Last Friday, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported that, “[O]ne source plugged in to Clipperland insists owner Donald Sterling has already flirted seriously with the idea of dismissing Mike Dunleavy immediately.”
Despite the popular perception that Donald Sterling would never pay a coach not to work — particularly one still owed nearly $10 million through the summer of 2011 — it appears that the rumors are real. Warren LaGarie, Dunleavy’s agent, made a trip down to Los Angeles last week, surfacing in Playa during a Clippers practice, and was at Staples Center on November 13 watching two of his clients, Dunleavy and Toronto coach, Jay Triano, square off.
Smoke, meet fire.
One has to assume that the demoralizing loss to Toronto last Friday, in which the Clips blew a 22-point lead — turned the heat up even further on Dunleavy. The Clips departed on Saturday for a three-game swing through Oklahoma City, New Orleans (sans CP3) and Memphis. A 2-1 road trip would’ve likely bought Dunleavy some additional time, but after a spirited win in OKC against a good Thunder team, the Clips dropped two consecutive — and particularly ugly — games.
Ever since Elton Brand ruptured his Achilles tendon in August 2007, one of Mike Dunleavy’s mantras has been “give me healthy bodies and I’ll win you some basketball games.” Since that summer, there have been neither healthy bodies nor winning basketball. The 2007-08 squad was a MASH unit: Elton Brand logged eight games at the end of the season. Dan Dickau and Tim Thomas played more games than Sam Cassell and Chris Kaman respectively. And not since Airplane! have there been more incapicated bodies on a carrier than on the Clippers’ 2008-09 charter jet. These crippled Clippers squads combined for a 42-122 record, and last season’s lazy 19-63 team was particularly unpalatable.
The Clippers seemed primed for improvement after Kaman and Baron Davis showed up at training camp looking svelte, the team secured Blake Griffin, and a series of smart roster moves bolstered the Clippers’ depth. They came out of the gate 3-4 against tough competition, but have reeled off a 1-5 record since their best player, Eric Gordon, went down with a strained groin. Most profound than the 1-5 mark is the way the Clippers have lost — a brutal combination of lackadaisical blowouts and late-game choke jobs.
Those calling for Dunleavy’s firing have plenty of evidence to support their position. Rarely has a head coach survived so long with such a poor record. Dunleavy would probably counter that the 2009-10 team was playing well prior to Gordon’s absence, when the coach had — with Gordon and Kaman — his first legitmiate long-distance shooter/capable big man strong-side combination in Los Angeles since Cassell and Brand (though Sam averaged fewer than one 3-pointer/game as a Clipper).
Should Dunleavy be fired immediately? It’s under serious consideration, according to sources.
If I were Mike Dunleavy and Warren LeGarie, here’s how I would construct my defense:
- With Eric Gordon healthy, the Clippers have outscored the competition — competition that includes the three top teams in the Western Conference.
- Eric Gordon’s net overall on/off rating of places him the NBA’s Top 10.
- The unit of Davis-Gordon-Butler-Camby-Kaman absolutely crushed their opponents, outscoring them 223-184 over 99 minutes.
- This unit wasn’t merely good. In fact, there is only one unit in basketball that’s logged more minutes, more efficiently (Miami’s unit of Chalmers-Wade-Richardson-Beasley-O’Neal).
Given these data, if I were Dunleavy and his representatives, I would lobby Clippers ownership and its principals for a stay of execution until Gordon returns to the lineup.
At that time, if the team can’t show significant improvement with a healthy Eric Gordon — and demonstrate that improvement quickly — then any decision by the organization is fair game.
65 Responses
Didn’t MDsr brag about being his own agent back when he played? Obviously he must not have the same bravado as a coach than he did as a player….
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Counterpoints to the defensive arguments aside, I question his general desire to fit with the team and its fans. From LA Times today:
“I understand fans,” he said. “I don’t blame fans. They’re not technically a lot of times savvy. They don’t understand and they don’t weigh issues the way that you weigh them. They know wins and losses.”
Defending his capabilities while taking an unnecessary cheapshot at the entire fan base… it’s apparent that he’s working harder to preserve whatever’s left with his professional pedigree than reconnecting with the team. Of course maximizing your squad’s ability to win is the easiest way to do that, so the fact that he thinks verbal manipulation gives him a better shot is downright pathetic.
