Mike Dunleavy’s message wasn’t getting through

Whether the blame lies with the coach or his players, it became clear on the Clippers’ recent trip that Mike Dunleavy’s message was no longer getting through to his team. And that, as much as anything else, led to Dunleavy’s decision to step down as the Clippers’ head coach Thursday. He remains the team’s general manager.

“Maybe they’re not hearing me,” Dunleavy said Friday. “Maybe another voice could do it.”

He’ll soon find out. For the rest of the season, the voice the Clippers will be hearing belongs to longtime assistant Kim Hughes, a former player, scout and player personnel director in the NBA whose laid-back, soft-spoken personality stands in sharp contrast to Dunleavy’s.

“The guys really like his style,” said center Chris Kaman, who has worked more closely with Hughes than any other Clipper. “It’s just a different face and a different voice and a different attitude than Coach Dunleavy. There’s going to be a lot of things that are done differently.”

Baron Davis conceded the team had grown stale and needed a shot of enthusiasm.

“Game to game the element of fun and excitement was few and far between,” he said. “For the talent that we have and the type of players that we have, we have to play at a very high level. And it has to be fun to keep everybody engaged.”

It hasn’t been fun lately. The team is coming off a 2-6 trip, losing consecutive games to New Jersey and Minnesota, the two worst teams in the league.

Before the New Jersey game, Dunleavy said he repeatedly warned his team not to overlook the Nets. But the Clippers came out flat and lost by 16 points.

“That bothered me,” he said Friday. “I don’t know what else you can say. How else can you do [it] but just lay it flat out on the line: ‘Here is your weakness. It’s inside of you to focus and come out with that killer instinct.’

“That one really disappointed me. And it had, probably, a big part in me making the decision.”

Dunleavy is expected to be out on a scouting trip Saturday when the Clippers host the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have beaten the Clippers in 14 straight games.

Hughes’ debut

The Spurs game won’t be the easiest of coaching debuts for Hughes, who wasn’t shy about putting his own stamp on the Clippers during Friday morning’s practice.

Hughes, who addressed the team before the workout, later pulled Davis and Marcus Camby aside for one-on-one chats and promised to have regular face-to-face talks with his players. He also plans to cut down on film sessions and shorten team meetings.

“We need to shorten the intelligence factor and make things simpler,” Hughes said. “I’m really trying to get our energy back. And trying to make this fun.”

On the court he wants the Clippers to run on offense and play unselfishly on defense. He also plans to pare the Clippers’ playlist and let Davis handle most of the calls. Under Dunleavy, most play calls came from the bench.

“They’re going to allow us to play, make suggestions and just be a team,” Davis said. “The most important thing at this point is for us to come together as a team. I just want us to get to playing. And I want us to play for him. And everything else should work itself out.”

Thomas rumors

A Fox Sports report Friday said the Clippers “reached out” to Isiah Thomas about taking over the team.

A Clippers official laughed off the story, saying Isaiah Thomas, a University of Washington guard, has a better chance of joining them than the ex-Knicks coach.

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Times staff writer Mark Heisler contributed to this report.