Firing Dunleavy Won't Help Clippers

Yes, the last seven years have been fun for the LA Clippers. But owner Donald Sterling needed a scapegoat for this season's failure so he conveniently fired GM Mike Dunleavy this Tuesday.

The way he was fired was in typical Clipper fashion: they posted to the Clippers website during the Clippers/Orlando game on Tuesday before telling the players, coaches, or even Mike Dunleavy.

The problem with firing Dunleavy (and how they did it) is that most of the current roster was recruited by Dunleavy so they inherently have bought into his plan to some extent. Coaches, players, and everyone sees how the Clippers treat people and it certainly leaves a bad impression of the organization.

If you're Larry Brown, Jerry West, LeBron James, or Dwayne Wade do you want to come to a organization that treats everyone poorly? There is probably a high correlation between how you treat your employees and organizational success. Unfortunately, Donald Sterling has no concept of this.

In their press release, the Clips state they want to "win now." Unfortunately, "now" is subject to interpretation as it could mean next season or five years from now. The Camby and Thornton trades will definitely not help the Clippers win this season, so we really have no idea when the Clippers intend to win, the real reason Dunleavy was fired, and if fans should be optimistic about the future. The only that is certain is that Donald Sterling will continue to manage in a confusing (and probably) unsuccessful manner.

Some selected quotes:

Dunleavy-

"I come back to my locker around 7 p.m. and there's a million messages on my phone," Dunleavy said.

"This guy comes up to me and said, 'What's going on? They just said on TV that the Clippers severed ties with you?'

"I had no idea what they were talking about. I'm like, 'Wow. I haven't even talked to the Clippers.'"

"I left a message saying (to Donald Sterling), 'I have no idea what caused this. I'm disappointed I don't get to finish the job, but I want to thank you for the opportunity you've given me,'" Dunleavy said. "I had a great time in L.A."

Baron Davis-

"At this point, nothing surprises me," point guard Baron Davis said. "We're moving in a different direction. We've been on the road, so there's not much that we know. You all found out before we did."

Chris Kaman-

"I wonder who made that decision?'' said All-Star center Chris Kaman. "We don't know why or anything. I think whoever made the decision to get rid of all that money (long-term contracts) did a good job of it. They left a lot of cap space for next year, and now can go after a big-time player.''

Clips Trade Employee for 3 Tacos- Another Memorable Moment in Clippers' History

On Wednesday, March 2nd, the LA Clippers posted a press release on their website announcing that they had traded Steven Esparza (one of their employees) for three tacos. The joke continues in the caption below the picture of Drew Gooden dunking-"Drew Gooden dunks all over Steven Esparza's head." Check it out-

Clearly this was a joke by someone who has a problem with Steven and, thus, the Clippers are not entirely responsible for this happening. However, this is a reflection of the professional atmosphere that exists within the organization. There was obviously a breakdown in either website security or public relations. If this is happening on the media relations side of the team, then there is a good chance that similar problems exist throughout the organization.

While organizational problems at the Clippers are nothing new, this incident serves as another reason for free agents to look elsewhere this summer. You're 25 and deciding where to spend the best years of your career: are you going to sign with the Clippers who have a tradition of failure, injuries, poor management, and now employees who issue false press releases? Probably not.

You can't blame GM Mike Dunleavy for these problems. He's done a respectable job building talent while he's been in charge. I doubt it was his decision to trade Thornton and Camby away for expiring contracts.

Instead, the main obstacle to these changes, owner Donald Sterling, sits at the top of the organization. As long as the Clips bring him some $$$, and an excuse to justify those annoying ads in the LA Times, then the Donald will not commit to winning. For over 25 years, the Donald has done things his way, why would he change now? Same old Clips.

Camby Traded to Portland- The Donald Strikes Again!

Donald, it's good to have you back! The thought of you building a winning franchise was nice but we all new it was too good to be true.

A day after their head coach signaled that the Clippers wouldn't make the playoffs, the team traded Marcus Camby (#2 in rebounds & #7 in blocks in the NBA) for guard Steve Blake & forward Travis Outlaw.

It would have been one thing if the Clippers got back significant talent or draft picks. Instead both Outlaw & Blake will probably leave this summer if they don't get moved before Thursday's trade deadline. Also, both players do not fill a gaping hole on the Clipper roster.

Blake is a decent backup PG- but do they envision him taking minutes away from Telfair or recently-signed Bobby Brown? Outlaw is recovering from another major injury- is he going to take minutes away from Thornton, Butler, or Gordon?

This move only makes sense from a cap perspective since it clears an extra $1.3M off of their salary cap (Camby makes $7.65M & Outlaw/Blake make $8.9M) this summer. In addition, the Clips save $2M in incentives owed to Camby. So let's be clear, this move was about saving $2M this year and shaving $1.3M off of their cap.

With this move, & Coach Hughes' comments about the team not making the playoffs, their season is effectively over. It's never a good move to tell competitive athletes that they're not going to make the playoffs. Furthermore, you're sending the wrong signal to Gordon & Blake, who will be deciding in a few years if they want to continue with the Clippers. And where does this leave Kaman & Davis, who are in the prime of their careers and are now facing 20 pointless games. How do you think the team felt on Monday when Camby left the team dinner after his agent called to tell him that he had been traded? These indirect financial consequences are probably worth more than the $1.3M the Clippers will shave off of their salary cap.

A culture of failure, coupled with the Camby trade, won't entice free agents to sign with the Clippers this summer.