Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue had a brief chat with Los Angeles Lakers Coach Luke Walton during summer league action in Las Vegas on Saturday and plans to have dinner with him soon, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The topic of discussion? LeBron James, who jumped from the Cavaliers to the Lakers in free agency last week to sign a four-year, $153 million deal.
Lue reportedly will meet with Walton and Lakers assistant Brian Shaw to tell them what he knows about coaching James.
Apparently, it will be a short conversation.
"I'll just tell them LeBron's easy," said Lue, per the Times. "People get this whole thing built up like he's hard to coach. It's not. LeBron's not the problem. It's the outside tension that's the problem. Just put added pressure immediately on the coaches, on his teammates.
"Now everything you do is under a microscope. So it's going to be a totally different change for the Lakers. They'll be able to handle it.
"LeBron is easy to play with, very unselfish. LeBron can bring guys along, make sure they're doing the right thing. It's going to be good. The outside is what you've gotta be able to block out."
James, 33, averages 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game in 1,143 career contests.
This marks the first time James will play for a team in the Western Conference, which includes heavyweights such as the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. James spent his first seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his next four seasons with the Miami Heat, and his last four seasons back at home with Cleveland.
The Cavaliers had hoped to re-sign James, who has appeared in eight consecutive NBA Finals. The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly also had strong interest in the 6-8 superstar.
Penalty on Phil
Phil Mickelson broke the rules again, only this time he didn't realize it until after his violation.
Mickelson tamped down fescue grass with his foot in front of the seventh tee Sunday at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. He then called a two-stroke penalty on himself for improving his line of play.
At the U.S. Open last month, Mickelson intentionally violated golf rules by hitting a moving ball on the green in the third round. He later apologized, saying his anger and frustration got the best of him.
On Sunday's gaffe, Mickelson says he "wasn't really thinking." After stepping on the grass, he paused before he hit his tee shot, realized the mistake and checked with a rules official, who confirmed the violation.
Mickelson finished the tournament Sunday at 1 under and in a tie for 65th place. Without the penalty, he would have tied for 55th.
She said it
From Janice Hough, the Left Coast Sports Babe:
• "Waiting for Putin to declare that Russia won in the World Cup Electoral College."
• "Watch Croatia goalie play much of a World Cup quarterfinal on one leg and a bad hamstring. Kind of puts more than a few on MLB's DL to shame."
SPORTS TRIVIA
In the 2003 NBA Draft, how many spots after LeBron James was Luke Walton selected?
ANSWER
Walton was selected 32nd by the Los Angeles Lakers out of Arizona, 31 spots after James was picked first out of high school
Sports on 07/09/2018