Missing the 2018-19 postseason certainly does not bode well for the job security of current Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton. As speculation has swirled concerning his job status beyond this year, candidates have already been mentioned left and right about who could be the man to try and right the Lakers' ship.
As Marc Stein of the New York Times mentions, one candidate at the top of the list is a man LeBron James is familiar with: his former head coach in Cleveland, Tyronn Lue.
Article Continues BelowLue, of course, is a former Laker who is better known for having coached LeBron James for 2 1/2 seasons in Cleveland.
The presumed acceptance he would have from James, who is about to begin his first postseason as a spectator since 2005, would appear to give Lue with a significant advantage over the rest of the field.
Lue's current head-coaching resume is that of a shooting star: He is currently unemployed, having coached just 211 regular-season games, but already boasts an NBA Championship to his resume.
Taking over in the middle of the 2015-16 season for the Cavaliers in place of David Blatt, Lue went on to win an NBA title after coaching just 41 regular-season games. He was fired by that same organization after opening the 2018-19 year 0-6.
Lue began his NBA playing career as a role player for the Lakers from 1998-2001, winning two championships during his tenure. Should the organization choose to move on from Walton at season's end, the combination of Lue's former LA ties, his relationship with James and his already established coaching pedigree could make him a highly desirable candidate.