Clipper News

Best of 2012-13: DeAndre Jordan's Top 5 Dunks | 5/22/2013

Jamal Crawford must be cursed. The man is about to enter his 14th NBA season and joining him will be coach No. 17 of his professional career. 17! Can a guy get some consistency? With yesterday’s news that the Clippers will not retain Vinny Del Negro as head coach, Crawford’s coaching polygamy isn’t the only thing affected. Del Negro made his stamp on the Clipper roster over the past three years – good or bad, we knew the traits of a Vinny Del Negro team, one that had a propensity to play veterans and one that supported a roll-the-ball-out-and-let-Chris-Paul-do-his-thing offense. A new coach means a new philosophy, a new philosophy means new roles, and new roles mean it’s not just a piece of random Jamal Crawford trivia that is going to change. Here is a look at how those changes might affect individual Clippers: Eric Bledsoe This is the obvious one, isn’t it? Everyone assumes that a Bledsoe trade is inevitable. It’s the worst-kept secret wearing red in Los Angeles: The Clippers will (or at least should) trade Eric Bledsoe. But with a new coach, that idea could disintegrate. If someone new comes in and says to himself, “You know what? I think this guy, Bledsoe, is a shooting guard”, something that is supremely possible, then maybe Bledsoe doesn’t leave the Clippers. Maybe he ends up playing the 2 more than the 1, getting 20 minutes a game at shooting guard while also playing backup point guard. Maybe he isn’t run out of town and the Clippers actually do extend him with that sort of plan. At the very least, if we see any of Bledsoe in a Clipper uniform next year, it’s probably safe to say he’ll be getting more playing time than the allotted 18 minutes a game he saw in games that Chris Paul started this past season. DeAndre Jordan In some ways, Jordan is like Bledsoe. With Del Negro out, Jordan is out, too – out of the doghouse that is. We saw DeAndre sit the entire fourth quarter 52 times this past season. He averaged only 5.0 minutes per quarter in fourth quarters in which he actually played. He attempted fewer shots per 36 minutes in the fourth (6.8) than he did in any other quarter. There was no crunch-time trust at all. That’s not something you want to see in your starting center. But presumably, it’s a new game for DeAndre in 2013-14. There’s a reason he’s included in trade rumors so often: it’s because there are teams out there that see something in him. He just hasn’t gotten an opportunity to show that in Los Angeles. Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul This is where we get to see exactly how much validity there is in the “Chris Paul is running the entire organization” jokes. If the Clippers sign Billups to a cheap deal this offseason, that’s not such a bad thing. The trouble comes if Billups once again has a prominent role in the Clippers’ rotation. If Billups is out there starting for the Clips for the third season in a row, we might have to start considering the idea that it wasn’t Del Negro who wanted Billups starting, but it was Paul all along. We know Paul considers Billups to be his basketball older brother. We know the two of them are close. We know Paul likes playing with spot-up shooters. Now, we’ll finally know (or at least get a chance to speculate more) on if Billups playing over guys like Eric Bledsoe, Willie Green, and Matt Barnes was an idea formulated by coaches or players. Matt Barnes Barnes has gone on the record with his Vinny fandom. Del Negro allowed him to play free. He gave him a chance. He had faith in him. Barnes enjoyed playing for a coach like that. So will Del Negro leaving have a negative affect on Barnes’s desire to return? Probably not. Barnes has spent his entire career bouncing around from team to team, taking small contracts on contending squads. If he wants to contend, returning to Southern California, where he grew up and went to college, makes as much sense as going anywhere else. Barnes has changed teams eight times in his career. He’s used to playing for new coaches. Blake Griffin Griffin’s numbers went down this year, but that wasn’t necessarily the biggest critique of his season. His biggest problem was that he became a first-quarter player. The Clips would often run the offense through him in first quarters, sometimes even in first halves, and then would get away from him down the stretch. With a different offensive philosophy, it’s possible we see Griffin more involved in the Clipper offense in third and fourth quarters. Look out to see if there’s a change in his crunch-time production and/or usage. The backup centers Who knows if Ryan Hollins or Ronny Turiaf will be back, but it’d probably be smart to bet that we won’t see a two-backup-center rotation in the playoffs next season. Del Negro was the only playoff coach running two backup centers out there in the postseason, Hollins in first halves and Turiaf in second halves. If the Clippers return to the postseason next year, a feat that doesn’t seem particularly bold to predict, it’s probably safe to say that only one player will be manning the backup center duties.

