The future of Darvin Ham as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is uncertain following the team’s first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
An anonymous NBA executive thinks that if it was up to LeBron James, he would choose Tyronn Lue as the new Lakers head coach.
Lue helped James win his third NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The superstar has deep respect for his ex-coach and has spoken highly of him on numerous occasions.
“If it was all up to LeBron, he’d have Ty Lue as his coach and he would do that with the Lakers,” the executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. “That’s his guy. Out of all the coaches LeBron has ever had, the one he singles out is Ty. Now he is in a position where he has free-agency on his side and he can maybe force the team to do something to get his guy if he gets fired.
“I think LeBron has a reputation for pulling strings and dictating moves, and that gets way overblown. Anyone who has worked with him will say, he is easy to work with. He has opinions and he will let you know and, really, you’d be crazy not to ask him his opinion. But he is not a puppet master like some people think.
“But if Ty Lue is available, I’d be really shocked if he did not push the Lakers to get him.”
Lue is currently under contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, but could face uncertainty in the offseason if his team gets eliminated in the first round.
The Clippers trail 2-3 in the first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks after a blowout loss in Game 5.
Another name that has come up in rumors is former player JJ Redick, who is also a candidate for the Charlotte Hornets head coaching position.
