The Los Angeles Clippers are putting a rush on their coaching search. The team is hoping to have a new head coach in place before free agency begins in an effort to have a better chance at retaining Chris Paul. The Clippers are doing everything they can to please the soon-to-be free agent. The team had targeted former NBA coach and current television broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy as a potential new coach, but Van Gundy has declined the Clipper's offer.
Van Gundy is not yet prepared to leave his comfy broadcasting booth just yet. While he did take time to speak with owner Donald Sterling and the rest of the Clippers front office about the open position, he is officially not interested. Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo! Sports reports that all conversations between the two parties are officially dormant.
Van Gundy might still return to coaching at some point in the future, but if he does it will not be with the Clippers. So, Sterling continues his search in hopes of landing someone quickly. On the short list of possible candidates left are Lionel Hollins and Denver's George Karl. While the Clippers front office is allowed to put in suggestions of possible candidates, it is Sterling's call to make the final decision. In 2010, the front office recommended Dwane Casey for head coach, but Sterling opted for Vinny Del Negro instead, excerising his owner's rights.
Any candidate the Clippers are interested in will get wined and dined by Sterling. Wojnarowski broke down the owner's methods, saying the job is not won in the conference room, but in the Malibu home of Sterling. The coaching candidate that gives the owner the most praise will win the job.
Hollins remains a very solid option for the Clippers. The Memphis Grizzlies have officially given the head coach permission to speak with interested teams leading up to his contract expiring at the end of June. While Hollins has said he hopes to remain in Memphis, talks of a contract extension have not gone well. The two parties are said to be on opposite ends when it comes to philosophical beliefs of how to build the basketball team.
Karl seems like a long shot to take the job. While he is easily one of the more qualified candidates, he still has one more year remaining on his contract in Denver. The likelihood of the Nuggets allowing him to walk over to another Western Conference team seems slim to none.
