Baylor out, Dunleavy in as Clippers GM

Oct 8, 2008 - 2:49 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Clippers replaced long-time general manager Elgin Baylor on Tuesday, allowing coach Mike Dunleavy to assume the responsibilities.

The team did not specify a reason for Baylor's departure. According to the Los Angeles Times, Dunleavy said that he was told Baylor was retiring.

Comments made by Baylor, however, suggest otherwise.

"There's a dispute going on,'' Baylor told the Orange County Register. "My attorney advised me not to discuss it.''

An 11-time All-Star as a player, Baylor joined the Clippers in 1986 as vice president of basketball operations after a stellar 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and a brief coaching stint with the New Orleans Jazz. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976 and chosen as one of the NBA's "50 Greatest Players of All-Time."

Prior to being named the 2005-06 NBA Executive of the Year, Baylor had been a much-maligned figure as the architect of such a disappointing franchise. The Clippers made the playoffs just four times during Baylor's tenure.

"We greatly appreciate Elgin's efforts during his time with the Clippers, and we wish him the very best," Los Angeles owner Donald Sterling said.

Dunleavy is in his sixth season with the Clippers, guiding the team to a playoff appearance three seasons ago, when it suffered a seven-game loss to Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals.

However, the veteran coach has gone 63-101 in the last two campaigns, results that evidently have been blamed on Baylor.

"I really appreciate the trust that the organization has placed in me," Dunleavy said. "We're ready and excited to move forward, and we think we'll have a team which can be dynamic and exciting, certainly one with enough talent to be a force in the Western Conference."

While the Clippers lost forward Corey Maggette this offseason, they added hometown star Baron Davis, former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby and first-round pick Eric Gordon - moves that were orchestrated by Dunleavy, who slowly made Baylor's role with the team irrelevant.

Baylor's tenure was littered with questionable decisions, especially in the draft. In the last decade alone, he spent first-round picks on mediocre talent, including Michael Olowokandi, Brian Skinner and Darius Miles. Olowokandi was the first overall selection in the 1998 draft.