Schuler ‘Thrilled’ to Join the Clippers : NBA: L.A. introduces its new coach. He calls the club ‘one of the better teams in the ‘90s.’

Mike Schuler, the NBA’s coach of the year three seasons ago, was introduced today as the new head coach of the Clippers.

Schuler, 49, was the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers for 2 1/2 seasons before he was fired on Feb. 18, 1989, reportedly because of a personality conflict with certain players.

“I’m thrilled and ecstatic to have the opportunity to coach the Clippers. To me, it’s an up-and-coming team, one of the better teams in the ‘90s,” Schuler said.

Schuler was given a multiyear contract, but no terms were announced.

“Mike will play an exciting, up-tempo style of basketball that will be well-received by our players and fans,” said clippers General Manager Elgin Baylor. “I am impressed with Mike’s basketball philosophy and I believe the players will be also.”

In Portland, some team members apparently considered him too hard-driving. Schuler never denied he had personality differences with players. But, he said, the unhappy ones were in the minority--and the loudest. At the forefront was Clyde Drexler, one of the team’s stars.

After being fired by the Trail Blazers, Schuler was hired by the Golden State Warriors as an assistant coach and stayed with the Warriors through the end of the recently completed season.

Schuler was selected as the coach of the year in his first season at Portland, in 1986-87, when the Trail Blazers went 49-33. Overall, the Blazers were 127-83 for a .605 winning percentage under Schuler.

In becoming the Clippers’ seventh head coach in 10 years, Schuler replaces Don Casey, who had a 41-85 record in 1 1/2 seasons as head coach.

Casey was an assistant coach for the Clippers until succeeding Gene Shue as coach. Shue was fired in January, 1989.

The Clippers announced last month, shortly after the regular season ended, that they weren’t picking up the option on Casey’s contract. Casey last summer had signed a one-year contract with an option for another year.