For Clipper Nation, it was a day of celebration. A day that  they had hoped for, for a very long time.  Mike Dunleavy Sr. stepped down as coach of the Clippers while maintaining his GM status. It appears to be a big step in the right direction considering that the Clippers finished with a 19-63 record under Dunleavy last season which included an embarrassing 126-85 defeat to the Thunder at home for the final game of the season. Yet, it wasn’t the “right” time for him to step down at that time and it took losses on the road to the two worst teams in the NBA, the Nets and Timberwolves before he decided that it was time. The injury excuses piled up and who could forget such a memorable quote from coach Dunleavy: “I have not lost with my players. I have lost without my players, but I haven’t lost with my players.” And unfortunately for him, he won’t get an opportunity to coach with the full roster that he had assembled.

Now the Kim Hughes era begins but the NBA world outside of those who follow the Clippers have never heard of him before.  However, Hughes has been with the Clippers since 2003 and has done an excellent job working as the “big man” coach and filling in as head coach on occasion.  As the “big man” coach, he helped Chris Kaman become the player he is today. As a head coach, he stepped in a coached remarkably in a very close game last season against the Nuggets.  The substitution patterns were excellent, he played the young center DeAndre Jordan in the first half and opted to not call a timeout for the final possession where the 5-8 Marcus Camby missed a 22 footer to win the game.  Despite the outcome, it was evident that Hughes trusted the players a great deal, especially putting in a player in the game whom he worked very closely with in DeAndre Jordan and trusting the players to try and get a score on the final play before the defense could set in.

As a result of his trust in the players, it comes as no surprise that Marcus Camby stated, “When Mike has stepped out and Kim has taken his place, guys were much more relaxed with him and played well.” Hopefully the players will play well and play with the intensity that Marcus Camby plays with every night and they may do so with the help of a more uptempo offense that Hughes intends to implement.  Some skeptics may be worried that an uptempo offense may hurt Chris Kaman’s game but long-time Clipper Broadcaster Ralph Lawler stated on his Facebook page, “Kaman is one of the best-running 7-footers in the entire league. If Hughes wants to run – Kaman will run with the best of them.” And when he was addressed about some concerns that an uptempo offense would have no structure he stated: “Don’t think this will be a Golden State type helter-skelter offense with little or no structure. It will be somewhere in between and Kaman will be fine with it. Really think the team will be less predictable and that’s a good thing.”Anyone who has watched Clipper games over the years know that the Clipper offense under Dunleavy has been very predictable and if weak defensive teams such as the Knicks and Raptors can figure out how to stop the Clippers’ offense and come back from 20+ point deficits, then a less predictable offense is definitely welcomed.

But there are definitely other concerns and issues to address. Fellow TNLP’ers Brandon and Dave check in with their thoughts–

Brandon: Imagine for a second that your automobile — a big, reliable sedan — was stolen. With the money you have from the incident, you go out and buy yourself a sports car, and not only are you intent on showing off that sports car, but you want to add to it, upgrading part after part until every single person on your block knows it was built to run laps around most of the competition. The car is built, you’re ready to drive it, and then you realize one thing: it’s a stick shift, and not only do you not know how to drive a stick, but you’ve never had the best driving skills in the first place. Still, you spent all that money and you want to show it off, right? So you drive it poorly all around the block, despite the fact that you don’t know how to get the most out of it.

This is what the past two years have been like for Clipper fans. This is what it has been like to watch both Mike Dunleavy the GM and Mike Dunleavy the head coach. For all of his ability to build a talented team, he’s failed time after time to utilize his roster. It doesn’t matter if that big, reliable sedan turned up in Philadelphia some time later as a problem-ridden clunker. The only thing that mattered to the organization and the fans was that he could do well with his new team.

Perhaps it’s Dunleavy’s fault to begin with, as he had shown what playoff victory was like to a fanbase that believed postseason success was about as real as Santa Claus, or maybe even Kobe Bryant’s rap career. In the end, MDSr. should still be given credit for the great strides the Clippers have made over the past few years in trying to become a respectable franchise. Nonetheless, given his limited prowess as a coach, stepping down was the best thing he could possibly do.

