Despite 19 losses in the books, Lawrence Frank evidently believes his basketball chemistry with Tyronn Lue is excellent and that their partnership under the LA Clippers’ franchise has title potential. Thus, Marc Stein, regarding the latest Clippers’ coaching update on ‘The Stein Line,’ reported that Lue is in LA for the long haul.
Moreover, Lue’s job security is high. He is not at risk of being the next coach fired, given that Frank values their relationship and everything he has done for LA. This contrasts with the factual belief of the several first-round exits he has led.
Behind the scenes, the Clippers’ line of optimism extends past Frank’s expertise. They have risen all the way to Steve Ballmer at the top, the businessman overseeing every move LA makes.
That said, Stein’s report confirms that the Clippers do not believe a free-agent head coach, like one of the several fired last season, will outperform Lue in the scheme he built.
The Clippers have several options to replace Tyronn Lue, but their minds are closed
Shockingly, according to Marc Stein, Steve Ballmer is not just a colleague of Tyronn Lue’s; he is a fan. This might be due to the 2016 ring Lue has, and its 3-1 comeback story, yet almost 10 new champions have been added to the history books since, and Ballmer needs a new reason to support Lue that has lately been impossible to find.
Moreover, if the Clippers opened their minds up and were not as adamant as they seem in Stein’s report on employing Lue, valuable coaching candidates like Mike Budenholzer could be considered.
Budenholzer is a champion in the position, just like Lue, but his was more recent and did not have the arguably greatest player in league history, LeBron James, taking command.
Taylor Jenkins is also available for work. He led the showtime Memphis Grizzlies to a second seed in 2021-22, and at one point, had the best system in the NBA, where Ja Morant was thriving and winning simultaneously.
The Clippers could also pull Sam Cassell’s name as an option. He played for the Clippers for two and a half seasons, served as an assistant coach for six, and is still in coaching, holding a valuable position with the Boston Celtics.
Nonetheless, 19 losses have not made the front office uncomfortable enough to dismiss Lue. Though Budenholzer, Jenkins, Cassell, and many others would fit, LA prefers the one who constantly collapses in crunch time.