Buoyed by two perennial All-NBA candidates in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Los Angeles Clippers have long been a legitimate championship-contender. However, the Clippers biggest strength is also their biggest weakness, as the injury-plagued stars have been unable to finish a season with their health intact since signing with L.A.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue, making an appearance on the popular All The Smoke podcast with co-hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, candidly discusses the challenges of coaching a team that's as frustrating as it is challenging. After all, with Lue watching teams like the Denver Nuggets winning it all just a few months ago, the feeling in the City of Angels has to be ‘Why not us?'
“It's been tough,” says Lue of the Clippers' tragedy. “It's been frustrating… because we feel like we have the potential to win a championship. We have all the pieces. All the right pieces. And we have two great stars… two-way players but not a headache… you can go to those guys and ask them to do anything, and they'll do it.”
“It's just unfortunate because everybody hears the ‘load management' and they kind of gives those guys a hard time. At the end of the day, you think they don't want to play in the [NBA] Playoffs? These are real significant injuries…”
Still, although Lue has been miffed by the Clippers' strategy not working to this point, it's not like he doesn't understand the purpose of having Leonard and George sit out more.
“It's smart,” Lue says, “because when you go through the injuries they've been through over the course of their career, we've gotta do the right thing to try to be healthy going into the playoffs…”
“But one thing I told Kawhi and PG this summer,” Lue admits, “we do gotta approach the regular season a different way… like let's be serious about it… ‘Cause it matters. Who you get matched up with. Having home-court advantage. Not fighting the last 10 games of the season so we won't be in the Play-In [Tournament]. So now you can get rest… So, they both understood that as well.”
With the Clippers as focused as ever, fans might be in for a truly special season in 2023-24. If Kawhi and PG can stay healthy enough.
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