Tyronn Lue Rumors | Hoops Rumors

L.A. Notes: LeBron, Ham, Leonard, Lue, Russell

January 8th, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

In need of a signature win to turn their season around, the Lakers hope they got it Sunday night against the cross-town Clippers, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Coming into yesterday’s game, the Lakers had been slumping badly, with just a 3-10 record since winning the in-season tournament. LeBron James, who sparked the victory with a game-high 25 points, said the team needs to move past the mistakes that have led to losing.

“Try to use this to try to catapult a little bit better play from us,” he said. “But it still doesn’t take away from the fact of how we’ve been playing like the last 11, 12 games. Tonight was a good start. Hopefully we can start from here and continue to build.”

The win should ease the pressure on Darvin Ham amid recent rumors that his security as Lakers’ head coach is starting to be shaky. Ham, who told reporters before the game that he doesn’t feel like he’s coaching for his job, was happy with how the team responded to adversity.

“Everybody contributed, competed at a very high level,” Ham said. “And I’m proud of them. Now the cat’s out the bag for this one, in terms of how we need to approach each and every game and everybody do it as a committee.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said a minutes restriction is the reason Kawhi Leonard was pulled from the game with 2:47 remaining, McMenamin states in the same story. Leonard, who recently missed four games with a left hip contusion, didn’t return until there were 17 seconds left to play. “He was close to his minutes restriction, and we got a back-to-back tomorrow,” Lue explained. “We got five games in eight days, so my thought was we need him in the game [earlier in the fourth] because the game kind of got away from us a little bit. … He had to play his extended minutes early in the quarter instead of late in the quarter. So that’s on me as a decision that I made to get him in early to come back.”
The Clippers have been on a roll lately, but James believes it’s more attributable to Lue’s guidance than the trade for James Harden, McMenamin adds. “Nah, it’s the T-Lue Clippers,” James said. “I know T-Lue very well. It don’t take T-Lue long to make sure s–t get right. It took him five games, and they’ve been cooking since.”
The Lakers were boosted by the return of D’Angelo Russell, who was back on the court after missing three games with a bruised tailbone, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Russell, who started 28 straight games before being moved to a reserve role, came off the bench again Sunday with 13 points and six assists. Russell left without talking to reporters, but Ham said his presence makes a difference. “Obviously, a guy that can orchestrate things, a guy that can stretch the floor, just his 3-point shooting ability and his ability to make shots,” Ham said. “You can’t have too much of that on your team. He definitely provides that.”

Lue: Criticism Of Ham “Definitely Unfair”

January 7th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There was plenty of intrigue before the Clippers–Lakers game on Sunday night as Darvin Ham’s job status was a topic of conversation.

Ham has taken heavy criticism during the Lakers’ slide after winning the in-season tournament. A report from The Athletic claimed there was a “deepening disconnect” between Ham and his players over his frequent tinkering with the lineup and rotations. In response, Ham insisted he was “aligned” with owner Jeanie Buss and vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka.

Ham denied during the pregame press conference on Sunday that his job was on the line, Khobi Prince of the Orange County Register tweets.

“No, I don’t,” he said when asked whether he felt he was coaching for his job. “I feel like I’m coaching a hell of a franchise and it comes with the territory when you’re coaching in this business. I’ve seen a lot of coaches come and go, good ones, and some that have some bad circumstances around them. But in no way, shape or form do I feel that way.”

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue defended Ham, saying the criticism he’s been taking is “definitely unfair,” Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times tweets.

“It’s a long season. A lot of different things go on throughout the course of the season, a lot of changing parts,” Lue said. “And we said the same thing last year when they were 2-10 and they went to the conference finals and so are you giving the coach all the credit for that? I don’t think so. And I think D-Ham did a hell of a job last year by doing that. And the same thing this year. They got a lot of injuries, a lot of different rotations, a lot of starting lineups and it’s hard.”

The Lakers entered the game with a 17-19 record and a four-game losing streak.

