Before becoming the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach in 2016, Tyronn Lue was most noticeably known for being the Laker Allen Iverson stepped over in the NBA Finals. Now, it looks like Lue is going to be stepped over again, this time by the Lakers.
On Wednesday, Ty Lue and the Lakers stopped contract negotiations for the head coach vacancy and the team will re-open their search. Honestly, I think this is a blessing for both parties. Ty Lue was immediately linked to this job when Luke Walton was fired in April. To those who follow the NBA, it was not a surprise because Lue is known to be one of Lebron’s guys; Lebron James was the force behind getting Ty Lue hired for his first head coaching job with the Cavs. So, Ty Lue still does not have a job and the Lakers still do not have a head coach, how is this a good thing?
First of all, if you are Ty Lue, why would you want to be known as the guy who only gets jobs because of Lebron? Maybe he didn’t. He wanted a 5 year deal, but the Lakers were only willing to give him a 3 year deal. The three years would match the duration of Lebron’s contract with the team; as soon as Lebron left, so would Ty Lue. Good for coach for not accepting that.
For the Lakers, despite the reports that they wanted to offer Lue no more than three years, I do think this shows to an extent that they aren’t worrying about catering to Lebron. Signing Lebron was something that fell into the Lakers lap, but it was a move that did not pay off immediately, carries numerous questions going forward, and sets back the development of their young core they drafted. Once Lebron leaves the Lakers at the end of his contract, it’s possible this team would be in need of a massive overhaul and that their young core is not even on this team in their prime years, so it makes some sense to hire a coach who is not a “Lebron guy” for three years instead of committing to a longer term deal.
