New Orleans Pelicans VP David Griffin met with Tyronn Lue, but it may not matter.
The New Orleans Pelicans are still making noise in the bubble even though they have exited.
Rumors have surfaced that Pelicans’ VP David Griffin met with Clippers’ assistant Tyronn Lue before the Pels were officially eliminated from the playoffs.
The Pelicans have since fired coach Alvin Gentry and Lue’s name was one of the first to surface when the rumor mill starting spinning full time.
This meeting was behind closed doors and we don’t know what was said, and Griffin knows Lue from his days at Cleveland. It could have just been a friendly meeting, but it’s more likely Griffin was asking about his interest in the job.
The New Orleans Pelicans may be battling for Lue’s services.
The Pelicans’ job is one of the best in all of basketball. They have a young superstar in Zion Williamson, a ton of draft assets and plenty of talent to build around.
But there are a lot of interesting openings, so coaches like Lue will likely have their choice of destinations.
Brooklyn is looking for a coach and has two superstars. Philadelphia recently fired coach Brett Brown and has a couple of stars of their own.
Indiana just fired Nate McMillan after making the playoffs, the Bulls are are a big market team in search of a coach and the Houston Rockets may end up in the mix before it’s all said and done.
According to Mark Stein, Brooklyn and Philly are the teams most likely to land Lue, even though Griffin and Lue have already won a title together in Cleveland and obviously have a good working relationship.
If the New Orleans Pelicans want Tyronn Lue, there is going to be competition, which might lead them to go in another direction and find someone who is all in on New Orleans.