Tyronn Lue won’t be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
ESPN reported the following Wednesday night:
Negotiations between the Los Angeles Lakers and Tyronn Lue have ended without an agreement to make him the franchise’s next head coach, league sources told ESPN.
Lue and his representatives turned down the Lakers’ offer Tuesday, league sources said. The Lakers then on Wednesday offered Lue a deal in the range of three years and $18 million, after which Lue’s side pulled out of negotiations.
According to the sources, Lue’s camp was seeking a five-year deal with a salary commensurate with a championship résumé.
This is incredibly surprising. It looked like Ty Lue was pretty much a lock to be the next head coach. He coached LeBron James to a title with the Cavaliers, and it’s no secret he’s the exact kind of man LeBron wants leading the Lakers. (RELATED: Magic Johnson Steps Down As The President Of Basketball Operations For The Lakers)
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King James doesn’t want a dictator. He wants a guy he can control to a certain extent and won’t try to handcuff him. Ty Lue is the definition of that kind of guy.
I have no idea where the Lakers will go from here. Again, I think just about everybody just assumed Lue would take over for the Lakers after they fired Luke Walton.
Now, they’re back and square one and don’t have a clear leader for the job. You have to wonder if some other top coaches won’t even give the Lakers the time of day.
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For as great as LeBron is, there’s no question he’s not the easiest man to work with. It’s always LeBron’s team, and the head coach will almost always be secondary.
The only way to avoid a situation like that would be to hire a dictator of a coach, and I think we all know the three-time NBA champion would revolt if that happened.
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It should be fascinating to see where the Lakers go from here. The circus just doesn’t end in Los Angeles, and I’m here for it!