The Los Angeles Lakers season is well and truly over. It is kind of hard to believe, but each night not seeing the Lakers in any of the matchups seems to make the reality all too real. But the end of LA’s season came with its own set of drama. There is never a dull day with purple & gold! And of course, LeBron James is bound to be smack in the middle of it. At first, it was about his future aspirations.

When James made it clear, even with a tweet after the press conference, that he wouldn’t make any decision now, theories continued. But now, Bron is once again in the spotlight with regard to coaching. No, no. We are not saying that the King is retiring as a player and coming back in as a coach. More along the lines of a change from Darvin Ham to someone the ‘Akron Hammer’ favors.

LeBron James and his love for coach Ty Lue

When talks about LeBron’s favorite coaches come into the conversation, the first name that pops into every James fan’s mind is Ty Lue. They have a history, and a pretty good one at that. NBA Insider Dave McMenamin joined Dan Patrick on the Dan Patrick Show to discuss exactly this, where Patrick asked him who LeBron James would most likely suggest.

“Certainly LeBron’s opinion is weighed by Rob Pelinka… but that said [his] opinion was known back a couple years ago when LeBron wanted Ty Lue to be the head coach to replace Luke Walton. That didn’t happen.” “So it’s not just because LeBron puts the rubber stamp on a guy that the Lakers are automatically gonna ink them,” Dave said.

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The Walton coaching experiment seemed to have had its moments. Ultimately, it was a failure, as the team missed the playoffs in his three seasons of coaching and had a 98-148 record. When James sees an opportunity, he never hesitates to take it. And when there was an opening for a head coach, he naturally argued his case in favor of Lue.

“I was excited because I know what T-Lue is capable of,” he had said after the franchise and Lue couldn’t reach an agreement over the contract. LA moved on to Frank Vogel, and Ty returned to the Clippers. Yet, another name that has joined the ranks of potential HC is none other than the host of the 4x champion’s Mind the Game podcast, JJ Redick. And McMenamin has quite an interesting take on his fit with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Good-looking guy looks good in a suit”: Redick might just be what the Lakers need to turn their season around

Purple & Gold is sure to have a lot of candidates if they are truly going to fire Ham. Despite the poor season and struggles, the Los Angeles Lakers are a franchise that still holds a lot of weight, glitz, and glamor. But when talking about frontrunners for the possible head coach opening, Redick’s “friendship and partnership” with LeBron James has put him on the list, too.

The fact that the man in question is also interested in coaching only adds credibility to the matter. Also, given that he has emerged as a serious candidate for the Charlotte Hornets’ HC position after interviewing for the vacancy, this serves to bring the story full circle. But Dave McMenamin has a different view of how the former sharpshooter could bring a change to the Lakers narrative. “The Lakers are a glamour franchise. They like themselves to be considered that way. And you get a guy with some cache and JJ Redick; you pull him off the number one broadcast team at ESPN and ABC right onto the sidelines. A good-looking guy looks good in a suit… They did this with Pat Riley many years ago, and we saw how that worked out,” Dave said with a knowing smile.

He was, of course, referring to the era of ‘Showtime Lakers’. It was a time when then-owner Jerry Buss was looking for ways to turn the franchise into a dynasty. He did that by bringing a Hollywood image to the tumultuous period the Purple & Gold were going through at the time. Headed by legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, the need for a coach who could take control was necessary. But he also had to fit into the vision Buss had for his beloved Lakers.

Although The Godfather’s arrival at the Lakers was accidental, it couldn’t have been more perfect. Arriving in custom-tailored dress shirts from Savile Row, impeccable Giorgio Armani suits, and signature slicked-back hairdo, Patrick James Riley commanded attention with his larger-than-life presence. “God, he was dreamy,” Joan McLaughlin, the organization’s director of human resources, had recalled in Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.

Along with a variety of other changes, it did the trick! The Lakers soon had A-list celebrities sitting courtside; their celebrity presence also got more people into the arena. Add half-time performances and Jerry Buss saw his vision take shape right in front of his eyes. Well, that absolutely turned LA’s fate around!

McMenamin, nevertheless, pointed out that JJ Redick is certainly a “real candidate.” However, many feel the lack of coaching experience could be a detrimental factor in signing him. Considering how there would be quite a lot of picks, including possibly Ty Lue if the Lakers were to announce a vacancy, the Purple & Gold won’t have to look hard for a replacement. The only problem they would face would be in making the right choice.