Vinny

Del Negro

Ex Wizards and Thunder coach Scott Brooks and Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins are also in the hunt for a job in Portland. VDN has been out of coaching for about eight years and clashed with Chris Paul during his time with the Clippers, so it will be interesting to see if he gets back in the game this year.

He’ll be the team’s director of player personnel.

VDN was asked if he thought Chris Paul wanted him out as coach and also whether he thought owner Donald Sterling would’ve preferred for Del Negro to return. His answers to both questions were mostly straight-forward, non-answers so neutral that it was clear Del Negro had opinions on both that he didn’t want to say. There have been a lot of rumblings that Paul didn’t want Del Negro to return and the Clippers’ desire to re-sign the point guard forced the coach out the door. Whatever the truth is, Del Negro likely wants to coach in the NBA again and is smart enough not to throw Paul or the Clippers under the bus.

The previous report from ESPN cited Del Negro’s firing as “inevitable,” so this is a contradiction from that. Furthermore, sources told ESPN there is “a level of interest within the organization to extend Del Negro’s contract,” so it doesn’t appear his firing truly inevitable as it was painted to be. The final call rests with owner Donald Sterling, known as “Del Negro’s biggest backer in the organization,” but no decision has been made yet. According to the report, at least one other team has shown interest in Del Negro as a head coach so far.

Haynes reports a decision on Del Negro’s status as Clippers coach should come shortly after the meeting. There had been conflicting reports over the past week ranging from an “inevitable” firing to a possible contract extension for Del Negro. What seems clear is Sterling is reportedly Del Negro’s biggest backer in the organization and will definitely have final say on whether he returns after the Clippers’ first-round exit. Either way, we should know something next week.

The details have yet to emerge, but there have been rumblings that Del Negro’s days were numbered for some time. The latest rumor making waves is that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard will emerge in Atlanta together next season, but that’s far from having any substance at this point. The Clippers failed to advance far enough in the playoffs for anyone’s liking and “Paul coaches the Clippers” jokes were all the rage this season. Paul will likely have some say in who the next coach will be, while names like Byron Scott, Alvin Gentry, Mike Malone, Stan Van Gundy and Mike Budenholzer are already being listed as possible replacements for Del Negro.

To put it lightly, that would be a massive downgrade. To go from Rivers to Del Negro would be an interesting transition, and one that would likely leave Celtics fans with memories that quickly turned into nightmares. Celtics GM Danny Ainge reportedly likes Del Negro and his “up-tempo philosophy,” but it’s worth noting Chris Paul said multiple times this season that he ran the offense on his own in Los Angeles where Del Negro was employed. One source told the Herald that Del Negro would be a “stopgap” if Rivers left. Celtics fans are likely hopeful they’ll never have to find out if Del Negro would work in Boston or not.

He will be Denver’s third candidate to interview, following Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw. On the surface, Del Negro doesn’t really compare to Hollins and Shaw, so he would be a surprise to win this job. Even though Del Negro’s Clippers had their best record ever, he still underachieved, especially with arguably the best point guard in the NBA.

Del Negro is waiting to learn his fate and doesn’t seem all that concerned, and while the team is expected to take a little while to decide which direction they’ll go in, a first round playoff exit doesn’t bode well for Del Negro’s future. You can be sure the Clippers will get Chris Paul’s opinion even before he potentially commits to re-signing with the team. Del Negro remains on the hot seat.

“Our head coach and his staff have done a terrific job here,” he said. Del Negro is in the final year of his deal, but all involved have agreed to table contract talks until the Clippers season concludes. Sacks added that anyone who believes there is front office friction is incorrect, and he also revealed that the Clippers did not call any other team to offer Eric Bledsoe or DeAndre Jordan at the trade deadline.