Lakers hire James Worthy to assist coaching staff

The Los Angeles Lakers' brass has made some questionable decisions in recent seasons, but today the franchise made a positive move that most would agree makes perfect sense, as General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced that the team has hired former Hall of Fame player James Worthy to work with the coaching staff.

“James was one of the best forwards to ever play the game,” said Kupchak in a statement. “We feel he will be a valuable addition to the coaching staff and will do an excellent job teaching our group of big men. We are pleased and fortunate to welcome him back to the organization.”

The position appears to be part-time in nature because Worthy will also continue his role on Time Warner Cable SportsNet as an analyst for the network’s Lakers coverage.

The move is long overdue for a man of Worthy's superior basketball knowledge and communication skills, and reunites him with former teammate and current Laker head coach Byron Scott.

In his position, Worthy will work with Scott and his staff, focusing his attention on working with the Lakers big men.  Because Worthy's versatile game featured some of the NBA's best offensive low post moves, pairing him with the team's bigs -- particularly young Julius Randle -- should be an excellent fit.

Worthy will accompany the team to Hawaii for training camp and will continue to work with Lakers players throughout the season.

An NBA Hall of Famer, Worthy played all twelve of his NBA seasons (1982-1994) with Los Angeles. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, he concluded his career with the Lakers ranked sixth all-time in scoring (16,320), seventh all-time in team field goal percentage (.521), and third all-time in team steals (1,041).

Worthy's accolades include three NBA Championships (1985, 1987 and 1988); NBA Finals MVP (1988); 2-time All-NBA Third team (1990 and 1991), 7-time All-Star (1986-1992) and All-Rookie First Team (1983).

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services