Clippers Rumors: Ty Lue 'In a Very Strong Position' After Doc Rivers' Exit in LA

Ty Lue is reportedly set to receive strong consideration to replace Doc Rivers as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.

ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said the following about the Clippers assistant on Tuesday's episode of Get Up:

"At the top of the list right now is Ty Lue, who was Doc Rivers' top assistant this past year. Won a championship obviously in Cleveland. Went to the Finals multiple times. Made a great impression in Los Angeles with that group this year. There's relationships with those players and a coach who kind of checks all the boxes, potentially, for the Clippers.

"Has been in the media spotlight, understands the glare of that, having coached LeBron [James] in Cleveland. Tactically very strong, a tough leader. He's a coach who's not afraid of confrontation. He showed that in Cleveland ... It is not his job now. There's going to be a search, but I would say he's in a very strong position right now. He's going to get a very close look from [President of Basketball Operations] Lawrence Frank, [governor] Steve Ballmer, their management and ownership."

The Clippers announced Monday they parted ways with Rivers in what was a "mutual decision." Despite essentially entering the season as the co-favorites in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs after blowing a 3-1 series lead.

After signing Kawhi Leonard in free agency and acquiring Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Clippers went 49-23 during the regular season, good for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference behind only the Lakers.

The Clippers and Lakers seemed to be on an all-L.A. collision course in the Western Conference Finals, but the Clips allowed Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Co. to win three straight games, resulting in their shocking exit from the playoffs.

One of the biggest storylines entering the 2019-20 season was the fact that the Clippers had never gotten as far as the Western Conference Finals, so their failure to do so again this season necessitated a change.

Although the final decision regarding Rivers' successor hasn't been made, Lue makes sense on multiple levels, including the fact that he was on the staff this season and has experience working with Leonard and George.

Lue also went 128-83 with three NBA Finals appearances in parts of four seasons with the Cavs.

He led Cleveland to a championship in 2016 and then brought the team back to the Finals the next two seasons. After LeBron left to sign with the Lakers in free agency, Lue went 0-6 to start the 2018-19 season and was subsequently fired by the Cavaliers.

Lue has shown that he knows how to coach and manage the personalities of superstar players. He also took a franchise that had never won a title to championship glory, which is something he'd be tasked with doing in L.A. as well.

Additionally, the 43-year-old Lue spent 11 seasons as an NBA player and won two championships with the Lakers during that time, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to earn the respect of the players.

All signs point to Lue being the ideal candidate, but with no date officially set for the start of the 2020-21 season, the Clippers have some time before they need to make a hire.