The Clippers have relieved Mike Dunleavy of his coaching duties and have named top assistant Kim Hughes their interim coach for the rest of the season. Dunleavy is expected to remain in his GM capacity. The Clippers are 21-28, seven games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Dunleavy was doomed once No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin went down this season and Elton Brand surprisingly bolted before last season. Hughes has been with the Los Angeles Clippers for the last seven seasons and the rotations should not change much, if at all.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Charlotte: Following reports of Chris Paul having underwent successful surgery on his left knee that will keep him out 4-6 weeks, the New Orleans Hornets Times-Picayune is reporting that he will spend 2-3 weeks on crutches. If he spends two weeks on crutches, it still seems a bit optimistic that he would be able to return two weeks later in game shape.

Portland: Brandon Roy (hamstring) will practice Friday, and is likely to play Saturday against the Lakers.
While this is good news, there’s a lot of time between now and Saturday. Watch to see how he responds to a full practice Friday before committing to him.

Chicago: The Chicago Bulls have decided to shut down Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) until the All-Star break. He was severly hobbled in his last two starts and he can’t afford that with his lack of offensive skills. He’ll miss the next four games but will get 12 days off thanks to the All-Star break. Brad Miller and Tyrus Thomas will benefit the most.

Orlando: Jameer Nelson (left knee) and Mickael Pietrus (right ankle) put in full practices Thursday and appear ready to play against the Wizards on Friday. Nelson ends up just missing one full game with this latest knee problem, but it remains a major concern.

Cleveland: LeBron James started at point guard for the first time since his rookie season with Daniel Gibson (personal) out on Thursday, and finished with 36 points on 9-of-16 shooting (1-of-4 from downtown, 17-of-21 from the foul line) with seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. We were expecting some eye-popping assist totals, but they never came, and by halftime Daniel Gibson was back from tending to his pregnant fiancee at the hospital.

Miami: Michael Beasley, who had played just two games since returning from a knee injury, played a season-high 41 minutes on Thursday, and finished with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (including a three) with 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

How was that for a first season in Los Angeles? Blake Griffin, who was selected first overall by the Clippers in the 2009 NBA draft, will undergo surgery on his left patella, which will force him to miss the next 4-to-6 months and effectively end his season.

Griffin showed promise in the preseason and summer league, dominating lesser competition, but the fairly tail ended on October 23, 2009, when Griffin injured his kneecap while dunking in the team’s final preseason game. After resting the stress fracture for several weeks, the former Oklahoma City Thunder star recently increased his workload in rehabilitation by running on a treadmill.

However, team doctors determined that Griffin’s knee wasn’t healing properly after he felt discomfort jumping into a swimming pool. The pool exercises were part of the last hurdles to be cleared before Griffin could rejoin the Clippers in practice. He has been a constant presence at Los Angeles Clippers games and in film sessions during his injury.

“It’s a little disappointing, because he brings so much to the table,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said on a conference call.

“As a group, we’re coming together better all the time and adding that talent to our lineup was something we were looking forward to…”I think the reaction is going to be one of disappointment, but he hasn’t been here all year,” Dunleavy said. “We’ve just got to move forward and do what we were planning on doing anyway – making the playoffs.”

Griffin was the consensus college player of the year in 2009, averaging 22.7 points and an NCAA-best 14.4 rebounds per game last season for the Sooners and the Clippers eagerly chose him in last June’s draft. Griffin averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds during the preseason, and coach Mike Dunleavy and his new teammates all expected him to be a major part of their comeback season. Instead, Griffin has never been fully healthy in Los Angeles, even straining his right shoulder during summer league play in Las Vegas.

The Clippers also have a long history of disappointing draft picks, including a pair of No. 1 overall choices that didn’t dazzle. Danny Manning played just 26 games in his rookie season in 1988-89 after tearing his knee ligament and undergoing surgery, though he eventually became an All-Star before fleeing town. Michael Olowokandi, the top pick in 1998, played just 45 games in his rookie season and he wasn’t much help even when healthy during five underachieving seasons.

Griffin’s woes sadly can’t be surprising to fans of a team with just two winning seasons in the last 30 years and just one playoff series victory since moving to town in 1984. Let’s hope that Griffin can bounce back next season and lead the Clippers back to the playoffs.

