After the Clippers made a nice run a few years ago, winning a playoff series and taking the Suns to seven games in the second round, I went on the radio and called for the organization to fire Mike Dunleavy….
People thought I was crazy, but having watched him coach I knew he’d taken the Clips as far as he could….
Even though the Clippers made the second round, his coaching blunders cost them two games and the series….
On the road in Phoenix, with a chance to steal one, the Clips led by three with a few seconds left and looked as if they were going to take control of the series. The situation called for a foul, but instead Dunleavy inexplicably inserted rookie Daniel Ewing into the game to guard dangerous Raja Bell. Ewing hadn’t played all night and hardly at all during the season, so the move was idiotic….
Predictably, Ewing lost Bell, who got open in the corner and swished a three as the game ended. Then, of course, the Suns won in overtime….
When the series returned to Los Angeles, Dunleavy was at it again, sitting Sam Cassell on the bench for nearly the entire fourth quarter of a heartbreaking loss which cost them the series….
Sam I Am was the Clips best player and team leader, so his riding the pine down the stretch was shocking….
I’d seen this act before from Dunleavy in Portland and knew it was time for him to go….
It reminded me of the Chicago Bulls of the late ’80’s, who made the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bad Boy Pistons, only to lose in seven games….
After the loss, Doug Collins was suprisingly fired….
It seemed like a stupid move, but General Manager Jerry Krause showed what a shrewd basketball man he was….
He knew Collins had taken the team as far as he could and to get past the Pistons they were going to have to change course. His choice to replace Doug? A relatively unknown assistant named Phil Jackson….
Ten championship later, I think Krause has been justified….
With the young talent the Clippers have, the offense Dunleavy runs is never going to work. With Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby and hopefully Blake Griffin, they need a coach like Mike D’Antoni….
Run, run, run, play exciting basketball and give the fans a reason to go to the games. With the Lakers sharing the arena, the only way to draw interest is to have the most exciting, high scoring style in the NBA….
Unfortunately Dunleavy is going to retain his role as GM and will probably not want to hire someone who coaches a breakneck style; because it’s totally the opposite of his philosophy….
Donald T. Sterling needs to make a clean break, relieve Dunleavy of all responsibilities and say goodbye….
Hire a young GM along the lines of Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti, a coach with the D’Antoni philosophy and turn those young players loose….
We all know how tough and competitive Kobe Bryant is and how much he wants to suit up for every game. It’s also very important for the Lakers to keep winning and gain home court advantage throughout the playoffs….
But it’s time for the organization to insist Kobe sits out a week and get his body right for the stretch drive and post-season….
Even though he still puts up big numbers, it’s obvious he’s hurting. He still has the torn ligaments in his finger and now his knee and ankle are hurting….
A week off to get his body right would do wonders….
Knowing him, however, he will refuse to sit out and probably put up his usual numbers over the next few games….
With the 24/7 Super Bowl coverage on ESPN, my head is about to explode. One “expert” after another joins the ESPN team onstage, breaks down both teams and gives his opinion on who’s going to win….
This was boring a week ago and nothing has changed….
Nobody has any idea who is going to win and all these dopes are guessing just like the rest of us….
Both teams are really good and who knows how the ball is going to bounce, who is going to make mistakes or if a blown call will decide the game….
I like the Colts, because of Peyton Manning, but who knows?….
I think I’ll boycott the four letter network until the Super Bowl is over….
I can make a few guarantees, though:
-The pre-game entertainment show will be awful
-All the commercials will suck
-A great band like The Who will be awful
-The post-game music show will be an embarrassment
-All the “experts” will continue to bore the hell out of us after the game
