Vinny Del Negro won’t return to Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers were disappointed with the loss in the first round of the playoffs
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Vinny Del Negro Fired as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Clippers
A franchise-record 56 wins and two straight playoff appearances weren’t enough for Vinny Del Negro, who has been fired by the Los Angeles Clippers.
The news comes from Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
It’s been a truly polarizing run for the 46-year-old head coach.
On one hand, he took over a franchise that had been to the playoffs just once in the last 13 years, and immediately guided it to two postseason appearances in three seasons.
During his time in L.A., he compiled a record of 128-102.
On the other hand, however, his in-game decisions and coaching strategy often left much to be desired (via CBS Sports’ Ken Berger):
And that’s putting it very lightly.
In fact, Del Negro’s coaching ability has become somewhat of a running joke within both media and fan circles—and it’s not exactly difficult to see why (via The Basketball Jones’ J.E. Skeets):
Most recently, Del Negro not only received a boatload of criticism for the lineup decisions he made against the Memphis Grizzlies, but his team was also noticeably flat en route to a disappointing first-round exit.
He wasn’t just drawing crestfallen reviews from the fans and media, either, as the players also chimed in (via HOOPSWORLD’s Alex Kennedy):
It’s difficult to put yourself on the hot seat after following up a Western Conference semis appearance with a 56-win season, but Del Negro is special that way.
The Clips have yet to announce a replacement for the incredibly maligned head coach, but time is of the essence. All-world point guard Chris Paul is set to hit free agency this summer—and finding a coach who increases the chances of bringing CP3 back to Los Angeles is of the utmost importance.
In early May, ESPN’s Ric Bucher suggested a potentially fascinating idea that was being tossed around:
A tantalizing candidate to be the Clippers’ next head coach posited by one NBA executive if the team would like to maximize its chances of Chris Paul re-signing with the franchise: Chauncey Billups. I can’t tell you if Billups is interested in retiring as a player at this point, or even if being a head coach is what he wants to do next, but he certainly knows the game well enough, has long held unusual authority among his peers on the court and in the locker room.
No matter who replaces Del Negro, most see this as a major step forward for the Clippers organization.
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Lakers News: Buzz Around Los Angeles’ Plans for the Offseason
The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2012-13 campaign with a new center in Dwight Howard and title aspirations.
But fresh off a first-round sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs (which included Howard getting ejected in the final game), there are plenty of questions surrounding the Lakers now.
The hottest item of debate, of course, is whether Howard will be back with the team next season. The soon-to-be free agent will surely have a lot of suitors in the offseason coming off a campaign in which he averaged 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 58 percent from the floor.
Howard has said his decision is based on the “right to be happy,” via Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (whatever that means).
He also said of playing in L.A., via the Los Angeles Times report:
Some days it’s good, when I have a good game. Some days it’s not so good. It’s the best place to be when you win. When you’re losing it’s not so good. L.A. loves their Lakers.
Some of that you can’t really understand until you experience it.
General manager Mitch Kupchak has said he’s “optimistic” Howard will return to the team, but he also said it was important for Howard to make up his mind as soon as possible so the Lakers can get about business in the offseason, via the Los Angeles Times.
Kupchak also said in the report that everybody is in play to potentially be moved, including Pau Gasol. The Lakers have the choice to waive Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace and Steve Blake in July. If they did that, they would still have to pay their salaries for the upcoming season, but they wouldn’t have to pay their respective luxury taxes. That’s important, given the Lakers won’t have much money to work with in the offseason, especially if they re-sign Howard.
Obviously, Bryant isn’t going anywhere. I would also expect Gasol to stay given Bryant’s desire for him to remain with the team, via ESPNLA 710 Radio. That leaves Metta World Pace and Blake, who you would have to think are in danger of being waived given the Lakers’ desire to get younger.
Kupchak said that he doesn’t expect to be able to sign any high-profile free agents during the offseason given the team’s salary cap situation, but signing someone for the veteran’s minimum is certainly an option.
He added, “You’re probably going to end up looking at a veteran player who’s older and maybe has a high level of skill and a higher level of basketball IQ but he may not be as athletic as he once was.”
Don’t expect Steve Nash to go anywhere. The veteran point guard, who battled a fractured leg and hip and hamstring soreness during the season, “will almost surely return” to the club, per Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
Small forward Earl Clark, who is a free agent in July, said he wants to remain with the team (per Bresnahan), but that’s likely going to depend on how much money he wants and how much the Lakers can give him. He played well in January and February this season (drawing praise from Bryant), but his playing time and level of play generally dropped when Gasol came back from injury in March.
