Dunleavy Will Get Clipper Job Today

The Clippers will introduce Mike Dunleavy as their new coach during a news conference today at Staples Center, the team confirmed Thursday night. The deal completes a lengthy process to replace Alvin Gentry, who was fired March 3 with the team mired in last place in the Pacific Division.

Dennis Johnson served as the team’s interim coach and was expected to be a fallback candidate if the team could not come to an agreement with Dunleavy, a former NBA player who also has coached the Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers.

Johnson’s status for next season is uncertain. He has been coaching the Clippers’ summer league team at Long Beach State.

Terms of Dunleavy’s deal with the Clippers were not immediately available.

Neither Dunleavy nor Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor could be reached for comment Thursday night. It’s believed that Dunleavy sought a multi-season deal that also included assurances that the team would maintain its youthful and promising roster. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Dunleavy received those promises from owner Donald Sterling.

Dunleavy emerged as a favorite for the Clipper job after a face-to-face meeting with Sterling in Los Angeles last month. He is believed to be the only candidate who met with Sterling personally.

Talks were halted after Dunleavy turned down a four-season deal worth $2.4 million per season, however.

Dunleavy, 49, also spoke with the Atlanta Hawks about their coaching vacancy before talks with the Clippers heated up again. They stopped again after Dunleavy asked for a three-season contract that included promises from Sterling that the Clippers would retain top players such as Elton Brand, who has averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds in each of his two seasons with the team.

A deal was finally struck Thursday, bringing Dunleavy back to L.A., where he coached the Lakers to the NBA Finals in 1990-91, in his rookie season as an NBA coach, and to a 43-39 mark in 1991-92.

Dunleavy, who has a 398-390 overall record, also guided the Trail Blazers to the Western Conference finals twice, including 2000, when the Lakers staged their fourth-quarter rally to win Game 7 en route to the first of three consecutive NBA championships.

Portland fired Dunleavy after the Lakers swept the volatile Trail Blazers in the opening round of the 2001 playoffs.

The next item on the Clippers’ to-do list is to try to retain restricted free agents Brand, Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette and Andre Miller.

The Clippers have the right to match any outside offers for the four, and there might be some for Maggette and Miller, in particular.

In addition, there were signs this week that unrestricted free agent center Michael Olowokandi was prepared to sign with the Denver Nuggets, who covet the 7-footer and have $18 million of salary cap space available.

The Clippers say they will also seek a new contract with Olowokandi, who this week said the Nuggets were atop his list of suitors. Olowokandi was expected to meet with Denver executives, including General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe, this weekend in Los Angeles.

Free agents are eligible to sign with new teams or re-sign with old ones Wednesday.