Kim Hughes displays honesty in addressing Clippers’ issues

Winning five of 20 games, guiding the good ship Clippers in the dog days of March will provoke a few obvious and natural questions.

Starting with the most basic one of all, for Clippers’ interim head coach Kim Hughes:

Are you enjoying this?

“Yes. Everybody tells me, ‘It’s so hard. You have no power and you’re in a terrible position,’ ” said Hughes, who took over for Mike Dunleavy behind the bench on Feb. 4. “I could care less about that. I’ve been given a chance that not many guys have. I like the power of it too.

“I’ll tell you, I don’t mind the power.”

It’s all about tone. Hughes wasn’t sounding like some power-crazed coach, like an Alexander Haig wannabe with a whistle.

Not at all.

He was his usual matter-of-fact self, almost bordering on whimsical.

What Hughes did mind was having to air out some — “how about half the team” — at practice on Thursday. Hughes has grown weary of his players “never thinking” they’ve committed a foul and acting upset when bypassed by a teammate making a pass.

“This is a game where you have to let things go, and I addressed that,” he said.

That was the family-friendly, G-rated version.

“I like a hard consonant adjective that’s not appropriate for women and children around, but in this venue it’s OK,” he said. “I’d like to not do that during a game. But my thought is I’m going to tell him face to face.

“But they also know when I talk to other people, I’m not going to sugarcoat it and lie for him.”

His honesty was not a surprise to those who had the good fortune to listen to him a couple of times last season when he filled in for Dunleavy, livening up an often desultory campaign.

His pregame news conference was more like a comedy routine. There was one outstanding session before a game against the Nuggets when Hughes was asked that night what was wrong with then-injured center Chris Kaman.

“Do you have like an hour to talk about it?” Hughes said, jokingly.

The relationship between Hughes and Kaman is an often fascinating battle of wills. Close but often testy.

Kaman said in an interview on Tuesday that he has had his differences in recent weeks with his longtime mentor. He did, however, bounce back and play far more effectively in Wednesday’s win against Milwaukee.

“Chris and I get into it,” Hughes said. “We have to because I expect more from Chris than I do other players. I think he’s an All-Star, and I expect more from him than other players. If that’s unfair, I’m OK with that.

“He’s hard-headed. He thinks he’s hard-headed, but I’m about 10 times more hard-headed than he is.”

But Hughes didn’t enjoy having to be the stern father figure on Thursday.

“I don’t like barking at some of the players like I had to today to tell them to shut up,” he said. “That bothers me. I don’t like that part. I wish we were more of a family.

“But sometimes you have to admonish your family even though you love them as well.”

Etc.

Point guard Baron Davis had something of a maintenance day, stretching on the sideline, among other things, during the scrimmaging portion of the practice session.... Hughes to injured rookie Blake Griffin: “What did you do today to get better?” Griffin: “I was in rehab for three and a half hours.”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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