Draft is only first step for Clippers

The Clippers were practically un-Clipperlike a year ago ... almost boring, in fact.

They had a general manager-coach (Mike Dunleavy) firmly in place and there was almost no suspense heading into draft day, considering Blake Griffin was sealed and delivered, though not signed.

Boring is so yesterday.

Arbitration with Dunleavy over his remaining salary owed is looming. And the Clippers head into their most important summer in years without a coach, free agency kicks off July 1, their selection in Thursday’s NBA draft is not certain.

It can’t be, not with the No. 8 pick in the draft.

What they don’t need, despite several curious reports to the contrary, is a general manager. Neil Olshey, who was Dunleavy’s assistant, took over his duties when the team severed ties with Dunleavy.

So the first step in the biggest summer ever in the NBA -- could it be anything else with LeBron James landing on the free-agent market in a few days? -- comes for the Clippers with Thursday’s draft.

It would be hard to imagine the Clippers passing on Al-Farouq Aminu of Wake Forest, projected as a small forward in the NBA, or big man Greg Monroe of Georgetown, should either be available at No. 8. Also involved in the conversation should be forward Luke Babbitt of Nevada, who could offer considerable scoring punch.

Babbitt made a big move once the draft process started, according to those familiar with his workouts and test results, going from a possible mid-first-rounder to the seven-to-15 range, potentially.

Another player who made a big leap was small forward Gordon Hayward of Butler, who went from a potential redshirt candidate to Butler’s best player as a freshman to a lottery pick as a sophomore.

Olshey spoke about this year’s draft compared with the 2009 class.

“What you realize is how important the point-guard position is in our league,” he said. “There were 10 point guards taken in the first round last year, all of whom had excellent years in whatever roles they were given.

“There are impact players at the very top of this draft and then in the mid-lottery you are looking more at rotation-caliber guys. I don’t know if you are going to find guys in the middle of the lottery that are going to have the impact of a Steph Curry or a Brandon Jennings. I think there is going to be a lot of depth.”

The Clippers’ focus has been on the draft, of course. Still, some clarity has emerged during the team’s coaching search.

According to league sources who were not authorized to speak publicly, the Clippers are interested in Dallas assistant coach Dwane Casey, former Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, former Minnesota executive and Hall of Famer Kevin McHale, and possibly ESPN’s Mark Jackson, who played for the Clippers, and Utah assistant Tyrone Corbin.

McHale, who coached the Timberwolves twice on an interim basis, had informal discussions with the Bulls before they filled their coaching vacancy, and was believed to have interviewed with the Cavaliers.

Del Negro is coming off back-to-back playoff appearances in Chicago, like Woodson with the Hawks. Casey was a finalist for the Hawks job recently filled by Larry Drew. He has head-coaching experience in the NBA, having been at Minnesota for a season and a half, and incidentally, followed McHale on one of the interim periods.

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com twitter.com/reallisa