Mark & Mychal discuss whether or not Phil Jackson would come back to coaching in LA. Should the Lakers & Clippers consider what Dwight Howard and Chri...

Taking just over two weeks, news finally came out yesterday that the Clippers decided not to retain their head coach, Vinny Del Negro. What are the implications? What are the next steps? Our five panelists weight in: 1. How does a coaching change impact Chris Paul and/or Blake Griffin? Jovan Buha: It will allow them to form the big-little synergy that we’ve yet to consistently see from them. Moreover, it increases the likelihood that Paul will re-sign with the Clippers this offseason, and shows Griffin he’ll be featured more frequently (and in better situations) in the offense. Patrick James: If nothing else, it says management is listening to them. Both stars were hoping for a new man behind the clipboard: Griffin issued some not so thinly veiled critiques of Del Negro’s defensive schemes during the Clippers’ mediocre March, and, more recently, CBS Sports’ Ken Berger suggested that Paul was “not a fan” of Del Negro’s. Fred Katz: The swirling rumors claim that CP3 wasn’t Vinny Del Negro’s biggest fan. From that perspective, bringing Del Negro back would have shown at least some disregard for Paul’s desires. With Vinny gone, Paul now has the chance to have a major say in who should be the Clippers’ next coach. Michael Shagrin: Chris Paul would never speak out publicly against his coach. He wouldn’t do it for a current coach or a former coach. But Chris Paul was “not a fan” of Vinny Del Negro. Now there’s a big crop of talented head coaches on the market with many already having built strong relationships with Paul. Unless the newly active Donald T. Sterling becomes overly involved, no other franchise can match what’s being offered (competitively or financially) in Clipperland. Paul stays. Seerat Sohi: In a nutshell, positively. It’s likely that Paul is much more optimistic at this time today than he was 24 hours ago about his future with the Clippers. Not to mention, the days of the Chris-Paul-or-bust offense look to be dead. Griffin, on the other hand, has never had a chance to learn from an experienced NBA coach during his career. The potential for an increase in skill and discipline could do wonders for him. 2. How does a coaching change impact Eric Bledsoe and/or DeAndre Jordan? Buha: In all likelihood, neither player will be traded until the new coach is hired and has time to determine what his plan of action with the current roster is. The chances of Bledsoe being traded are still extremely high, but the new coach will have a reasonable voice in the type of package the Clippers haul in such a deal. James: We know that Jordan and Bledsoe were increasingly marginalized under Del Negro, who certainly under-utilized them and probably stymied their growth, but we don’t know how the next hire will use them. Assets have only as much value as you leverage, either on the floor or on the market. And who knows what role the next coach will play w/r/t personel decisions. Katz: We all assume it’s a done deal that Bledsoe will be traded. That might be getting ahead of ourselves. If a new coach comes in and decides that Bledsoe is a shooting guard and can play 20 minutes a game at off guard while also acting as the backup point guard, then maybe Bledsoe is actually extended and not traded. And as for DeAndre, he might actually get an opportunity to play in fourth quarters. Shagrin: If Eric Bledsoe remains in Los Angeles, he’ll stay shrouded in the overwhelming shadow of Chris Paul, coaching change or not. However, Bledsoe’s trade value could improve immensely in just a few months under a defensive-minded head coach. Bledsoe’s stock is currently pretty high, but his game is still primarily athleticism. If a cerebral coach can deploy him effectively within a swarming defensive system, Bledsoe will be all the more attractive. Sohi: As a Bulls fan, I’ve always had a theory about Vinny: you don’t really know what you’ve got in your players as long as he’s around. Bledsoe and DJ will A) like Griffin, have the potential to benefit from an experienced coach and B) blossom or bust. Either way, it’ll be their own doing. 3. Does the decision to seek a new coach impact the perception of the franchise? Buha: Yes. The Clippers have a done a great job of shedding the stigma that surrounded the franchise over the last three to four years, and this is another monumental step. They took their time (over two weeks), fairly evaluated their options, and ultimately made the difficult decision of dismissing Del Negro (whom Donald Sterling was fond of). Job well done. James: That the organization didn’t wait until the 11th hour to part ways with Del Negro (they had until June 30) suggests more savvy than we’d historically expect from the Clippers, sure. And now the job might be the most desirable in the league. But perception still hinges on the next hire, Chris Paul’s free agency, and whatever the team does next year. Katz: The Clippers didn’t fire Del Negro; they just decided not to retain him. And though that yields the same result practically, not firing Del Negro means it cost the organization nothing to let him walk. If the Clips go out and commit to a big-time coach long term and sign Gary Sacks to a legitimate contract, then maybe it’s time to start talking about a culture change. If not, that conversation is probably premature. Shagrin: Yes, but not significantly. The franchise’s upward ascent into respectability has been steep. It seemed the Clippers might peter off last offseason when Sterling retained Vinny Del Negro and failed to retain Neil Olshey. But the front-office triumvirate rose to the occasion and Del Negro’s hands-off style worked well with the Clippers’ deep, veteran roster. The first-round loss to Memphis was a backwards slide, but the distance is small enough that it can be easily recouped under a superior head coach. [...]