According to Pincus, Antawn Jamison and Devin Ebanks won’t likely remain with the Lakers.
But watch for second-year guard Andrew Goudelock next season, who averaged 17.1 points on 44 percent shooting in two starts against the Spurs in the playoffs after being named the NBA D-League MVP.
One thing’s for sure: There’s a lot of work to do in La La Land this offseason. Also, don’t count them out as title contenders next season. More time to develop chemistry and some added pieces may just do the trick.
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Los Angeles Lakers: Why Dwight Howard Might Leave
The Los Angeles Lakers want Dwight Howard back (via The Los Angeles Times). Does he want them?
Here is a crazy thought. What if Dwight Howard just doesn’t like Los Angeles? What if Howard follows the advice given to every prospective employee? Namely, go find a job that you enjoy because in the end, a higher salary won’t buy career satisfaction.
In some ways, you have to be an L.A. transplant to understand this. No one loves Los Angeles like Angelinos. In other words, despite what some Southlanders might think, the rest of the country is not dying to live in Los Angeles.
The assumption amongst many fans is that, Howard would obviously want to be with the Lakers. After all, it’s the Lakers. We can debate about whether the Lakers or Celtics are the most storied franchise is all of basketball, but I think it is fair to say that no other franchise has accomplished what those two teams have done over the years.
Perhaps that legacy is intriguing to Dwight, but perhaps it is intimidating. Can Howard ever live up to the legacy that has been created by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, and Kobe Bryant? Even Shaquille O’Neal, who was not exactly a career Laker, contributed to three championships.
That is a tough act to follow.
As fans, we love to play behavioral psychologist and analyze the personalities of players. We do not have qualifications to make these types of clinical assessments, but we do it anyway. So, here is mine.
Like many professional athletes, Dwight Howard has grown up being adored, admired and idolized by people around him. He likes the attention. He wants to be loved and courted. Obviously he is not unique in this regard. Lots of athletes are this way.
Howard is entering that unique free-agent period where he is the coveted athlete on the market. He will be wined, dined and chased.
What if Dwight does not truly feel loved by L.A.? After all, this is still Kobe’s town, even with a torn Achilles and an uncertain future. Kobe certainly has his haters, but there is also a bevy of fans in this city who will idolize him forever. Howard should have figured out by now that Kobe is not exactly going to give Superman a lot of love.
Howard gives the impressions (playing psychologist again) that he wants to be “the man” on his team. As long as Kobe is here, Dwight will not be the man. What if Kobe comes back next year, feels re-energized, and decides that he wants to sign an extension?
Second fiddle…again: Dwight Howard.
Some fans might wonder if players would leave money on the table in order to find better love somewhere else. Remember, these are still people. We tend to put them up on a pedestal and assume that all of their decisions are financially-motivated, but five years in Los Angeles might seem like an eternity for Dwight Howard.
There is, of course, the issue of being a championship-caliber squad. Some fans will argue that if Howard wants a championship, Los Angeles may give him the best chance.
Why?
Here again, some Lakers fans assume that the purple and gold just automatically provides a default road to the playoffs every year. Financially, the Lakers are not in good shape. Kobe’s contract and the luxury tax implications will give this franchise no room to maneuver. Add in Pau Gasol’s contract and Howard’s potential max deal and the Lakers will only have the flexibility to add veteran’s minimums.
Again.
Remember, the Lakers have no draft picks. If Pau gets traded and Kobe retires after next season, the Lakers would have a lot more cap flexibility.
However, at that point the Lakers might have to (gasp) rebuild.
Obviously this is a more pessimistic perspective, but it is not so farfetched to suggest that Dwight Howard could spend the first few years of his contract living through the final decline of the Kobe era and the difficult task of picking up the pieces. Sure, the Lakers will always draw someone to the City of Angels. Still, the Lakers might not be a true contender for a few years.
Dwight Howard has a decision to make. If it is about the money and the biggest market, Los Angeles is the obvious choice. However, if Dwight isn’t happy and would take less money in exchange for a better office environment, he could conceivably walk away.
Of course, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Howard could always sign with the Los Angeles Clippers:
Stay tuned. It will be an interesting summer.
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Los Angeles Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Game 6: Video Highlights and Recap
The Memphis Grizzles beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 118-105, in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
The game was close in the first half as the Grizzles built a 58-53 halftime lead. The Grizzles used a strong third quarter to get the space they needed to finish out the series. A 13-2 run near the start of the second half built the lead to 15.
