The Clippers have had one of the most active off-season in recent memory. First, Kawhi Leonard, then Paul George, and now the Los Angeles Clippers seek to add Tyronn Lue to their coaching staff.
Lue was the Laker’s top choice as head coach, however talks broke down over the length of his contract and assistant coaching hires.
Lue won an NBA championship after a 3-1 comeback against the Warriors. He made the finals in each of his first three years as an NBA head coach. After LeBron James left,
Lue was fired after a 0-6 start with the Cavaliers last season. No stranger to working with Doc Rivers, he served as an assistant coach from 2011 to 2014 with the Boston Celtics and the Clippers.
Adding Lue only adds fuel to the fire of an L.A. rivalry that’s become the biggest story in the NBA since free agency. LeBron James and Lue had a great working relationship with the
Cavaliers. If it was up to James, Lue would be coaching him right now. But, the Lakers ultimately landed Frank Vogel as their coach and Jason Kidd as assistant.
James stopped Vogel when he was coaching the Pacers twice in the Eastern Conference Championship. It appeared Lue to the Lakers was a no-brainer. He had a relationship with the Lakers’ best player, was a former championship Laker and players love him. Lue taking an assistant job is a bit of a surprise, given his success as a head coach.
Some give more credit to James and Kyrie Irving for the Cavs’ success than Lue. But If Lue can show his coaching skills again, he should be in the running for a head coaching opening next month. The Lakers vs. Clippers saga continues to take another turn.
