LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers' coaching search could be heavily influenced by what happens 400 miles up the coastline of California where the Golden State Warriors are simultaneously looking for a coach of their own.
Longtime Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw threw his hat into the Golden State ring, as he interviewed with the Warriors for their vacancy in the last couple of days, according to multiple sources.
Shaw, 45, has strong ties to the Bay Area. He is a native of Oakland, Calif., and his hometown even celebrated "Brian Shaw Day" on Aug. 10, 2010. His candidacy might have received an unexpected boost Friday when the Warriors announced the hiring of former Lakers general manager Jerry West to Golden State's executive board.
West was the GM in 1999 when Shaw's relationship with the Lakers first began, when he was signed to provide depth at shooting guard while Kobe Bryant was sidelined with a broken hand.
Shaw is also considered the top in-house candidate for the Lakers' opening and is one of a handful of names Los Angeles has considered so far, along with current assistant coach Chuck Person, former Houston Rockets coach Rick Adelman and former Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported Friday that the Lakers have added former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown to their initial list of candidates for the position.
L.A.'s interest in Brown also overlaps with that of the Warriors, who have the defensive-minded coach in mind as a potential suitor to take over a Golden State team that ranked 26th out of 30 teams in opponent's points per game last season (105.7) and 20th in opponent's field goal percentage (46.7).
The Warriors-Lakers ties don't end there, as Person, another defense-oriented coach, is also expected to get an interview with Golden State sometime next week. Other reported candidates the Warriors are considering are Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey, Boston Celtics assistant coach Lawrence Frank and TNT's Kevin McHale.
Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.