Clippers Pursuing the Logo (West Joins #ClipCityChipCity!)

Ranma · Post #81 » by **Ranma** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:40 am

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Quake Griffin · Post #82 » by **Quake Griffin** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:40 am

Was he kidding when he said, "what's your name? Frank? Lawrence?"

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Post #83 » by **mkwest** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:47 am

LeBron James to Clippers? Why Jerry West's relationship may be key

The grand plan now for West and his new Clippers colleagues, president of basketball operations and head coach Doc Rivers and executive vice president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank? Targeting the biggest fish in next summer's free agent sea: LeBron James.

According to two people with knowledge of the situation, West’s potential ability to improve the Clippers’ chances of landing the Cleveland Cavaliers star in free agency in the summer of 2018 was a significant factor in his hiring and in the willingness of owner Steve Ballmer to pay West between $4 and $5 million annually. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the team’s plans.

But James, who has a home and an increasing amount of off-court business in Los Angeles, is at the center of the Clippers’ dreams. And West, as the Clippers see it, is the perfect recruiter to lure James away from his home state.

Sam Amick, USA Today

Ranma · Post #84 » by **Ranma** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:51 am

Quake Griffin wrote:Was he kidding when he said, "what's your name? Frank? Lawrence?"

Yeah, it was a joke as he mentioned later on that he's known him for some time.

Post #85 » by **thanumba2clippersfan** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:33 am

Just glad that we officially have Jerry West. Hopefully he can find an impact player in the draft or someone that can play as an undrafted free agent. I trust that he can lead and guide Doc and Frank to make the right moves.

I was so busy earlier that I missed the press conference. I'll go back to watch it.

Ranma · Post #86 » by **Ranma** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 4:52 pm

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Ranma · Post #87 » by **Ranma** » Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:03 pm

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Ranma · Post #88 » by **Ranma** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 7:58 am

Nick Schwartz, FoxSports.com (6/21/17)

Clippers Exec Jerry West Explains Why His New Team Shouldn’t Be Concerned with the Lakers

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Ranma · Post #89 » by **Ranma** » Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:21 pm

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Ranma · Post #90 » by **Ranma** » Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:54 pm

pudding, Clippers.Scout.com Forum (8/22/17)

Jerry West on Clippers/Warriors (Interview by Tim Kawakami)

wco81 · Post #91 » by **wco81** » Tue Aug 22, 2017 8:59 pm

Yeah that was interesting.

Either the Warriors didn't offer him another contract or didn't offer him nearly as much money as the Clippers.

Oh well, they don't have to make major decisions for a few years.

After this core is gone or on their last legs, they'd be making big decisions but that might be too many years ahead for West.

nickhx2 · Post #92 » by **nickhx2** » Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:49 pm

too many years for all of us

Ranma · Post #93 » by **Ranma** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:27 pm

Tim Kawakami, The Athletic (8/23/17)

Nobody has a better instinctive feel for identifying talent in the NBA than Jerry West; that's just a fact.

But two strong-willed guys like Lacob and West probably weren't ever going to agree on everything or be the greatest of pals on some days, and as the years piled up, the friendly competitiveness turned into a bit of tension.

And West started showing up in Oakland less and less. West had begun to tell associates starting about a year ago that Myers had become such a savvy general manager that West really didn't need to do or say much — the Warriors' path to multiple championships was already set.

Once West started getting restless (and nobody gets more restless than Jerry), I think Lacob picked up the signals. And vice-versa. They weren't reaching out to each other as much. That's why Myers got a big promotion and raise last summer and West didn't get his contract extended; both sides knew things were a little different now than in past years.

Mostly, the relationship between West and Lacob had changed, as all relationships change while a new management team maneuvers itself from the bottom to playoff contention to the kings of the NBA.

Then the Clippers called, offered West a chance to be a part of a team where he lives, and to help make changes on another team that needs it, and reportedly offered double or triple what he was earning with the Warriors.

