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	<title>Los Angeles Clippers Blog - News, Commentary for NBA Clipper Fans</title>
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	<link>http://clipperblog.com</link>
	<description>The trusted source for breaking Los Angeles Clippers Basketball news, trades, trends, analysis, stats, and scores</description>
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		<title>Eric Bledsoe&#8217;s Change of Culture</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/17/eric-bledsoes-change-of-culture/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/17/eric-bledsoes-change-of-culture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:39:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Fred Katz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Doc Rivers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eric Bledsoe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fred Katz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Garnett]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trade]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19978</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So many big names have been thrown around in Clippers-Celtics trade rumors over the past few days, it’s hard to keep track of who’s in and who’s out. Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett, DeAndre Jordan, Paul Piece, Caron Butler, Eric Bledsoe, first-round draft picks – all we need is a “player to be named later”  and a third team involved and we’ve got everything a good trade should have. But all the Clips need to do is to keep playing it smart and everything will be all right. That’s because L.A.’s resistance to include Eric Bledsoe in this deal might be what puts them over the top. Even a few weeks ago, it seemed like Bledsoe may have been the Clippers’ only real trade chip. Though there were teams out there who might want DeAndre Jordan, his stock is not as high as it has been in the past. And as for draft picks, consistently picking in the 20s doesn’t exactly make someone want to take your first rounder off your hands for you. But in this Celtics trade, the Clippers actually do have non-Bledsoe assets. That’s because Boston is high on DeAndre Jordan. Add in an expiring Butler deal and the Celtics are at least thinking of dreamy scenarios that would bring Doc and KG to the West Coast. Leverage Bledsoe in another deal and the Clips can take care of some serious renovating. Except there is one big elephant in Eric Bledsoe’s room that we are, for the most part, completely overlooking: The Clippers don’t have to (or don’t necessarily need to) trade Bledsoe. In fact, Bledsoe never needed to be traded. What he&#8217;s needed all along is for someone to believe that he is actually a shooting guard. Then the game changes. A consistent Eric Bledsoe-Chris Paul backcourt would surely be a change in philosophy, considering Bledsoe isn’t exactly a spot-up shooter. But he doesn’t need to camp out in the corner to be effective. Bledsoe is a strong off-ball cutter, which is something a team needs in its shooting guard. It’s no coincidence that he shot 65.2 percent off cuts this past season. Get him moving off the ball and he’s an effective offensive player. Paul and Bledsoe barely got to play together last season. So few times did we see that duo get extended court time. They compiled only 185 minutes on the floor together, but those Paul-Bledsoe lineups had an offensive efficiency of 115.9 (which would lead the league) and a net rating of 11.1 points per 100 possessions. It was a duo that the numbers (and even the eyes) say deserved more of a look than it received. So maybe Bledsoe can play shooting guard. We know he can guard there. We know how pesky a Paul-Bledsoe backcourt, which would harbor the players who were No. 2 and No. 3 in the NBA in steal percentage, would be. Bledsoe might even get to shoot a little better. Only 20 of his 78 three-point attempts this year came from the corner, where he made 10 of those shots. If he played off the ball, well over a quarter of his three-point attempts would come from the corner. Just check Iman Shumpert for proof of that. If the Clippers do pull off this Celtics trade and big names travel from place to place, city to city, they’re hoping they can keep Bledsoe. And it’s not just so they can swing him for another piece. Look at what Doc Rivers did in Boston. He decided Avery Bradley was no longer a point guard, took him out of Rajon Rondo’s backup spot, made him a 2, and turned him into an excellent defensive starting shooting guard. That can happen with Bledsoe. Those players are of similar mental makeups and style. Bledsoe just needs to be in the right situation for that to happen. And maybe this trade can bring him just that.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/17/eric-bledsoes-change-of-culture/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>16</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Clippers and Celtics Trade Rumors</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/15/clippers-and-celtics-trade-rumors/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/15/clippers-and-celtics-trade-rumors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:09:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>D.J. Foster</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19969</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 1978, the owner of the Boston Celtics and the owner of the Buffalo Braves swapped franchises. In 2013, the Clippers and Celtics want to do it again. Let me explain. No, there is no time. Let me sum up. The Clippers