CLIPPERS UPDATE: JOHNSON LIKES SUMMER JOB.Byline: Sean Kearns Staff Writer The Clippers began their summer-league minicamp on Friday - with a coaching vacancy hanging over the franchise's head. Not that people don't want the job. Dennis Johnson Persondata NAME Dennis Wayne Johnson ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dennis Johnson SHORT DESCRIPTION NBA basketball player DATE OF BIRTH September 18, 1954 PLACE OF BIRTH Compton, California DATE OF DEATH February 22, 2007 PLACE OF DEATH Austin, Texas Dennis Wayne Johnson woke up Friday morning at 5:30, excited to be the summer-league coach for the Clippers. Without a coach since the end of last season, Johnson, a candidate to fill the spot, has been assigned to lead the team of 13 players. For two hours Friday morning, Johnson, in sweat pants and a T-shirt, led the summer-league Clippers through the team's first minicamp practice, going over defensive and offensive plans. Afterward Johnson said he felt ``pretty doggone dog·gone Informal tr. & intr.v. dog·goned, dog·gon·ing, dog·gones To damn. interj. & n. Damn. adv. & adj. also dog·goned Damned. good'' about being the man running the team. ``When I got up this morning - it was at 5:30 - it wasn't because of nervousness,'' Johnson said. ``It was because I was at the helm and a head coach. Again, it may be for the summer, it may not be. We'd all like perfect situations, but there's still only 29 of these jobs. Actually, there is only two of these jobs (the Clippers and Pacers have openings). You do what can to impress the people you need to impress and then you go on from there.'' Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor (born September 16, 1934 in Washington, D.C.) is a retired American basketball player who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers. Baylor was a gifted shooter, a strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer. , vice president of basketball operations, said that he has narrowed his list of candidates down to at least five but gave no names or time frame for the selection of a coach. He said Johnson is a candidate. John Lucas John Lucas may refer to:
While Baylor and Johnson balked balk v. balked, balk·ing, balks v.intr. 1. To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump. 2. at calling the summer-league coaching job an audition, both said it was a chance for Johnson to show his skills as a coach. ``I think it will help to give an idea of what he can do as far as running the team,'' said Baylor. ``It would be a good indication of how well he works with the players and his organization as a coach, his style, his technique. There are various different things you find out about his coaching ability.'' Baylor said that his evaluation of Johnson has been ongoing. The two haven't spoken specifically about any evaluations. ``My interaction with guys is whatever it is,'' Johnson said. ``It's never been a question. If that's the basis of hiring, you might as well do it right now. I think my interaction is very good. ``My skill on the court, and I know better than anybody, I haven't been a coach in the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= , but I have prepared myself for this by going through assistant to assistant to assistant and then being a head coach in the CBA See Capital Builder Account. . I've very confident with myself.'' |
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