With the NBA on hiatus for the past several months, the coaching carousel has been somewhat quiet as well. Typically, head coaches start to find themselves in the hot seat as the season winds down and organizations start to recalibrate and look toward the future. Now that the restarted season is back in full swing, we’re starting to hear some more whispers about coming changes around the league.
The Knicks made the first splash with the hiring of Tom Thibodeau, after what initially appeared to be a two-man race between him and Lakers assistant Jason Kidd. There were rumors about Nate McMillan losing favor in Indiana, but the Pacers put that to rest by announcing they’d come to terms on a four-year extension.
Still, there could be several front offices looking to make changes, and according to the latest report, Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue is on a lot of people’s shortlist to fill potential vacancies, via Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Lue is expected to be a leading candidate for what could be several NBA coaching openings, multiple league executives told Sports Illustrated. The Knicks recently filled its coaching vacancy, hiring Tom Thibodeau. But in the coming weeks, other jobs could open.
Lue’s last head coaching job was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was at the helm during the team’s 2016 championship, but was dismissed during the 2018-2019 season. Lue was also in line to become the next head coach of the Lakers, but reportedly walked away from negotiations when the offer was below what he felt was deserved from a championship coach. With teams like New Orleans — where Alvin Gentry is reportedly likely to be on the outs — finishing their seasons in the coming days, more movement could be on the horizon in the coaching world and Lue figures to be firmly in the mix.
(SI.com)
