Clippers GM Dunleavy drops coaching duties

[duncan228]

Clippers GM Dunleavy drops coaching duties (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-clippers-dunleavy&prov=ap&type=lgns)
By Greg Beacham

Mike Dunleavy has stepped down as the Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach, retaining his job as general manager.

Assistant coach Kim Hughes will replace Dunleavy on the bench, where Dunleavy has led the Clippers to just one winning season since 2003.

The Clippers said Thursday the move was voluntary and mutual for Dunleavy, the winningest coach in franchise history with 215 victories. Yet Los Angeles made the playoffs just once in his first six seasons, reaching the second round in 2006.

Los Angeles has lost five of six heading into Saturday’s home game against San Antonio, with another once-promising season in danger of slipping away. Despite a talented roster, the Clippers are in 12th place in the Western Conference at 21-28.

[lil_penny]

oh damn beat me to it lol

[Xylus]

About damn time. Dunleavy is a bad coach. Not sure why the Clippers kept him around for so long.

[The Gemini Method]

Because it's the Clippers...

Watch as they now go on to win the title next year lol...

[Banzai]

About damn time. Dunleavy is a bad coach. Not sure why the Clippers kept him around for so long.

He's still part of the Organization..still bad though right?

[Pero]

The Clippers said Thursday the move was voluntary and mutual for Dunleavy, the winningest coach in franchise history with 215 victories.

Yeah, but is he also the losingest coach? :lol

[murpjf88]

Why couldn't Dunleavy wait til after saturday's game to step down?

[BRHornet45]

terrible coach and has no business even coaching as an assistant in the NBA.

[Chieflion]

You mean he actually "fired" himself? It is a good testament to show how much he really sucks that he knows it too.

[Mhak]

You mean he actually "fired" himself? It is a good testamaent to show how much he really sucks that he knows it too.
He finally realize how bad he is!!!:bang

[androck]

Why keep him on as GM?

[ElNono]

I never thought I would see this day... and yeah, why would you keep him around at all?

[gm5k]

Yeah, but is he also the losingest coach? :lol

:lol the way they worded that made me crack up as well. "winningest coach in franchise history" :rollini mean yea, it's technically true. but that just sounds hilarious next to Dunleavy's name.

[Sportcamper]

Mike Dunleavy is a great coach....The Clippers just stink...

[21_Blessings]

Watch as they now go on to win the title next year lol...

Kim Hughes is nothing more than a Dunleavy puppet. Dunleavy taught him everything he knows :lol

[duhoh]

sterling needs to be put down.

[duncan228]

Where Do the Clippers Go from Here? (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-wheredotheclippersgo&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews

Congrats, Clippers fans: franchise scourge Mike Dunleavy is finally off the sidelines (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/54486/dunleavy_relieved_of_coaching_duties_by_clippers) and confined to the front office, where he belongs. Now it’s time for the Clips to move on and figure out their future.

Not coincidentally, one of the biggest issues with the Clippers these past two seasons has been their inability to forge a clear identity. Nominal franchise player Baron Davis likes to run, but Dunleavy preferred a half-court game focused on Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby. Baron and his coach were at odds for pretty much their whole time together, in large part because of these disagreements about the team’s style of play.

Interim coach Kim Hughes is considered more of a player’s coach, so it stands to reason that the Clippers will run more. On top of that, their first move will likely be to trade Marcus Camby, whose contract expires this summer. The team has said that they’ll deal Camby if they’re not in the playoff hunt, and that seems to be the case with L.A. seven games out of the final playoff spot. It’s not clear what the Clips can get for Camby, who has been eating up rebounds this year like some sort of rebound-eating machine.

Even if they don’t receive a lot for him, the future looks bright. Tom Ziller noted that they should have at least $10 million in cap space this summer (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/02/05/next-six-months-could-define-next-era-for-clippers/), yet the roster is in good shape regardless of whom they add this summer. With Davis, Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, the promising DeAndre Jordan, and even Rasual Butler, this team has plenty of punch. Add Blake Griffin and another lottery pick and you’re looking at a team brimming with talent.

If you’re still dubious, remember one important thing: Baron Davis is among the best point guards in the NBA when he’s properly motivated. Going home to L.A. was his dream move, yet things haven’t worked out so far. Stick him on a running team, though, and suddenly things become much more pleasant. Gordon, Thornton, and a healthy Griffin could all thrive in a more open system, too, which looks like a pretty solid lineup (on paper, at least). Lure a talented coach to Staples Center and the Clippers could be playoff contenders in 2010-11. They’re closer to success than you think.

*********************

Report: Clippers on Verge of Making the Worst Decision in NBA History (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-reportclippersonverg&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews

Earlier today, I said that the Clippers’ future looks bright (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/54626/where_do_the_clippers_go_from_here?), all things considered. Well, if the latest rumors are true (http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/Los-Angeles-Clippers-Isiah-Thomas-020510), then I was very, very wrong. Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com has the scoop:

NBA Hall of Famer and current men’s basketball coach at Florida International University Isiah Thomas has emerged as one of the candidates to run the Los Angeles Clippers.

According to a source close to the situation, the Clippers have reached out to Thomas—who coached the Indiana Pacers and also the New York Knicks—to take over coaching, general manager and president duties.

Donald Sterling has made a lot of terrible choices in his time as Clippers owner, but this one would certainly take the cake. I mean, sure, maybe Isiah has his merits as a coach, and he made some pretty good draft picks. But did you see what happened to the Knicks over that period?! He ran them into the ground like few others have ever run anything into the ground!

If the Clippers were to hire Isiah to run the entire franchise (!!!), I think we could safely call this one of the worst ideas in the history of ideas. We’d have to go well beyond sports to find a suitable comparison. Herbert Hoover’s post-crash economic and monetary policies come to mind.

Thomas is currently head coach at Florida International University, where he’s led his charges to a 7-18 record in his first season. The Panthers have a solid recruiting class coming in next year, but the NBA is not about recruiting. I literally cannot think of any reason for wanting to hire Isiah Thomas to run your franchise.

For everyone’s sake, let’s hope this isn’t true.