Well, it looks like Tyronn Lue will not be named the Los Angeles Lakers new head coach after all.
In spite of what seemed like a universal acceptance that Lue would become the next man to patrol the Lakers' sidelines, it seems that both sides are moving on from talks after an impasse was reached.
That once again opens up the field to a variety of targets, but, of course, the next coach will have to be one that LeBron James likes and respects (hence the Lakers' attempt at landing Lue).
So, what will Los Angeles do now that it looks like Lue is out of the picture?
Here are three coaches would make perfect sense for the Lakers.
3. Juwan Howard
Juwan Howard does not have any head-coaching experience, but James is very familiar with him from their Miami Heat days, as Howard was a teammate of LeBron's during James' first three seasons with the Heat and then served as an assistant coach in James' final year with the club.
Howard has been an assistant on Miami's bench ever since, but now, he is generating legitimate head-coaching interest around the league, as players seem to like him, and he has been around the game long enough to know what's what.
The 46-year-old is a man whom James respects and would listen to, and you can imagine LeBron developing a similar type of relationship with Howard that he had with Lue.
Heck, James' connection with Howard might end up being even better seeing as how Howard took LeBron under his wing during the most tumultuous time of his NBA career in South Beach.
2. Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd may not have the best track record as an NBA head coach, as his stint with the Brooklyn Nets did not go all that well and the Milwaukee Bucks couldn't get him out of town fast enough, but when it comes to a LeBron-led team, the key is finding a coach whom he admires.
Kidd is one of those guys.
A long-time veteran and future Hall-of-Famer, Kidd was a magician on the court during his playing days, demonstrating one of the highest basketball IQs in the history of the game.
James found that out the hard way when he was on the losing end of the 2011 Finals against Kidd's Dallas Mavericks.
There was even some talk that the Lakers were planning on hiring Kidd as an assistant to Lue, so that right there tells you that there is plenty of mutual interest between the two sides.
1. Mark Jackson
How about the guy who played a significant role in making the Golden State Warriors who they are today?
Sure, Jackson gets a bad rap sometimes for being too old school in his style of coaching, but there is no doubt that he helped Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson grow as players, not to mention Draymond Green.
Jackson has had some success as a head coach in the NBA, and he is someone that James likes and respects.
It's hard to envision LeBron ever treating Jackson the way he did David Blatt and Luke Walton.
While Jackson has been out of basketball for quite some time and seems pretty happy in his announcing gig, he seems like a natural fit for the Lakers job.
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