As the Los Angeles Clippers gear up for their first-round playoff series against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, coach Ty Lue isn't reaching out to a former employee in the Mile High City.
At his press conference Friday, Lue told reporters that he hasn't asked fired coach Michael Malone for advice to take down the Nuggets. Malone, of course, was shockingly canned by Denver in early April with three games left in the 2024-25 regular season.
"I didn't want to reach out to him because if someone loses their job, you don't want to reach out and [say], 'Oh, how do you stop this team?'" Lue said. "That's not fair to him."
Lue has stayed consistent about his take on the matter all week. He laid out a similar notion while speaking to the media Tuesday.
"It's too close to try to pick somebody's brain when they just got fired, just won a championship two years ago," Lue said. "I wouldn't do that. No, out of respect for him, I wouldn't do that."
Tyronn Lue on Michael Malone:
— Law Murray 💭🚫 (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 16, 2025
"It's too close to try to pick somebody's brain when they just got fired, just won a championship two years ago. I wouldn't do that. No, out of respect for him, I wouldn't do that." pic.twitter.com/OvGZOedwFh
If anyone would know the weaknesses of the Nuggets it's Malone, who finished his Denver tenure as the franchise's all-time leader in total wins (471) and playoff wins (44). He also is the only coach to lead the Nuggets to an NBA championship, doing so in 2023.
But Lue is relying on his own team's scouting and talent to get past the Nuggets and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ty Lue Had Classy Reason for Not Asking Fired Michael Malone for Tips Before Nuggets-Clippers.
