Los Angeles Clippers looking within the ranks to fill vacant General Manager post – NBA News
The Los Angeles Clippers love where they are as a franchise at the moment.
They have one of the most exciting young players in the league in Blake Griffin, and the addition of Chris Paul last season took them from mediocre team to up and coming contenders. The Clippers had one of the best seasons of franchise
history this past year, when they reached the Western Conference Semi Finals.
Not only that, they also sold out their arena, had fans excited and the locker room was buzzing with a culture that is good for winning.
With a season like that, no one would want to make changes. But the Clippers were forced to do so when their General Manager Neil Olshey left at the end of the season to take the position with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Clippers are now on the hunt for a new GM and recent reports suggest that the recently vacated position might be filled with someone from within.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted on Wednesday:
“Los Angeles Clippers personnel director Gary Sacks has emerged as the frontrunner for franchise’s GM job, league sources tell Y! Sports.”
Hiring a person from within makes a great deal of sense for the Clippers at the moment. They are happy with what they have built this year and do not want a new guy coming in and changing it all this early.
Also, Vinny Del Negro looks set as the head coach and it would be easier for him if the new GM was already familiar with his strategy and thought process.
The Clippers will enter next season with a lot of expectations on their shoulder, and a great deal of work to do. Not only do they have to train and groom Griffin into an all round player, they also need to start preparing the
grounds to re-sign Chris Paul next summer, when he becomes a free agent.
The Clippers know that it is actually Paul who makes this team a contender, and they need to retain him. Next season will also be the ultimate test for Del Negro, as he will have to prove that he can actually coach this team to
prominence in the Western Conference.
It is a season of many questions for the Clippers.
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