Tyronn Lue‘s candidacy for the Houston Rockets’ coaching vacancy has “gained momentum” following a Monday interview, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Lue is also considered a candidate for the Los Angeles Clippers’ coaching vacancy, but per Wojnarowski, the Rockets could offer Lue their job before the Clippers even complete their coaching search.
Lue is also said to be a candidate with the New Orleans Pelicans and executive David Griffin, who Lue worked with in Cleveland, when Griffin was Cavaliers GM and Lue the coach.
Lue spent last season as the lead assistant under Doc Rivers with the Clippers. He is among seven known candidates for the Rockets’ vacancy, along with ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy and former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson.
Van Gundy will reportedly interview with the Rockets on Wednesday.
Lue has been called a hot candidate for several teams already, including for the Philadelphia 76ers’ job that eventually went to Rivers. It’s hard to know how if Lue’s candidacy is really considered that serious for the actual teams, or if it’s just his agent hyping his candidacy to reporters.
Some teams are actually said to be a bit hesitant after Lue went 0-6 in Cleveland without LeBron James on the team and was promptly fired. He also needed time off during the 2018 season for health reasons that were never fully explained.
Either way, he is indeed a respected coach and clearly in the running for both the Rockets and Clippers jobs, and perhaps several others.