His current chain of thought probably runs something similar to the following: “I’m already getting guaranteed money from the Clips regardless of what happens and it’s increasingly likely that I won’t get an extension from them. Staying on as GM only effectively kills further earnings power with my coaching experience so it’s either retaining the dual post with this team or quit, stick with my coaching philosophy, blame it on external variables (fans, franchise, injuries, owner) and try to land another gig with another team.
Like others have commented I do not agree with Dunleavy’s conjecture regarding throwing away the season with interim coaches; at the very least we’re already on the path of throwing away the season by tussling with his situation. However, while keeping him as GM and promoting Lucas to head coaching capacity would be a viable and perhaps the preferred solution given Sterling’s contractual commitment with both, Dunleavy’s responses, as analyzed above, suggests this outcome is unlikely to happen.
imho it’ll come down to how willing Sterling is to pay for two other guys (GM & coach) while paying Dunleavy for nothing. I doubt anybody out there expects Sterling to pull the trigger given his track record, so this actually sets up a great opportunity for the owner to rebuild his reputation of being a miserly owner and an inconsiderate businessman. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
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John R. Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 10:34 am
“unnecessary cheapshot at the entire fan base…”
I assume the ellipses in this sentence was to replace the words “who seem to enjoy taking cheapshots at him”?
Just curious.
I notice you didn’t put effort into refuting the point that the fanbase is not savvy a lot of times. I mean I’m reading the comment section here and I have to agree. A distinct lack of savvy.
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:02 am
If your coach and GM, wins and losses are all that matter.
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Oh wait, I’m not savvy enough to understand why losing is a good thing. Sorry about my reply above.
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LC Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:26 am
On the ellipsis assumption: First off, I’m sure most coaches of professional teams come into the job expecting oppositions in one form or another. I might be biased but imho Clips fans, by necessity, is already a rational and knowledgeable bunch relative to others who wouldn’t criticize for the sake of criticizing. I can give Dunleavy benefit of the doubt in that factors unknown to the public convinced him to believe that some fans are taking cheapshots at him, and perhaps retaliating against that specific subgroup was his original intent. But the reality is that he allowed that comment on Clips fans in general to go on print, essentially calling them out and saying “they don’t understand” the game. That was a cheapshot and he’s a smart enough man to be aware of the potential consequences.
On savvy: nah, not that I believe clips fans lack savvy – in fact it’s quite the opposite in that majority of clips fans I speak really know the game and expressed willingness to be passionate if the organization gives them a chance to. I just think that was besides the point of my original post.
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lawler's law Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:51 am
so you mean to tell me that Lakers fans are bball savvy? At least more than a constant loser organization named the Clippers? The last minutes of the Denver blowout, boos were raining upon the lakers…that’s savvy?
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Kevin M Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Shouldn’t you be over at ClipsNation blowing mwhite06? What’s cheap about calling for the head of a coach/GM who has a winning percentage under 40 percent over the course of six-plus seasons?
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bongstradamus Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
The difference between a real coach and mike dunleavy, is about 50 less excuses and 150 more wins in his career.
Rick Adelman went mano y mano with TMac to keep him off the floor. Houston’s current best offensive threat: Chuck Hayes. Houstons current best “star”: Shane Battier. Houston’s record: 7-5, 6th in conference.
Thats a real coach.
There are no more excuses. Its time to get rid of Dunleavy. Real coaches dont need stars, they need respect and impassioned play, and Dunleavy doesnt have the respect or passion of the team or the fans. He had his chance, more than he deserved actually. End this, please.
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gsr Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
“They’re not technically a lot of times savvy”
This statement says it all. He has limitations which prevents him from becoming a winning coach. Sports is totally a different world; where emotions, loyalty, passion, provocations, disappointments ,,,,,,and so many aspects come into play. That’s why every has top have solid FAN BASE.
Unfortunately Dunleavy doesn’t get it. He’s wired to trade stocks at wall street. But one Mr.Sterling gave him second life in NBA which he did not deserve.
Talk about technically savvy! Is this guy still our coach?
