{"id":76080,"date":"2024-05-03T16:54:16","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T20:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=76080"},"modified":"2024-05-03T16:54:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T20:54:16","slug":"why-ty-lue-unlikely-lakers-next-head-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/03\/why-ty-lue-unlikely-lakers-next-head-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Ty Lue is Unlikely to be Lakers Next Head Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After the Los Angeles Lakers fired former head coach Darvin Ham on Friday afternoon, The Athletic\u2019s Shams Charania listed several candidates that they would like to fill the vacancy: two-time Coach of the Year, Mike Budenholzer; Golden State Warriors assistant, Kenny Atkinson; 15-year NBA veteran, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/redicjj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JJ Redick<\/a>; and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with coach Darvin Ham, and sources tell me and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jovanbuha?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@jovanbuha<\/a> an extensive search will commence soon, with candidates such as Mike Budenholzer, Kenny Atkinson, JJ Redick and, if he becomes available, Ty Lue among others.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/1786457003293807036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Given the success of Budenholzer and his availability, he\u2019s an obvious choice. Atkinson hasn\u2019t been able to generate many wins but he\u2019s regarded as a culture-builder. Redick is gaining steam as a head coach candidate after putting his basketball IQ on display in the media. Lue\u2019s communication skills and his connection with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a> are significant factors in him being named.<\/p>\n<p>However, while they all make sense as candidates, only the first three are realistic targets.<\/p>\n<p>This is unfortunate for the Lakers, who \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/5466260\/2024\/05\/03\/lakers-coaching-candidates-budenholzer-lue-redick\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">would have strong interest<\/a>\u201d in hiring Lue, per The Athletic\u2019s Jovan Buha and Shams Charania. Even James might find it a hard pill to swallow, as an anonymous NBA executive believes that \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nba\/los-angeles-lakers\/lakers-lebron-james-could-force-coaching-ouster-for-his-guy-execs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it is pretty clear<\/a> that\u2019s who LeBron wants,\u201d per Heavy Sports\u2019 Sean Deveney. Yet, whether the Lakers front office or James is frustrated, the fact remains that there\u2019s little impetus for Lue to leave the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n<p>At least for the Lakers.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Ty Lue is Unlikely to be Lakers Next Head Coach<\/h2>\n<p>Yes, there\u2019s history there. Lue coached James to a championship during his last stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played for the Lakers from 1998-1999 to 2000-01, winning two championships beside Lakers legends Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O\u2019Neal.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, for all of that history, when L.A. wanted Lue for the job in 2019, they wanted to dock his pay and pick his staff. That\u2019s hardly how a championship-winning head coach expects to be treated. Especially not from a franchise with whom he shares so much <em>history<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Lue might wonder whether he would be more appreciated now with the Lakers desperate to keep James\u2019 interest.<\/p>\n<p>However, when considering that L.A. has now parted with Frank Vogel, Darvin Ham, and Luke Walton during James\u2019 tenure \u2014three coaches in six years \u2014there\u2019s no reason to believe they would. That type of turnover speaks to result-driven decision-making but also either impatience or incompetence. Impatience in the sense that, more often than not, coaches aren\u2019t going to win a championship within their first two or three seasons with the team. Incompetence in the sense that, if the Lakers front office hasn\u2019t gotten the right head coach for James after three attempts in six years, it brings their evaluation process into question.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Lue has to consider if the Lakers\u2019 job is really more attractive. Whether James retires in two years or five, both L.A. teams have had their potential undermined by injury. In addition, even if the Lakers acquire another star, they\u2019d have as many marquee players as the Clippers do at most. If they do, it\u2019s hard to tell which way a direct comparison of those players leans.<\/p>\n<h3>Comparing Big 3s<\/h3>\n<p>James is five years older than George and less impactful defensively. However, he\u2019s a more efficient scorer, better playmaker, and well-versed as a leader. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Davis<\/a> versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leonaka01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kawhi Leonard<\/a> is a wash. They\u2019re both two of the best two-way players in the NBA but neither can be relied on to stay healthy. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a> is six years older than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/russeda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/a> but the better facilitator. Neither of them have a great track record in the playoffs though Harden has been more capable of taking over games.<\/p>\n<p>That said, Russell has had poor postseason performances in back-to-back seasons. L.A. is probably ready to move on from the former second overall pick. If so, they\u2019d have replace him with a star better than Harden to make a firm case that they have the better Big 3. A player like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trae Young<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lavinza01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach LaVine<\/a> may not accomplish that.<\/p>\n<h3>3 More Head Coach Candidates<\/h3>\n<p>Though Lue is likely to have at least some level of mutual interest in the Lakers\u2019 job, it just doesn\u2019t seem like the opportunity he\u2019d jump at. Not after 2019. Not now.<\/p>\n<p>Budenholzer, Atkinson, and Redick are more legitimate candidates for the Lakers. Lakers assistant Phil Handy and Boston Celtics lead assistant Charles Lee may also get an opportunity. Handy was among the Lakers\u2019 head coach candidates in 2019. Lee and Atkinson were among the Lakers\u2019 head coach candidates in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Two-time NBA champion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rondora01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rajon Rondo<\/a> could be another contender for the position. One of the brightest basketball minds, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/02\/2-time-nba-champion-officially-announces-retirement-rajon-rondo\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">he officially retired<\/a> in April. However, if the similarly inexperienced Redick is viewed as a head coach candidate, he should be too. Even James believes Rondo <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/q2XVtWfancQ?si=sI53qoTu9B5VFPpX\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">should be coaching already<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the Los Angeles Lakers fired former head coach Darvin Ham on Friday afternoon, The Athletic\u2019s Shams Charania listed several candidates that they would like to fill the vacancy: two-time Coach of the Year, Mike Budenholzer; Golden State Warriors assistant, Kenny Atkinson; 15-year NBA veteran, JJ Redick; and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":76084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,27,26,3],"tags":[38,4557,3809],"class_list":["post-76080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-clippers","category-lakers","category-news","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba-offseason","tag-ty-lue"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76080"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76080\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}