The NBA coaching carousel is open for business and picking up speed, and Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he’s fine with who has hopped aboard — and who might be soon.
The Brooklyn Nets captured the basketball world’s attention Thursday when they announced that Hall of Famer Steve Nash signed a four-year contract to serve as the head coach of a team led by superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Also this week, there have been rumors coming out of Philadelphia that Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue is a candidate to take over as 76ers head coach after Brett Brown was dismissed Aug. 24.
As valuable as Lue has been to the Clippers this season, returning to Rivers’ staff after Cleveland fired him just six games into last season, Rivers said he’s happy for any head coaching opportunities that present themselves to Lue.
“He deserves it,” Rivers said of his protege, who had a three-season run in Cleveland that included an NBA title and two Eastern Conference Finals appearances.
“It’s a joke to me that he’s not already a coach, but it’s to my advantage that he’s not … He’s been phenomenal on my staff,” Rivers added, via Zoom video conference, shortly before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. “It’s amazing getting him after being a coach once, and now he’s your assistant again … He’s just a wonderful guy to be around, but his IQ, his feel, he’s made this year really enjoyable for me.”
I’m told the Sixers have not officially interviewed Ty Lue
They could interview him coming up here. And reports say he is the leading candidate. But I’m told they are not close to a deal https://t.co/VPn7baW5KQ
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 3, 2020
And if Lue is entertaining suitors in the midst of the playoffs? Rivers isn’t sweating it.
“I had the same situation in Boston with (Tom) Thibodeau,” Rivers recalled. “Two years in a row, he was mentioned with every job. First year, he turned most of them down and then the second year, he took it. We were in the finals with the Lakers and I allowed him to do an interview. I don’t think you should ever stand in someone’s way, No. 1, and I think guys can handle doing both. Thibs did, and so is Ty Lue; he’s been great.”
As for the Nash news, Rivers said he was pleased for the 46-year-old former point guard, who doesn’t have technical coaching experience, although he worked as a player development consultant for Golden State. When he began his coaching career in 1999 in Orlando, Rivers also lacked prior coaching experience.
“He played the game for a long time at a great level,” Rivers said. “He has often been known as a, quote-unquote, coach on the floor. He’s worked with several teams since retiring, he has been around coaching a lot. I have nothing but good things to say and hope he does extremely well.”
Nash’s surprising hiring stirred some discussion Thursday about the racial makeup of the NBA coaching landscape. About 80% of NBA players are Black, but there currently are just five Black coaches — Rivers, Atlanta’s Lloyd Pierce, Detroit’s Dwane Casey, Cleveland’s J.B. Bickerstaff and Phoenix’s Monty Williams. Pasadena native Jacque Vaughn, who is Black and was serving as the interim head coach in Brooklyn, will be retained by the Nets as an associate head coach.
And since their teams’ seasons ended, New Orleans has fired Alvin Gentry and Indiana let go Nate McMillan, both Black coaches.
“There’s a lot of qualified Black coaches that should get jobs as well,” Rivers said. “But that is taking nothing away from Steve.”
Posted by: https://anaheimsigns.comMore from Doc on Nash’s hire as well as the racial makeup of the NBA coaching landscape, in response to a question by @NotoriousOHM. (Video: @kylegoon) pic.twitter.com/MdDwVAdlnl
— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) September 3, 2020
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