Register | Login | Forgot Password | RSS |
Home       |       Video       |       TheHoopsForum Radio       |       Ron Campbell       |       Marlon Benjamin       |       Harold       |       Steis  
  
The GM Can Stay, But Lose The Coach
By Marlon Benjamin
11/19/09

I do not believe in curses but something has definitely not been "right" in L.A. Clipper’s history as an organization. But let us not get into the abysmal past just yet; let us discuss the here and now. The Clippers have a talented enough roster, albeit banged up right now missing two key players even before Marcus Camby went down last night, to be in serious contention for one of the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. As it stands today with a 4 - 9 record, the Clips are the 12th team in the West, 2.5 games behind the 8th seeded Thunder. The Clippers win totals since 2005-06 when they advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals are 40, 23 and 19. The head coach of this debacle of a franchise for the last 6 years has been Michael Joseph Dunleavy, Sr. His Clipper teams have averaged 50 losses a season and he has had only 1 winning record as the teams head coach. There have been numerous reports of friction between coach Dunleavy and his star players over the years. In 2005 Elton Brand was the Clippers best player when they won their first playoff series since 1977. Elton became a free agent at the end of the 2007-08 season and despite an Achilles injury that forced him to miss all but 8 games of that season, the Clippers were ready to make him their franchise player. Brand apparently did not believe in the leadership of the franchise so he made a different move signing with the Sixers instead. The coach was left confused. What else was in the works for the Clip show? Well the Clippers did land prize free agent point guard Baron Davis as well as stud but oft-injured center Marcus Camby to go with perennial 20/10 forward Zack Randolph. Already on the roster was young emerging inside force Chris Kaman who was coming off his best season as a pro and primed to breakout with the abundance of talent around him. "On paper" things were looking promising. The result of that roster was 19 wins and the 1st pick in the NBA draft which was used on can't miss power forward Blake Griffin (as bad luck would have it Blake has been sidelined this season with a fractured kneecap). Sure there were injuries, suspensions and chemistry issues but this team looksunmotivated and lethargic most of the time.

The injuries cannot be avoided, passionate play, discipline and execution are a direct result of head coaching and the Clippers need a new one. Dunleavy is not getting anything out of his guys on most nights. He has not developed Kaman into the force he should be although he is having an excellent season thus far. B Diddy has regressed under his watch although he appears to be healthy. Eric Gordon who was the Clips first round selection in 2008 has been a pleasant surprise but how soon before he joins the dozens of other Clipper players under Dunleavy's watch? For the sake of a thirsty-for-a-winner fan base I hope he is not around long enough for us to find out an answer. For all of the failures endured by this unfortunate franchise, the GM of the team has done a good job putting together a talented roster. Sadly the coach has just failed to deliver a good product on the court. The ironic thing is that the coach and the GM are the same person.



BallHype: hype it up!

Name
Comment
Insert Cancel
NameDate/TimeComment
Raps FanNov 20 2009 10:18AMWhile Jennings may be a star, I think you have him ranked a bit too high. Rose outplayed him earlier in the year at the end of the game (when performance really matters). I can live with making him 9, anything higher is pushing it.
ZooNov 20 2009 10:43AMJennings will be terrific but absolutely no way he should be ranked 3rd after 9 NBA games... by this logic I am surprised Ty Lawson did not crack your top 10.
CharlesNov 21 2009 12:31AMI agree with most of this list but I'm very surprised Earl Watson is not on this list, particularly considering you're basing Jennings' inclusion only on his first nine games of his career while Watson has consistently put up very, very good stats throughout his career. It looks like down the road that Jennings may be more valuable, but right now while Watson is peaking I'll take Earl over him any day.
scoopNov 21 2009 6:52AMDamn #3 after a few games!!! only at thebloopsforum.com!!!
magic mikeNov 24 2009 7:47AMdid this dude say he's surprised that Earl Watson isn't on the list????? WTF#@!?
magic mikeNov 24 2009 8:18AMDevin Harris, Jameer Nelson, maybe not top 10 but knocking on the door.
Dino GomezDec 2 2009 1:51PMI would have Tony Parker in the 3 spot because he is proven... and B jennings at the 10 spot. Either way great list and great article! Any hoops fans out there. Lets connect on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DinoGomez
Young Phenoms
Shabazz Napier Class of 11'

Blog Roll
  • Purpl Ninja
  • The No Look Pass
  • Atypical Sports
  • Black Sports Online
  • InsideHoops
  • TheHoopsForum On Twitter
       Twitter NBA Roll Call
    Aaron Brooks

    Adonal Foyle

    Al Harrington

    Allen Iverson

    Amare Stoudemire

    Andre Iguodala

    Andrew Bogut

    Austin Daye

    Baron Davis

    Blake Griffin

    Bostjan Nachbar

    Brian Cardinal

    Bruce Bowen

    C.J. Miles

    Cartier Martin

    Chris Bosh

    Chris Douglas Roberts

    Chris Paul

    Daequan Cook

    Dahntay Jones

    DaJuan Summers

    Danny Granger

    Deandre Jordan

    DeJuan Blair

    Demar DeRozan

    Derek Fisher

    Deron Williams

    Donte Greene

    Dorell Wright

    Drew Gooden

    Dwayne Wade

    Dwight Howard

    Eddy Curry

    Eric Maynor

    Fabricio Oberto

    Francisco Garcia

    Glen Davis

    Hasheem Thabeet

    Jack McClinton III

    James Harden

    Jared Dudley

    Jarrett Jack

    Jason Richardson

    Jason Terry

    Jason Thompson

    JaVale McGee

    Jermaine O'Neal

    Jerome Henderson

    Jerryd Bayless

    Jodie Meeks

    Joe Crawford

    Joe Johnson

    Johan Petro

    Jon Brockman

    Josh Howard

    Julian Wright

    Kevin Durant

    Kevin Love

    Kyle Lowry

    Lamar Odom

    Mario Chalmers

    Mark Madsen

    Michael Beasley

    Mike Conley

    Mike James

    Mike Miller

    Mo Williams

    Morris Peterson

    Nate Robinson

    Nazr Mohammed

    Nick Collison

    Patty Mills

    Paul Pierce

    Quentin Richardson

    Randy Foye

    Rashard Lewis

    Rashard McCants

    Rasual Butler

    Robin Lopez

    Roger Mason Jr.

    Ron Artest

    Royal Ivey

    Rudy Fernandez

    Rudy Gay

    Russell Westbrook

    Ryan Gomes

    Sasha Vujacic

    Sean May

    Shaquille O'Neal

    Shelden Williams

    Speedy Claxton

    Stephen Curry

    Stephon Marbury

    Steve Nash

    T.J. Ford

    Terrance Williams

    Thabo Sefolosha

    Travis Outlaw

    Trevor Ariza

    Troy Murphy

    Tyreke Evans

    Tyson Chandler

    Wayne Ellington

    Opportunites | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Site Disclaimer | Mission | Terms of Use