are (were?) interested in Doc Rivers. They&#8217;re also interested in Kevin Garnett, as we found out around the All-Star break of this year, which is good because Doc and KG are apparently a package deal. The Celtics like DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers are willing to trade DeAndre Jordan to get Doc and KG. Danny Ainge and the Celtics also like Eric Bledsoe. Doc Rivers also likes Eric Bledsoe. The Clippers like Eric Bledsoe, too! The only person who doesn&#8217;t like Eric Bledsoe &#8212; at least not enough to play him regularly &#8212; was Vinny Del Negro&#8230;who has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Doc in Boston. Because VDN used Bledsoe and Jordan so well the first time? Sounds like some agent appeasing (VDN just hired Doc&#8217;s agent) going on there, but let&#8217;s move past that. Okay, so Ainge wants Bledsoe and Jordan. The Clippers want to keep Bledsoe, though, because Doc likes him, but also because he&#8217;s a huge trade asset. Because apparently the Clippers want to move Bledsoe and Blake Griffin (!) to the Lakers for Dwight Howard. (Deep breath) But the Lakers don&#8217;t want to do that. Which seems weird. The Clippers might not actually want to do that either, depending on who you talk to. But the main trade with Boston that was &#8220;very real&#8221; is now &#8220;stalled&#8221;. The Chris Paul trade was once stalled as well, mind you, and stalled is slightly more optimistic than dead. This could still happen. So to recap: DeAndre Jordan and one first round draft pick are in the proposed deal for Rivers and Garnett. That&#8217;s what the Clippers are pushing for. Ainge is pushing for an additional first round pick and Bledsoe, but according to reports, the Celtics would do it for Jordan, only one first round pick, and Bledsoe. The sticking point is Bledsoe. What do you think? Should the Clippers part with Jordan, Bledsoe and a pick for Rivers and Garnett? Let&#8217;s hear it. We&#8217;ll have more as the situation develops.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/15/clippers-and-celtics-trade-rumors/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>39</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Found Objects: Chauncey Billups, Teammate of the Year and Blake Griffin</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/10/found-objects-chauncey-billups-teammate-of-the-year-and-blake-griffin/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/10/found-objects-chauncey-billups-teammate-of-the-year-and-blake-griffin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:36:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jovan Buha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Found Objects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chauncey Billups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Clippers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teammate of the Year Award]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19948</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[•  Chauncey Billups was named the recipient of the inaugural Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award yesterday, according to the NBA. Here is part of the press release: As part of its support for the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, the NBA will make a $25K donation to the charity of Billups’ choice. A panel of NBA Legends nominated six players from each conference for the award, which recognizes the NBA player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and his commitment and dedication to his team. A five-time NBA All-Star selection, Billups led the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 title, garnering Finals Most Valuable Player honors. The 16-year NBA veteran owns career averages of 15.4 points and 5.5 assists. He completed his second season with the Clippers in 2012-13, returning from a torn left Achilles tendon and overcoming various injuries to appear in 28 games, including all six postseason games. &#8220;Chauncey Billups defines what this award was designed to recognize, a player committed to his club, his teammates and his community,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern, who presented Billups with the award Sunday prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Miami. “He has mentored and guided countless young players to adopt his selfless attitude, dedication, passion for our game and to respect the history and example of players like Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes.” *** In this year’s award voting, Billups totaled 1,543 total points, including 64 first-place votes. Miami Heat forward Shane Battier finished second with 1,324 points (79 first-place votes), and New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd placed third with 1,048 points (42 first-place votes). •  Today, however, Billups went on the ESPN show First Take and had some choice words to say about teammate Blake Griffin, per ESPN.com (video below): &#8220;I don&#8217;t agree that Blake Griffin is soft. But what I will say about Blake is that he&#8217;s maybe too nice of a guy,&#8221; Billups said. &#8220;Because there&#8217;s been times in games where people take shots at Blake. And I tell him if that&#8217;s me, you&#8217;re going to have to take this two- or three-game suspension, and I&#8217;m going to punish somebody. &#8220;That&#8217;s just how I&#8217;m built. Blake is not really built like that. He&#8217;s &#8230; too soft of a guy inside for him to be like, &#8216;All right, I&#8217;m just going to hurt somebody.