CLIPPERS EXTEND DUNLEAVY'S DEAL COACH GETS 4-YEAR PACT.

Byline: JOE STEVENS  Staff Writer

The Clippers signed coach Mike Dunleavy to a four-year, $22 million contract extension Wednesday, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA and adding more stability to a franchise that practically used to dispose of coaches on a yearly basis.

If anything was strange with the extension, it was the timing.

Clippers executive vice president Andy Roeser said the extension was something the team had on its to-do list for next summer, but the signing happened with the team at 10-10, before its meeting with the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

But a mediocre start didn't change the Clippers' long- term goals that include Dunleavy at the helm.

``I wanted to be here, and I think everybody wanted it to happen,'' Dunleavy said. ``Along the way, there has never really been any negative part to the negotiation. It's just been a negotiation, going how negotiations go. Nothing says that you have to agree to a deal right off the bat. That's why you negotiate.''

Dunleavy helped lead the Clippers to the Western Conference semifinals last season, and a 47-35 regular-season record, the best in team history. Dunleavy also works well with general manager Elgin Baylor on personnel decisions, and that was another factor in the decision for the lucrative extension.

``There's no doubt in my mind he's the right coach to lead this team for the next four years,'' Baylor said.

``And we really work well together because we sit down and discuss things. We always agree that when we're going to do something, the two of us agree on it.''

The Clippers did not release the terms of the extension, which starts next season. Dunleavy confirmed that it was a four-year deal, and a team source confirmed the $22 million figure.

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