Joe Mazzulla, Tyronn Lue Named Coaches Of The Month

January 4th, 2024 at 7:35pm CST by Rory Maher

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue have been named the Coaches of the Month for December, the NBA announced (via Twitter).

Mazzulla, the Eastern Conference winner, led Boston to a 12-2 record last month. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA at 26-7.

While Mazzulla’s group has looked like a championship contender throughout its first 33 games, Lue’s Clippers had a rocky start after trading for James Harden, losing six straight at one point to hold a 3-7 record.

But L.A. has had an impressive turnaround over the past several weeks, going 18-5 over the past 23 games, including an 11-2 record in December. Harden shook off some early rust and has been playing at an extremely high level of late (20.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 9.4 APG, 1.4 SPG and 1.2 BPG on .483/.467/.883 shooting over the past 17 contests), and Kawhi Leonard has been dominant on both ends of the court.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the Eastern Conference were J.B. Bickerstaff, Adrian Griffin, Nick Nurse and Erik Spoelstra, while Mark Daigneault, Chris Finch and Michael Malone were nominated in the West.

Clippers Notes: George, Lue, Harden, Tax

November 15th, 2023 at 9:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers now hold a 3-7 record after losing their sixth straight game, including five with James Harden in the lineup. As ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes, Tuesday’s contest in Denver went down to the wire, but L.A. was unable to secure the victory after being up seven with six minutes remaining.

Still, star forward Paul George thinks the team is close to a breakthrough.

“I thought we played great,” George said. “It’s tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three [officials]. I thought they were awful. But, [against the] defending champs, we got to play better. There’s a lot to be positive about. I’m not one for moral victories, but I thought we showed more of a sign of a team tonight that’s close to getting it over the hump.”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Speaking to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report after the loss to the Nuggets, Tyronn Lue said adjusting on the fly after acquiring Harden has been difficult. “This is my toughest challenge as a head coach, but I’m up for the task for sure,” Lue said. “The biggest thing is getting these guys to sacrifice for guys, whether that’s starting the game, finishing the game, shots, touches, who’s running pick-and-rolls, and things like that. Getting these guys to sacrifice will be the biggest challenge all season.”
According to Haynes, George reiterated that he’s confident the group will figure it out, despite the rocky start. “We’re all honoring this adjustment. We have to sacrifice. We understand it. Simple as that. No one is going against that. Nobody is frustrated about it,” George told Bleacher Report. “We know what we have. There’s one ball, and there’s four good motherf–kers. And we understand that and embrace it. We want to make each other better, and I don’t think one person is complaining one bit about it.”
Harden, who told Haynes he’s still working his way into game shape after being absent for most of Philadelphia’s training camp, is also confident the Clips will turn things around. “When we figure this out, it’s going to be scary,” Harden said. “We’re getting there. We’ll let others talk, and we’ll put the work in. It’s going to take some time, and that’s OK.”
Promoting Joshua Primo and signing Daniel Theis (once he clears waivers) will push the Clippers’ payroll past $200MM — L.A. will join the Warriors as the only two teams to ever exceed that figure, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). L.A.’s luxury tax bill will sit at $142.3MM once Theis is officially a Clipper, Marks adds.

Clippers Notes: Harden, Lue, Westbrook, Hyland

November 13th, 2023 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

After the Clippers lost their fifth straight game on Sunday, coach Tyronn Lue theorized that James Harden is being “too polite” as he tries to fit in with his teammates, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. During Saturday’s practice, Lue told Harden that he has “free rein” to play his normal style, but that didn’t translate well in his first game in front of his new home fans. Harden was limited to 11 points, four rebounds and three assists while shooting 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-7 from three-point range.

“I think he’s doing too much to try to fit in,” Lue said. “So that’s on me. Just yesterday we had a talk amongst the team and just he has to be James Harden. He led the league in assists the last two or three years, and making plays and what he does in the pick-and-roll, he’s great. So we have to allow him to be himself.”

Responding to Lue’s message, Harden said he understands there’s a need to become more aggressive and make “the right basketball plays.” His teammates know they need the best version of Harden in order to succeed, and they’re willing to adjust to what he can do.