&#8217; He just won&#8217;t do it. I wish he would, and I think that people would look at him a lot different if he did that. But he&#8217;s just not that kind of person.&#8221; Billups said &#8220;there&#8217;s nobody that works harder&#8221; than Griffin, but the three-time All-Star would benefit if the Clippers were able to add &#8220;a veteran down low to help him &#8230; to push him along a little faster.&#8221; While I don&#8217;t think Billups meant to publicly criticize Griffin, it&#8217;s ironic that less than 24 hours after winning Teammate of the Year, he goes on national television and says Griffin is &#8220;too nice of a guy&#8221; and &#8220;too soft of a guy inside&#8221;. He didn&#8217;t explicitly blast Griffin, and denied the &#8220;soft&#8221; label, but it&#8217;s not as if he was exactly singing his praises outside of the work ethic compliment. It&#8217;ll be interesting to see what the ramifications will be, especially considering Billups&#8217; pending free agency and the hesitance with which he spoke about returning to the Clippers. If anything, it seems the reported locker room divide is a little more clear (just look at the last line). •  Billups is reportedly interested in joining the Heat, according to Fox Sports Florida. •  Over at ESPN Los Angeles, I wrote about the Clippers&#8217; coaching search and who I feel the three best candidates are. •  Jimmy Kimmel has a segment on his show called &#8220;Mean Tweets.&#8221; Below is his &#8220;Mean Tweets &#8212; NBA Edition&#8221;, featuring some hilarious segments from Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Matt and DeAndre Jordan. •  The Rockets, along with the Mavericks, have plans of pursuing Chris Paul this offseason. •  Speaking of Paul, he played golf over the weekend with President Bill Clinton. Follow @jovanbuha]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/10/found-objects-chauncey-billups-teammate-of-the-year-and-blake-griffin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>45</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Karl Intrigued by Clippers</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/06/karl-intrigued-by-clippers/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/06/karl-intrigued-by-clippers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2013 22:38:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew Han</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Found Objects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coaching search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George Karl]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19943</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A new name materialized on the coaching front today. George Karl, newly minted Coach of the Year was let go from the Denver Nuggets as that organization continues to overhaul its staff. Sources told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles that Karl is &#8220;very intrigued&#8221; by the open position with the Clippers. What was thought to be a coaching race lead by Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins (with Alvin Gentry and Byron Scott not far behind) could be expanded to include the now available Karl. George Karl has only coached sub .500 teams three times in his 25 year coaching career, the last time in 1987-88. Check out Zach Lowe&#8217;s brief history of Karl for a terrific glance at his strengths and weaknesses.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/06/karl-intrigued-by-clippers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>50</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>DeAndre Jordan invited to Team USA camp</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/05/deandre-jordan-invited-to-team-usa-camp/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/05/deandre-jordan-invited-to-team-usa-camp/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:32:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew Han</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Found Objects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DeAndre Jordan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Team USA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19939</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We interrupt Los Angeles&#8217; coaching search to bring this message: On Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that DeAndre Jordan has been invited to Las Vegas for Team USA camp. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has been invited to the USA Basketball national team camp in Las Vegas, league source tells Y! &#8212; Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 5, 2013 Whether this is as a member of the Select team, comprised of young, rising star talents to train with and eventually succeed to the national team, or as a prospective applicant for the 2014 World Championship team is still unclear. One thing it does express, though, is that Jordan&#8217;s value around the league is well regarded. Only players in the upper echelon of their skills or positions are given invitations to the national team camp. And, while Jordan is by no means a finished product, the Team USA committee must feel that he&#8217;s realized enough of his development to add the still untapped potential to the pool of participants.