As the December start to the season gets closer, the LA Clippers have constructed a coaching staff that is ready for whatever the season may throw at them.
With the season approaching so quickly, many fans of the LA Clippers (myself included), think it’s pretty unlikely that a big trade gets made, whether that’s a trade for Jrue Holiday or trading away Paul George. With a couple exceptions, the roster is likely to look pretty similar to what we saw last year.
What is going to be much different, though, is the coaching staff. Of course, we have a new head coach in Ty Lue. But it has now also been confirmed that Kenny Atkinson, Chauncey Billups and Dan Craig will all be joining in as lead assistant coaches. That’s on top of Larry Drew also becoming an assistant.
Kenny Atkinson, Chauncey Billups and Dan Craig are going to be Ty Lue’s front-row assistants.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) November 8, 2020
The LA Clippers realize that anything could happen with this shortened offseason and truncated season. And they’re building a coaching squad that’s ready for anything.
Do the young guys feel like they’re ready for an increased role and need some extra attention in practice? Throw Kenny Atkinson, who’s well-known for his abilities in player development, at them.
Need to instill some nose to the grindstone grit into a team that too often didn’t show that last year? Dan Craig’s here to try to bring that over from Miami.
Ty Lue and Larry Drew have been head coaches through high points and through low points. It’s exceedingly unlikely that a situation is going to arise that one or both of those guys haven’t dealt with before.
Chauncey Billups knows the team and has a lot of respect as a potential coach. He’s led a championship team as a player and can speak to what’s necessary in a grueling postseason run.
And finally, on a note that we seriously hope is never needed, we do know that Ty Lue has previously needed to take a short leave of absence due to health issues. We have every finger crossed that he never needs to do so again, but if he does, there are plenty of previous head coaches and head coach candidates ready to keep the ship on course until he’s back.
The Clippers have made a coaching staff that can handle all different kinds of adversity, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Keep posted on Twitter and here on Clipperholics as we cover all things LA Clippers!