The decision to fire coach Vinny Del Negro has already been made and the only thing keeping him employed is the fact that the Bulls have not found a replacement. The Bulls would like to have a coach that appeals to the potential free agents available this summer, but they may have to settle for assistants Bernie Bickerstaff or Pete Myers and seek out a better option in the offseason. Once it becomes clear who will be coaching in Chicago, we’ll have a better idea of what system will be installed and what free agents, if any, will be interested in playing for the Bulls.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Los Angeles: Los Angeles Clippers F Blake Griffin (knee) continues to progress in his rehabilitation, and said that he expects to make his season debut in three weeks. Coach Mike Dunleavy agreed, saying he expects him back in the second or third week of January. This timetable appears to be solid Dunleavy will have to sort out minutes between Griffin, Marcus Camby, Rasual Butler and Al Thornton.

Sacramento: Tyreke Evans is considered to be doubtful for Monday’s game against the Nuggets after spraining his ankle in Saturday’s game against the Lakers. Evans missed Sunday’s practice after he woke up with swelling in the ankle. Beno Udrih and Donte’ Greene would be the likely starting backcourt in his absence, as this was the lineup Nov. 21 when Evans missed his only game of the season.

Houston: The Houston Rockets have told Tracy McGrady that he will not see an increase in playing time, and that they will address his situation Monday when they return from their road trip. This comes after the team gave McGrady permission to take the weekend off to be home for his son’s birthday.

Detroit: Pistons F Charlie Villanueva (foot) is in uniform and has been seen loosening up prior to Sunday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.

San Antonio: DeJuan Blair played for a season-high 35 minutes on Sunday, and ended up with eight points on 4-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony struggled with foul trouble on Sunday, scoring just 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in 30 minutes of action. He missed tying his lowest-scoring game of the season by just two points, but on the bright side his 12 rebounds were a season-high.

Dallas: Drew Gooden (back spasms) returned to action Sunday and scored 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and a block in 27 minutes of run on Sunday.
Gooden may have gotten some extra run after Erick Dampier (10 points, nine rebounds, 20 minutes) played 35 minutes in his absence Saturday.

One of the longest-running NBA executives is out of a job and it’s a he said, he said story.

After 22 years of running the day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles Clippers, Elgin Baylor has been replaced by Mike Dunleavy as vice president of basketball operations for the Clippers. The problem is it doesn’t seem like Baylor wants to be out of a job.

The organization said that Baylor has resigned, but it doesn’t appear that way. When asked about his “resignation” from the Clippers, Baylor said that there is a difference between him and the organization and that on the advice of his lawyer he should say much more than that.

When was the last time that someone said they talked to their lawyer and every thing was just hunky dorrie? That’s what I thought.

Outside of being arrested, people talk to their lawyers because they’re either going to file a lawsuit or one has been filed against them. From just looking at the surface it appears that Baylor has been pushed out by the Clippers and he pissed about it.

If someone has put 22 years into an organization, and is 74 years old they are not resigning, they are retiring. Maybe he was resigning to take another job, maybe, but in either case, with as many years as Baylor put into the organization there would be much more remising if he was leaving on its own. It wouldn’t be treated the same way you treat something you’re trying to sweep up the rug and move along as quickly as possible.

It’s not to say that it wasn’t time for Baylor to be replaced of his duties. Given the Clippers’ history it’s amazing that he made it 22 years. If he wasn’t an NBA Hall of Famer and named one of the 50 Greatest NBA Players of all time I wonder if he would have made it that long as bad as the team has been.

During Baylor’s 22 years with the organization, the Clippers posted a 619-1153 record and have been the laughing stock of the Association – and most of professional sports – for some time. They have been joined as the laughing stocks of professional sports like the Cincinnati Bengals and the former Montreal Expos. Baseball has had a number of bad teams of late – primarily because the lack of a salary cap and decent revenue sharing prevents the competitive balance that the other sports have – but of late it’s been my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates.

Here’s my rant about the Pirates. Until they totally revamp the whole organization they are going to be perpetually below .500. Explain to me how the Tampa Bay Rays are making the American League Championship Series and Pittsburgh hasn’t sniffed the playoffs since 1992?

I hope the new ownership is trying to do that, but it doesn’t look good. They brought in a new general manager and team president, but so far their moves during the first year were less than impressive. I’ve heard from a lot of experts on TV that their trades have brought in a lot of talent, but I’ve heard that before and they’ve still gone nowhere. I hope they do, but they’ve got to spend some money to invest in players. If you look at all the players they let get away because they weren’t willing to pay them you could put together a pretty decent team. I don’t know if they’d win a World Series or even make the playoffs, but they’d have a much better chance.

Anyways…

If you take a look at all the first round draft picks the Clippers have had over the years you can see why they’ve been a bad team. Only three times during Baylor’s tenure have they not had a lottery pick – with nine picks inside the top five. That’s a boat load of great to good players that they’ve had a chance to draft and have messed it up more times than not.