Fans don’t follow a team because they’re technically savvy. They do because they love their team. They want their team to succeed. They feel down when their team suffers. That’s how stuff works in sports world. If fans are not involved mentally and emotionally, no team can sustain itself.
And the coach like Dunnleafy won’t make millions.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I am a season ticket holder. I will not renew next year with Mike Dunleavy as head coach, regardless of his record. It is time for a change. I suggest you do it now.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:00 am
1.Who’s responsible for Elton Brand’s departure?(Dunleavy+Sterling wanted Brand out)
2. Who told Dunleavy to ignore hardworking Maggette and bring physically challenged BDavis from GSW?
We prematurely let go these 2 real iron men and recruited bunch of injury prone aging players. Clippers never stooped this low under Brand-Maggette era.
Talent alone is not enough. Players need to possess iron-clad physical fitness.
Under Dunleavy, this team cannot and will not stay healthy. Look at how sparingly he uses the bench until our bench players get injured. He likes to see his players getting injured. That’s why he plays them 40+min. each game.
How come he didn’t use Kareem Rush early on? We could have won few more games with his defense. And he didn’t even think of using Novak when we’re down big in several games.
Dunleavy is mentally unfit to make sound judgements during gametime. That’s what driving everyone crazy. Incuding Lucas & Kim Hughes. They are not happy to work with Dunleavy either(my imagination, ofcourse. Dellusional? maybe. What do u expect? hey, we’re sinking)
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VH Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Did you just call Maggette an ironman? Dude was always injured or complaining about something
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James Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Im sure sorry we didn’t keep F Elton …hes awesome still….not. And Corey Maggette an Iron man…lol yeah him and Marcus Camby
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bongstradamus Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
As a fan, I still have a huge place in my heart for Brand and Maggette. I cant help but think Elton would be doing better if he were still here doing what he did for us for nearly a decade, and thats 20/10 every night he was on the court. As fans, we owe Elton a lot for making this franchise take itself seriously, and sure his parting was like getting stabbed in the gut, but honestly we owe Elton a lot and shouldnt hold it against him for trying to find a better place to finish his career.
And Maggette I always loved since he came to this team. I always wonder how he would have developed if Sterling let him go to Utah to play with Sloan. Maggette and Brand were an era for this team. One where we had delusions of winning, and honestly, I dont want to forget what that was like. Gentry’s Clippers were going somewhere. Like Gentry’s Suns are going places this year.
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Fritz Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
are you guys f***ing kidding? The only Maggette ever worked hard at were his numbers and his muscle tone. He had the physical tools to play good d but he never did. He was a black hole on offense and a nightmare for team chemistry.
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bongstradamus Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I dont think thats accurate Fritz. Sure he demanded the ball alot, but there were many many many times Brand and Maggette put the team on their backs and won. They had chemistry on the court. And in the first 5 years of Maggettes stay, every player worked well with him on the court. Dooling, Q, D-Miles, McInnis, Parks, Rooks, even Lamar. He orchestrated many runs from behind and changed entire games with his explosiveness.
Peoples memories are short and they tend to remember the negatives more than the positives. Maggette got stepchilded by Dunleavy and all people think is negative.
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Gordon for President Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Am I missing something? Is this an alternate dimension? “but there were many many many times Brand and Maggette put the team on their backs and won”.
When was this ever true? Maggette is the worst 20 point scorer I have ever seen. The only year we were good, 05-6, Maggs was out almost the entire year. I jumped for joy when MDSr. let him walk.
bongstradamus Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Yes, the 2000-2003 Gentry Clippers. And that brief period Dennis Johnson coached. The last time we had a real coach.
Fritz Reply:
November 24th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
probably too late for this thread, but I totally disagree, bong, and my memory is not short. Magg sucks, he is a talented athlete (obviously) who figured out how to score 20 pts. and get to the foul line. Beyond that, he has no value to a basketball team. He sucks on defense, he doesn’t pass, he is not a good shooter, and he completely disrupts any offensive flow. Glad he is on GS and not the Clips. I don’t necessarily think MDSr. handled him the right way in the 40-42 season (probably should have started Magg after it was clear the line-up needed a shakeup after the bad start, instead of constantly blaming the Moscow trip) but there is no way MAgg is worth what he is getting paid now.
Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Wouldn’t it be best for Dunleavy’s agent for Dunleavy to get fired? He’d get paid off and it would open him up for TV gigs or whatever else he could do while not coaching.
That LA Times quote is horrible in so many ways. Did he really say that?
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I don’t think dumb loony will get fired until it’s proven he can’t win with a healthy team. The Clippers have always been able to play the injury card when the losses pile up. It’s Ralph Lawler’s mantra.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Excuses. Excuses. Excuses. Dunleavy is just full of it and I’m getting sick and tired of hearing it. Dunleavy. Your time is up. Sterling needs to fire this guy immediately before things get even worse.
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VH Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Thats exactly it. While other teams (Sacramento, Milwaukee) are winning while their stars are injured, we can not. But at the same time its mind blowing Dunleavy still has a job. Why try to use rational arguement
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bongstradamus Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
What bout Houston without Yao and T-Mac? Rick Adelman has 12 role players and breaking in a new star in Ariza while his top two players have injuries. He’s even doing his best to delay T-Macs return (mad props for that btw).
If Adelman had this roster…wow. From a sheer talent perspective, even without Eric and Blake, we have the tools necessary to put competitive product on the floor. We just dont have the personnel to coach them to victory. We have 3 healthy 7 footers and 3 all stars that are healthy. So we’re missing a rook and a sophomore and now we cant win? Bullshit.
Dunleavy the GM put together a great team, but Dunleavy the Coach just cant coach them. Injuries or not, the excuses have been played out. You either inspire your team to play or you dont, and Dunleavy is the farthest thing from inspirational.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Great article Kevin. You’ve treated the topic of Dunleavy with impartial intelligence and class since I started reading CB.
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JM Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Agreed.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:41 am
I am actually considering going to staples center tonight . Why ? I have no idea. Well to impress a hot date. There are better ways I suppose. Maybe I will just record it on my DVR and do something esle.
Dunleavy has lost his mind. The defense was horrible against Memphis and I was not even mad. Its as if I expected it to happen that . Outside of Kaman , B.Davis and Thorton , LA was flat.
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lawler's law Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Nothing like a Clippers blowout to get her in the mood…
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laknights Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
A pity (bleep)? Trust me as a woman, the only one she’ll pity is herself for dating a loser who follows the Clippers.
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Stian Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Sounds like coming from someone who’s best friend is a vibrator and assorted vegetables.
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RL Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
You sure you’re trying to impress her? You got a better chance of getting laid by taking her to the movies.. Trust me on this – I know from personal experience.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I want them to win when EJ comes back. But at the same time I want Dunleavy to go.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Hire Sam Cassell as head coach – sign Marko Jaric (his wife will probably draw a larger crowd) to replace Rush. Sam won’t take anything from anybody and having both Kim Hughes and John Lucas on the bench will provide stability. Sam would bring up the level of intensity. Dunleavy has made some great moves a GM – let him do what he does best.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Of course Dunleavy wants healthy players, but the larger point (which he seems to be missing) is that his players don’t respect/like him. So without a fresh start with a new coach, all of these guys (healthy or not) are going to play 80% at best.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Exactly. What point is it having your team healthy, when the players don’t even respect you? If you ask me, even when we’re healthy, it’ll still be the same old theme. 4th quarter droughts, horrible substitutions, horrible offensive sets, etc. Dunleavy just can’t coach period. He has lost this team and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. You can just see the body language of the players and how they respond to Dunleavy. They don’t give a damn, and frankly why should we as fans, if he’s still here? Get somebody in here who the players would love to play for and isn’t such an ego-driven control freak, and I guarantee you we’ll start to take off. There is just too much talent on this team to be where we are at this early in this season. Even without Eric and Blake, we should be better than 4-9.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
It is not up to Eric Gordon to save Mike Dunleavy job nor should it be. It is abvious that this team cannot perform under this guy and they need to make a change. The Clippers look bad on the floor but on paper they should be winning alot of games. Fire him ASAP. See you guys tonight.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
It seems Dunleavy has one foot out the door and lets face it, he has over stayed his welcome. We dont know how good the team could be yet, its too early. Once everyone is healthy Dunleavy has no excuss to be losing games, every game should be exciting and they should be blowing weaker teams out by 20.
