Clippings: Chauncey Billups still in running to be Pacers head coach

We’ll await official word dropping, but it’s been widely reported that Tyronn Lue will be the next LA Clippers head coach. It’s a monumental move in Clippers history but we’ll get to more of that below.

Word among the reputable reports dropping about Lue’s hire is that Chauncey Billups is moving from being a color commentator on Clips broadcasts to lead assistant under Lue — but Billups reportedly has another option in the works, too.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning on ESPN that Billups will take the Clippers assistant job if he does not get the Indiana Pacers head coach job, for which he remains in the mix. J. Michael reported in the Indianapolis Star Thursday afternoon that the Pacers will aim to narrow their search down to three candidates and interview them by the end of the month, with Billups believed to be quite likely to be one of those finalists.

The 44-year-old Billups is eager to get into coaching and having multiple possibilities (in this economy?!) to get on that track is ideal for the individual. And while one might think the head coach option would be more attractive than working as the assistant, it is possible Billups would opt to go with the Clippers as the team more title-ready and get some reps as an assistant before making the jump to head coach straightaway. Or he might not get offered the Pacers job, we’ll have to see what happens.

More news for an eventful Friday:

• Lue is the best choice for Clippers: So says Sabreena, who breaks down what Lue will bring as the man in charge of the Clips.
• The Athletic agrees: This column endorses the Lue hiring, while also providing background of the process to end up picking him. One note: More than once this story highlights the desire on the Clippers’ part to better integrate the front office and coaching staff. Hmmm...
• More background on the process: Here’s the news story from the LA Times.
• Barnes supports hire: Former Clipper Matt Barnes, who played in LA while Lue was an assistant the first time around here, said on “The Jump” Thursday he thinks Lue’s communication skills will be a big positive as the head coach.

• All pressure: For a different take, I thought this column in The Ringer does a good job explaining how Lue somehow found a job with even more pressure than the Lakers’ head coaching job he ultimately didn’t take last year.
• Morey leaves Rockets: Daryl Morey’s tenure as GM of the Houston Rockets has been a “love ‘em or hate ‘em” time, although yes, I think most Clippers fans hated the Rockets. But Morey helped transform the NBA with some really Galaxy Brain thinking over the years, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Zach Lowe has a good look back at the many moves Morey orchestrated during his Rockets tenure.