For the immediate future, how the Clippers will do is a big unknown. It has been reported that the team feels much better when playing for Kim Hughes, who is now the interim head coach, and the change of scenery could definitely give the team a much needed boost. At the same time, Kim Hughes doesn’t have the largest portfolio of coaching experience to go by. This is neither a good or bad thing, but it simply means there is less a barometer in terms of guessing how the team will do with him in that role. The optimist’s view would have the Clippers making the playoffs on a spectacular run to finish the season, and as much as I would like to see that, there is just too much volatility and competition at the middle of the Western Conference to really say what teams exactly will take the last two playoff spots.

As for long term impact, this should be much clearer in a year’s time. The only time Donald Sterling has shown a willingness to open up his pocketbook was during Mike Dunleavy Sr.’s tenure as coach and later GM, and given the spotty track record Sterling has had in the past, it’s anyone’s guess if he’ll do that for another coach or GM again. There are basically four things to watch for in this scenario: what the Clippers do in the 2010 free agent market, who gets hired as the new head coach, how the Clippers do next season, and whether or not Dunleavy wants to seek another coaching job after his contract ends in 2011. And you thought Clipper fans only had to worry about losing games.

Dave: In one simple, yet telling comment, Marcus Camby’s words encompassed the sentiments of Clipper Nation for the past few years:

“I think guys really like playing for Kim,” said Camby, who knows Hughes from their days together in Denver. “When Mike has stepped out and Kim has taken his place, guys were much more relaxed with him and played well.”

That was all one needed to hear to realize that Mike Dunleavy no longer had any place as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. On Thursday afternoon, February 4, 2010, Clipper Nation was turned upside down…in a positive way. Dunleavy stepped down as Head Coach to focus solely on being the GM of the Clippers (GM is his strong point, anyways). Now, no one can know for sure if it really was a mutual agreement between he and Sterling, but ultimately, it is only the end result that matters. Most will say it was long overdue, but just the fact that it happened was a miracle in itself.

To Dunleavy’s credit, he was the first coach to really get a grip on Sterling. Whatever he wanted, he got from the head honcho. From re-signing Kaman and Cassell to acquiring Mobley and Thomas to having a state-of-the-art practice facility, Sterling truly trusted in Dunleavy’s vision. He has spent more money this past decade than ever before. If anything, one has to respect that.

However, firing Dunleavy and paying the remainder of his contract was a different story. Sterling hasn’t changed THAT much. But there came a point when Dunleavy’s duties as Head Coach had to stop. The losing kept on mounting, along with the excuses. His presence was hurting the team in more ways than one. Although he had a tremendous work ethic and meant well, it wasn’t translating on the court. It was time for a change.

Enter Kim Hughes, the interim Head Coach. He was a longtime assistant for George Karl and Dunleavy, and was the first guy Dunleavy approached about taking over. Of course he would accept the challenge. Though he barely has any Head Coaching experience, one thing that can’t be overlooked is that he is well-liked by his players. Fellow TNLP writer Peter Kim said that he trusts his players. And that cannot be understated.

The main thing is that now, there is a fresh, new voice in the locker room. There is a sense of cleansing the palette and starting over. In the sport of basketball more than any other sport, a midseason coaching change can prove to make all the difference. There’s even a prime example in this franchise’s history – Larry Brown took over Mike Schuler’s position midway through the ‘91-’92 season and finished at a 23-12 clip, making the playoffs. Just having someone else that can implement a new system, have a set substitution pattern, build players’ confidence once more, etc. can change the thought process of the entire team. If Hughes fails, it’s alright. He’s not the permanent coach, thus the team will look for the right candidate in the offseason. What’s most valuable is that Dunleavy will not return for the 2010-2011 season. Blake Griffin will be back healthy and should be utilized properly. Baron Davis might be able to return to the glory days of Warriordom. It’s that feeling of revitalization that has myself, as well as many, many fans out there, all giddy once more.