The number of first-round draft picks that have panned out can be counted on one hand – Heresy Hawkins, Danny Manning, Antonio McDyess, Lamar Odom and Tyson Chandler – but most of them have succeeded on other teams. And for every Lamar Odom you’ve got three Yaroslav Korolev or Michael Olowokndi.

Chris Kaman – who originally looked like a bust when drafted in 2003 – seems to be coming around. That’s fine for a prospect to come around after five years, but only if you’re an established team and can afford that. If you’re a team like the Clippers you need instant help. Last year’s No. 1 pick Al Thornton of Florida State was a member of the 2008 NBA All-Rookie Team and looks like he could be a good building block for the future.

With Baylor on board, the Clippers managed to make the playoffs only four times in 22 years. He was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2006 after the team beat the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. It was the organization’s first playoff series victory since the 1975-76 season when the team was located in Buffalo.

So it’s not like getting rid of Baylor wasn’t the worst thing for the Clippers to do and was probably way too late. What I don’t understand is why they didn’t just fire him and say he was being let go because the team has sucked? This is just going to make the Clippers look worse.

I can’t say that I’m surprised that Baylor failed. The list of former players who were outstanding during their playing career and then sucked as a coach or executive are longer than anyone cares to look at. I think there is something innate in great athletes that they can not explain how to do things or truly evaluate talent. They really never had to break down the sport and learn the nuisances, they just did it without an explanation. That’s not who you want coaching your team or drafting your players.

You want the guy who had to work his ass of just to be average. They had to look at the sport and the skill from every angle possible to get the most out of themselves. They had to teach themselves the game and they can teach it to others because they’ve already used themselves as a guinea pig.
Now the team is in the hands of Dunleavy, who has been their coach for the last six years. Needless to say I’m opposed to the head coach holding any other position in an organization. To be a head coach of a professional team is a big enough task and to add another big task is just too much for one person to handle, but we’ll save that for another post.

The Los Angeles Clippers have long been considered L.A.’s “other” NBA team. The team plays its home games in the Staples Center, just like the Lakers, but they aren’t associated with the same kind of glamour as the Lakers. The reason? Championships.

The Early Years

The Clippers joined the NBA in 1970, under the name Buffalo Braves. They played in upstate New York until 1978. At the end of the 1978 season, the team was relocated to San Diego, Calif., and renamed the San Diego Clippers.

The Clippers had a winning record in 1978-79, posting a 43-39 record, but it would be a while – 13 years, in fact – before they would have another winning season.

After the 1983-84 season, another unsuccessful campaign, owner Donald Sterling asked for and obtained the right to more the Clippers to Los Angeles.

Playoff appearances

The Clippers have yet to win an NBA championship and went an astounding 13 years without even reaching the playoffs. In 1991-92, new head coach Larry Brown led them to a regular-season record of 45-37. The Utah Jazz bounced the Clippers in five games, but things were looking up.

The Clippers went .500 (41-41) the following year, but lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round. The itinerant coach Brown left the Clippers after that season, to be replaced by Bob Weiss. Weiss lasted a season before being fired and replaced by Bill Fitch. Fitch got the Clippers to the playoffs in 1997, but they suffered another first-round loss, to the Utah Jazz.

In the 2005-06 season, led by power forward Elton Brand and swingman Corey Maggette, the Clippers posted a 47-35 record and made the playoffs. They beat the Denver Nuggets in five games to win their first playoff series since their Buffalo days. The Clippers fell to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinal in seven games.

2007-08 season

The 2007-08 campaign was a rocky one for the Clippers. Their woes actually began the season before, when talented young point guard Shaun Livingston dislocated his knee in a gruesome, non-contact injury. Elton Brand also ruptured his left Achilles tendon, putting him out of action for much of the 2007-08 season. As a result, the team was never competitive in the tough Western Conference. They posted a 23-59 record and finished 12^th in the conference. What’s more, after the season, Elton Brand departed for the Philadelphia 76ers and Maggette bolted to the Golden State Warriors.

2008-09 Outlook

With Brand and Maggette gone, and an influx of new players, the 2008-09 Clippers will hardly be recognizable. Point guard Baron Davis signed with the team in July (reportedly under the impression that Brand would stay). Center Marcus Camby was acquired from the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers have also signed veteran scorer Ricky Davis, and drafted Indiana star guard Eric Gordon with the 7^th pick in this year’s draft. With an overhauled roster, head coach Mike Dunleavy has his work cut out for him, especially in the super-competitive West, where the Lakers, Hornets, Suns, Jazz, and Spurs all have their own respective plans to wrest the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy from the hands of the Boston Celtics.