The Sports Report: Who should replace Frank Vogel?

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Broderick Turner: Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, said the team hasn’t put “together a list or who the replacement is” in a coaching search to replace the fired Frank Vogel.

That hasn’t stopped the rumors from starting about who the Lakers will be interested in after they officially parted ways with Vogel on Monday.

The most intriguing coaching names they likely will consider are Utah’s Quin Snyder, Toronto’s Nick Nurse, Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers and Michigan’s Juwan Howard, but all of those coaches are under contract.

Steve Clifford, the former coach with the Orlando Magic, Terry Stotts, the former Portland Trail Blazers coach, and Darvin Ham, an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, are names that have been mentioned among league insiders.

The Lakers, Pelinka said during an interview with reporters Monday afternoon, will not be in a rush to make a decision on the next coach.

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When asked Monday about his relationship with Vogel, who at times during the season benched him for the fourth quarter of games, Russell Westbrook replied: “I’m not sure what his issue was with me.

“When I first got here, I just felt that I never was given a fair chance just to be who I need to be to better help this team.

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The odds to replace Vogel as coach, courtesy of BetOnline:

David Fizdale, 3-1
Quin Snyder, 9-2
Doc Rivers, 19-4
Nick Nurse, 6-1
Mike Brown, 7-1
Sam Cassell, 7-1
Steve Clifford, 7-1
Kenny Atkinson, 8-1
Terry Stotts, 12-1
Mark Jackson, 18-1
Stan Van Gundy, 20-1
John Calipari, 33-1
Jay Wright, 40-1
Becky Hammon, 50-1
Mike Krzyzewski, 100-1
Phil Jackson, 100-1
LeBron James, 150-1

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Lakers fire coach Frank Vogel after season burdened by injuries and turmoil

The Big Fail: Inside the Lakers’ most disappointing season in franchise history

Plaschke: Doc Rivers is right choice to replace Frank Vogel as Lakers coach

Hernández: Lakers’ season wasn’t a failure? LeBron James makes excuses instead of being a leader

LeBron James: ‘I came here to win a championship and I want to win more’

Lakers’ Rob Pelinka vows to make adjustments ‘to be better’

WHO WOULD YOU HIRE?

Who would you pick from the above options as next Lakers coach? Click here to vote in our survey.

CLIPPERS

From Andrew Greif: Despite never playing in the NBA’s play-in tournament, the Clippers know all too well what awaits.

Eight months after they traded Patrick Beverley, the hyper-intense engine fueling their transition out of the Lob City era, the veteran guard stands in his former team’s way as the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Clippers on Tuesday for a chance to earn the Western Conference’s seventh seed, and with it a first-round playoff matchup against second-seeded Memphis.

The loser hosts the winner of the other play-in game, between ninth-place New Orleans and 10th-place San Antonio on Wednesday, for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Beverley donned the jersey of former teammate Ivica Zubac and sat courtside for a Clippers game before February’s All-Star break in a signal of how close he and Zubac remain, among others within the organization who still adore Beverley. Of the 947 people who retweeted a Timberwolves tweet on Feb. 6 saying “RT if you love @patbev21,” one was Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

Zubac, who talks to Beverley almost every day, called the matchup “weird,” being on the other side of Beverley’s ability to play both mind games and highly effective basketball.

“We’re not on talking terms right now,” Zubac said Saturday, with a laugh.

NBA PLAYOFFS
All times Pacific
Play-in tournament
Western conference
Today
No. 8 Clippers at No. 7 Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday
No. 10 San Antonio at No. 9 New Orleans, 6:30 pm., ESPN

Eastern conference
Today
No. 8 Cleveland at No. 7 Brooklyn, 4 p.m., TNT
Wednesday
No. 10 Charlotte at No. 9 Atlanta, 4 pm., ESPN

Note: The winners of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 games becomes the seventh seed in their conference playoffs. The losers play the winners of the No. 9-vs.-No. 8 games on Friday, with the winner of that game becoming the No. 8 seed.

SPARKS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The last time the Sparks drafted a player from Tennessee in the first round of the WNBA draft, things turned out all right.

Fourteen years after Candace Parker began her WNBA career with the Sparks, fellow Lady Volunteer Rae Burrell will make the trek to Los Angeles as the Sparks picked the 6-foot-1 guard ninth overall.

With Parker now in Chicago and the Sparks coming off their first season since 2011 without advancing to the postseason, Burrell hopes to live up to the two-time WNBA champion’s legacy.

“Candace, she came in and had an immediate impact and changed the game for them,” Burrell said Monday night. “I hope to do the same thing, just come in and come with that same grit and grind that she did, and to be half the player that she is.”

KINGS

Defenseman Drew Doughty will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his wrist.

The former Norris Trophy winner had surgery Monday, the team said. He is expected to be ready for training camp, but his absence damages the Kings’ hopes of ending their three-year playoff drought.

Doughty was injured March 7 in a game at Boston, and he hasn’t played in 16 consecutive games since March 10. The defenseman has rarely dealt with significant injury problems in a 14-year NHL career spent entirely with the Kings, but he appeared in a career-low 39 games this season.

