The LA Clippers are spiraling, and the urgency is getting harder to ignore. After a 121-103 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies followed by another defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team is now 7-21 on the season.
That’s not just underwhelming - it’s alarming. And yet, the front office, led by Steve Ballmer, is sticking with the status quo: Tyronn Lue remains the head coach, and Lawrence Frank is still calling the shots in the front office.
But at some point, the past can’t keep protecting the present. Lue’s 2016 championship with the Cavaliers was historic, no doubt.
But nearly a decade later, it’s fair to ask if that title is still doing too much heavy lifting. The Clippers are stuck in neutral, and the product on the court reflects it.
Meanwhile, there’s a championship coach sitting at home - and he might be exactly what this team needs.
Michael Malone: The Proven Winner Waiting in the Wings
Michael Malone is available. That alone should raise eyebrows in any front office looking to shake things up.
Less than two years removed from leading the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA title in 2023, Malone was fired in April 2025 - just days before the playoffs. Denver was 47-32 at the time, sitting fourth in the West.
This wasn’t a team in free fall. It was a team with postseason potential.
So why did the Nuggets pull the plug? Reports pointed to a fractured relationship between Malone and then-GM Calvin Booth, along with a sense that Malone’s message wasn’t resonating with the locker room anymore. Internal dysfunction, not results, drove the decision.
Sound familiar, Clippers fans?
Malone left Denver as the winningest coach in franchise history, posting a 471-327 record over 10 seasons. He delivered eight straight winning seasons, two trips to the Western Conference Finals, and that 2023 championship.
When Denver hit a late-season skid and slipped into the play-in conversation, ownership opted for a reset. But make no mistake - Malone’s résumé speaks for itself.
And he’s not quietly fading into the background. According to reporting, his reaction to the firing was far from calm. That’s the fire of a coach who still believes he can win - and wants another shot to prove it.
Why Malone Fits What the Clippers Desperately Need
Let’s be clear: the Clippers don’t just need a new voice. They need a new direction. And Malone brings exactly that.
This season, the Clippers have been a mess in crunch time. They’ve blown double-digit leads, looked disorganized in late-game situations, and struggled with basic execution - like inbounding the ball without stepping out of bounds.
These aren’t just player issues. They’re coaching issues.
Take the Memphis game. The Clippers had a 64-63 lead midway through the third quarter.
Then came a 9-0 Grizzlies run, and the game was essentially over. Memphis shot 52% from the field, with Jaren Jackson Jr. going off for 31 points on 72% shooting - his first 20-point game in six outings.
Cam Spencer, a role player, dropped a career-high 27 points and hit seven threes. The Clippers had no answers.
No adjustments. No fight.
That’s the kind of performance Malone wouldn’t let slide. In Denver, he was known for holding players accountable - sometimes publicly.
After a blowout loss to Portland late last season, he didn’t mince words. He demanded more.
That’s the kind of leadership the Clippers are sorely lacking.
Right now, the offense in LA often boils down to Kawhi Leonard or James Harden going one-on-one while everyone else watches. It’s isolation-heavy, stagnant, and predictable.
Malone, on the other hand, built a fluid, movement-based system in Denver around Nikola Jokić - one that empowered role players and emphasized ball movement. It wasn’t just about stars; it was about structure.
That structure is missing in LA. The Clippers recently snapped a long home losing streak that stretched back to Halloween. That kind of futility doesn’t happen unless something is fundamentally broken - and it starts at the top.
The Clippers’ Inexplicable Commitment to the Status Quo
Here’s the frustrating part: despite the team’s record and the glaring issues on the court, the Clippers don’t appear ready to make a move. Ballmer seems committed to giving Lue and Frank more time to “figure it out,” even as the season slips away.
It’s the same mindset that led to moving on from Chris Paul for being “too critical” - rather than addressing the problems that warranted the criticism in the first place. The Clippers have become a franchise more concerned with preserving egos than demanding accountability.
And that’s a problem.
Michael Malone is 54, available, and motivated. He’s coached two All-Star Games, has a championship ring, and knows how to develop young talent.
He’s not a retread. He’s a proven winner with something to prove.
But instead of seizing the opportunity to bring in a coach with a clear system, a championship pedigree, and a track record of accountability, the Clippers are standing pat. And as long as they do, they’re not just wasting a season - they’re wasting the twilight years of Kawhi Leonard’s and James Harden’s careers.
The Clippers don’t need nostalgia. They need a new vision. Michael Malone could be that vision - if they’re willing to see it.