This one is for discussion on the Clippers revolving door of head coaches. Though there have been a few who made some positive impact on the franchise, many took the job expecting to fail, and in most cases, led to demise of their coaching careers. Here is the laundry list of names that the Clippers have employed since their 1984 inception in Los Angeles and their records while at the helm: Jim Lynam : 22-39 (.360) Don Chaney : 53-134 (.297) Gene Shue : 27-93 (.225) Don Casey : 41-85 (.325) Mike Schuler : 53-76 (.410) Larry Brown : 64-53 (.540) Bob Weiss : 27-55 (.329) Bill Fitch : 99-209 (.321) Chris Ford : 9-41 (.180) Jim Todd : 4-33 (.108) Alvin Gentry : 89-133 (.383) Mike Dunleavy : 24-30 (.444) Twelve coaches in 20 seasons, the longest tenure being held by Bill Fitch from '94-95 to '97-98. Of this long list, only one coach has posted a winning percentage while coaching the Clippers - surprise, surprise, Larry Brown. None have reached 100 wins while with the club, and only two have led them to the playoffs. But now, it seems we finally have a reason to believe in our coach, more importantly, so do the players. Could Dunleavy be the second coach to take the reigns in LA and post a plus .500 winning percentage when all is said and done? Could he also hold the record for longest tenure as coach of the Clipps? I think the chances of both of these things happening are pretty good, hopefully we'll see Dunleavy in LA long enough to hoist the team's first NBA Finals trophy...Okay, maybe not. But at least we know that he'll be given a chance to succeed, something that very few of the poor souls on that list were ever given.
Mike Dunleavy has been great for us this season, I hope he'll be our coach for many years to come. I like his coaching style, and I think he's perfect to bring around the young ones. He also makes his players play hard every possession, where as some teams seem careless sometimes( LAKERS!). He's the perfect kind of coach for guys like Brand and Maggette, who give it all they've got every minute they're out there. P.S. I loved Alvin Gentry, too bad he had to go. I'd love to see him back with the Clips as an assistant, or with the Lakers as an assistant. I think he'll be a good coach some day.
You know what the strange thing is...Donald Sterlind fired Bill Fitch, then sued him for not finding another job...lol, what character....That guy is the main reason why so many coaches have come and gone...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting notMuchgame:</div><div class="quote_post">You know what the strange thing is...Donald Sterlind fired Bill Fitch, then sued him for not finding another job...lol, what character....That guy is the main reason why so many coaches have come and gone...</div> Haha, yeah, they ended up suing eachother over the remainder of Fitch's contract. Did Sterling actually expect him to find a job after he left the Clipps? If his career wasn't already dead (which it was), coaching the Clipps certainly killed it. I agree, without a doubt the big numbnut in the owner's chair is the main reason so many guys have been ushered in and run out so quickly. It all stems from a cheap owner who was previously unwilling to pay a decent coach for his services. He should have done it for Brown, but he finally opened the checkbook for Dunleavy this year. Hopefully this will prove to the Donald that you get what you pay for. You'd think such a brilliant business mind would already be aware of this proven theory....?
Mike Dunleavy is without a doubt the perfect fit for the Clippers. I was suprised teams didn't look to sign him earlier, and I was glad the day the Clips grabbed him in the off-season. He's a good coach to teach the young guys, he knows how to handle his team, and he has experiance. He's the best coach the Clips have had in a while, and he would have actually been a coach I have liked, regardless of what their record is. If LA is going to do something anywhere in the near future, that will improve this franchise, it will have to be with Mike, period.