Can this happen with Dunleavy??????????? maybe
Call me crazy but the clipps should persue Byron Scott yes I sad it.
What better coach is available at the moment. Yes Scott and BD had thier differences in the past but BD has matured and Scott still wants to coach and can. This clipper team is the best in history. Dunleavy is only good because he allows players to play their game. Is this whats best for the team we dont know yet, is BD ready to lead, we don’t know yet????????
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I am amazed at the records of Houston, Sacramento and slighlty by OKC. Clippers look out of sync out there. Offense is not crisp- looks like a bunch of guys standing around confused.
Was I fooled by the pre-season performance again? A 6-2 record means squat. I was blind like Love at times. Ima be supprotive regardless but I’ve lost interest like a relationship gone sour.
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Gordon for President Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I think the pre-season record was for real, especially when you consider that the only other teams that were as good or better were BOS and LAL (both 6-2), and ORL (8-0). You’re forgetting how big a factor Griffin was. He motivated the entire team. Sad when a rookie has to do that (ahem, Baron).
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Leave dunleavy as the GM and have him step down as the coach… I think its Jon Lucas time everybody…Lucas would be the perfect coach for Baron to thrive under, Baron respects him and Lucas would let Baron be Baron…..
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Gordon for President Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Couldn’t agree more. I thought MDSr. would actually do this eventually, seeing as how he was the one who hired Lucas. GM’s like to have control of their teams. MDSr. picked the players, and now the coach. What more can he possibly want? And it’s not like Sterling would be paying him for nothing, he’s still working in the Front Office.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
the clippers actually play better when they play fast….. look at the pre season
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Maggette always brought hope to any Clippers game. With his energy and foul-magnetism he stopped time and inspired other Clippers players to play till the end. His numbers don’t reflect the magnitude of an insipirational player he used to be in Clippers uniform. I remember his 39 point winning effort against the Lakers..
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Theres actually a petition going on online, to get dunleavy fired!?! I don’t know if it was posted here or not, but here it goes:
The article i found out from: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Clipper-fans-have-had-enough-Dunleavy-thank-you?urn=nba,203743
The actual petiton: http://www.petitiononline.com/clip7777/petition.html
there about 1700 signatures on it now
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
The game is on ESPN tonight. Time for us fans to get “savvy” and yell “Fire Dunleavy” as loud as we can.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
I do agree that Dunleavy did many positive things for the Clips in his seven (I think that’s right) seasons with the team. Credit should be given to him for convincing the notoriously parsimonious owner to open up his wallet, instead of just viewing the team as a money making asset. Dunleavy is also the man responsible for engineering the Clippers’ run to the Western Conference semifinals – he had the team playing as one and believing in each other. That squad would have probably made a surprise visit to the Western Conference finals if it wasn’t for Raja Bell. As a GM, Dunleavy has done an excellent job. He obtained both Camby and Butler for nothing and was able to trade Randolph for two solid role players. Aside from the draft bust of Korolev, Dunleavy is a good evaluator of talent. Thornton, DJ, and EG are very good picks considering the positions they were selected in. Livingston was also a good pick – till his knee bent the wrong way. A quick aside, I still can’t watch that clip without feeling a bit queasy.
With that said, the argument that Dunleavy should be given a reprieve since the team is not a full strength is indirectly stating that the coach is incompetent. Every team goes through injuries. A coach’s job is to adapt the team and best utilize the tools that are readily available. Just look across the hallway a the Lakers. Phil Jackson just got Gasol back, who is definitely a more important contributor than EG, but we didn’t see the Lakers lose to bottom feeding teams (OKC was a close one, I know). We can also look at the Rockets, the Kings, the Bucks and even the Hornets. All four teams are missing their stars for an indefinite amount of time (Yao for the season, with KMart pretty much in the same boat), but the teams are still able to compete and play decent basketball.
As much as I’d like for Dunleavy to stay, he is not the right man to lead this Clippers’ team of BD, EG, and Kaman. From what I have seen in the games, Dunleavy lacks the ability to adapt his coaching style to fit the roster. The reverse can also be said about the roster adapting to Dunleavy’s coaching. The question is, which one is easier to fix?
