Getty LeBron James pictured with Tyronn Lue at the 2018 NBA Summer League.
As the Los Angeles Lakers approach year one of the LeBron James era, it looks like James will be reunited with Tyronn Lue. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers are expected to “move forward” with Lue as the next head coach in L.A. but a deal has not officially been reached yet.
“The expectation is the Lakers will move toward Ty Lue as head coach, but there’s been no offer made to him yet, league sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
When Lue was fired by the Cavs just six games into the 2018-19 season, James tweeted his support for his former coach.
“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 ??,” James tweeted.
Tyronn Lue Called LeBron James “Easy” to Coach
Lue coached James with the Cavs as part of the championship team in 2016. Wojnarowski previously reported James “preferred” for the Lakers to hire Lue. With Monty Williams agreeing to terms with the Suns, all signs point to a West Coast reunion for the duo. Even after James opted not to return to Cleveland, Lue remained complimentary of James calling the superstar “easy” to coach.
“I’ll just tell them LeBron’s easy,” Lue told the Los Angeles Times back in July of 2018. “People get this whole thing built up like he’s hard to coach. It’s not. LeBron’s not the problem. It’s the outside tension that’s the problem. Just put added pressure immediately on the coaches, on his teammates. Now everything you do is under a microscope. … So it’s going to be a totally different change for the Lakers. They’ll be able to handle it.
Lue Would Be James’ 8th Head Coach, But Only the 7th Different One
James has had his share of coaches over his NBA career. There continues to be a debate over how much James has to do with coaching and personnel decisions.
Lue would mark James’ eighth head coach, but technically it would only be his seventh different one since he coached the All-Star in Cleveland. Here is a list of James’ coaches, per USA Today: Luke Walton, Ty Lue, Erik Spoelstra, David Blatt, Mike Brown, Brendan Malone and Paul Silas.
The New York Times’ Marc Stein reported James would be “happiest and most engaged” with Lue as head coach.
“And now for some analysis: LeBron James is a Laker for at least TWO more years. Surely the Lakers understand James would be at his happiest and most engaged playing for Ty Lue. Hiring Lue is the obvious move for the Lakers — let’s see how soon they make it,” Stein tweeted.