climbing to a top-three pick in the June 26 draft. The team is more likely to pick at the sixth (43.9%) or seventh (30.5%) position.

Where the Lakers pick in the draft may determine if they keep the selection or look to trade it. The decision on a new coach, and the team’s future in general, is tied heavily to the pick.

Some possible candidates could include Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Roy Williams, John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski, Mike Dunleavy Sr., Billy Donovan, Lionel Hollins, Ettore Messina and even former Laker Derek Fisher.

The New York Knicks reportedly may make a run at Fisher for their coaching vacancy. He is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals; they are down 1-0 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.