Tyronn Lue came to be considered the favorite to become the coach of the 76ers.
Philadelphia finally focused on Mike D’Antoni and then hired Doc Rivers as the former Clippers coach surprisingly became available.
Why did Lue (who ended up getting the Clippers’ job) fall out of contention?
Lue has a relationship with LeBron James for training the now Lakers superstar with the Cavaliers. LeBron’s agent Rich Paul says LeBron considers Paul’s other clients to be family. Paul also represents 76ers star Ben Simmons.
Connect the dots and … they don’t lead to Joel Embiid.
Bill Oram and Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
But sources across the NBA said that the Sixers’ other star, Joel Embiid, ended up opposing Lue as a coach for the reasons of X and O and the perspective of Simmons’ guy ‘getting the job.
Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia:
Embiid did not directly deny the report, but gave a long answer, sharing his ideas about his role in the organization and the Sixers’ search for coaching.
“That’s a good question,” he said. “As I said all year, you have to control what you can. I really do not know. I just try to come every day and do my job, and these guys trust me too much to make it happen. That kind of decision, I’m not a GM, I’m not in the front office. This has nothing to do with me. And I always told them, they have to do what is best for the team.
“If they thought Doc was the right coach for us, then I trust them. If they felt that none of the other candidates was the right choice for us, then I trust them. I’m sure they did the background check. Therefore, I cannot have control over this; I am not in the front office. I’m just a player. I just try to come every day and do the best job I can with everything I have.
“Obviously, this summer, we made a lot of changes. All I will say is that we have had many excellent candidates; They are all great. Ty won a championship. I think we were looking – looking at the reports – Mike D’Antoni, who was our technical assistant. And then Doc came on the scene. I thought that the choice they made, you could have gone anyway. Any of them would have been great for this team. The owners and (general manager Elton Brand) … they went with the doctor. I found it a great choice. That’s all I will say, but the reports will be reports. I can only control what I can. “
Embiid and Simmons clearly get along. The 76ers were good with those two.
But Embiid and Simmons are young stars who are still trying to establish their place in the league. Some friction is expected. I suspect that each one sees himself as a player in the Philadelphia franchise – or finally wants to be treated as such.
Lue may have had a hard time beating Embiid. Whether I need it or not, perception can matter. Although Embiid is correct in saying that hiring coaching was a ownership / management decision, superiors may have considered Embiid’s view of candidates.
Rivers has the prestige to demand respect from Embiid and Simmons. That’s one of the main reasons why Rivers was the right hire.