Name: Chauncey Billups

2012-2013 Key Stats: 8.4 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 rbg

Age: 36

Years in NBA: 16

Years With Clippers: 2

2012-2013 Salary: $3,000,000

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

In A Nutshell:

When Chauncey Billups went down with an achilles injury last season, we all knew it would be tough for him to recover. Mr. Big shot was still playing very effective basketball for the Clippers as the starting 2 guard; through 20 games he was averaging 15 points, shooting 38% from three, and getting to the free throw line better than 5 times a game. Clips nation was hopeful that he would be able to return and resume his role as the Clippers floor spreader in the starting lineup but various injuries and, well, his age, prevented that from happening. Billups played Just 22 games in the regular season in 2013 and never really looked like himself for any consistent amount of time.

Billups worked his way back for the playoff series against the Grizzlies, but unfortunately, was not able to contribute significantly, and at times appeared to be hurting the team more than helping. The 5 time all-star and Finals MVP (and perhaps one of the best players of the last decade) was a defensive liability against the grizzlies (no longer able to defend the pg guard position and undersized against the likes of Tony Allen), and was a non factor on Offense. It is difficult to say how much of his play was rust vs diminishing skillset/athletic ability.

Strengths:

Leadership and confidence, free throw shooting and three point shooting. Chauncey is a crafty, savvy veteran who is not afraid to let it go from beyond the arc. Before the injury last season Billups was still getting to the free throw line almost 5 times a game despite having clearly lost a step or two. A great knowledge of the game, and by all accounts a great "locker room guy."

Weaknesses:

Before I criticize Billups I will say that I think it would be difficult for any player coming off of an achilles injury (and then battling additional injuries for a full season) to come back and play well. This is even more difficult for a 36 year old who should be experiencing a natural decline in athletic ability. Whatever the reason, the Billups we saw this season was rather one dimensional offensively, with 4 of every 6 shots hoisted from beyond the arc (and almost 8 3-pt attempts per 36 minutes). These shots often come in transition or early in the shot clock, something he was fantastic at doing for so many years, but which often seemed ill-advised in his limited minutes in 2013. Chauncey did not show an inclination/ability to get into the lane, draw fouls and finish with contact (Chauncey for his career averaged about 1/3 of his points from the free throw line). Defensively, any player coming off of an achilles injury might struggle to guard their position, but Billups also happens to be a 36 year old playing out of his natural position. Against Memphis, Billups was a defensive liability, and the Grizzlies too advantage when he was on the floor.

Future with the Clippers:

Chauncey is a free agent, and while there has been some speculation that he could return as the backup point guard if Eric Bledsoe is dealt, it is more likely that he will not be a part of the teams plans going forward. It seems like too great of a risk to invest in a player his age with his recent injuries to play such a critical role. If Billups is happy to play a role similar to that which Grant Hill played this season, he could stay on as end of the rotation player on a near minimum salary, but it seems unlikely. Billups probably does have enough left in the tank for a relatively productive bench role while playing coach on the bench/floor for the right team. Wherever he ends up we wish him the best, he is a big time NBA player and the Clippers were lucky to have him a part of their franchise for these last two seasons.

Per the Los Angeles Times article:

Though he helped the Clippers to their best record in franchise history and back-to-back Western Conference playoff appearances, those weren't enough for Vinny Del Negro to keep his job as coach of the team.

Del Negro said that being let go Tuesday was "hard to take," but that he understood how the business of professional basketball works.

He said he was happy to help change the Clippers' culture.

