Chaney Fired by Clippers, but He May Stick Around

Don Chaney, who coached the Clippers to the worst record in the National Basketball Assn. (12-70) this season, was fired by the club Wednesday morning.

The decision was announced following a meeting among General Manager Elgin Baylor, President Alan Rothenberg, General Counsel Arn Tellem and Chaney at Rothenberg’s office in West Los Angeles.

However, the Clippers have offered Chaney a front-office position after his coaching contract expires June 30. Chaney’s new duties weren’t specified.

Said Baylor in a prepared statement: “Although we feel compelled to make a coaching change due to the club’s record last season, that does not reflect negatively on Chaney. Don Chaney is an outstanding basketball man and an equally outstanding individual. His great class and character showed throughout this most difficult season.

“After a well-deserved vacation, he will return and help the Clippers get ready for the crucial June 22 draft, in which we have three first-round draft choices. We are hopeful he will remain in the organization.”

Said Chaney: “I’m going to take a couple weeks off and go fishing. I’ll make a decision on my future after that. It’s been a very disappointing year. Because of all the injuries we had we weren’t able to compete.

“I’d like to coach again. But I’ve been talking about a position with the Clippers. I’d like to stay in L.A., but the decision can’t be made overnight. I think the club is on its way up. The future looks bright with three first-round draft picks.

“This season was an example of Murphy’s Law at work, which, regrettably, prevented the Clippers from performing up to their capacity and me to show what I could do as an NBA head coach.

“I’m sure another such coaching opportunity will become available to me in the future. In the meantime, I look forward to working diligently with the Clipper organization, as I have for the past five years, first as an assistant coach and then as a head coach and now in the front office. It will be exciting to help select and mold the three first-round draft choices of the Clippers in the upcoming draft.”

The Clippers say they hope to hire a new coach before the NBA lottery, which will be held May 17. The Clippers will be one of the seven teams taking part and are assured of no worse than the fourth pick because they had the worst record during the 1986-87 season.

Three candidates who are scheduled to be interviewed for the Clipper job are John MacLeod, who was fired as coach of the Phoenix Suns last February; Hubie Brown, who was fired as coach of the New York Knicks last December, and ex-Philadelphia 76ers Coach Gene Shue. Shue was also the coach of the Clippers in 1978-80, when they were in San Diego. He is now a TV broadcaster for the 76ers.

Clipper officials met with MacLeod Wednesday afternoon, and are expected to meet with Brown later this week and with Shue on Monday.

Brown, a CBS commentator, will broadcast the Laker-Denver playoff game Saturday at the Forum.

Said Shue in a telephone interview from his home in Crofton, Md.: “Yes, I would be interested in coaching the Clippers, absolutely. I think it’s a great opportunity.

“The Clippers have had all kinds of problems. Remember, I took over the 76ers when they were coming off a 9-73 season. I’m an experienced person as far as building a franchise. I like challenges and this job is very challenging.”

Said Baylor:”No decision has been reached.”

Chaney, 40, became the Clippers’ 11th head coach when he succeeded Jim Lynam on March 6, 1985. He compiled a 53-132 record with the club. Chaney had a 9-12 record in the last 21 games of 1985 and had a 32-50 record last season.

NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said the Clippers’ winning percentage of .146 in 1986-87 ranks as the third worst in league history behind the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers (9-73, .110) and the defunct Providence Steamrollers, who were 6-42 record (.125) in 1947-48.

The Clippers were devastated by injuries this season. Guard Norm Nixon sat out the entire season with a knee injury and star forward Marques Johnson played in just 10 games before suffering a neck injury.

After a 3-3 start, the Clippers won just nine more games the rest of the way. They had losing streaks of 12 and 16 games and ended the season by losing their last 14 games. The Clippers didn’t win two consecutive games this season and finished 53 games out of first place.

Chaney was originally hired by the Clippers as an assistant coach in 1983. Prior to that he spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons.

As a player, Chaney was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 1968 draft out of Houston. He left Boston in 1975 to jump to the old American Basketball Assn., then returned to the NBA in 1976 to join the Lakers. He was traded back to Boston in 1977 and retired in 1980.

Chaney played on the Celtics’ NBA championship teams in 1968-69 and 1973-74. He is the only man to play with both Bill Russell and Larry Bird.