The Los Angeles Clippers have removed the job of president of basketball operations from head coach Doc Rivers. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer designated executive vice president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank to oversee basketball operations. Wojnarowski said Rivers can throw in some input regarding team personnel. As the owner of the Clippers for three years, Ballmer said he understood that running a franchise and coaching are two enormous and different jobs and should not be performed by one person.
“We need two functioning strong people building teams out beneath them,” he said, adding that there should be a healthy discussion and debate with two strong, independent minded people. Ballmer added that Frank has done an outstanding job of running non-coaching aspects of the front office last season.
Rivers performed two jobs since 2013
Rivers has performed the two jobs since he joined the team in 2013. The Clippers made it to the playoffs in each of his four seasons with the squad but they failed to make it past the second round. Rivers will still earn his salary of over $10 million this season, according to Turner. Rivers is still under contract as head coach through 2018-19. The Clippers recently hired Jerry West as an executive and then traded point guard Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets.
They re-signed power forward Blake Griffin and acquired small forward Danilo Gallinari in a trade with the Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks.
Rivers should be worried by West’s entry
In 2014, Ballmer signed Rivers to a five-year, $50 million deal to become a head coach and team president. However, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report said Rivers has a lot to worry about with the entry of West to the squad.
West joined the Clippers in June after helping turn the Golden State Warriors into an NBA powerhouse and he is expected to wield his influence, especially with coaches. He was reported to be behind the ouster of Mark Jackson from the Warriors. According to sources by Bleacher Report, Rivers’ work ethic has dropped since his coaching days in Boston and West will not think twice in recommending to Ballmer that he be fired.
Rivers must prove in the coming season that he can lead the team to the playoffs without Paul. He is expected to start his son, Austin Rivers, as a playmaker alongside Patrick Beverley if he remains with the team. Beverley earlier said he asked for a trade from the Clippers.