He also wanted to thank Clippers owner Donald Sterling, President Andy Roeser, Vice President of Basketball Operations Gary Sacks and director of basketball administration Eric Miller.

"You try not to ever be surprised, but it is a business," Del Negro said in a phone interview from his home in Phoenix. "But I want to thank the fans, the organization and Mr. and Mrs. Sterling for giving me this opportunity.... I want to thank the players and my entire staff for their effort and support."

Del Negro helped the Clippers to several historic marks during the 2012-13 season.

The Clippers won their first first Pacific Division championship and had a franchise-best 56-26 record.

They had a franchise-best 17-game winning streak, 16-0 during the month of December.

Over three years as coach of the Clippers, Del Negro had a 128-102 record.

"I'm proud of what we've done there, things that had never been done there before," Del Negro said. "But it's hard to take. I do think the organization is in a much better place. This is disappointing, but I also feel very fortunate. You move forward from here."

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Vinny Del Negro led the Clippers to their first Pacific Division title, but the team lost to Memphis in the playoffs. Possible replacements include Byron Scott and Brian Shaw.

Almost three weeks after the Clippers were knocked out of the Western Conference playoffs, the team decided to part ways with Coach Vinny Del Negro on Tuesday.

• Byron Scott

Prior Jobs: Sacramento Kings assistant (1998-2000), New Jersey Nets head coach (2000-2004), New Orleans Hornets head coach (2004-2009), Cleveland Cavaliers head coach (2009-2013)

Head coaching record: 416-521 (.444), 2 NBA Finals Appearances

Scott, a former NBA player, is perhaps one of the least popular candidates among Clippers fans. Chris Paul's old head coach from New Orleans, Scott is perhaps drawing the most interest due to his connection with the All-Star point guard. While he won 3 NBA championships as a player, he's been less successful as a coach, winning less than half of his games in 11 full seasons and 2 partial ones. He won coach of the year in 2009, but was fired by the Hornets 9 games in to the next season.

• Brian Shaw

Prior Jobs: Los Angeles Lakers assistant (2004-2011), Indiana Pacers assistant (2011-present)
Head coaching record: 0-0
Shaw, another former player, has had his name thrown around by the mainstream media quite a bit during this process. The reason for it is unclear to me. He's a 3-time Champion as a player and a 2-time champion as an assistant coach, all with Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers. I don't know a lot about Shaw, but I'm wary testing out an unproven rookie head coach who used to be a player. You know, like the Clippers did last time.

• Mike Malone

Prior Jobs: New York Knicks coaching associate (2001-2003), New York Knicks assistant coach (2003-2005), Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach (2005-2010), New Orleans Hornets assistant coach (2010-2011), Golden State Warriors assistant coach (2011-present)
Head coaching record: 0-0
Another rookie head coach, Mike Malone has made his rounds in the last decade as a well respected assistant. He's currently the highest paid assistant in the league for the Golden State Warriors. Malone is given a lot of credit for the Warriors' offensive and defensive improvement this season, as well as the improvement of the Hornets when he was an assistant there under Byron Scott. Again, it's risky to hire a first-time head coach, but at least Malone isn't a former player-turned coach. That means that he had to earn his way up the ranks based on coaching ability- evidenced by his rather hard-to-track resume. If Chris Paul recommends Malone (he played under Malone in New Orleans for a season), I wouldn't have a hard time seeing Mike get serious consideration from the Clippers.

• Mike Budenholzer

Prior Jobs: San Antionio Spurs video coordinator (1994-1996) San Antonio Spurs assistant coach (1996-present)
Head coaching record: Unknown (He's filled in for Popovich for a few games at a time but I can't find his record)
Budenholzer is one of the most widely respected assistant coaches in the league- actually, probably the single most highly respected assistant. He's been in San Antonio under one of the greatest coaches ever in Greg Popovich for nearly 20 years. He's interviewed for head coaching positions before, but for whatever reason he's never taken a job. Maybe he hasn't been offered or maybe he's turned some positions down. If he likes this Clippers team, and the situation is right for him, and the team decides to offer him the job, I could see him as a good option.

• Stan Van Gundy

Prior Jobs: Miami Heat assistant coach (1995-2003), Miami Heat head coach (2003-2005), Orlando Magic head coach (2007-2012)
Head coaching record: 371-208 (.641), 1 NBA Finals Appearance
Stan Van Gundy is an accomplished coach who would probably still be in Orlando if it wasn't for the Dwightmare. Unfortunately, it seems like he won't be a candidate for the Clippers job, as he's announced that he's going to take at least one more season off of coaching to be with his family. If that changes, I would hope to see him get an interview.

