Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach and LA Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue has been brought back to the franchise. Here’s why that’s a smart move.
As the NBA season progresses, the LA Clippers are beginning to fall in the Western Conference standings. They have slipped all the way from the top seed down to the sixth seed now, over a seven-game stretch. This was to be expected, as the Clippers certainly shouldn’t be labeled as contenders, and need more experienced players before they take aim for a title. Still though, this has been a monumental collapse.
In order to get some help, Doc Rivers called upon Tyronn Lue, former coach of the 2015-2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers. His role is an informal one, but will give him an opportunity to have his voice heard.
News broke of the move on Monday, when Rivers told the LA Times’ Andrew Greif:
Clippers coach Doc Rivers has brought in former Cavaliers coach Ty Lue to spend time around the team in an informal role, Rivers told the @latimes. Lue will observe and give his thoughts. Lue was first around the team yesterday and is here tonight.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) December 18, 2018
The impact of this move will be determined with time, but I think it is safe to infer that Lue’s influence will be positive.
In all aspects, Lue was a great coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, before he was fired at the beginning of the season. However, he received a lot of criticism in Cleveland. Oftentimes LeBron James would appear to be “coaching” the team more than Lue was, but that has been the trend with most of James’ coaches. Yet when they lost, the blame was always directed at Lue.
NBA fans’ criticism toward Lue was unprovoked and should have been minimal. He was a great coach. He led them all the way to the Finals two years in a row, including a victory over the Golden State Warriors when he became the first coach in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.
Lue previously coached under Rivers during the 2013-2014 NBA season, Rivers’ first season in Los Angeles. That season, the Clippers finished with a franchise-record 57 wins, and although Lue didn’t return to Los Angeles the following season, he did manage to get a job higher in the coaching tree in Cleveland.
Hopefully he and Rivers can ignite old flames and get this Clippers team headed in the right direction. Losers of seven of their last 10, the Clippers need all the help they can get. Lue should only do such with his new role in LA, which he will continue until further notice.