Despite the recent meeting with Cleveland Cavaliers former coach Tyronn Lue, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is expected to have a second meeting with his first candidate, Monty Williams, in a near future, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Both sides met on Tuesday in Philadelphia, as Pelinka looked to engage in a coaching search shortly after Luke Walton was fired from the position following the end of the regular season.
Lue and Williams both have previous rapport with star player LeBron James — Lue as his former coach with the Cavs and Williams as one of the assistants for Team USA, as well as a former coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Williams has proven to be a strong coach for young talent, while Lue has proven to have the respect of James throughout their time together, something that was deemed of utmost importance in a previous report.
Lue has a favorable coaching record after coaching the James-led Cavs through two-and-a-half seasons at 128-83. Lue was fired shortly into the 2018-19 season, as Cleveland underwent a full rebuild, but has a strong 41-20 playoff record and a championship to go with it as a rookie coach, which shouldn't be overlooked.
Williams has the experience on his side after coaching five full seasons in the league, including several years of experience as an assistant coach and front office executive. His 173-221 regular season record isn't the most encouraging, but his excellent reputation as a players' coach could be an ace under the sleeve.
Miami Heat assistant Juwan Howard will also interview for the Lakers coaching job. The former player was a teammate of James' with the Heat, as well as Pelinka's college teammate at the University of Michigan.
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