• Jeff Van Gundy

Prior Jobs: New York Knicks assistant coach (1989-1996), New York Knicks head coach (1996-2001), Houston Rockets head coach (2003-2007)
Head Coaching Record: 430-318 (.575), 1 NBA Finals Appearance
Jeff Van Gundy, brother of Stan Van Gundy, has been out of the NBA since 2007, but he's still been around, broadcasting nationally televised games. Personally, I really like Van Gundy, and I'd like to see him at least interviewed by the Clippers in this process. I believe that he's had opportunities to get back into coaching in the last few years, but he prefers the broadcasting booth. Maybe the Clippers job is intriguing enough to lure him back. Either way I think he's definitely worth an interview, and he's a strong candidate out of the gate.

• Nate McMillan

Prior jobs: Seattle Supersonics head coach (2000-2005), Portland Trail Blazers head coach (2005-2012)
Head Coaching Record: 478-452 (.514)
Nate is an interesting name on the list. Some members of the media speculate that he'll have a position by the end of the summer, and it's just a matter of who can get him. The Clippers certainly seem to be the best option for any free agent coach. While he never had any especially talented teams in Portland, he always had them playing hard, and he always seemed to scrape out wins with large amounts of unfortunate injuries. Would he be as effective coaching a contender? It's hard to know. Nate has some defensive expertise, as he led the NBA in steals in 1994 and made the All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 1994 and 1995 as a member of the Sonics. I would like to get him an interview as well.

• Jerry Sloan

Prior jobs: Chicago Bulls head coach (1979-1982), Utah Jazz head coach (1988-2011)
Head Coaching Record: 1221-803 (.603), 2 NBA Finals Appearances
Here's the deal with Jerry Sloan: you don't interview him. You call him and offer him the job, and if he accepts, you pay him whatever his rate is. He's that type of coach. He's literally a living legend. His offense in Utah worked so well to create easy baskets, and there's a reason he almost always led the Jazz to the playoffs. Hopefully he can adjust his Stockton/Malone offense to fit Paul/Griffin. I would honestly be ecstatic if he was the Clippers' new head coach.

• Phil Jackson

Prior Jobs: Chicago Bulls head coach (1989-1998), Los Angeles Lakers head coach (1999-2004, 2005-2011)
Head Coaching Record: 1155-485 (.704), 13 NBA Finals Appearances, 11 NBA Championships
Here's the deal with Phil Jackson: you don't interview him. If he wants the job, he calls and tells you, and he's in the office the next day making eight figures. It's that simple. However, I only put him in here because his name is mentioned so much. He says he doesn't want to coach again, and I believe him.

• Lionel Hollins

Prior Jobs: Phoenix Suns assistant coach (1988-1995), Vancouver Grizzlies head coach (1999-2000), Memphis Grizzlies interim head coach (2005), Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach (2008-2009), Memphis Grizzlies head coach (2009-present)
Head Coaching Record: 214-201 (.516)
Lionel Hollins is an interesting case. He's currently coaching the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals, but his contract is expiring and there were hints of disagreement between him and management all season long. He didn't like the Rudy Gay trade and new ownership could be looking to move in a new direction. There's also the reports that Clippers owner Donald Sterling went to San Antonio-Memphis Game 1 to scout Lionel as a coach. Ultimately, I don't think this will matter, as after the great success the Grizzlies have enjoyed this season, I would be shocked if Hollins doesn't get a long and lucrative extension to stay in Memphis. Which could be dodging a bullet, because I'm not convinced that Hollins is that much better than Vinny Del Negro.

Owner Donald Sterling says Vinny Del Negro is a wonderful man and he's sad about the coach's dismissal, but he has to keep his players happy.

Why mess with success when you have known only defeat previously?

It's Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals in San Antonio. The Spurs beat the Grizzlies handily in Game 1, completely neutralizing Zach Randolph, but don't forget that Memphis lost big to the Clippers in Game 1 and then lost Game 1 to the Thunder as well.

We're hosting the SBNation network-wide open thread here at Clips Nation tonight, so be nice. No sour grapes about Marc Gasol whining or Z-Bo pounding on people -- not that anyone here would do that anyway.

The game starts at 9 Eastern, 6 Pacific on ESPN.