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/05/deandre-jordan-invited-to-team-usa-camp/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>19</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Clippers Courting Hollins, Shaw</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/04/clippers-courting-hollins/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/04/clippers-courting-hollins/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:59:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Fred Katz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coaching search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fred Katz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lionel Hollins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19929</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Clippers have asked for and received permission to speak to Memphis Grizzlies&#8217; coach Lionel Hollins, according to ESPNLA&#8217;s Ramona Shelburne. Clippers have officially asked for and recieved permission to speak to Lionel Hollins — Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 5, 2013 Shelburne later noted in a tweet that Pacers&#8217; assistant &#8220;Brian Shaw is still seen as the front runner for the Clippers job&#8221;. Earlier this week, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the Clippers&#8217; talks with Jeff Van Gundy had become &#8220;dormant&#8221; and that he was more than likely out of the picture. That most likely leaves five candidates potentially vying for the Clipper job: Hollins, Shaw, Byron Scott, Alvin Gentry, and George Karl. While Scott and Gentry remain without a contract, Karl is still officially the coach in Denver. The Clippers have not yet requested permission to speak with him about filling their vacant coaching position. As for Hollins, it looks like his time in Memphis is more than likely over. Hollins took over as an interim coach in Memphis in the 2008-09 season and led the Grizzlies to a 13-26 record after taking over. Memphis improved its winning percentage each year under Hollins from .333 in year one to .488 in &#8217;09-&#8217;10 to .561 in &#8217;10-&#8217;11 to .621 in &#8217;11-&#8217;12 to .683 and a Western Conference Finals appearance this past season. But even with that progression, a conflict of philosophies with the Grizzlies&#8217; front office might be responsible for ending his tenure in Memphis. Hollins is a fiery personality that is generally touted as a leader and locker room general. However, it is his aversion to analytics in an organization that is quite analytics-driven that has pushed him out the door. There is a reason the Grizzlies gave Hollins permission to speak with other teams before he even requested it: he is not their priority. And mainly, that&#8217;s because he doesn&#8217;t fit in with their long-term plan. Though there were questions throughout the season about Hollins&#8217; substitution rotations, the coach helped put together the No. 2 ranked defense in the NBA and the No. 1 ranked defense in the Western Conference. He has overseen the vast improvement of Marc Gasol &#8211; from second-round scrub to Defensive Player of the Year &#8211; and has helped to mold Mike Conley into one of the best two-way point guards in the NBA. He did all of that while watching Zach Randolph develop from an underachieving, talented player to a grinding, physical post player who is one of the more feared players in the game. Hollins&#8217; season ended after the Spurs swept the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals. &#160; UPDATE: Dan Woike of the OC Register confirms via Twitter that the Clippers have also asked for and received permission to speak with Brian Shaw. I can confirm reports that the Clippers asked and received permission to speak with Brian Shaw. — Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 5, 2013 Shaw was a Lakers assistant coach from the 2004-05 season until the 2010-11 season. During the summer of 2011, he signed with the Pacers to act as lead assistant for Indiana head coach Frank Vogel. He is generally associated with running the triangle offense, a style he learned under Phil Jackson, though the Pacers don&#8217;t employ that strategy. Shaw has been a highly respected assistant for some time now and has found himself as a contender for multiple coaching jobs in the past. He turned down the Bobcats job last summer after Charlotte offered him the chance to fill their coaching vacancy. NBA players have in the past been vocal about Shaw getting a head coaching gig, namely Kobe Bryant, who stated that he preferred Shaw to be Phil Jackson&#8217;s successor in Los Angeles after Jackson&#8217;s retirement in 2011.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/04/clippers-courting-hollins/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>It&#8217;s Donald Sterling&#8217;s show in Los Angeles</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/03/its-donald-sterlings-show-in-los-angeles/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/03/its-donald-sterlings-show-in-los-angeles/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:25:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Fred Katz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donald Sterling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Arnovitz]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19922</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Over at ESPN.com, Kevin Arnovitz delves further into the Clippers&#8217; coaching search and writes about how the selection process might go. Click here to read the full piece. The interview process will proceed with Clippers management, a group that includes team president Andy Roeser, vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks, director of basketball operations Gerald Madkins and director of basketball management Eric Miller. The candidates will lay out their respective visions for the on-court product, share their philosophies, tout their achievements, emphasize their capacity to communicate and convey the kind of temperament befitting of an NBA head coach. Expectations for the Clippers have multiplied exponentially, and the bar for the next coach is nothing short of a conference championship. That’s never been the case in any of the Clippers’ previous hirings, but one thing hasn’t changed: The choice will be made by Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling. The management team has been given the freedom to draw up the short list and they’ll be invited to voice their recommendations, but the final decision on a head coaching hire has always been Sterling’s call. That was the case when Sterling opted for Del Negro in 2010 over management’s recommendation of Dwane Casey, and Sterling will exercise his rightful claim as owner to render the verdict against this year. Click here to continue reading.