With the Rivers era officially over in Los Angeles, team owner Steve Ballmer sounds excited about the path ahead, citing the team’s new coach, Tyronn Lue, as the best in the league.
Steve Ballmer says he believes Tyronn Lue is the best coach in the NBA and he’s very excited for the season to re-start. #Clippers
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 21, 2020
With a coaching record of 128-83, Lue coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to some of their best years in franchise history, leading them to three-straight Finals and a title that came during the ’15-16 season.
Lue, who is in his first head-coaching position since being fired from the Cavs in 2018, says he’s confident he’s in a position to succeed.
“The pieces we need are in place — committed ownership, smart management, and elite talent, on and off the court, in the NBA’s best market,” Lue said, via The Associated Press. “My familiarity with the organization, particularly Mr. (Steve) Ballmer and Lawrence, confirmed this is where I want to be.”
The hope for the Clippers is that the hiring of Lue will provide the edge they need to make a long and successful playoff run next season. In a recent press conference, Ballmer expressed his disappointment with how the last campaign ended.
“I don’t think we played our best basketball most of our time in the bubble. The way we ended our season really disappointed me.”
Steve Ballmer on watching the Clippers in the bubble.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 21, 2020
Needless to say, Lue is facing a lot of pressure heading into next season. As a team desperate to overturn their bad fortune, he has to prove he’s the guy to get them over the top, especially considering his poor track record in Cleveland without Lebron James.
It will be interesting to see how far this team is able to go under his guidance.