After trailing 102-87 minutes into the fourth, the Clippers made a final push late in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep their season alive. Mike Conley and Jerryd Bayless each hit three-pointers to put the game away with just over three minutes to go.
From there, the Clippers lost their composure as Chris Paul was ejected.
Zach Randolph and Mike Conley each added 23 points for the Grizzles, while Matt Barnes was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points.
The Grizzles will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.
Take a look at the video to see the highlights from this one.
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Blake Griffin’s Injury Will Sink Los Angeles Clippers If Superstar Misses Game 6
Los Angeles Clippers star forward Blake Griffin was integral to his team’s success during the regular season, and if he is forced to miss Game 6 due to an ankle injury Lob City will be ousted from the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Griffin left Game 5 against the Grizzlies on Tuesday night during the third quarter. The Grizzlies ultimately won their third consecutive game in the series and now hold a 3-2 lead. Griffin’s status for Friday’s Game 6 is uncertain and could doom L.A.
Griffin reportedly suffered the high ankle sprain during Monday’s practice when he landed awkwardly on Lamar Odom. Griffin decided to give it a go anyway, but he moved gingerly for much of the game and wasn’t as explosive as usual. Griffin may not be the same for the rest of the playoffs, but simply having him on the floor is an advantage for the Clippers.
Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro was mum on whether or not Griffin would be able to play in Game 6, but he seemed dejected after the game and said that Griffin’s ankle sprain was “pretty bad” and that there was “a lot of swelling.”
If Griffin doesn’t play in Game 6, then it will be nearly impossible for the Clippers to match Memphis’ imposing interior presence. The combination of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol has been dominant for the Grizzlies during this series as they are averaging a combined 39 points and 16 rebounds per game against an over-matched Clippers frontcourt.
Griffin isn’t going to stop them regardless as he isn’t a strong defensive player, but he is capable of battling them on the boards and answering on the offensive end. Without Griffin the Clippers have essentially no offensive production in the paint as DeAndre Jordan is more of a defensive stalwart and Odom is much better as a role player of the bench.
The likes of Ronny Turiaf and Ryan Hollins figure to get increased minutes if Griffin can’t go and there’s little doubt that Randolph and Gasol would eat them for lunch. The Clippers could also go small with Matt Barnes and Caron Butler on the floor at the same time; however, it would be really tough to neutralize the Memphis bigs that way.
Although point guard Chris Paul is the Clippers’ most valuable player, it can be argued that Griffin is even more important in this particular series because of the Grizzlies’ rebounding and interior scoring acumen. Even with Griffin the Clippers were bullied in Games 3 and 4, so it’s tough to imagine them pulling off a win in Game 6 with Griffin on the shelf.
High ankle sprains tend to be very tricky, so Griffin will have to improve significantly in order to be ready for Friday’s game. His ability to push off is compromised, so his leaping and above-the-rim game won’t be the same in all likelihood. The Clippers are in a bad way whether Griffin plays or not, but they would obviously rather have him out there.
If nothing else, having Griffin on the floor would probably give the Clippers a bit more swagger and confidence in a huge playoff road game. Being without one of their two superstars would inevitably be deflating. The Grizzlies have all the momentum in this series and the Clippers need to swing it in their direction. Something as simple as Griffin playing through the pain could help in that regard.
It remains to be seen if Griffin will suit up, but based on the fact that he wasn’t able to finish a Game 5 of the utmost importance, the odds don’t appear to be in his favor. The Clippers are on the ropes and it will be extremely tough for them to come back against the Grizzlies like they did last season.
Provided Griffin can’t play and the Clippers are eliminated, it will be a huge disappointment for the No. 4 seed. With Russell Westbrook injured in Oklahoma City, the Denver Nuggets on the brink of elimination and the San Antonio Spurs relying on older players, it looked like the Clippers stood a decent chance to win the Western Conference.
The chips are definitely stacked against them at this point, though, and barring a miraculous recovery on Griffin’s part, the Clippers’ playoff run could very well come to an end on Friday night.
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Los Angeles Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Game 5 Postgame Grades & Analysis
The Memphis Grizzlies won their third straight playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers, taking a 3-2 series lead with a dominant 103-93 victory.
Zach Randolph led the way with 25 points as he and Marc Gasol helped the Grizzlies set the game’s pace with brilliant low-post play.
On the other end, Chris Paul did all he could, scoring 35 points in 42 minutes.
