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Nearly a week ago, Marc Stein broke the news that the Clippers and Tyronn Lue were closing on a deal to make Lue the new lead assistant to Doc Rivers. Now, Shams Charania of the Athletic has tweeted that the deal is official, and Lue will take his spot on Doc’s bench this season.
Former Cavaliers championship coach Ty Lue has agreed on deal to join the Los Angeles Clippers as the top assistant coach on Doc Rivers’ staff, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 21, 2019
I don’t have much more to say than I did in the original news piece. This can only be a good thing. Ty Lue is a widely respected coach who got the Cavs to three straight NBA Finals, and was in command of the playbook for one of the greatest sports comebacks of all time in the 2016 Finals against the Warriors. He has connections with both Doc and the Clippers already, and will be a valuable presence on the Clippers’ bench.
There was never much of a doubt this deal was going to get done. Steve Ballmer is willing to pay whatever it takes for the Clippers to be as competitive as possible, and certainly would spend on an assistant as strong as Lue.
It’s unclear if Lue will have a specific focus on Doc’s bench, or will just generally serve as the second-in-command. Either way, he is a great addition to the Clippers’ coaching staff, and is just another piece to the Clippers’ (hopeful) championship puzzle.