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bongstradamus Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Dunleavy wasnt anywhere near here when Sterling opened his wallet. It was Elgin Baylors Clippers, and it was mainly Elton Brand and Corey Maggette leaving that forced DTS to match their deals.
Do not give Dunleavy that credit. He sold Chris Kamans ludicrous deal to management and got Sam Cassell on the cheap in his twilight. Other than drafting Eric Gordon, Dunleavy deserves no credit for the money hes spent other than pursuing Baron Davis and letting Elton leave.
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Agreed, and why are you giving him credit for trading Randolph when he’s the one who signed him less than a year ago.
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RL Reply:
November 21st, 2009 at 12:06 pm
True, but keep in mind that Portland unloaded Zach to NY for literally no one, and we gave up only Cuttino and TT for him. Both players were on their last legs – so it can be argued that the trade for Zach was a decent one. In essence, the Clips traded Cuttino and TT for Telfair, Smith, and Butler, who the Clippers were able to acquire due to additional cap space.
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andrew Reply:
November 21st, 2009 at 2:16 pm
and what if we couldn’t have moved zbo ? which was very likely if memphis wasn’t having a cancer survivors party.
Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I don’t need a record to tell me when a coach stinks (although Dunleavy’s record does make its own argument). Of course having Eric Gordon on the court helps, he’s a good player. But there are still plenty of SPECIFIC EXAMPLES of Dunleavy’s horrendous coaching, throughout almost every game played. In fact, the simple fact that our starting 5 outscores people and then everything goes to hell, pretty much points to the fact that from the moment it’s time to make the first sub, Dunleavy begins his royal butchering of rotations, play-calls, timeouts, and last-minute inbounds, completely erasing anything positive the first unit managed to do without him.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Dunleavy has been exposed – he cannot coach this team to any semblance of success. Adelman is an example of a coach who can keep his team competitive despite injuries to key players.
Not only does MDSr need to be removed as coach – he needs to go as GM as well. Clean slate, straight up. No meddling by his arrogant prick when the new coach is in place – even if it’s Hughes or Lucas.
I’ve never rooted for the Clippers to lose but I won’t mind if we get embarrassed on national TV if it means Dunleavy FINALLY gets the boot.
This nonsense has gone long enough.
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Blame it on Sam Cassell Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Dunleavy is still here!! who do you blame for this nonsense? Don’t you think this is all CASSELL’s fault?
Dunleavy stole hefty contract from Sterling because of Cassell. Where the heck is he now?
Clipper fans truly miss Sam I am.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
when is griffin back? has there been any update- are people still thinking early/mid december? not that i like dunleavy, but i’m sure that’ll swing a few games…
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Are there any teams that goes through an entire NBA season with no injuries? Dunleavy needs to stop using that as an excuse. Houston is a GREAT example of injury-prone stars, but they still win games. It’s his coaching and the players are fed up with his coaching style. Enough is enough and changes NEEDS to be made ASAP. Honestly, just for one night only…I hope Clippers get blown out tonight so I can hear “FIRE DUNLEAVY” on ESPN.
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Seth Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
….But if we win, I’ll be happy too.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
breaking news….clippers are suspending their announcers for tonight,s game due to comments they made after the last game…trurth hurts!!!!
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pez Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
it’s true: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/11/ralph-lawler-clippers.html
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
sorry suspension was about comments on a opposing player not the clippers…
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
They were commenting about an Iranian player, and they brought up that stupid movie and some viewers called and complained. What else could go wrong with this season?
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I’m Iranian, myself. This is insane. Almost everyone in this country says “Eye-Ran”. Yes it’s ignorant, I’d prefer it if people got the name right, but it’s nothing to get suspended over. Lord knows nothing ever happened to George W. Bush. There’s nothing really offensive about the exchange, Sacha Baron Cohen’s mother is of Persian Jewish descent, and sorry our guards aren’t international All-Stars. What a joke, I feel bad for Ralph. (I love Mike Smith as an announcer, but I’m used to his right-wing comments on occasion).
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Gordon for President Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
But the Borat comment is out of line.
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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
FIRE DUMBLEAVY!!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
How come he didn’t use Kareem Rush early on? We could have won few more games with his defense. And he didn’t even think of using Novak when we’re down big in several games.
[Reply]
Posted on November 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 pm
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