Tyronn Lue to become next Clippers coach
Tyronn Lue is on the verge of being formally introduced as the Los Angeles Clippers’ new head coach.
An announcement is imminent.
Lue, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their only championship in 2016, served as an assistant coach under ex-Clippers bench boss Doc Rivers this past season. Rivers and the Clippers parted ways late last month after the team’s exit in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Denver Nuggets closed out the series with three straight victories to spoil LA’s title aspirations.
Now, the Clippers are finalizing a five-year deal with Lue, according to published reports.
Tyronn Lue’s coaching history
This will be the 43-year-old Tyronn Lue’s second NBA head coaching stint. The Cavaliers promoted him to head coach at the midway point of the 2015-16 season, replacing David Blatt.
Blatt was axed despite the team’s 30-11 record and a championship runner-up finish the previous season.
But the decision paid off. Lue guided LeBron James and the Cavs to the title. Cleveland overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors, who won a league-record 73 games that season.
In the next two seasons, Cleveland won 51 and 50 games, respectively, and Tyonn Lue took the Cavaliers to back-to-back Finals. They lost both times.
End of Tyronn Lue era in Cleveland
The Cavaliers fired Tyronn Lue after the team’s 0-6 start in the 2018-19 season, the team’s first in the post-LeBron (second time) era.
Lue compiled a 128-83 coaching record in regular-season games with Cleveland. He went 41-20 in the playoffs.
Makeup of Lue’s Clippers staff
Larry Drew, who served as the Cavaliers’ interim coach after Lue was dismissed, and Chauncey Billups will join Lue’s LA coaching staff, according to published reports.
Billups is quite familiar with the club.
After all, he worked as a TV analyst on Clippers broadcasts this past season.
Talented team in place
Led by veteran stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers have two dynamic franchise cornerstones.
Indeed, expectations will remain high, just as they were during Lue’s tenure with the Cavaliers.
Above all, they’ll be expected to contend for a title.
Which is why they are hiring Lue. He’s considered one of the brightest young coaches in the NBA.
“With a championship and two other NBA Finals appearances, the first-time coach established a track record of not only cultivating chemistry by holding stars accountable and emboldening role players but also as a coach capable of making the right strategic calls in important moments – all attributes the Clippers desired,” The Orange County Register observed.