Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham hasn’t been fired yet, but he seems to be as good as gone.
One may wonder why the organization is taking its time to fire Ham, if that is indeed what it will do. One explanation could be it is looking into whether it will be able to hire someone to replace him who would be a considerable improvement.
Reportedly, Tyronn Lue, who is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, has emerged as a candidate to be L.A.’s next coach, as has former sharpshooter JJ Redick, per Dave McMenamin (h/t Sports Illustrated).
Dave McMenamin (@Mcten) discusses the #Lakers future at Head Coach, including the possibility that they look at JJ Redick to replace Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/fmoG4vniqh
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 2, 2024
“JJ (Redick) certainly is a real candidate if they do open up this coaching search,” McMenamin said Thursday during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. “There’s, I’d say, half a dozen folks out there, including possibly the guy who just lost last night against the Mavericks, Tyronn Lue … that there will be a process there that there are several viable candidates that will get an interview.”
What would likely complicate the Lakers’ efforts to hire Lue is the fact he is under contract with the Clippers past this season and the Clippers are still alive in the playoffs.
Lue’s squad is down 3-2 to the Dallas Mavericks after getting slaughtered at home in Game 5 on Wednesday. Game 6 will take place in Texas on Friday evening.
Lue, of course, coached LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA championship in 2016. They went all the way after trailing in the NBA Finals 3-1 to a Golden State Warriors team that had won a league-record 73 games in the regular season.
He also had a brief stint as a player with the Lakers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. During that stint, he won two world titles as a teammate of Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant.
Lue interviewed to be the Lakers’ head coach in 2019 but turned down their offer. It has been reported that if James had his way, Lue would be his next head coach. James, of course, can become a free agent this summer.
Redick, meanwhile, doesn’t have any coaching experience. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, and he recently became James’ co-host for his new podcast, “Mind The Game.”
