Clippers 2021 Championship Odds Sit at +450 After Naming Ty Lue Head Coach – Can He Lead Them to a Title?

• The Los Angeles Clippers are set to appoint Ty Lue as their new head coach
• Chauncey Billups will join Lue’s staff, working as his assistant
• How can the Clippers adapt this roster to become legitimate title contenders? 

Tyronn Lue is set to succeed Doc Rivers as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Lue, who has been linked with a raft of NBA head coaching roles over the last few weeks, is signing a five-year deal with the Clippers after working as an assistant to Rivers in 2019-20.

Chauncey Billups will fill Lue’s role as lead assistant. Billups has been suggested for coaching and front office roles in the past, and played a couple of seasons with the Clippers late in his career.

The table below has the latest NBA Championship odds, with the Clippers trailing the Lakers.

2021 NBA Championship Odds

Odds taken from FanDuel on October 15th

Lue and Billups Face Motivation Challenge

It has become an NBA cliche to talk of Ty Lue’s relationship with players. Billups falls into the same category. This hire from the Clippers is a clear effort to build a coaching staff that will motivate and challenge the players. Lue and Billups are a duo that can both relate with the players and confront them when required.

Lue in particular has incredible experience in this department. He held together a Cavaliers dressing room of contrasting, and often difficult, personalities.  It has been widely reported that he was unafraid to call out LeBron James.

Of course, he is a championship winning coach. Billups might not have the coaching experience, but he brings postseason know-how. He has been there and done it, winning the title and Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Welcome, Ty Lue! 💪

Let’s get it, Clippers Nation! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RY4a06r6eo

— Clippers Nation (@ClipperNationCP) October 15, 2020

Chemistry was the buzzword with the Clippers in 2019-20. They looked a disjointed team throughout the season, and that reared its head in their playoff meltdown at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. Some players mentioned a lack of chemistry after they were eliminated.

There’s talent on this roster, but they lacked leadership last season. Lue and Billups need to pull the team together.

Roster Improvements

The Clippers are in no position to make big moves. They have no cap space or picks to trade. Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell are free agents, and they have little choice but to pay to keep them. Luckily, Steve Ballmer has the deepest of pockets to do just that.

Not a major surprise here. Ty Lue is a good coach and I’m glad he’s back with a head coaching gig. Can’t wait to see what the front office might do next to reshape the roster this offseason. https://t.co/rLRzAqAVrs

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 15, 2020

Rivers made mistakes and important players underperformed, but the postseason also exposed issues with this roster. They lacked ball-handling and an interior defensive presence. Lou Williams and Harrell, usually an unstoppable duo off the bench, struggled offensively and were a glaring weakness on the defensive end.

LA’s front office needs to make a couple of smart moves. They should be looking to trade for a point guard and pick up a cheap center.

Lue’s the Perfect Man for the Job

It’s no coincidence that the Sixers, Rockets and Pelicans were also interested in Lue. He was the best coach on the market.

I also like the Chauncey Billups hire. If you watched Clippers games on Prime Ticket this past season, you know how well he saw the game from an X's and O's standpoint. That kind of guy is valuable.

— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) October 15, 2020

The Clippers wouldn’t have made this decision if Lue wasn’t respected by the players. The one question of this, though, is whether Lue is a sufficient change from the old regime. He was present for the 3-1 collapse against Denver, he was there all year long as this team searched for that much-discussed ‘chemistry’. Of course, that was Rivers’ team, and it’s probably unfair to judge Lue on this season.

Only a handful of active coaches have won championships. No other coach in NBA history has guided a team back from 3-1 down in the Finals. Lue has the track record of bringing together a roster of personalities that do not naturally gel, and in Billups, he has an assistant that will command the respect of the players.

He’s also shown an ability to make in-season, mid-series and in-game adjustments that have helped his team win, a factor that was underrated during his Cleveland stint.

Tweaks to the roster are required before the Clippers become a good bet to win it all, but this was the biggest move they will make this off-season, and everything suggests they have got the right man for the job.