There was no way Lacob was going to match the Clippers' huge offer if he believed West's heart wasn't in staying with the Warriors; and once that became clear, there was no way a proud man like West was going to stay with the Warriors.

Kawakami: Why Jerry West Left the Warriors and Other Very Specific Answers to Your Good Questions

Akklaim1 · Post #94 » by **Akklaim1** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 6:37 pm

Send his ass back to the Bay. I don't admire anyone who has love for that team.

MartinToVaught · Post #95 » by **MartinToVaught** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 7:01 pm

Akklaim1 wrote:Send his ass back to the Bay. I don't admire anyone who has love for that team.

Thank God that you don't own our team. You should really have some appreciation for one of the best sports executives of all time.

Akklaim1 · Post #96 » by **Akklaim1** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 7:50 pm

MartinToVaught wrote:
Akklaim1 wrote:Send his ass back to the Bay. I don't admire anyone who has love for that team.

Thank God that you don't own our team. You should really have some appreciation for one of the best sports executives of all time.

Well, if I owned the team, I'd definitely ban you from Clipper nation, which would be a favor for all of Clipper fans on this board.

BTW, I was joking about West.

wco81 · Post #97 » by **wco81** » Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:02 pm

Two to three times? Nice part time job at his age.

Ranma · Post #98 » by **Ranma** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 5:05 pm

There was quite a lot to go through even from the book excerpt, which mostly went over West's time with the Warriors and Lakers. I quoted the most relevant parts from the excerpt that pertained to the Clippers and the ramifications on West as well as his influence on teams.

If I've quoted too much material, moderators, please feel free to edit by trimming down what I've quoted or let me know and I will do so.

Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated (10/12/17)

For West, it has been a wrenching ordeal to drift apart from Golden State, an organization that signed him in 2011 when it was looking for the kind of credibility that only he could provide. No one around the NBA believes it was mere coincidence that West was part of the management team when the Warriors rose from the ashes of an undistinguished past. He had been a major part of the Golden State decision-making apparatus as the Warriors added pieces, both by the draft and free agency, to build a team that has become a model in pro sports.

In light of that, primary owner Joe Lacob thought it justified to adjust West's compensation downward. Exact figures are hard to come by because West's salary was partly dictated by franchise evaluation and some monies were deferred to enable him to buy a small stake in the team—remember that "small" in this business means as much as $1 million. But the best estimate is that West was asked to take what one source called a "material" pay cut to about $1 million. The best guess on material is about 50%, meaning that West had been making about $2 million. (Neither West nor Lacob would comment directly on dollar figures.)

But undeniably, West's feelings were hurt, more so because the Warriors are an organization swimming in cash, the franchise value having increased at least sixfold since Lacob and Guber bought it in 2010. If Lacob saw West's relationship with the Warriors as transactional, West saw it as more as a marriage. And now someone was telling him he wasn't wanted, or at least wasn't wanted as much as he once was. Don't tell Jerry West that something is not personal; it's almost always personal.
Down the road, when the endless game of chance that is professional sports starts to turn against the Warriors, when injuries and intrigue build and wholesale changes have to be made, will they miss the man who always seemed to have an answer? Will they ever wonder: Now, why exactly did we let Jerry West get away?

Watching a Game With Jerry West... As His Warriors Divorce Unfolds

MartinToVaught · Post #99 » by **MartinToVaught** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 8:29 pm

Lacob might be the only one who can mess up the Warriors' current dynasty. Everything I've read about him makes him sound like a bad owner with an ego. Asking Jerry West to take a paycut after he built you a dynasty is pretty gross.

wco81 · Post #100 » by **wco81** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 10:37 pm

Yeah it's unfortunate, especially when the team is making a lot of money, for now.

But they're going to be looking at huge luxury tax bills going forward.

I think they could still benefit from West's counsel to try to find players who will eventually replace the core. But as instrumental as West was in many of the decisions which led to the team's current run of success, he may be a luxury that the owners may have deemed they can no longer afford.