Clippers Begin the Gentry Era

By LONNIE WHITE

Aug. 11, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

If anything was learned about Alvin Gentry in his first day as Clipper coach, it’s that he’s his own man and he didn’t pursue the job to lose.

“All the emphasis for me is what this organization is going to do from this day forward,” said Gentry, who became the Clippers’ 10th coach since 1988 on Thursday when he signed a four-year deal at $2 million a season, three of which are guaranteed. “I really feel that I’ll get support from Elgin [Baylor, vice president of basketball operations], Andy [Roeser, executive vice president] and Jeff [Weltman, director of player personnel]. I have no doubt about that. I think we will work together because we all know this is a golden opportunity for the franchise.”

Forget about the Clippers’ losing history under owner Donald Sterling. Forget about the carousel of coaches over the years. Forget about last season’s 15-67 record, the NBA’s worst. Forget about the truckload of jokes made about the franchise.

Gentry knows all about those things. He spent a season as an assistant with the Clippers when they finished 31-51 under then-coach Mike Schuler in 1990-91.

“I’ve been here before and been in the organization,” Gentry said. “If I didn’t think it was a good situation, . . . I wouldn’t have pursued this job.”

Gentry, fired March 6 as coach of the Detroit Pistons with 24 regular-season games remaining, plans to build the team around second-year swingman Lamar Odom.

The Clippers will have at least six new players added to the mix, including rookies Darius Miles, Keyon Dooling and Quentin Richardson along with second-year swingman Corey Maggette. Even so, Gentry considers Odom in the Grant Hill mode, a special player who can carry a team.

“To be brutally honest, it’s going to be his team,” Gentry said. “I saw Grant Hill and I see Lamar. They have the same kind of talent. I just think [Odom] is a great basketball player. . . . I’m not afraid to tell the other guys that this is Lamar’s team.”

Gentry has not picked his staff yet, and he plans to talk to Dennis Johnson and Rex Kalamian about the possibility of returning as assistants.

“We will talk about what we’re trying to get done and which direction we want to go, and then we will make some decisions based on that,” Gentry said.

“Dennis and I go back some ways, and I have a lot of respect for him. He brings a lot to the table from the standpoint of being an experienced NBA guy who has played in big games. That is a big plus.”

Johnson, who coached the Clippers’ summer league team and was a finalist for the head coaching position, will meet with Gentry today.

“I don’t have any animosity or bitterness,” Johnson said. “We’re all coaches. It’s time to move forward.

“If Alvin wants me to join his staff, I think I bring two big things as an assistant. I’m a very hard worker, and I’m very loyal.”

Having a working relationship with the Clippers’ core of young players will be important for Gentry, who spent several years coaching at the college level before joining Larry Brown’s staff with the San Antonio Spurs in 1988.

He got his first taste of coaching the Clippers’ rookies Thursday morning when he worked out Miles, Richardson and Dooling at Southwest College.

“He’s going to push us, and that’s what we need,” Dooling said. “I think he fits young players. He’s going to be real good for us.”

Added Miles: “He was a good choice. He seems to be a good man.”

Gentry, 45, who accepted a job as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs on June 16, had a 73-72 coaching record in parts of three seasons with Detroit. He also was 15-21 as interim coach of the Miami Heat in 1995.

Ever since Gentry coached for the Clippers, Baylor has followed his career closely, and he doesn’t consider him a soft coach. Even though some Detroit players said the Pistons struggled because Gentry wasn’t tough enough on them, Baylor believes Gentry has the right stuff to make it as an NBA coach.

“After watching him work, I thought that one day he would be a very good coach in this league,” Baylor said.

“He’s very dedicated and is a hard worker. He’s really knowledgeable about the game of basketball. When you look at the type of team that we have, you need someone who can work with young players. I talked to a lot of people who have worked with him, like Larry Brown and Doug Collins, and they had nothing but praise for him.”

In years past, discipline has not been a strong point for the Clippers. Gentry plans to change that.

“It will be a situation where you treat people like adults,” Gentry said. “We’re going to work on being true professionals. I think it’s going to be important to make our young players understand that this is a job. And with any job situation, you have certain responsibilities that you have to [adhere] to.”

Gentry is glad to accept the challenge of turning the Clippers around. Not only is he high on Odom and the Clippers’ rookies, he is also excited about third-year center Michael Olowokandi and athletic swingmen Tyrone Nesby and Maggette.

“We have to crawl before we can walk,” Gentry said. “We have a chance to make this something special over the next couple of years. We can get something that will last a long time with the core of guys we have. I think it is really important that we don’t have anyone whose contract is going to be up. This is going to be the team we’re going to have for the next couple of years.”

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L.A. Story

A look at the Clippers and their coaches since the franchise moved to Los Angeles before 1984-85 season:

Seasons 16

Winning seasons 1

Seasons made playoffs 3

Overall record 410-870

Coaches 12

Average coaching tenure 116 games

Average coaching record 37-79

Alvin Gentry Facts

Age 45