It’s Official--Chaney Is the Coach : But Clippers Guarantee Only One Year of Three-Year Pact

Don Chaney is the new coach of the Clippers, officially. Not the interim coach, not the soon-to-be-named coach, but the coach. Carl Scheer, general manager of the Clippers, made the announcement Wednesday at a press conference at the Sports Arena.

Chaney, who took over the team when Jim Lynam was fired March 6 with 21 games left in the season, has been expecting this announcement since the Clipper season ended six weeks ago.

“I basically knew all the time that I was the best coach for the job,” Chaney said with a smile. “But this is a very professional organization, and the Clippers had to make a careful decision.”

Chaney said that he had accepted a three-year contract, but he would not discuss terms. The Times learned that only the first year of the contract is guaranteed and that Chaney will be earning $90,000 a year.

There was speculation that the Clippers would hire Paul Westhead, former coach of the Lakers, as Chaney’s top assistant. Chaney said he is not yet ready to make that decision, but that Westhead should be considered one of the candidates.

Westhead, who also coached the Chicago Bulls, is teaching English at Marymount College in Palos Verdes.

It was also announced Wednesday that Scheer, who took a one-year contract with the Clippers last July, has signed a new, multiyear contract with the club.

Chaney, 39, was a first-round draft pick from the University of Houston. He played for the Boston Celtics, the Lakers and the St. Louis Spirits of the ABA. He was an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons for three years and an assistant with the Clippers for the last two years.

Scheer pointed out that all of the top teams in the NBA are coached by former NBA players. Scheer said, “Don Chaney fits that mold. . . . There is something special that exists between players and players.”

The Clippers, under Chaney, lost their first five games before finishing the season by winning nine of their last 16 games. Scheer said that the Clipper management was not so interested in Chaney’s 9-12 record as in the effect he had on the team. “What we looked for, and what we saw, was the direction--the way he wanted to play the game, the respect he got from the players,” Scheer said.

During those first five games, Chaney was switching to faster style of play, which, he said Wednesday, he plans to keep. Chaney also said he has sent a letter to the players outlining what he expects of them. That includes an edict to report in good condition, ready for running.

Junior Bridgeman, who joined the Clippers last season, expressed his approval of the choice, saying, “A lot of the guys were wondering why it took so long. All of the guys wanted to see Don get the job. You’ve got to take into consideration that he took over the job when the team was at its all-time low confidence-wise.

“So much of the coaching in the pro game is whether you can get players motivated night in and night out. He proved to us, and to everyone, that the players will play for him every night.”

Scheer said that he and other members of the organization had not been dragging their feet in making the decision, but, rather, exploring all possibilities before making a decision.

“We were looking for the best coach possible to lead our team out of the wilderness and into a competitive state,” he said. “It is management’s opinion that we had the best coach right here in our backyard.”

A vote of confidence from Boston Celtics’ President Red Auerbach was included in the official announcement from the Clippers’ office: “Don Chaney has always been a super person and has been dedicated to the game of basketball throughout his career. Don has always been a true person to himself and his players and has been a sound player and coach, with the emphasis on the defensive end. He has earned the respect of his peers and opponents throughout his career in the NBA.

“The selection of Don Chaney as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers was a wise one.”

Chaney becomes the 11th coach in the 15-year history of the franchise.

Times staff writer Sam McManis, in Boston, contributed to this story.