Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue and former Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy are considered favorites to replace Doc Rivers.
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00:00 On Monday, LA Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer and coach Doc Rivers came to a mutual decision
00:05 that Rivers would step down as coach of the team.
00:07 That news was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and later confirmed by the franchise.
00:13 In the aftermath, a few names have emerged as potential replacements for Rivers, according
00:16 to the LA Times' Brad Turner.
00:18 Those names are Clippers assistant Tyronn Liu and former Houston Rockets coach Jeff
00:22 Van Gundy.
00:23 Both Liu and Van Gundy have been linked to the Rockets to fill their coaching vacancy
00:26 as well, something to keep in mind.
00:28 Liu is the most sensible candidate on the list.
00:31 Not only is he already familiar with the team and will likely have the support of his players,
00:34 but he has enjoyed plenty of success coaching in the modern NBA.
00:38 Liu won an NBA title at the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, which was his first year as a head
00:43 coach, and made the NBA Finals the two seasons that followed.
00:46 Granted, he had LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love at his disposal, but it's
00:50 worth noting that Liu was able to earn the respect of each player on that team in a short
00:54 period of time.
00:55 Van Gundy, on the other hand, is the more experienced option.
00:58 He served as an assistant with the New York Knicks from '89 to '96, before taking over
01:02 as head coach of the franchise that year.
01:04 He remained there until the beginning of the 2001-2002 NBA season.
01:09 A few years later, he became head coach of the Houston Rockets and was there from '03
01:12 to '07.
01:13 He currently serves as coach of the United States men's national team and as a commentator
01:17 on ESPN.
01:18 Regardless, if he becomes the next coach in LA, they'll have plenty of pressure on their
01:22 shoulders.
01:23 The Clippers underachieved in 2020, and they'll be expected to take this team to the next
01:27 level in 2021.