The writing pretty much has been on the wall for a while, but Luke Walton no longer is head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
L.A. on Friday announced they mutually had parted ways with Walton, who had been the Lakers’ bench boss for the last three seasons. Despite having LeBron James this season, the Lakers still went 37-45, missing the playoffs.
Although some wondered if Magic Johnson’s abrupt departure from the Lakers might save Walton and his staff, it’s clear it did nothing more than maybe buy them an extra day or two.
So who is going to be the Lakers’ next coach? Well, the current “strong frontrunner” is pretty familiar to James.
Ty Lue is a strong frontrunner for the Lakers coaching job, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 12, 2019
It doesn’t appear it’s a one-horse race, however.
Sixers assistant Monty Williams joins Ty Lue as the central candidates in the Lakers search, league sources tell ESPN. Process is expected to center on them.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 12, 2019
For 211 games between the 2015-16 season and the start of this campaign, Lue was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, leading them to a title in 2016 while making NBA Finals appearances in 2017 and 2018.
With James obviously having substantial pull in the Lakers organization, especially with some defined executive leadership roles up in the air, being somebody James likes does nothing but bode well for Lue.
Sounds like a busy offseason is ahead for the Lakers, and not just in their courtship for star players.
