A SCARY THOUGHT: CLIPPERS DECISIONS : OFFSEASON MOVES WILL DETERMINE FUTURE.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer Minutes after being eliminated by Utah, Bill Fitch William Fitch (born May 19 1934 in Davenport, Iowa) is a former NBA coach who has been successful in making teams playoff contenders throughout his coaching career. Before entering the professional ranks he coached college ball at the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State clearly was disappointed, but proud. The 64-year-old coach was critical to the Clippers' rise from embarrassment to respectability. The Clippers made the playoffs for the first time in four years, beat the rival Lakers twice and gained a reputation as a hard-working team. ``I am proud of what we have accomplished,'' Fitch said. ``I would not trade this team for the one in the other locker room just because of how hard we play and because of how I feel about these guys.'' But is it over? Clippers management has been in this position before - exactly four years ago. After two consecutive playoff appearances, every key player and the coach bolted within 18 months. Larry Brown Larry Brown may refer to:
Ronald Harper (born January 20, 1964 in Dayton, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in , Danny Manning Daniel Ricardo Manning (born May 17, 1966 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi) is a former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He is currently an assistant basketball coach for the University of Kansas Jayhawks. , Ken Norman Kenneth Darnel Norman (born September 5 1964, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected 19th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers of the 1987 NBA Draft. , Charles Smith Charles Smith may refer to: In basketball:
Fitch was left with the residue in his first season. He built the Clippers into a playoff team with a bunch of non-stars. To improve on their 36-victory season,the Clippers must make smart decisions this offseason. ``This has to be a building block,'' forward Rodney Rogers Rodney Ray Rogers (born June 20, 1971, in Durham, North Carolina) is a retired American basketball player who last played power forward for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. Rogers played college basketball at Wake Forest University from 1990 until 1993. said. ``We can't be satisfied with this. If we are, then this didn't mean much anyway. We have to learn from this and move on to next year.'' It won't be easy. Ignored during the season were pressing issues that must be addressed now. The Clippers must decide whether to sign the inconsistent Malik Sealy Malik Sealy (February 1, 1970 – May 20, 2000) was an American professional basketball player from 1992 until his death in an automobile accident. Sealy played eight seasons in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Detroit Pistons, and the Minnesota , who shot just 40 percent this season. Sealy's relationship with Fitch is amicable and the player wants to return. The Clippers have not contacted Sealy's agent, Arn Tellem Arn Tellem is a player agent for various major sports and is the top agent for NBA players, having negotiated over $200 million worth of contracts for his NBA clients for the '06/'07 season alone. , about a contract. Sealy can talk to other teams beginning July 1. If he returns, Sealy isn't guaranteed to keep his status as a starter. Fitch's experiment with Brent Barry Brent Robert Barry (born December 31, 1971 in Hempstead, New York) is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. He is known by his nickname, "Bones", and stands 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m). at shooting guard The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard,[1] is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. with Darrick Martin Darrick David Martin (born March 6, 1971 in Denver, Colorado, United States) is an American professional basketball player, currently with the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Martin has became known as a solid veteran who provided quality minutes as a reserve, maintaining a career free in the Utah series was effective. Barry's talent will demand more playing time and Fitch wants to dump some of the team's six guards. That's another issue. Pooh Richardson and Terry Dehere are tired of riding the bench and want out. Richardson's contract lasts three more seasons while Dehere has one more year. Richardson has been displaced by Martin, and Dehere is stuck behind Barry and Sealy. The Clippers have to trade someone and Dehere could be a throw-in to a deal because he doesn't have a large contract. ``Six guards is a lot,'' general manager Elgin Baylor said. ``You would like to have four guards, four forwards and four centers. That's tough to do. But we need big men.'' The last thing the Clippers want is unhappy reserves. Richardson and Dehere combined for 23 minutes in the three playoff games and weren't in the regular playing rotation. Fitch warmed up to Eric Piatkowski and Lamond Murray near season's end. Piatkowski's role as a spark plug is satisfactory. Murray, on the other hand, wants more playing time and wouldn't mind playing somewhere else. He's the team's most marketable reserve and can score in bunches. Murray said he's content with a reserve role, as long he gets dependable minutes. He did not play in eight games and played less than 10 minutes in 13 others. The Clippers need a reserve scorer and Murray will likely stay put. Re-signing Charles Outlaw is a must. He's the team's best defender and has improved steadily offensively. However, his agent is Fred Slaughter, who refused to talk with Clippers officials near the end of the Brian Williams fiasco. Fitch was angry the organization didn't acquire a center before the trading deadline, but the club said it will get one during the offseason. The Clippers have the 14th pick in June's draft and Baylor said it will probably be used on a big man. Stanley Roberts has one year left on his contract, but the Clippers have lost patience with the enigmatic center. Fitch will suggest a heavy workout regimen for Roberts, which he will probably ignore. Unless Roberts reports to camp under 300 pounds, he will not be part of the equation. The Clippers have expressed interest in Williams but probably won't match the dollar figure he will demand. Lorenzen Wright will play an extended role at power forward and some center, depending on who the Clippers acquire. Baylor and Fitch agree a center is mandatory. The Clippers have the capability to improve, but Fitch's status is becoming more of an issue. The Clippers have five free agents after next season, including Loy Vaught, Barry and Martin. Their decision to return will likely depend on whether Fitch returns after the upcoming season. If Fitch does come back, Barry likely is gone. Fitch, with one year remaining on his contract, has made no commitment about his future. Meanwhile, the team is not looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a new coach. The Clippers soon will show if they've learned from previous mistakes. It's a crucial time for an organization with a history of problems. There are big decisions to make. ``In order to become a perennial playoff team, we have to all go back and work even harder,'' Martin said. ``We're at a point where we can be good and teams will have to respect us.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Although Lorenzen Wright's efforts were admirable, the Clippers want to add a bona-fide center. (2) Bill Fitch, who revitalized the Clippers, has one year left on his contract. Associated Press |
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