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Los Angeles Clippers: Doc Rivers removed from front office duties

By Nicholas Agar-Johnson

PLAYA VISTA, CA- JUNE 19: Head Coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers name Jerry West as Special Consultant at a press conference in Playa Vista, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
PLAYA VISTA, CA- JUNE 19: Head Coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers name Jerry West as Special Consultant at a press conference in Playa Vista, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Shortly after Jerry West joined the staff, Doc Rivers was removed from his front office role to focus on coaching.

One of the NBA’s most recent front office trends is also one of the most confusing. Despite the intensity of both running a team as the coach and running a team as the general manager, many teams in the past few years have tabbed the same person for both jobs.

Tom Thibodeau holds both jobs for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Stan Van Gundy fills both roles for the Detroit Pistons. While it seems clear that trying to do both of those jobs makes it more difficult to do well in either, quite a few NBA teams have tried to follow that model in recent years. The Los Angeles Clippers under Doc Rivers were one of the most notorious offenders.

However, the Clippers seem to be taking a new direction with Jerry West in the fold. Steve Ballmer announced Friday, per ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, that Doc Rivers will be removed from his front office role and return to coaching full-time.

Lawrence Frank’s move to the front office coupled with Jerry West’s new role made this decision easier. This front office shift should have happened years ago, and the Clippers will soon reap the rewards of letting Doc Rivers fully commit to doing what he does best.

Farewell, Front Office

Although Doc Rivers has some coaching accolades to his name, the same cannot be said for his time in the Clippers’ front office. Rivers’ front office repeatedly chased short-sighted moves. The effects of Doc’s complete dismissal of future assets are still notable today. Thankfully for Clippers fans, the new front office seems to actually have an eye on the future, given their purchases of the picks that became Jawun Evans and Sindarius Thornwell this year.

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Doc’s reign over the front office was marked by repeated failure, but he did manage to find some minor successes. The Clippers consistently got good value from their minimum contracts. Raymond Felton and Marreese Speights were notable minimum contract successes this past season.

Doc Rivers began his tenure as the president of basketball operations on June 16, 2014. During that time, the team traded away two first round picks — one of which will not convey until 2019. The team drafted C.J. Wilcox (no longer with the team) and Brice Johnson with the two first round picks that they forgot to trade away. Ironically enough, Doc’s best move as POBO may have been turning Reggie Bullock and Chris Douglas-Roberts into Austin Rivers.

Doc Rivers’ time in the front office served no purpose other than to cripple a team that already dealt with potential luxury tax concerns every season. This offseason is the Clippers’ best in years, barring convincing DeAndre Jordan to return in 2014. It seems quite clear that Jerry West and Lawrence Frank were far more responsible for that success than the now-deposed Rivers.

Future Outlook

Doc’s front office failures and inter-team turmoil have obscured his coaching shortcomings in recent years. However, Rivers has a Coach of the Year trophy (in 2000 with Orlando) and a title (in 2008 with Boston) to his name. Now that he will be focusing on his role on the bench more often, the team’s overall coaching should hopefully improve.

However, the main value of Rivers’ move out of the front office is the increased value than Lawrence Frank and Jerry West can now provide. West’s impact seemed clear in Los Angeles’ moves throughout this offseason. Furthermore, Frank has earned the respect of Ballmer and the team as a whole during his first year in the front office.

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Removing Doc Rivers from the Clippers’ front office is a positive in every possible way. Rivers will have more time to devote to his coaching, and front office executives with actual training and prior experience will now be running the team. The revamped front office may not be enough on their own to guarantee success, but they are certainly positioned for much better performance going forward.

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