It’s easy to make fun of Tyronn Lue for completely hitching his wagon to the LeBron James train. He did it in Cleveland and it looks like he’s doing it again with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s not the only one to make the most of his relationship with the self-proclaimed “king”, but unlike most others, there doesn’t appear to be any use for Lue.
Unlike Erik Spoelstra, Lue has never been renowned as an overly impressive coach who brings analytics or scheming to the table. He obviously played in the NBA for a substantial amount of time, but has there ever been word that he draws on his experience to help players persevere through the ebbs and flows of the regular season? Nope.
Lue’s greatest strength appears to be his ability to be a puppet for James. As bizarre and useless as it may seem, that “talent” has certainly proven lucrative for Lue. And how can you blame Lue? He makes millions of dollars to “coach” a basketball team that has one of the best players in the world on the roster.
But what does this whole ordeal say about James? First, it’s a quick reminder who runs the show out in Los Angeles. Second, it proves there’s no room for doubt: Lue is his guy. Lastly, James may not be capable of playing successfully for anyone but Lue. (This is also excluding the obvious: he wasn’t a big Luke Walton fan.)
This may not be enough for the Lakers to win now, but this move will help James get what he believes is a winning roster. Magic Johnson isn’t there to hold onto any young guys or stand up to James.
No matter where he plays, it seems James always gets what he wants. The real question with this move: if the 2019-20 Lakers team flops again, will that be the end of James’s reign?
