Ty Lue says he didn't give Doc Rivers any advice on how to take over a team in the middle of the season

Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue and Milwaukee Bucks mentor Doc Rivers go way back. Lue began his career as an assistant under Rivers with the Boston Celtics in 2011 and joined the latter’s Los Angeles Clippers staff in 2013 before transferring to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014.

A season later, Lue took over the Cavs’ head coaching position after David Blatt was fired despite leading the team to a stellar 27-14 record. Lue eventually led Cleveland to the NBA title with a monumental upset of the Golden State Warriors.

Fast forward to 2024, and Rivers finds himself in a similar situation, taking over for the fired Adrian Griffin as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks mid-season. In an interview with reporters on Sunday, Lue clarified that he did not advise Rivers on handling this challenging situation.

Didn’t offer Rivers any advice

Lue said that with Doc’s two-decade-plus worth of head coaching experience, he didn’t feel the need to give him any advice. Rivers has proven himself a competent head coach, with stints at the helm of the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and now the Bucks. He is widely respected by players and coaches alike for his strategic mind and ability to bring out the best in his team.

“No, I didn’t give him advice,” Lue said.

“Like, Doc’s seen everything. This is different for him. My circumstances were different because I’d been with the team for a year and a half, I already can see things that we can improve on or we can do better, things you can kind of change. And Doc is coming to a situation he has no clue of what they’re doing, their philosophies, their terminology, and so it was different.”