Clippers Toss Out Don Casey : Pro basketball: The team’s 30-52 record isn’t good enough to prevent fourth coaching change in the last six seasons.

The revolving coach’s door at the Sports Arena tossed out another one Sunday, when Don Casey was told he would not have his option picked up, meaning 1990-91 will bring the team’s fifth floor leader in seven seasons in Los Angeles.

Casey lasted 1 1/2 seasons, the same as predecessor Gene Shue, and went 41-85, including 30-52 in the campaign that ended Saturday with a 125-115 loss to the Lakers.

Casey won the job at the end of 1988-89 despite a poor record, then he lost it this season after compiling some impressive numbers by Clipper standards.

The breaking point apparently was a poor relationship with several players, an ironic poison since his rapport got him the job on a permanent basis last season after spending the final 3 1/2 months as interim coach.

Casey had held a precarious tenure ever since a mid-February meeting between owner Donald Sterling, General Manager Elgin Baylor and players who voiced concerns ranging from substitution patterns to Casey pitting one player against another behind the scenes, a charge he vehemently denies.

Casey met with Baylor briefly Sunday afternoon at the Sports Arena.

“I didn’t want to get into particulars,” Casey said. “It doesn’t make a difference. If I’m dead, I don’t want to be there for the autopsy.”

Though he clearly had problems with some of his players, Casey received support from around the league. The most recent example came after the Lakers’ victory at the Sports Arena Saturday.

“This was an unfair season for him,” Magic Johnson said. “You can’t judge him on this season. (Ron) Harper was Mr. Everything at that time. I thought they would finish fifth or sixth in the (Western) Conference standings and do some real damage in the playoffs. Nobody could recover from those injuries, I don’t care who’s coaching. He’s got them playing harder than they ever have.”

Because of injuries and a contract holdout, Casey had Danny Manning, Charles Smith, Benoit Benjamin, Gary Grant and Harper available together only 23 times. The Clippers went 12-11 in those games.

The Clippers lost by an average of 7.7 points. They lost to the Lakers by seven at the Forum, by four at Phoenix, by one at home to Boston, by five at home to Philadelphia, by four at Detroit, by one at New York in overtime and by six at Chicago.

There were other accomplishments that past Clipper teams hadn’t done in years, in some cases a decade:

--Won 30 games, second in the six-year Los Angeles Clipper history only to the 1985-86 club that went 32-50.

--Won 10 road games, the same number as the previous three seasons combined.

--Went 7-6 on the road against the Eastern Conference, after not having beaten any of those teams away from the Sports Arena since Feb. 23, 1986.

--Won at Boston for the first time since March 2, 1979, at Milwaukee for the first time since Jan. 9, 1980, and at Atlanta for the first time since Dec. 30, 1981.

All came on the same January trip, when the Clippers won back-to-back road games for the first time since Nov. 20-24, 1987, and three in a row for the first time since March 28-April 1, 1986.

--Did not finish in last place in the Pacific Division for the first time since 1985-86.

“It was a good run,” said Casey, who was not immediately offered another position within the organization but might be asked to stay. “It could have been a little better, but I’m proud of what we did.”

And surprised that it didn’t get him the job for another season?

“You always are. But not shocked. Surprised and disappointed. You have to understand you’re under a microscope in this business.”

The Clippers’ parting words with Casey, publicly at least, were not without a sharp edge. Moreover, it falls in line with the notion that Casey was fine as caretaker of the position, but that leading them for years was another matter.

Said Baylor:

“We are confident that we now have the talent to contend for higher levels of competition, that is, the division title, the conference title and the NBA championship. In order to achieve that goal, we believe a coaching change is necessary.”

Beyond that, Baylor declined to get into specifics.

Baylor put no timetable on finding a replacement, though he added that has “some people in mind.” More may be known Wednesday, when Atlanta President Stan Kasten is expected to decide the fate of Hawk Coach Mike Fratello, as the Clippers have had previous interest in Fratello.

No decision was announced on the future of Clipper assistants coaches Dave Twardzik, Bob Staak and Joe Roberts.

THE RECORDS OF CLIPPER COACHES

Years Record Pct. Dolph Schayes 1970-71 22-61 .265 John McCarthy 1971-72 22-59 .272 Jack Ramsay 1972-76 158-170 .482 Tates Locke 1976-77 16-30 .348 Bob MacKinnon 1976-77 3-4 .429 Joe Mullaney 1976-77 11-18 .379 C. Fitzsimmons 1977-78 27-55 .329 Gene Shue 1978-80 78-86 .476 Paul Silas 1980-83 78-168 .317 Jim Lynam 1983-85 52-91 .364 Don Chaney 1985-87 53-132 .286 Gene Shue 1987-89 27-93 .225 Don Casey 1988-90 41-85 .325