Billionaire Steve Ballmer Advised to Dismantle Clippers Core, Clearing Path for Darvin Ham’s Replacement

The LA Lakers‘ coach, Darvin Ham, is counting his days at the team after the exit from the playoffs for the second consecutive year. However, the potential replacement for Ham, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, has favorable conditions for him right now as the LA Clippers lost in Game 5 of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith blasted off on the Clippers’ players while appearing on the ESPN show First Take.

When Stephen A. Smith was asked about the Clippers’ performance in Game 5, he jumped right onto them without delay. “It was a catastrophe. … I want wholesale changes in Los Angeles, ” the NBA analyst opinionated on the loss. Moreover, Stephen also gave a piece of advice to former Microsoft CEO and Clippers owner Steven Ballmer.

In his address for the Balmer, Stephen said, “Steve Ballmer needs to blow it up. Enough is enough!” With such brutal feedback from the veteran analyst, the Clippers might make ground-level changes, including the coach.

Moreover, the ones that Stephen was so pissed about were Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Paul George. Kawhi Leonard’s post-season injuries have not provided worth to his star power for the Clippers. After getting into the LA Clippers in 2019, he has only played 28 of the 41 playoff games from his team. The continuous ACL and MCL tear has not juiced up the $176.27 million they signed up for in 2021.

Apart from Kawhi, underperformances from Harden, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook compelled Stephen to dismantle the entire team. However, if the Clippers make a noticeable change, a new roster will need a new guide to point them in the right direction. Coming to the talk of direction, the Lakers will get guideless if Darvin Ham departs from the team.

Can Tyronn Lue Reunite With James After Replacing Darvin Ham?

Several media reports have claimed that Darvin Ham’s exit from the Lakers is just a matter of time. However, the transfer of Tyronn Lue from the Clippers to the Lakers is still a probability yet to become a reality. LeBron respects Lue a lot, as he said earlier this season, “I know T-Lue very well. It don’t take T-Lue long to make sure s**i get right.” King James commented when the Lakers faced the Clippers, and the media called Lue’s team ‘James Harden Clippers.’

An Eastern Conference executive reported to Sean Deveney of Heavy that LeBron would take up Tyronn Lue if the decision were up to him. However, even James’ future at Lakers is not confirmed yet. At the post-match presser after the Game 5 loss, LeBron did not entertain the question of his collaboration with purple and gold. Moreover, there are chances that the Philadelphia 76ers might offer an impressive deal to witness James beside Joel Embiid on the court.

So Tyronn Lue’s incoming to the Lakers is only possible if James extends his stay to lead the team to the Championship. Since Darvin Ham’s ouster is quite expected, the 20x All-Star might stay at the Lakers. However, these speculations will come to light this summer when the Lakers go through an overwhelming change starting from Ham.