“We want James to be himself,” Paul George said. “James is used to having the ball and orchestrating offense and breaking offense down every possession. I’m sure it is tough when it’s not that every possession, and so he’s working through that. We’re all working through something, and we’re just trying to figure out how to be ourselves when those opportunities present themselves.”

There’s more on the Clippers:

Lue was more frustrated than he has been all season after L.A. lost at home to a Memphis team that entered the game with a 1-8 record, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. Murray notes that Lue built the team in training camp around Russell Westbrook‘s ability to push the ball and create open shots, but the offense had moved at a different pace since Harden was acquired. “I think playing too slow, just playing too slow,” Lue told reporters. “We get rebounds, you get stops, you got to push it. On makes, we got to push it, get up quick and attack early. You know, we can’t just f— … Sorry. No, I mean, we just can’t just walk around offensively. Like you got to get to the next actions.”
Bringing Harden off the bench might be the best solution for both him and the team, contends Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. She suggests that Lue has already realized this, as Harden and Westbrook only shared the court for 11 minutes Sunday even though they both started.
Reserve guard Bones Hyland didn’t play in Sunday’s game, and Lue said he’s likely to remain out of the rotation for a while, tweets Clippers beat writer Joey Linn. Hyland has averaged 11.8 PPG in eight games and even made two starts, but Lue wants more size off the bench and plans to stick with the rotation he used against Memphis.

Pacific Notes: Gordon, Tucker, Harden, Hachimura, Vanderbilt, Kerr

November 1st, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Injuries to Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have forced Eric Gordon to take on a larger role than he was expecting in his first few games with the Suns, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Gordon has made three starts already and ranks third on the team in scoring at 16.5 PPG. He’s also the team leader with 11 made three-pointers while seeing time at both guard positions.

“I am always comfortable. On a lot of teams I have been on, I have played a little bit of point guard and little bit of shooting guard,” Gordon said. “Even in playoffs and a lot of tough circumstances, and that is why I am here. Whoever is in and out I want to keep playing at a high level to where down the line, wherever it ends up being, whatever tough situation I will still find myself to be able to do well.”

The Suns have championship aspirations after trading for Beal and revamping their bench this summer, but they’re off to a 2-2 start. Gordon believes things will get easier once everyone becomes accustomed to playing together.

“There’s a lot of new guys. We’re all getting acclimated to one another,” he said. “I expect to just continue to get better as long as the games get better, as long as we play more games. Our chemistry’s getting better as you see. I’m definitely going to get shots and I’m gonna knock them down. Those (first) two games, things happen in this league, but the year goes along I expect to continue to shoot pretty well.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Coach Tyronn Lue expects P.J. Tucker to play tonight in his first game with the Clippers, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Lue told reporters that the process has already begun to integrate Tucker and James Harden, who were acquired in a trade with the Sixers that wasn’t finalized until this morning, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). “It’s going to take some time, understanding process, rotations,” Lue said, “… but we’re excited about it … it’s going to take sacrifice whether shots … they’re willing to do it.” Also speaking to the media before tonight’s game, team president Lawrence Frank said Clippers officials studied how Harden adjusted his game when he was with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn and how he adapted to playing alongside Joel Embiid in Philadelphia (Twitter link).
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, who’s missing his second straight game tonight, saw a specialist after he began to develop concussion symptoms, coach Darvin Ham said in his pre-game press conference (Twitter link from Dave McMenamin). Ham also said Jarred Vanderbilt, who has yet to play this season because of bursitis in his left heel, is making progress but is still limited to stationary drills.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr tells Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area that the 2022 championship was a “surprise” because the team hadn’t been at that level the previous two seasons.

Pacific Notes: Paul, Ham, LeBron, Morris

October 30th, 2023 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul came off the bench for the first time in his career Sunday night, and it looks like an arrangement that’s going to be successful for the Warriors, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Paul became an immediate starter when he entered the league with New Orleans in 2005, but the possibility of being shifted to a reserve emerged when he was traded to a Golden State team that already had Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in its backcourt. Paul started the season’s first two games with Draymond Green injured, but moved into his new role when Green returned on Sunday.

