Ty Lue 'early favorite' to replace Doc Rivers as Clippers head coach

Ty Lue remains the leading candidate to take over as the Clippers head coach after Los Angeles parted ways with Doc Rivers earlier this week.

Marc Stein of The New York Times tweeted that Lue is the "early favorite" to replace Doc. Lue has not been a head coach in nearly two years since he was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers just six games into the season. He then joined the Clippers as an assistant coach and now is in prime position to become the head coach in Los Angeles.

Of course, Lue is not the only name linked to the Clippers' coaching job, as Jeff Van Gundy, Sam Cassell, and Mike D'Antoni have also been named as potential hires. It's one of the most desirable openings in the NBA, as the Clippers have one of the most stacked rosters in the league.

While Rivers was fired by the Clippers following a massively disappointing playoff exit, according to Stein, he is unlikely to remain unemployed for too long. Stein says that Rivers "has swiftly supplanted Mike D'Antoni as the favorite for the Philadelphia job." Rivers reportedly even watched Game 1 of the NBA Finals last night with "the Sixers brass" and it is expected that he will receive a job offer shortly.

It will be fascinating to watch how Rivers attempts to improve the 76ers, as the key to their success will likely be figuring out how to maximize the talents of their two young stars, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.