The L.A. Clippers have been slipping down the Western Conference standings, and now appear to be in real danger of falling out of the bracket completely. After going 0-3 in a back-to-back-to-back this week, the Clippers are now just one game ahead of No. 9 Utah in the West standings, and have fallen three games behind the Lakers in the Pacific Division race.
Vinny Del Negro’s Job Security Questioned As Clippers Fall Apart
Will Vinny Del Negro survive the season with the Clippers?
Head coach Vinny Del Negro, forever questioned as a tactician, is now taking a good deal of heat. Steve Perrin from SB Nation's Clips Nation digs into the issue:
So what will the Clippers do? What should they do? Del Negro is in the last year of a two-year contract with a team option for next season. He’ll clearly not be back next year. But what about this season?
Generally speaking, teams in the thick of a playoff race do not change coaches with five weeks remaining in the season. The Knicks, who made their move just over a week ago and have since won five straight under new coach Mike Woodson, are honestly the best example of a (so far) successful late season change I can think of. The Nuggets hired George Karl very near the midpoint of the season back in 2005, and he proceeded to take a 17-25 team and finish the season winning 32 out of 40 games, a remarkable turnaround. But in each of those firings, the team was well below .500 at the time so there was little to lose, and the fact of the matter is that teams rarely play better under a new coach.
Could we have three coaches replaced within 10 days of the trade deadline, with two of the teams on track for the playoffs and the third (the Blazers) on the fringe? If so, it’s just another bizarre twist in a bizarre season.
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