The Los Angeles Lakers decided to part ways with Luke Walton shortly after the 2018-19 regular season, leaving the team in search of a new head coach. There are said to be several candidates for the job, including former Cavs playcaller Tyronn Lue, who has emerged as a frontrunner. If Lue is hired, he would be reunited with LeBron James.
James, who joined the Lakers last offseason, still has a good relationship with Lue. After all, they served several season together in Cleveland, winning an NBA championship in 2016.
Lue isn't the only coach that James would like to have in Los Angeles. According to a report from Frank Isola of The Athletic, the King would also be open to Tom Thibodeau joining Lue on the bench — if he is hired.
There is a bit of a problem with this idea, though. Thibodeau is still owed a considerable amount of money from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he might not be open to the idea of being an assistant, according to The Athletic:
Via Frank Isola of The Athletic:
The reports of Lue wanting to add his former colleague in Boston, Tom Thibodeau, to his coaching staff are also true. LeBron, through intermediaries, has let it be known that Thibodeau would be a huge asset to have on the bench. LeBron’s close associates were gauging Thibodeau’s interest in becoming a top assistant two weeks ago. It would be similar to the role Mike Brown and Ron Adams serve under Steve Kerr in Golden State.
Thibodeau, however, is owed a lot of money from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the feeling is that he would prefer a head coaching job. Thibodeau has the resume and income to be patient. Plus, after dealing with an unstable management group in Minnesota, Thibodeau may be taking a wait-and-see approach with the “new-look” Lakers.
A person close to LeBron has denied that LeBron is pushing for any head coach or assistant coach which is in keeping with LeBron’s “I just work here” public posture. The same person was willing to acknowledge that LeBron has the “utmost respect” for Thibodeau.
Although LeBron James has given Tom Thibodeau-led teams fits in the past, the two still share a mutual respect for one another:
“Because you're combining the speed, the power, the skills, the passing, the vision. I can't recall anyone that I've coached against that's like that,” Tom Thibodeau told ESPN in 2014. “There's nothing that he doesn't do. He's great with the ball, great without the ball, can post, can drive, can shoot, can really pass. If you overcommit to him he's going to make you really pay. And he keeps getting better every year. So he's an all-time great.”
Whether or not the Lakers will be able to land Tyronn Lue and Tom Thibodeau on the same staff remains to be seen. Both would be great for the job, as they share a unique relationship with James.
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