There is a huge job opening in the Southland as of Friday. The Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham, which means they’re looking for someone to be their next head coach and be a significant improvement over the beleaguered Ham.
Despite helping the Lakers unexpectedly reach the Western Conference Finals last May, Ham was the target of tons of criticism and even vitriol from fans for the better part of this season. Fans were literally begging for him to get axed, and they have now gotten their wish.
Even before Ham was officially fired, Tyronn Lue was being mentioned as a prime candidate to replace him. However, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday, that doesn’t seem realistic.
Lue, who is currently the Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach, has one year left on his current deal. According to Wojnarowski, the Clippers are looking to give him an extension and want him to be their head coach “for a very long time.”
How realistic is it that Ty Lue could be the next coach of the Lakers? @wojespn reports on NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/70gtJacoNZ
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 3, 2024
The Lakers interviewed Lue for their head coaching opening in 2019 after they fired Luke Walton, but he turned down their offer, reportedly because he didn’t like the contract that was offered.
Years ago, he played for the Lakers, and as a teammate of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, he won two NBA championships in 2000 and 2001.
