In an era of Clippers basketball that was without Chris Paul and (for half a season at least) Blake Griffin, things were not expected to go well. However, despite fewer stars, Los Angeles stuck around in the playoff hunt much longer than expected. Some of that can be attributed to Doc Rivers, and the Clippers agree. Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times says that “all indications” show that Rivers and team owner Steve Ballmer have agreed to a contract extension.
Nothing has been made official, but as Plaschke said, the signs are pointing to an extension. In an interview with the LA Times, Rivers said he “loves where the organization is going right now.” Ballmer has a similar sentiment, describing Rivers’ coaching job this season as “amazing”.
The Clippers traded Chris Paul last offseason to the Rockets, a move that was seen as the end of the Clippers being legitimate contenders. The team shockingly traded Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons just a few months later.
There have been plenty of rumors and speculation to how Doc Rivers runs the Clippers. Chris Paul reportedly despises Rivers, a big reason for his trade request. Los Angeles had a very intimate recruiting session for Blake Griffin last offseason, calling him “royalty”. The trade out of Los Angeles was a big surprise.
Regardless, the Clippers remained relevant much longer than anyone would have predicted.
