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Chris Paul was the LA Clippers’ starting All-Star point guard when Ty Lue joined head coach Doc Rivers’ staff in 2013 as the lead assistant. Lue stayed only one season with the Clippers after the Cleveland Cavaliers made him the highest-paid assistant coach in 2014.
In an episode of "The Shop," "CP3" recounted what he remembered most during their time together with the Clippers:
(starts at 18:20)
“Some coaches show films and stuff and be like, ‘Look, our defense gotta be better.’ ‘Well, coach, they just going to his end.’ T [Lue] wasn’t like that. I’ve had teammates, and Ty know, I had teammates, too that, when he was like that, they ain’t like it. They didn’t like it."
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Ty Lue has earned a reputation as an honest and straightforward coach. He doesn’t beat around the bush and just simply tells players the truth. Lue did exactly the same thing to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in his first head-coaching job with the Cavaliers.
If the champion coach could do it to two of the NBA’s biggest superstars, he wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to any player. Chris Paul experienced it even before the coach got his first head playcalling gig.
Paul added how he and Ty Lue quickly bonded:
“I’m also a player that’s like that. I’d much rather have a guy on my team to sort of tell me, if I get like three turnovers, ‘Damn, C, take care of the ball!’ I like that energy. … I never asked a teammate to do something I won’t do. … T was like that as a coach but everybody ain’t necessarily like that.”
Chris Paul also noted how the Clippers changed when Lue took his talents to Cleveland to help LeBron James deliver a championship:
(11:05 mark)
“T Lue is unique in that he’s just a players’ coach. It don’t matter if you’re 35 or if you’re 20. You just gonna respect T Lue. … T Lue, man, our team changed drastically when he left.”
The LA Clippers dispatched Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. They, however, couldn’t overcome Kevin Durant’s OKC Thunder in the semifinals.
Chris Paul could play for Ty Lue again if he signs with the LA Clippers
Stranger things have happened but Chris Paul could reunite with Ty Lue if he opts to sign with the LA Clippers. If the Phoenix Suns do waive “CP3,” several elite title-contending teams could be vying for his services.
The Clippers, along with the LA Lakers, the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat appear to be the top contenders to land him.
Russell Westbrook, Lue’s starting point guard last season, is an unrestricted free agent and appears to be looking for a bigger payday. “Russ” resurrected his career after signing with the Clippers and could be in line for a contract that’s bigger than the veteran’s minimum.
If Westbrook is not coming back, Chris Paul could take his spot as Ty Lue’s superstar playmaker. Under Lue’s coaching, the Clippers pushed the Phoenix Suns even without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard playing just one game in the series.
Lue knows Paul well and could maximize the last remaining years of his Hall of Fame career.
