Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is trying to ensure that his players remain focused and motivated despite their trade deadline sell-off.
Lue responded to comments from Kawhi Leonard, who characterized the Clippers’ season as “over” on Thursday after the team shipped the likes of James Harden and Ivica Zubac elsewhere at the deadline. The coach tried to make clear that the team is still trying to make the playoffs this season.
“Man, we’re playing to win,” Lue said Friday, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I don’t care if it’s young, old, toddlers … whoever’s on the floor, we’re trying to win. I mean, we’re trying to win. There’s no other reason to play.”
That is not necessarily the sort of thing one would want a coach to have to clarify at this stage of the season, but it is where the Clippers are at. The team fell to 27-29 with their loss to the Lakers on Friday, which is still good enough for ninth in the Western Conference. That would leave them as a play-in team as things stand, though obviously they would have to maintain a roughly .500 pace over their final 26 games.
One can certainly understand Leonard’s perspective given what the Clippers did at the deadline. It would also be understandable if he is frustrated, as he is averaging 27.8 points per game in one of his best seasons in years.
