There is a candidate waiting in the wings for the potentially open Los Angeles Lakers job with strong LeBron ties, but it just won’t be former Bucks and Nets head coach Jason Kidd.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on First Take this morning that Kidd is not a candidate for the job and then went on to his radio show, where he suggested that former Cleveland coach Ty Lue will get a serious look if the Lakers do fire Luke Walton as many expect.
After Lue was fired early in the season, James not-so subtly told him to look him up when he’s ready.
T Lue thanks for the memories and more importantly our partnership bringing a 🏆 to that deserved city/fan base. U know how to find me 🙏🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 28, 2018
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Although Lue was often maligned by fans and onlookers for being seen as a head coach in name only, his 128-83 record (.603 winning percentage) looks mighty good on a resume. And even though the Cavs were in the Eastern Conference, there’s something to be said for winning 60% of your games and knowing how to push the right buttons in the playoffs.
The skeptics would say LeBron pushed those buttons, but there’s clearly a comfort level between he and Lue. It also helps that Lue has been one of the few voices over the years that has credibly kept LeBron accountable.
Perhaps most importantly, Lue has the aspects on his resume already that the Lakers must value: experience winning at the highest levels of the NBA and experience handling LeBron James as a coach.
