NBA Rumors: Former Cavs Coach Could Bring Act To Houston Rockets

Tyronn Lue remains unemployed, but he is expected to have options.

With most NBA teams reshuffling their coaching thrust, it would not come as a surprise if the 42-year-old mentor gets an offer at some point. Lue has proven his worth as a coach even before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers although he may have to work his way up to another head coaching gig.

If one is to look at the 2018-19 NBA season, Lue could have easily joined any team even either in an interim capacity or as an assistant coach. But of course, there are certain things that he would be looking for – at the top of the list of which is likely the length of tenure he would get as well as the financial figures.

When Lue was let go by the Cavaliers earlier this NBA season after the Cavs got off to a 0-6 start, at least one team reportedly expressed interest – the Houston Rockets. However, it was an assistant coaching gig offered to Lue and nothing really transpired, The Athletic reported. Looking ahead, the one-time NBA champion coach is likely to receive offers once more and his choice (if ever) may depend on his role.

The Rockets could try and offer Lue yet again, especially with associated head coach Jeff Bzdelik now out of the picture. Ironically, Bzdelik retired last season before the Rockets reportedly approached Lue before the associate head coach decided to unretired. This time around, the scenario is different with the Rockets formally cutting ties with 66-year-old, NBC Sports reported.

The answer to that will be interesting since it would mean Lue will have to make do with an assistant head coaching position than a head coach. So far, the only team that came close to signing Lue was the Los Angeles Lakers – something most attributed to the fact that LeBron James was on the team. But as most know by now, talks bogged down when the Lakers offered the former Cavs coach a three-year deal. Lue wanted a five-year pact.

It seems pretty clear that Lue wants head coaching gig, meaning he may opt to wait first before agreeing to be an assistant. With the NBA Finals set to get underway, Lue will be someone most will be monitoring to see if he does become successful (either as a coach or assistant coach) in hooking up with a new franchise for the 2019-20 season.