If you are coaching a LeBron James-led team and you are not really in James' circle, history denotes that you are going to have a rough time. Mike Brown wasn't good enough for James during his first go-around in Cleveland. Erik Spoelstra was on the hot seat a few weeks into LeBron's first season in Miami. David Blatt was canned after just one season in James' second stint with the Cavaliers.
And now, here we are, in 2019, and rumor has it that James wants Luke Walton out of Los Angeles.
It's tough coaching LeBron. Expectations are always sky-high, and if you aren't willing to let James become the de facto assistant coach, you probably aren't going to make him very happy.
So, who in the NBA would be the perfect coach for James?
Obviously, guys like Gregg Popovich and Brad Stevens immediately come to mind, as James has the utmost respect for Popovich and has spoke very highly of Stevens in the past, but how about a less obvious name like Michael Malone, who just coached LeBron during the All-Star Game this past weekend?
Malone, who is currently the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, was an assistant coach in Cleveland from 2005 through 2010, spanning just about all of James' first stint with the Cavs.
James is said to have a good relationship with Malone, which begs the question: how would the two fit together?
Let's start by saying that it probably won't happen anytime soon, if at all. The Nuggets are obviously very happy with Malone, as he had led them to the second-best record in the Western Conference through the All-Star break. So, unless he demands to leave for some reason, Malone will likely be in Denver for quite some time.
Plus, James is 34 years old and is in his 16th season, so we don't even really know how much time James has left.
If Malone is available to coach in three or four years, who knows if LeBron will still even be around or if he will still be an elite player at that point?
But, for the sake of argument, let's say Malone became a free agent and could coach James right now.
The key for any head coach of a LeBron-led team is having a solid emotional foundation with James. That's why Tyronn Lue was so successful with James in Cleveland.
James respected Lue and valued him as a person, something he clearly did not really do with Blatt. And heck, if it weren't for Pat Riley keeping LeBron in line in Miami, who knows how long Spoelstra would have lasted?
In the case of Malone, James already has that respect, so much so that LeBron actually considered the Nuggets as a potential free-agent destination this past summer, per Nuggets reporter Harrison Wind.
You know James must really like Malone to even have had Denver on his radar, because, as good as the Nuggets are, you could never picture LeBron in a Nuggets uniform otherwise.
The thing with Malone is, unlike Lue, who had no head-coaching experience when he replaced Blatt midway through the 2015-16 campaign, he actually has some coaching chops.
Remember: Malone was actually able to connect with DeMarcus Cousins during his stint as Sacramento Kings head coach, which is not a very easy task.
That just goes to show the type of relationships that Malone fosters with his players.
Also, in terms of X's and O's, Malone knows what he's doing, whereas a guy like Lue was viewed as relatively clueless by some.
So, you have a guy that LeBron knows and respects who can also do a solid job in terms of coaching overall? Seems like a match made in heaven for James.
Now, of course, there are no guarantees if you are on a LeBron-led squad. Whether you're a coach, player or front-office executive, you are never safe from James' wrath, because one misstep could end up costing you your job.
But, if there is anyone who can at least get a head start and have a bit of a longer leash than most other coaching candidates, it's Malone.
Again, this is almost surely not going to happen, barring some weird circumstance where the Nuggets trade Malone to the Lakers, a la the Boston Celtics dealing Doc Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers during the summer of 2013.
James isn't in the prime of his career anymore, and Malone seems to be just reaching his as a coach. But imagine if their primes would have crossed paths five years ago? It would have been an interesting dynamic, to say the least.
Follow Us
Subscribe