The Clippers coaching situation has been uncertain since the team picked up Vinny Del Negro's option last summer. They decided not to offer him a new contract, and now the search for a new coach begins.

It's always out there at some level, but the last few days have brought a new crop of "Vinny Del Negro on the hot seat" stories. Marc Stein of ESPN.com had him on the warm throne in his Weekend Dime, then Sekou Smith put him on the toasty chair in his Hangtime blog at NBA.com. Zach Lowe writing in Grantland about unimaginative offense in the NBA didn't mention Del Negro by name, but took several swipes at the Clippers lack of invention in their offensive sets, a clear indictment of the coach.

Let's look at what some of these fine NBA writers had to say. Things like this...

Vinny Del Negro insisted before a recent loss in Dallas that he has "a great future no matter what." The signals are nonetheless getting stronger and stronger that said future won't be at Staples Center, with Del Negro working on the flimsy final year of his original Clippers contract and L.A. looking nothing like the team -- whether that's due to health woes, locker-room fissures or coaching issues -- that won 17 straight games in December.

Could a deep playoff run save him? Even that might not be enough entering the most critical summer in the Clippers' history, with Chris Paul becoming a free agent July 1 and Clips management having always planned to let Paul have a big say (assuming he wants one) before any coach gets another long-term deal from them.

Marc Stein

and this...

Del Negro has just as many detractors as he does supporters these days. Three different league executives have suggested that he's done a much better job than he gets credit for, when you consider how raw the Clippers' frontcourt remains with youngsters Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan still coming into their own.

Del Negro's critics quickly point out that an All-Star and one of the top 10 centers in the league is a pretty good place to start your frontcourt rotation. Plus, they say, Griffin and Jordan's rawness has as much with Del Negro (and his staff's) inability to polish them up as it does anything else.

The Clippers have dealt with health issues and rumored locker room drama all season, but they also kicked off the NBA's season of win streaks with a 17-gamer early in the season that cranked expectations (on the team and Del Negro) to unattainable proportions. The only thing that might solidify Del Negro's status is a run to the Western Conference finals ... and that might work.

Sekou Smith

and this...

Predictable offenses with otherworldly talent can still get a team far; the Clippers can win a lot of games with 45 Chris Paul-Blake Griffin pick-and-rolls and 45 Griffin post-ups....

Coaches with stale offenses - think Utah, Brooklyn, the Clippers - are hurting their teams, even if those teams have enough talent to produce some solid overall scoring numbers.

Zach Lowe

So is any of this criticism fair? Probably not.

I'm not going to try to justify that Vinny Del Negro is a great X's and O's guy. He's not, and he'd admit as much. But it seems to me that there's a basic disconnect occurring when people are complaining about the fourth most efficient offense in the NBA. The Clippers score 110.6 points per 100 possessions according to basketball-reference, the fourth best efficiency in the NBA. The teams ahead of them are the Thunder, the Heat and the Knicks. One wonders where Lowe might expect the Clippers offensive efficiency to be, were Del Negro not "hurting" the team so much. Offensive "geniuses" like Gregg Popovich of the Spurs and George Karl of the Nuggets, coaching talented teams that are offensive juggernauts, don't achieve the same offensive efficiency as Del Negro's Clippers.

Now, I've said many times and it remains true, that having Chris Paul on your team hides a lot of coaching flaws. Critics of Del Negro can reasonably argue that he's done little more than get out of Paul's way and let him lead the offense -- but at least he's done that, right? There's little or no empirical evidence that Del Negro is holding the team back. Even on the defensive end, with a group of players not previously known for their defensive chops, the Clippers are eighth in the league in defensive efficiency -- a vast improvement over last year's team. In the process of improving from 18th rated defense in the league to the eighth rated defense, without a major personnel upgrade in terms of outstanding individual defenders, Del Negro finds himself on the sweltering chaise? I mean, I get it, he doesn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence, but let's not pretend this is about anything other than gut feelings, because it's pretty damn tough to make a case that the Clippers are underperforming.

My favorite line from this batch of critiques has got to be this one from Sekou Smith: "The Clippers have dealt with health issues and rumored locker room drama all season." They have? Injuries sure, and that should be a reason to cut VDN some slack. "Rumored locker room drama"? "All season"? I think it's relatively safe to say that I follow the Clippers more closely than most people, and by my count there has been one story -- one -- with rumors of locker room drama. That story appeared last week from the desk of noted provocateur T.J. Simers and was summarily dismissed by anyone with even a passing familiarity with his work. How does one overblown story from week 23 of a 24 week season qualify as "rumored locker room drama all season"? Answer: it doesn't. In fact, the "rumor" is that the Clippers locker room is extraordinarily close.

