Stephen A. Smith Believes Ty Lue "Should Want Out Of His Contract"

The Los Angeles Clippers hoped to win a championship when they assembled the current roster. Acquiring both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and surrounding them with veterans and role players would seem to be the right formula. Unfortunately, it hasn't panned out the way they expected so far. Therefore, journalist Stephen A. Smith believes coach Tyronn Lue "should want out of his contract."

In a segment on ESPN's NBA Countdown, Stephen A. expressed his dismay with the Clippers. He started off by saying that he is "personally disgusted with the Clippers." He added that Ty Lue "should want out of his contract with the LA Clippers if these dudes ain't ready for the playoffs."

Part of Smith's reasoning alludes to the inconsistent lineups. He went on to mention that "no one is definitively available", game in and game out. The Clippers have had five different starting lineups in the last ten games alone. As a result, they have a record of 3-7. In an animated and repetitive tone, Smith iterates, that regardless of injuries, players should be asked "are you sure you can't play?! ARE YOU SURE!"

"I'm so personally disgusted with the Clippers, that I believe that Ty Lue should want out of his contract with the LA Clippers if these dudes ain't ready for the playoffs."

—@stephenasmith didn't hold back pic.twitter.com/bC6t7jeLQY
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 14, 2023

Admittedly, head coach Ty Lue has had a tough start to the season. Both his All-Stars have missed significant time. George and Leonard have been out of the lineup 14 and 24 times respectively in 40 games so far. Despite that, the Clippers sit in the 8th seed in a competitive Western Conference. Surely, Lue is to credit for that success.

It has been four years now that both Kawhi and PG have been part of the Clippers franchise. What started as optimism toward earning at least a finals trip, has turned into a disastrous experiment. Whether or not it is a complete failure, only time will tell. However, the pressure is definitely on for the Clippers to make something out of what remains this season or suffer through some drastic change, either in coaching or lineups or both.