“It works,” Paul told reporters after the game. “It gives us a bigger lineup. I’ve never been on a team probably with this type of depth. I’ve been on really good teams, don’t get it twisted. But not necessarily where you could say: ‘All these guys can start.’ And I think last year that was the best starting five in the league.”

The Warriors are coming off a season that was disrupted by players who were unhappy about their minutes and changes to their roles, so Steve Kerr sought to get control of the situation right away, Slater adds. Prior to training camp, he called in Paul, Green, Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney for a meeting where they discussed what to do about essentially having six starters.

Although it was decided that starting roles would be influenced by matchups, Kerr seems happy with Paul as the leader of the second unit and it appears that will continue as long as everyone stays healthy. Green is excited about the edge that brings to the team.

“When you’re talking about replacing Steph Curry with Chris Paul, it doesn’t get much better than that,” he said. “You’re taking your starting point guard out and the next point guard is Chris Paul? That’s incredible. We will have that advantage all year.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said he needs to “tighten up” his rotation after Sunday’s loss in Sacramento, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Ham has been trying to acclimate Gabe Vincent, who missed much of the preseason with tightness in his lower back, while also dealing with the loss of Jarred Vanderbilt, who is sidelined with bursitis in his left heel. “My rotation, we got to really dig into that,” Ham said. “Really take a close look and so guys are in rhythm. We have a great collection of players. And I played in this league. When you know when you’re going in and who you’re playing with, that matters. So buckling down on our rotation, I’ll start there.”
The minutes reduction that Ham planned for LeBron James hasn’t lasted past the season opener, McMenamin adds. James logged 39 minutes in Sunday’s contest, which was the first game of a back-to-back. “Obviously, I don’t want to run Bron into the ground,” Ham said. “I don’t want to run (Anthony Davis) into the ground too early. Obviously, it was an overtime game tonight and they’re playing at a high level, so you want to leave them out there. But just having that balance.”
Clippers forward Marcus Morris missed his third straight game Sunday, with “coach’s decision” being the explanation, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. However, coach Tyronn Lue said Morris is “very involved, and he’s been great, especially with our young guys.”

Pacific Notes: Lue, Nurkic, Goodwin, Lakers

October 15th, 2023 at 4:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said this week that he is nearing a decision on L.A.’s starting five, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Lue also shed some light regarding how many players on his fairly deep roster he intends to give rotation minutes.

“[We’ll play] 10 at the most to start, but probably get down to nine as quick as we can, but 10 to start at first,” Lue said. “Don’t hold me to that.”

The statuses of star swingmen Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, plus starting center Ivica Zubac, seem secure. How Lue fills out the other two spots around them remains to be seen.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Newly added Suns starting center Jusuf Nurkic will bring savvy passing and solid defense to the floor this year, opines Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Bourguet adds that the team’s ownership and management were aligned in thinking that the veteran big man could be a better fit than the player he will replace, former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton. Bourgeut writes in a separate piece that Nurkic should thrive when it comes to protecting the rim, but history suggests he could struggle to cover opponents further away from the basket.
Nurkic thoroughly outplayed Ayton during the Suns’ 122-111 victory over the Trail Blazers Thursday, Bourgeut writes in an additional column. New Phoenix combo guard Jordan Goodwin enjoyed an efficient scoring night off the bench against Portland, but also made a big impression on the other side of the ball, per Bourgeut.
The Lakers are showing signs of having improved their offense in the 2023 preseason, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Price writes that Los Angeles has scored the equivalent of 141.6 points per game across the five quarters in which it has used its anticipated regular season rotation. The team is employing a broader array of sets, and is taking advantage of its improved shooting profile heading into 2023/24, thanks to the additions of sharpshooting free agents Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince. “Having the type of team that we have – everyone can dribble, pass and shoot – just that unselfishness, moving the ball, that all it comes down to,” head coach Darvin Ham said. “As long as that camaraderie, continuity and communication on the offensive side of the ball continues to grow and build, there’s no doubt in my mind the sky’s the limit.”

