Baylor apparently out with Clippers

[JJ LoDuca]

A very interesting read here, Bill Simmons on Elgin Baylor:

You know Elgin Baylor as the longtime general manager of the Clippers. Blessed with a kind face and a happy smile, almost like the grandfather in a UPN sitcom, he's the Hall of Famer who sits with the other embarrassed GMs during the lottery every spring. I have made many jokes about Elgin over the years. He's an easy target. This is a man once described by TNT's Reggie Theus as "a veteran of the lottery process" ... and he meant it as a compliment. During last June's draft, I slammed Elgin for trading down two spots -- from No. 2 to No. 4 -- and passing up a sure thing (Emeka Okafor) for a high school point guard (Livingston), adding that, "Having Elgin Baylor run your team must be like getting in the car with my mom at night, when she's careening off curbs and saying things like, 'I can't believe how bad my eyes have gotten' and 'We shouldn't have ordered that bottle of wine.' Just constant fear."

Well, Elgin wasn't too happy about that one. Much to my surprise, he reads more Clipper-related articles and columns than one would think. When he found out I was coming for lunch, he wasn't pleased. Coincidentally, he ended up in the Staples cafeteria at the same time we were eating; one of my lunch partners asked Elgin at the salad bar if he wanted to join us. Elgin glanced over at our table, noticed me sitting there and growled, "That guy's an [expletive]." Only he used a seven-letter expletive, placing most of his emphasis on the first three letters. For instance, let's pretend the word was "Bassbowl." Elgin would have said it, "That guy's a BASS-bowl."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/081008

[mkwest]

Thanks Cinnamon.

JJ, that was a pretty good read.

[Charcoal Filtered]

I was expecting a funnier article, but it was definitely a good read.

[rsavaj]

That article put Baylor in a different light for me

[mkwest]

Some reactions from the players on Baylor's departure...

"I hadn't seen Elgin around and I didn't know what had happened," center Chris Kaman said. "Yesterday I heard that he resigned and I didn't know what was going on. I was asking questions and I wasn't getting any answers. I guess they weren't sure, either. I don't really know."

Guard Cuttino Mobley was perplexed when he was asked Wednesday what he thought about the situation.

"I don't know what's going on," Mobley said. "But Elgin's a legend. You're supposed to let that man ride out until he's finished. But it's not my call.'

Art Thompson III, OC Register

[mkwest]

Could Pfund end up on the West Coast?

Randy Pfund was watching the Florida Atlantic-Troy college football game Tuesday night when he saw Elgin Baylor was out as the Los Angeles Clippers’ general manager.

Pfund, who recently resigned as the Heat’s general manager, called it an “interesting one to come across the board.”

Is there interest on Pfund’s part?

“I think it’d be best to wait and see if there is a job there,” he said.

The Clippers plan to have head coach Mike Dunleavy handle general manager duties. This is a good time to mention Pfund has worked with Dunleavy. Pfund was an assistant coach under Dunleavy with the Lakers. He eventually succeeded Dunleavy as head coach.

Chris Perkins, Palm Beach Post