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What do the Clippers ultimately want, redemption or reverence?

I mentioned in another thread about how my obsession over ejections corroborate to the Clipper's overall reputation and learning how to win over these forms of adversity to erase said reputation. When you say Lakers, you think "16 championships," Warriors prompts "dynasty," Spurs equate to "resiliency" - what do the Clippers mean. Right now, they're losers until they prove it by taking competition seriously, getting out of the 2nd round and actually winning a title coupled with some sort of Herculean side quest like coming out of a 3-0 playoff series deficit or one player scoring 100 points.

Doc Rivers has done a steady job only because the Clippers are captained by Jerry West, the special advisor to Steve Ballmer who makes draft, trade and front office suggestions for a franchise that has always bumbled under Donald Sterling, and ironically, Doc Rivers himself. Take away his reliance on superstars, his favorites and his son, and you get a coach who can turn a cast exclusively made up of role players into a formidable team. When he's forced into something he hates doing like developing rookies because it equates to tanking and a losing season, he'll commit to it cause he doesn't want to lose his job. But if he's leading a superstar starting lineup like the 2008 Celtics, his role reduces to a coach's minimum: managing egos. It worked with Pierce-Allen-Garnett but it didn't with Paul-Griffin-Jordan for a myriad of reasons, but I'll stick to "Jordan being pushed into becoming a superstar when he's really a role starter, like Tobias Harris, just to convince the media they do have a Big 3."

Doc has always wanted to emulate what Gregg Popovich did for the San Antonio Spurs with egalitarian players who play for the right reasons and for the good of basketball. But he was corrupt over his newfound powers, having to separate between his competitive fire from his abilities to build a Spurs-like team. West is doing the Spurs dream job for him, and it could be what decides the Clippers future:

Danny Chau wrote:In 2014, when the Los Angeles Clippers promoted coach and then-senior vice president of basketball operations Doc Rivers to the role of franchise majordomo—empowering him with the final say both on and off the court—there was a distinct ethos the team was hoping to replicate. Rivers’s final two seasons as a player were as a part of the San Antonio Spurs operation, and it was Gregg Popovich, then the Spurs GM, who brought him in. Popovich would become a coaching rival only seasons later (and one of the greatest coaches in any American professional sports league, full stop), but what he implemented in San Antonio while Rivers was in the organization was the model Doc tried to follow in his new venture. Doc had long admired the way the Spurs crafted a team wide sensibility and stuck to it for decades.

“Pop always used the line, ‘Over themselves.’ He wants guys ‘over themselves,’ guys who aren’t pouting when they’re on the bench. Guys, who when they come out, sprint out and are happy,” Rivers told ESPN in 2015. “They keep finding guys like that. They’ll tell you privately they’ve missed on a couple that could have fit even better but they thought he may not so they passed. They’d rather pass and get that right than take any risk.”

If Doc is liking the pseudo-Spurs approach West is putting for him, he might stay, but his passion for chips could cloud his judgment. LeBron James could give him an instant ring, but what if James decreed to the Lakers they trade for Chris Paul - and we've already seen how the Paul-Doc dynamic worked out in their four years together. History would repeat itself, except the Lakers will be feeling what the Clippers already experienced, maybe another 3-1 collapse will happen. But the future is a mystery, all we have going for predictions are historical accounts and the acts of the present. But that could actually work out in the Clipper's favor, provided they have a coach in mind: is it in-house with Rex Kalamian, Sam Cassell, or Natalie Nakase; outside the circle like Mike Krzyzewski or Brad Stevens; or could they work out a first-ever coaching trade of Doc Rivers for Luke Walton, and if that didn't work, Doc for a 1st round pick and a gag order.

Jerry West gives the Clippers more options that they've ever had under Donald Sterling or Doc Rivers. Steve Ballmer made a significant investment in the Theo Epstein of the NBA, and it's paying off. Does Doc Rivers want the easy way out or a trust in west?

The Budenholzer jokes when they were 15-7 are pretty funny in hindsight but you can tell the Doc apologists are hoping they get clipped by Boston in the second round to come out of the wood work and laugh at Buds. Brogdon going out for 6-8 weeks today doesn't help.

Anywho.

Doc should stay on as coach. While I would mini-tank or stealth tank, I would never intentionally set myself up for a lesser coach. Not only do I not know if we could adequately replace him, I dunno where I'd start the search.

I've been big on saying I wouldn't mind Spo in LA but I dunno why Spo would ever leave Miami at this point.

I'm a "Doc apologist," if that means defending him from spurious attacks. I don't care what happens with Budenholzer. Doesn't affect us. We have a very good coach.

Don't know any other "Doc apologists" who give a damn either.

They can have him in exchange for their lottery pick

I just hope the Clippers get ahead of this before the season ends (if there's any truth to the rumor), so we have no uncertainties that cloud the offseason and FA period.

I am very happy with our FO and coaching staff right now. That being said, if I had to choose I'd rather the Lakers poach Doc than Jerry.

only Clipper related person I hated more than Doc the GM was our old news Donald.

Doc the Coach is fine by me as long as it does not become having to choose between Jerry West and Doc. I think them together creates synergy when it comes to recruitment of who's who among the FAs as well as day to day personnel decisions of the clipper brass.

but

if there really comes a point in time that we have to choose one over the other, Doc is more replaceable than Jerry. in fact someone's got to invent a functional prototype version of "head in a jar" machine from the Futurama to keep Jerry West do what he does best for our Clippers until Philip J. Fry gets unfrozen.

For two first rounders go for it

Glad Doc put this one to bed. This is Doc's team, much more than the CP-BG team he inherited. That was Chris Paul's team. Doc as GM just did whatever he could to try to push it up the hill. CP-BG-DJ ate up all the money.


For the record, the sh*tty late first-round pick the Clippers traded to Ainge for Doc turned into RJ Hunter, who averaged 2.6 points in 44 NBA games. Last spotted in G-League with his 6th organization.

This present Clipper squad has turned into a really sweet gig for Doc.. also a chance to get a Kawhi or Durant over the summer. No way he ditches us for the sh*t show across the hall.

Beautiful. Woj throwing bombs at the clown show only makes it sweeter. Man the Clippers have a great owner, FO, and coach for years to come. Exciting times!

Spoelstra = better than Doc?

UmmHmm. And what has he done without Bron coaching himself?

"There are people in southern California right now in that environment telling Doc he doesn't wanna do this. And one of those reasons is simply, LeBron James. He's been told by people—and I know this—LeBron doesn't want to be coached. He's never been coached by someone with that kind of personality, command, authority, acumen, intellect. He's rejected that. So Doc is being reminded of that by people," said Wilbon on "Pardon the Interruption."

Lakers continue to take Ls.

Floating out these rumors to make their organization seem like it’s not a dumpster fire only prompted “Ballz” to prove him wrong.

Good move.
As long as we put good things on the teleprompter for Doc Burgundy, he can stay as long as he wants.

Clippers may have lived up to their name sake in brushing through the shrubs, but are not out of the woods yet. There is still the off-season. By extending his current contract, the Lakers are now poised to trade a draft pick to get him. They will do everything in their power to sabotage the Clippers season in order to pry Doc.

This is where a coach like Gregg Popovich could come in and keep the focus squarely on basketball. Don't get distracted, be like soldiers: win for the good of your community.

Doc wants to be Pop? Now's the time to prove it.