Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue made it clear he won’t be reaching out to former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone for insight ahead of their first-round playoff matchup.
The Clippers are set to face the defending champions in a high-stakes series, but Lue dismissed any suggestion of gaining a strategic edge through backchannels.
Malone was dismissed just a week before the postseason began, ending a tenure that included the 2023 NBA title.
When asked whether he would consider contacting Malone for information on the Nuggets’ system, Lue gave a firm response.
“No,” Lue told reporters. “I mean it’s too close to try to pick somebody’s brain who just got fired and just won a championship two years ago. Out of respect to him, I wouldn’t do that.”
Lue and Malone share mutual respect, having both been long-tenured NBA coaches and former assistants before securing lead roles.
The Nuggets enter the playoffs under interim coach David Adelman, who has worked closely with Malone since 2017 and will lead Denver through a period of abrupt transition.
Despite Denver’s coaching change, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray remain the centerpieces of a team that won 50 games during the regular season.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, closed strong behind the leadership of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