Which leads me to this story from Hardwood Paroxysm. Dylan Murphy explains on Vinny Del Negro sucks, because, well, he just does. He sucks, and everyone knows it, and everyone has always known it. The simple fact is, very few people really get coaching, and the conventional wisdom has always been that Del Negro is a bad coach. Short of winning a championship, there's little that Del Negro can do to combat that perception, since he will by definition have come up short if the Clippers don't win it all. Heck, if having an offense ranked behind only OKC and Miami and New York can still justify criticism that he's "hurting" the offense, then the deck would seem to be stacked against VDN.

I've long come back to one thing about Del Negro: his teams play hard for him, especially at the end of the season. Motivating and relating to players is at least as important as X's and O's, which at the end of the day don't vary that much from team to team. Consider this: Popovich is justifiably viewed as the best coach in the league at present, running the most sophisticated schemes. Yet Boris Diaw can sign a contract with the Spurs on March 23rd, 2012 and play 16 effective minutes that night. Basketball is basketball, and all 30 teams are running variations on the same things. Diaw didn't have to study for weeks and learn a fundamentally different way to play -- he's a basketball player and Pop put him on the floor after one shootaround.

Del Negro is in his fifth season as a head coach, and his teams have closed strong in his first four, even when they had many reasons not to. This season's Clippers lost three straight at a bad time, at the start of the final ten games. But if Del Negro can get them to close strong over the final seven, he will have shown once again that he can get a locker room to listen to him even as the NBA calendar drags on into it's fifth month.

Does all this mean that I think Del Negro should coach the Clippers next season? Obviously, the final five regular season games and the playoffs will yet have an impact on the decision. Being swept in the first round would indicate one answer, winning a championship would require another. Odds are that the reality will lie in a place much more nuanced -- say for instance a second round exit at the hands of the Thunder in seven games. What then?

Much will depend on Chris Paul, as indeed it should. Players win basketball games, and if Paul has an opinion about next season's coach, particularly one that impacts his free agency, then by all means it should be taken into consideration. The Clippers could probably do better than Vinny Del Negro. But here's the thing that I'm not sure people are fully grasping -- they could also do worse.

Expectations seemed to finally catch up with Vinny Del Negro, who was fired by the Clippers.

On TrueHoop, Kevin Arnovitz reflects recent news of Vinny Del Negro’s departure. He’s well-liked personally, and has uncommon charisma. He charmed Sterling at a dinner with the Clippers brass at the Montage Beverly Hills in late June of 2010. The mood at the table was festive, Del Negro a pleasure to be around and the spouses had a nice rapport. Del Negro exuded exactly what the Clippers felt like they needed to fumigate the place after the final tumultuous seasons of the Mike Dunleavey era — a happy warrior, both confident and communicative. Charm is infectious, but if it’s a person’s No. 1 personal attribute, it can also raise suspicions among management if it’s not accompanied by success. When Paul arrived in Los Angeles, expectations soared far more quickly than either the Clippers or Del Negro anticipated. The bar was set at contender, and Del Negro would have to prove himself as not only a morale booster, but as a coach who could design a plan that delivered. Del Negro never claimed to be a tactician. He maintained that everyone in the league ran the same basic stuff. He summed up his philosophy best during the winter of 2012 when the Clippers were playing well. “”I think it’s important for guys to go out there and play off instinct instead of, ‘Go here, go there,’ or whatever,” Del Negro said recently. “I like guys to play. I like guys to get a feel for what we’re doing and how we’re doing it and work off the instinct and play. I think guys enjoy the game that way a little bit better.” Paul certainly appreciated his coach’s sentiment, as Del Negro happily ceded most of the play-calling. It was also nice to have Del Negro go to bat for Paul’s personnel causes — free agent signings, potential trades and the like. But having never reached a conference finals eight years into a Hall-of-Fame career, even Paul realizes he needs a little help in the final five minutes of a basketball game. Read the full post here.

Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty ImagesVinny Del Negro: When affability isn't enough On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Clippers lost the most successful coach by win...

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today they will not offer a new contract to head coach Vinny Del Negro. A search for a new coach will begin immediately.