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/06/03/its-donald-sterlings-show-in-los-angeles/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Clippers Podcast: 5/30</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/clippers-podcast-530/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/clippers-podcast-530/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Jun 2013 03:16:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew Han</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Paul]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clippers Podcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jordan Heimer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Arnovitz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Del Negro]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19919</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kevin &#038; Jordan recap the Vinnie Del Negro Era for the Clippers as the search begins for their next head coach. The guys breakdown who the choices are and which one would be the best fit for Lob City. http://c.espnradio.com/s:5L8r1/audio/1750302/clippers_2013-05-30-120002.48.mp3]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/clippers-podcast-530/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>16</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://c.espnradio.com/s:5L8r1/audio/1750302/clippers_2013-05-30-120002.48.mp3" length="12956808" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Making Sense of the Fracas</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/making-sense-of-the-fracas/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/making-sense-of-the-fracas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Jun 2013 03:12:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew Han</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Paul]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donald Sterling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Del Negro]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19901</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Donald Sterling speaks unnecessarily. Chris Paul gets angry. We&#8217;ve all heard the stories, read the comments, wondered what the heck is going on that a re-signing that seemed like a foregone conclusion could suddenly be called into question. So let&#8217;s lay the pieces out and, evaluating the board, determine how much of this is checkers and how much is chess. A Reverse Timeline The Clippers&#8217; front office releases a statement taking responsibility for Vinny Del Negro&#8217;s release. &#8220;The decision not to extend a contract to Vinny Del Negro was an organizational decision from the top down,&#8221; Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks said. &#8220;Our front office evaluated the season and Vinny&#8217;s three years here before making this move, and our conclusion and feeling was that we needed a change.&#8221; This is the clean up. In essence, nothing elucidating was revealed in Gary Sacks&#8217; comments. It simply rectifies the comments that Sterling made initially to set off the firestorm of uncertainty regarding Chris Paul. But can a front office immediately come out and publicly correct their owner? Players may be contractors to franchises, looking for the most money and the right fit, but executives and staffs of an organization are employees. To openly redress ones owner would be tantamount to insubordination. Which is why Chris Broussard&#8217;s story is necessary. Chris Broussard reports that a source close to Chris Paul says Paul is upset at being blamed for Del Negro removal. &#8220;He&#8217;s angry right now and his anger is directed toward the Clippers organization,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;Chris is a man of principle and if he feels like you&#8217;ve gone against his principles, it will affect how he feels about you. He&#8217;s very agitated that his name has been put out there as the reason for Vinny&#8217;s firing. He had nothing to do with it.&#8221; Chris Paul is hyper-aware of his image and reputation, and he goes to great lengths to avoid any off-court conflicts. Never in the two years under Del Negro did Paul publicly, or second hand, even remotely criticize the former coach of the Clippers. And while everyone is focusing on the fact that Paul is upset and how that affects his free agency, a moment to diagnose Chris Paul&#8217;s perspective: 1. Why would Chris Paul need to speak out against Del Negro? Simply based on the situation, there was unrest in the locker room, there exists a general consensus that Del Negro is not a &#8220;plus coach&#8221; in terms of Xs &#038; Os (i.e. he doesn&#8217;t run/design sophisticated schemes), and he caused a certain amount of unrest in the locker room, culminating in Del Negro side-stepping the front office to try and broker the rumored Garnett deal. There is more than enough reason to let Vinny Del Negro go based on his own shortcomings. Paul simply removing himself from the equation allowed the front office and owner to make the decision unfettered by players&#8217; desires. 