Houston Rockets: 5 candidates to replace Mike D’Antoni as head coach

1. Tyronn Lue

The Rockets need a coach who can hold everyone accountable, especially when it comes to two superstars who either disappear or try to do much every year in the playoffs. As a championship-winning head coach who had to manage the egos and personalities of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, Tyronn Lue feels like a pretty good fit on that front.

Lue never got his proper due as the head coach of that 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers squad that will never be forgotten, mostly because he had LeBron James on his team. But he deserves another fair shake somewhere in the league, and he should be getting it soon.

The Cavs turned to assistant coach Lue midseason when they needed to compete for a championship, and he delivered. The Rockets would be coming to Lue in a similar bind, and though Harden and Russ are not in the same class of playoff warriors as LeBron and Kyrie, he’d be able to find the right offensive scheme to fit his stars and the rest of his roster.

Lue wasn’t known for as much creativity on the defensive end, but the Rockets’ personnel wouldn’t leave him much room to improvise on that end anyway. The New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers are other potential landing spots for Lue, so if the Rockets want to snag one of the better candidates on the market who’d actually be a good fit for their offense and locker room, they’d better move fast.