Clippers owner Steve Ballmer wasn’t happy with the version of the team he saw in Orlando, but he didn’t want to rush into a coaching change, writes Mark Medina of USA Today.
Ballmer waited nearly two weeks after the Clippers were eliminated by Denver, blowing a 3-1 lead in the process, before deciding to replace Doc Rivers, who had coached the team for the past six years. Ballmer called Rivers “a fantastic championship coach” and “a mentor” and said he never would have considered the move prior to the team’s performance at Disney World.
“It’s very important to me that we not do anything in the heat of the moment,” Ballmer told reporters today in a conference call. “That’s not rational, like, ‘Oh, we lost a game.’ That’s not sane. We took our time. Doc and I took our time together and arrived to the point we did.”
The Clippers were considered one of the favorites to win the title after signing signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George last summer. They appeared headed for a showdown with the rival Lakers in the conference finals before the series with the Nuggets slipped away.
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank emphasized that the organization doesn’t hold Rivers solely responsible for the playoff loss, but there was a feeling that a coaching change was needed. Assistant Tyronn Lue was chosen because he is familiar with the roster and he has already succeeded in a similar situation, taking over for David Blatt in Cleveland and leading the Cavaliers to the 2016 title.
“We’re talking about chemistry and continuity, and it’s not more so off the court and guys not liking each other,” Lue said. “It was hard to get continuity and chemistry throughout the season because we didn’t have a lot of practice time for our starting unit or our whole team for a large part of the season. When we talk about chemistry and continuity, it’s more so on the basketball court of just being familiar with guys.”
Even though the Clippers managed to claim the second seed in the West at 49-23, they dealt with injuries and other distractions all season long. They had a combined 114 games missed due to injuries and used 33 different starting lineups. Leonard sat for 13 games with left knee issues, and George missed 16 games after having offseason surgery on both shoulders.
The regular lineup wasn’t together enough in Orlando to develop any sort of comfort. Lou Williams left the Disney campus for a funeral, then had to quarantine for 10 days after stopping for food at a strip club in Atlanta. Montrezl Harrell missed all eight seeding games after the death of his grandmother, and Patrick Beverley was sidelined for four games with an injury.
Lue said he spoke to Leonard and George after his hiring was announced about his expectations for next season. He admits the team needs to play at a faster pace and do a better job with ball movement and floor spacing. He welcomes the opportunity to be a head coach again and believes there’s enough talent on hand to make a run at the 2021 championship.
I imagine it was like the scene in Willy Wonka, just no happy ending. YOU GET NOTHING, YOU LOSE! GOOD DAY SIR!
It’s gonna be a easy take the field over the clippers for the title near season and I’ll win guaranteed money , clippers will not be next years champions
Would love to see Blamer
Take the reigns as HC. His energy would be great for the team
The Clippers are very good at making excuses, no one takes responsibility yet they’re talking about leadership. Good luck with that.
I appreciate Ballmer trying to be diplomatic but Doc is an awful coach and firing him was long overdue. Next.
Screwy Lue might be the best fit for KL and PG….but will he solve the chemistry issues related to preferential treatment. They were winning before PG got there…maybe they were better. Some of the players were like draymond telling KD…we were winning before you got here. Lou Williams is their best clutch shooter. Can the egos handle this? Interesting case study. Lakers are laughing.
When times got rough. Their flaws really stood out. Kawhi is a great 2way player. But he is no Bron, no one is. I believe they were overconfident. That did not help. A real team comes together in adversity. They circle the wagons and fight. Clippers might have been built to beat Lakers. But to win a championship. You have to go thru 4 teams. And be ready for all of them. You blow. 3-1 lead. You are not championship material. There are a lot of rumors about owner cleaning house. Wow now that would be NEWS. They definitely need to readjust. This looks like a continuing story line.
I believe a lot has to come down to holding the players accountable. KL needs to be on time, practice and play. He’s making max money and isn’t playing all the time. If he’s as good as the “experts” say he is, put your money where your mouth is and play when your supposed to.