The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have been going on opposite paths all season long. While LeBron James was leading the Lakers to the In-Season Tournament Championship, head coach Tyronn Lue was trying to get the Clippers to gel after trading for James Harden.
But as the Lakers hit a rough patch, the Clippers figured some things out and were one of the hottest teams in the entire league.
That didn’t matter when the two teams met Sunday night as James and the Lakers ended their four-game losing streak with a win over the Clippers. James had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers improved to 2-0 against Lue’s Clippers for the season.
But LeBron still had a ton of praise for his former coach. When asked how the Clippers have looked with Harden so far, James made sure to note how he sees Lue’s fingerprints all over that team
“They’ve looked great,” the Lakers star said after the three-point win. “You say it’s the James Harden Clippers? Nah, it’s the Ty Lue Clippers. I know Ty Lue very well. It don’t take Ty Lue long to make sure shit get right. It took him five games, and they’ve been cooking since.”
Of course, LeBron knows first hand how quickly Lue can take over and impact a team. Back in 2016, Lue took over the Cleveland Cavaliers mid-season and ultimately helped them win the NBA Championship that season. At one point, it looked like Lue would be reuniting with James and the Lakers, but that never came to fruition.
The Lakers eventually went with Frank Vogel, who helped lead the team to the 2020 NBA Championship, but have since moved on to Darvin Ham, who has had his ups and downs with the franchise so far. When asked how he has seen Ham try and get the Lakers through this recent rough patch, LeBron was short and to the point.
“By just trying to keep us prepared when it’s time to go out for battle,” LeBron said in response to the question.
While it very well could be nothing, it is hard not to note the difference in tone when LeBron is talking about Ham in comparison to his former coach, Lue.
With rumors of a possible disconnect between Ham and the Lakers players, everything is coming under the microscope. But as of now, everyone inside the Lakers building is focused on building off this victory and getting the season back on track.
Tyronn Lue defends Lakers head coach Darvin Ham
There continues to be rumors swirling around Ham and his status as Lakers coach, but Lue came to his defense, noting that even though he hasn’t talked to Ham, the way he is being talked about is unfair.
“I was gonna reach out to him a couple of days ago. But it’s definitely unfair,” Lue said before the game. “It’s a long season, different things go on throughout the course of a season, a lot of changing parts. We said the same thing last year when they were 2-10 and went to the Conference Finals. So are you giving the coach all the credit for that? I don’t think so.”
Lue’s advice to Ham was simple, just do what you feel is best. “So the biggest thing for me with D-Ham is just keep doing what you believe in. What he did last year was huge, going from 2-10 to going to the Conference Finals. That says a lot about what he can do as a coach.
“So just stay positive, continue to do the work you’re supposed to be doing and things will work out.”
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