Vinny Del Negro has been considered a weak link on the Clippers almost from the time he was hired. When the team added several players in the offseason, people questioned if Del Negro was the right guy to lead the team. Now that the Clippers are slipping (7-11 in their last 18) , Del Negro’s job reportedly is on the line.
ESPN’s Bill Simmons put Del Negro’s status in perspective Wednesday:
Heard today that Vinny Del Negro is on super-thin, could-go-any-day ice. A blowout loss in OKC tonight won’t exactly help.
— Bill Simmons (@sportsguy33) March 22, 2012
ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported Thursday that Del Negro has “lost the team,” according to a source. Players reportedly are unhappy with the uncertainty of the rotation. They also reportedly feel Del Negro favors stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
We’ve felt for a while that the Clippers needed a new coach. Now that Mike D’Antoni and Nate McMillan have lost their jobs, we know the Clippers could do better. Plus, it should be noted that this article could be Del Negro’s death sentence. As soon as similar reports about D’Antoni and McMillan were published, they were gone within days.
H/T I am a GM