Clippers Notes: Lue, Hyland, George, Mann

October 9th, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Tyronn Lue is trying to instill a sense of urgency in the Clippers, starting with a competitive training camp and an emphasis on results in the preseason, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Lue played 11 years in the NBA, so he understands how players sometimes approach exhibition games, but he wants to avoid falling into that trap.

“Veteran players, they always try to ease into it,” Lue said. “And I wanted to try to change that mindset of just establishing who we are from day one.”

L.A. didn’t have a full roster for Sunday’s opener against the Jazz in Hawaii. Russell Westbrook and Nicolas Batum were both rested, and Marcus Morris was held out of the game after suffering a left groin injury in Saturday’s practice. He’s also expected to miss Tuesday’s contest.

“I know it doesn’t count, but we still can establish … offensively pushing the pace, attacking the basket, having great spacing defensively and being physical one through five, just bringing our physicality,” Lue told reporters before Sunday’s game.

There’s more on the Clippers:

Bones Hyland was impressive while taking Westbrook’s spot in the starting lineup, Greif adds. Hyland may not get many chances to run the offense alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, especially if L.A. winds up trading for James Harden, but he looked comfortable in that role on Sunday. “I just love Bones’ aggression,” George said. “I thought off the bounce, him getting to his shots, getting to his points on the floor, his play-making, his creativity. And I know he’s not a defensive guy, but he gives great effort on the defensive end and he’s long, he’s quick, he makes plays on both ends. We appreciate that from the guard spot, so he’ll tie in well with what we’re doing.”
Terance Mann has heard his name mentioned in Harden rumors all summer, but he’s focusing on what he can bring to the Clippers, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. On top of the trade speculation, Mann recently became eligible for a three-year contract extension worth up to a projected $56MM and he said he would welcome a long-term deal with the team.
Jud Winton has received a promotion to vice president/assistant general manager, the Clippers announced (via Twitter).

And-Ones: Offseason Moves, Coach Contracts, Kerr, Hawaii

August 24th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

In a three-part series for The Athletic, David Aldridge ranks the teams that he believes improved the most and least this offseason. Aldridge’s most improved team is unsurprisingly the Spurs, who won the draft lottery and selected French phenom Victor Wembanyama. The Cavaliers and Suns rank Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

In the middle section, Aldridge has the Jazz at No. 11, the Pistons at No. 15, and the Warriors at No. 20. He gives the Trail Blazers an incomplete, since there’s no way to fairly evaluate their offseason until the Damian Lillard situation is resolved.

At the bottom end, the defending-champion Nuggets are No. 29 on Aldridge’s list after losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency; the No. 28 team is the Raptors, who lost Fred VanVleet to Houston.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The contracts signed by Monty Williams and Gregg Popovich will be used as benchmarks by top NBA coaches going forward. As Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes, a trio of accomplished head coaches — Steve Kerr (Warriors), Erik Spoelstra (Heat) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers), all of whom are members of Team USA — could be the primary beneficiaries of those deals. Kerr and Spoelstra are entering the final year of their respective contracts, while Lue has two years left on his deal, Windhorst notes.
Kerr has purchased a minority stake in European football (soccer) club Real Mallorca, according to Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez of ESPN. Kerr said he was offered the opportunity by longtime friend Andy Kohlberg, who is the team’s president and recently became majority owner, per ESPN. “Andy Kohlberg and I have been friends for many years,” Kerr said. “We were together this summer. He told me there was a shift in the ownership group and he offered me the chance to be part of the new investment group. I was so excited, having been in Mallorca last summer watching a game, following the team and becoming a fan. It was a really exciting opportunity and I jumped at it.” Mallorca competes in La Liga, Spain’s top league.
The Jazz and Clippers will be playing their first preseason game in Hawaii on October 8, with all proceeds going to the wildfire relief effort, Ryan Kostecka writes for Utah’s team website.