Doughty is still the Kings’ top scorer among defensemen with seven goals and 24 assists. His absence has forced the Kings to use inexperienced replacements on the blue line, and subpar defensive play has contributed to Los Angeles’ late-season slide.

ANGELS

From Mike DiGiovanna: Michael Lorenzen had no idea how many family members and friends requested tickets for his homecoming game Monday night, when the Orange County native and former Cal State Fullerton standout made his debut for the team he grew up rooting for.

“I don’t want to see any of that stuff,” the right-hander said of the possible distractions leading up to his first start with the Angels. “My wife or my friend will deal with it. I have my process, and nothing will get in the way of it.”

That laser-like focus was clearly evident to a crowd of 20,480 in Angel Stadium, where Lorenzen gave up one run and two hits in six innings, striking out seven and walking none to lead the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Lorenzen was dominant for most of his start, retiring the side in order four times and making one mistake, a 90-mph cut-fastball that Jesus Sanchez drove 439 feet for a solo home run to center field in the fourth.

Catcher Max Stassi didn’t have enough fingers on his right hand for Lorenzen’s six-pitch repertoire, a heavy sinking, 94-mph two-seam fastball, 95-mph four-seam fastball, 83-mph slider, 86-mph changeup, 91-mph cutter and an 81-mph curve.

Lorenzen, 30, maintained his stuff for the duration of his 89-pitch, 58-strike effort, showing exactly why the Angels believe he can make a successful transition to the rotation after spending the past six seasons as a Cincinnati Reds reliever.

“Physically, he is one of the more talented athletes in baseball in regards to being able to do everything,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s been gifted with a great arm, and now it’s just about figuring out different things. It’s more pitch-ability, understanding of stuff, and how to utilize it.”

USC BASKETBALL

From Ryan Kartje: Two of USC’s top three scorers have decided to enter the NBA draft amid another offseason of upheaval for Andy Enfield and the Trojans, who have navigated their share of shake-ups in recent years.

Drew Peterson became the latest to announce his plans to leave USC, declaring his intent Monday to enter the NBA draft but still retaining his eligibility to return to USC this summer if he chooses.

Isaiah Mobley took a similar route last spring, impressing during the NBA draft combine process before ultimately deciding to return to the Trojans. The expectation is Peterson will follow that same path, working out for NBA teams and soliciting feedback from scouts before playing one final season at USC.

For Mobley, one more season was enough to convince him it was time to move on. The junior, who led USC in scoring (14.2 points per game) and rebounds (8.3 per game) last season, announced Saturday in a post on social media that he planned to enter the draft and hire an agent, bringing his three-year tenure to an official close.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1941 — The Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 to cap a four-game sweep in the Stanley Cup finals.

1942 — Byron Nelson wins his second Masters, edging Ben Hogan by one stroke.

1945 — Toronto rookie goalie Frank McCool set a playoff record with his third consecutive shutout, defeating the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

1953 — Ben Hogan takes his second Masters with a five-stroke victory over Porky Oliver.

1954 — Sam Snead edges Ben Hogan by one stroke in a playoff round to win his third Masters.

1958 — St. Louis’ Bob Pettit scores a record 50 points as the Hawks beat the Boston Celtics in six games for the NBA title. Pettit hit 19 shots from the field and 12 from the free-throw line in the Hawks 110-109 win.

1960 — Maurice Richard scored his NHL-record 82nd, and final, playoff goal in the Montreal Canadiens’ 5-2 victory against the Maple Leafs in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Richard retired before the 1960-61 season.

1964 — Arnold Palmer wins the Masters for the fourth time and comes within the course record by two strokes with a 274.

1981 — Tom Watson wins his second Masters with a two-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus.

1987 — Larry Mize hits a 48-foot chip shot to defeat Greg Norman on the second hole of sudden death at the Masters.

1992 — Fred Couples wins the Masters by two strokes to end a string of four consecutive British victories. Couples beats Ray Floyd, who was attempting to become the oldest player to win a major at age 49.

1997 — Allen Iverson scores a career-high 50 points, for his fourth straight game with at least 40, as Philadelphia loses to Cleveland 125-118. Iverson breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s rookie record of three consecutive 40-point games, set during the 1959-60 season.

1998 — Mark O’Meara wins the Masters with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole. O’Meara becomes the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1960 to win by closing with two consecutive birdies.

2005 — Smithtown (N.Y.) High School’s co-ed badminton team defeats Miller Place (N.Y.) High School 10-5 to end Miller Place’s 504-match win streak, the longest sports winning streak in U.S. history. For Miller Place, it is the first loss in the program’s history, which began in 1973.

2009 — In Hameenlinna, Finland, the United States wins its second straight women’s World Hockey Championship title, beating Canada 4-1 behind defenseman Caitlin Cahow’s two goals.

2015 — Jordan Spieth romps to his first major championship with a record-tying performance at the Masters, shooting an 18-under 270 to become the first wire-to-wire winner of the green jacket since 1976. Spieth is the first Masters champion to lead after every round since Raymond Floyd 39 years ago.

And finally

Mark O’Meara wins the 1998 Masters. Watch and listen here.