Doc Rivers has been booted from the front office part of his job as the de facto general manager (GM) of the Los Angeles Clippers after three seasons. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have signed veteran forward Luke Babbit as they look to finalize their roster.
Doc Rivers out as Clippers GM
The Los Angeles Clippers hired Doc Rivers to be their head coach back in June 2013. Besides being the head coach, he has also held the title of senior vice president of basketball operations on the team. The following year, Rivers was promoted to be the president of basketball operations.
Despite the fact that Dave Wohl was hired as general manager, Doc had final say in all basketball matters, making him the de facto GM.
Yesterday, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer told ESPN that he is freeing Rivers of his front-office responsibilities so that he can focus on his primary duty of being the head coach. Lawerence Frank has now been promoted to the president position and will work with Rivers, who will still have a strong voice in team matters. Both Frank and Rivers will directly report to Ballmer.
Following nine successful seasons with the Boston Celtics, in which he posted a 416-305 (.577%) record and won an NBA Championship, the Clippers hired Doc Rivers. In four season, the team has gone 217-111 (.662%) and made the playoffs each year.
However, the team has perennially underachieved their going 18-22 (.450%) and never making it past the second-round. Following Chris Paul's departure, the Clippers looks to build around a core of Blake Griffin, Danilo Gallinari, and Deandre Jordan.
Hawks sign veteran Luke Babbit
The Atlanta Hawks and small-forward Luke Babbit have agreed to a one-year deal for the $1.9 million veteran minimum.
Last season the 28-year-old played a key role in the Miami Heat's second half resurgence that resulted in them barely missing the playoffs. He played in 68 games for the team, starting 55 of them. In 15.7 minutes per game, Babbit put up 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists while shooting 40.2% from the field and 41.4% on three-pointers.
Babbit was drafted with the 16th pick in the first round of the 2010 draft out of Nevada-Reno, having since spent seven seasons in the NBA. He started his career by spending three seasons with the Portland Trailblazers. He then spent three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans before spending a lone season with the Heat. Babbit is known for his three-point shooting ability.