2. Even if Paul did say he wanted Del Negro removed (just to reiterate, he did not), why should that information become public knowledge? Isn&#8217;t an organization&#8217;s chief concerns to win championships and protect the players they determine can do that? Which begs the question: why does Paul even have to be upset? Donald Sterling accepts an interview to speak on his thoughts regarding Vinny Del Negro&#8217;s contract expiration. &#8220;No, you&#8217;re not off base,&#8221; Sterling said. &#8220;This is a players&#8217; league, and, unfortunately, if you want to win you have to make the players happy. Don&#8217;t you think that&#8217;s true?&#8221; And this is where the fracas begins. Sterling says nothing untrue, but is complicit in his words being twisted into suggesting that Paul is the reason Del Negro was let go. Continuing on: I answered: &#8220;No. Money makes players happy.&#8221; Sterling disagreed. &#8220;It&#8217;s not entirely true. Money is not the only thing that makes them happy,&#8221; Sterling said. &#8220;They want to win, and they want the best opportunity to win. Do they know what the best opportunity to win is? I frankly don&#8217;t know. &#8220;But if you have special players, and special players think that they know the best opportunity to win, you have to support them.&#8221; What exactly is Sterling saying that is wrong there? Money isn&#8217;t everything to elite players? That players want to win? He admits he doesn&#8217;t how to best determine the opportunities to win, but that if his star players do, he would support them. Isn&#8217;t that what any player would want to hear? Owners are not basketball wonks, living and breathing Xs &#038; Os. Owners pay the bills. And if one is open enough to admit he doesn&#8217;t know everything and accepts the input of more intelligent people, that is usually something to be lauded. Except these comments are framed around the construct of players disliking a coach. Sterling&#8217;s desire to appear ineffectual allows his statements to be colored by the text around them. The more important question here, though, is why Sterling is even being interviewed? What is the motive for seeking out an owner who has been known to give quixotic quotes? What is the purpose in creating a narrative that points the finger at the stars of a team for a coach&#8217;s release? It would be akin to blaming the doctors for a patient that died of natural causes. Kevin Arnovitz speaks about Del Negro and the hiring process moving forward. &#8220;But Donald T. Sterling has always taken the coaching hire as a personal imperative.&#8221; And Arnovitz bookends the timeline with effectively the same thought process. If Chris Paul lobbied hard to keep Del Negro, would he still be the coach of the Clippers? Possibly, but Paul ostensibly made no endorsement one way or the other after last season and Del Negro returned as coach. This was a decision ultimately that rested with Sterling. Sterling chose Del Negro over Dwane Casey, he elected to retain Del Negro after the tumultuous month in March 2012, he decided to retain Del Negro&#8217;s team option [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/making-sense-of-the-fracas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
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		<title>Clips: We decided to fire coach</title>
		<link>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/clips-we-decided-to-fire-coach/</link>
		<comments>http://clipperblog.com/2013/05/31/clips-we-decided-to-fire-coach/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2013 21:06:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew Han</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Found Objects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Paul]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Donald Sterling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gary Sacks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Clippers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vinny Del Negro]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://clipperblog.com/?p=19897</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For ESPN Los Angeles, Kevin Arnovitz writes that the Clippers&#8217; front office claims responsibility for Del Negro&#8217;s release. In response to reports that Chris Paul was unhappy with being linked to the firing of former coach Vinny Del Negro, Los Angeles Clippers management on Friday publicly claimed responsibility for the decision. &#8220;The decision not to extend a contract to Vinny Del Negro was an organizational decision from the top down,&#8221; Clippers vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks said. &#8220;Our front office evaluated the season and Vinny&#8217;s three years here before making this move, and our conclusion and feeling was that we needed a change.&#8221; ESPN The Magazine&#8217;s Chris Broussard reported on Friday that Paul was upset with public comments made by Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling made to the Los Angeles Times suggesting the Clippers dismissed Del Negro to appease star players on the team. Sterling was not available for comment. Read the full post here.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>21</slash:comments>
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