The recent exile of Doc Rivers from the Los Angeles Clippers has the franchise looking for a replacement to lead the team to glory, and they're not looking very far away. It has been reported that assistant coach Tyronn Lue is a favorite to land the job, and fellow assistant Sam Cassell is also in the running.
Cassell interviewed with the franchise for the head coaching gig on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Cassell previously played for the Clippers as a point guard for three seasons from 2005 to 2008 before he had a pitstop with Rivers' Boston Celtics. He won a title in 2008 and then acted as an unofficial assistant coach to start the 2008-09 season before getting traded to the Sacramento Kings in February 2009. The guard was promptly waived before he wound up retiring.
Cassell immediately plunged into the coaching industry after his retirement as a player when he assumed the role of an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards from 2009 to 2014. He then made his return to Los Angeles, where he was a staple on the Clippers as Rivers' assistant.
Rivers stumped for Cassell to get a head coaching job not too long ago, so it would be pretty ironic if the assistant coach actually replaces Doc as the Clippers' head man. Of course, a lot may depend on what happens with Lue. The Clippers and Rockets are both strongly interested in the NBA champion coach. Perhaps if Lue goes to Houston, that gives Cassell the job in LA.
The Clippers are looking to bounce back after their 3-1 collapse against the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs. Making things worse is the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers went on to win the championship. LA is hoping the man who gets the head coaching job can finally get them over the hump.
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