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Dwight Howard’s Girlfriend Wants Him To Leave Los Angeles Lakers
Coming off his embarrassing first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, where the Lakers barely made the playoffs only to be swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, Dwight Howard has asked Lakers fans to give him another chance to make it up to them, but apparently his beautiful girlfriend wants him to leave the Lakers for something “even better”.According to a few tweets Howard’s girlfriend Christine Vest posted on Sunday, she’s unhappy with how the Lakers faithful and the sports media in L.A. and across the country blamed Howard for the embarrassing play of the Lakers this season.A fan tweeted [below] Vest, as he gave some comfort to her and Howard after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs.Pretty clear that with the way Howard was treated by the media this season in Los Angeles, Vest believes that it’s time for her and Howard to backup and leave town.Howard will become a free-agent in July, as he can sign a five-year deal wit…
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Clippers can make up for Lakers’ Los Angeles failings
Grizzlies provide an “old-school” test for the Clippers, who can capitalize with a win.
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What’s Next for Los Angeles Lakers After 2013 NBA Playoff Exit?
The 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers rolled the dice and lost big.
The team’s attempt this season to resurrect aged talent without depth culminated with the inevitable disappointment of an opening-round sweep to the San Antonio Spurs.
It was surprising that the Lakers even pushed into the postseason as a No. 7 seed. The season was marked by a coaching change five games in, endless injuries to older stars and far too much losing to match preseason expectations as the latest superteam.
The early exit, coupled with Kobe Bryant’s season-ending surgery, is just the first sign of the potential collapse of a franchise that was not long ago elite but is now fully dipped into mediocrity.
This offseason presents even more reasons to cringe for Los Angeles.
The Lakers hope to sign free agent Dwight Howard for a maximum contract for next season and beyond, but it’s still undetermined whether or not Howard will return.
But if they can bring back the talents of Howard, as has been reported likely to happen, it might be the only move they can accomplish.
The contract situation for next season is as followed:
| Player | 2013-14 |
| Kobe Bryant | $30,453,000 |
| Pau Gasol | $19,285,850 |
| Steve Nash | $9,300,500 |
| Metta World Peace | $7,727,280 (player option) |
| Steve Blake | $4,000,000 |
| Chris Duhon | $3,920,000 |
| Jordan Hill | $3,500,000 |
| Jodie Meeks | $1,550,000 (team option) |
| Total: | $78,186,630 |
That arithmetic tells a miserable tale for the Lakers, especially when you add in the $20 million-plus that Howard will earn if he returns.
The Lakers are in trouble.
As Larry Coon described for ESPN.com:
Life below the tax line? A fond memory at best. Cap room? A pipe dream. These teams have hoarded expensive players and have massive payrolls to show for their efforts. As a result they are not only over the tax line, they are also above the apron — the point at which further system restrictions take effect.
Take the Lakers as an example. Their $79.6 million payroll, while alarmingly high, is at the same time deceptively low. Dwight Howard is hitting free agency this summer, and is the centerpiece of the team’s transition plans to the next generation of Lakers basketball. If they re-sign him — and the team has gone all-in on the assumption that it will — another $20 million will be tacked onto that $79.6 million, which will nudge their total past the $100 million mark once all is said and done.
If Los Angeles settles with that roster, and it is $30 million over the luxury tax, they would owe roughly $85 million in tax, as written by Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLA.com.
According to an International Business Times article by Greg Price, this year’s cap of $70.307 million is expected to be similar next season. The article cites penalties as:
The penalties for non-repeater rates go:
$0 to $4.9 million over pays a rate of $1.50 for every dollar above the cap
$5 million to $9.9 million over pays a rate of $1.75 for every dollar above the cap
$10 million to $14.9 million over pays a rate of $2.50 for every dollar above the cap
$15 million to $19.9 million over pays a rate of $3.25 for every dollar above the cap
$20 million and above pays $3.75 and an additional $.50 for every additional $5 million
But enough of the math, the other numbers that speak to the Lakers’ dismal immediate future are the ages on the current roster and the statistics of what this team accomplished.
It’s unclear how the Lakers improve in the future when they will return equal or less than the same level of talent that underperformed this season.
It seems likely that the team will move Gasol—if they can.
But moving Gasol and his contract likely won’t return heralded talent.
The Warriors could amnesty Bryant, but that seems 100 percent implausible that the Lakers would allow Bryant to play anywhere other than Los Angeles.
World Peace, on a player option, might be the more likely choice to amnesty.
Either way, the season that was originally gambled on the legs of aging talent has resulted in the biggest disappointment in Los Angeles since Bryant tried to do it on his own without Shaquille O’Neal.
And that might not change. There are more questions marks than answers and it might be a few uncharacteristically cold years for the Lakers until they can rebuild a depth of talent again.
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