Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue came awfully close to taking over as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this summer. The move, which would have reunited Lue with LeBron James, ultimately fell through despite seeming like it was on the verge of getting done, leading to the Lakers hiring Frank Vogel.
But as it turns out, Lue is close to returning to coaching, and because the NBA is a constant source of entertainment, it will come on the bench of the team that shares the Staples Center with the Lakers. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers are getting close to adding Lue as an assistant.
The Clippers are closing in on the hiring of Tyronn Lue as a top assistant to Coach Doc Rivers, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 14, 2019
This is the latest chapter in what has been one hell of a summer for the Clippers, as the team managed to sign Kawhi Leonard in free agency and pull off a trade for Paul George. It’s also a return to Los Angeles for Lue, who was an assistant on the Clippers for the 2013-14 campaign, and puts him on the staff of a coach for whom he’s familiar, as the start of his coaching career came on the bench for Rivers in Boston and L.A.
Of course, the Clippers will always enjoy getting one over on the Lakers, but it’s not every day that a head coach with a championship ring is on the market and willing to come on board as an assistant, so this is a legitimately great hire as long as it comes to fruition.
