The Los Angeles Clippers suffered another heartbreaking postseason exit at the hands of the Houston Rockets, once again providing evidence that having a coach/GM won’t get it done in the NBA. Doc Rivers has been the head coach and the President of Basketball operations for the Clippers since 2014, and while not technically the general manager of the team, he is endowed final say on all personnel matters regarding the roster.
Rivers, along with Stan Van Gundy in Detroit and Flip Saunders in Minnesota are others in the NBA that have this dual role. The struggles of the Detroit Pistons recently have been no surprise as they have been in a rebuilding mode the last few years, so it is hard to find fault with Van Gundy at this early stage in his tenure leading the Pistons organization. The Wolves have been a mess for years, and Saunders is unlikely to be able to build a contending team there. The Clippers however, have been in the playoffs and have been considered title contenders since nabbing Chris Paul from New Orleans to pair him with their star forward Blake Griffin. The shortcomings of the Clippers the past couple of seasons under Rivers brings up the issue why head coach/GM positions rarely work in the NBA. If the Clippers want to advance past the second round and finally win a title, they may need to reconsider the dual role Doc Rivers currently holds.
Rivers was traded to the Clippers in 2013 to become the new head coach of the Clippers, but also assumed a role as Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. The Clippers had their best season in franchise history before losing to Golden State in the 2014 playoffs. Their season was also stained by the Donald Sterling scandal, which presumably was a difficult situation for everyone involved with the team. However, there were roster flaws, and serious doubt that the Clippers would be able to win a title that season anyway with the juggernaut Spurs taking down everyone in their path. Rivers certainly had some say in the construction of the Clipper roster that season, and actually made moves to bring in effective players like J.J. Redick, Danny Granger, Jared Dudley, and Darren Collison, while re-signing Chris Paul and Matt Barnes.
Doc Rivers was promoted to President of Basketball Operations in the 2014 off-season, which gave him control over all roster decisions. After assuming control of the team, the sum total of the roster moves made throughout the 2014-15 season saw the Clippers lose Darren Collison, Danny Granger, and Jared Dudley and gain Jordan Farmar, Spencer Hawes, Dahntay Jones, and Austin Rivers. Jordan Farmar didn’t finish the season with the team, and Hawes and Jones were not in the rotation at the end of the season. Austin Rivers was a pleasant surprise in the playoffs, but is not suitable for major minutes on a contending NBA team. All in all, Doc Rivers has made questionable moves that have not helped the Clippers in the areas they need, namely a back-up big man and quality wing play from the bench. Hawes and Glen Davis were not enough to get it done, while the Clippers wing rotation, aside from the surprisingly ineffective (maybe not so surprising, I’m not sure) Jamal Crawford and Rivers, provided a little, but not enough production off the bench. The Clippers’ star players are in their primes, and the lack of quality players acquired by Doc Rivers the President were not enough for Doc Rivers the head coach to work with. His short rotation used in the playoffs and their ultimate collapse speaks to the lack of depth acquired by Rivers in his front office duties.
The loss by the Clippers in the second round begs the questions of whether Doc Rivers put himself into a position where he was in over his head, trying to both assemble and coach an NBA team. The Clippers losing to the Rockets in the second round is nothing to be ashamed of, but it was how they lost. Blowing a 3-1 series lead along with a catastrophic collapse in game six will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the Clipper faithful. They looked worn out after a great series against San Antonio in round one, and two seven gamers in a row was too much for a team that only employed eight serviceable players during their playoff run, and saying eight might even be quite a generous statement. Rivers needed to do more to help out his star players, there’s no question, but the Clippers have been in a tough spot in terms of cap room, and will have little this offseason as well. They struck out on their big deals and gave away players that could have helped them in areas of need.
There have been some examples of head coach/GM combos in the NBA over the years. On the unsuccessful end are the likes of Saunders, Rick Pitino in Boston in the late 90’s, Mike Dunleavy with the Clippers, among others. On the successful side are the like of Red Auerbach, Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich. Auerbach was able to succeed in a much different era, and Riley and Popovich, while sustaining success with double duties, have since relinquished one of their roles to someone else. The success stories of those in a dual role have something in common: transcendent talent and a loaded roster. Auerbach had Bill Russell, and was ahead of his time as a talent evaluator and acquirer. Popovich came down to coach the team he assembled, but gaining Tim Duncan helped take the team to a new level that likely had less to do with Pop and more to do with Duncan. Riley ousted Stan Van Gundy in 2006 to lead the team he assembled to the NBA title, one that included two of the greatest player in NBA history. Winning in the NBA requires superstar players and typically all-time great players, and winning as a head coach/GM is no different.
The roles of the general manager of a team and it’s head coach vary too much and have incentives that are too different for one person to succeed at both. Obviously both have the best interest of the team in mind. That much is clear. Both want to win and both want to win as soon as possible and as many games as possible, usually with both of their jobs on the line if they don’t. What is classically cited in examples of coach/GM duties is that the head coach is trying to win now (besides perhaps in Philadelphia), and winning games is usually the only thing that is keeping a head coach in his current state of employment. The goal of the GM is somewhat different; winning now is something that everyone wants, but it is the long-term success of the franchise that can sometimes take over in terms of decision making. How can one person make decisions with both the short and long term success of the team at heart? There is an inherent conflict that arises when on tries to build a team up while trying to win now and save something for the franchise so that it can win later.
The classic example of conflicting interests is usually stated as the main reason why coaches with dual role struggle to succeed. It is understandable these coaches want to be able to choose who they work with. They are usually control freaks and perfectionists who want things done their way. Anther issue is one that should seem obvious, but hardly gets mentioned; each of these are difficult jobs that have a revolving door of people who succeed and fail every year. Coaching an NBA team is not easy, and many people have tried and failed, despite a vastly superior knowledge of the game than any fan or person watching on TV or from the stands. The same goes for being a GM. Talent evaluation is very difficult, and knowledge of the salary cap, financial situations, and the inner workings of the league are just as hard. Many people get fired from these positions every year, because of the high standard that is expected of them and their apparent inability to meet those standards. Those who get into a position to do both duties are typically at the top of their profession, but is it reasonable to expect them to be able to prosper in both roles when so few are able to do so at just one?
This question is something that needs to be asked by teams, not just in the NBA, but other sports as well. The NFL has many coaches who control player personnel. In the NBA though, it might be too much to ask of someone like Doc Rivers. Rivers, who is well respected and thought of as an upper tier NBA coach, hasn’t been able to perform both duties at a level that can bring a championship to Los Angeles. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin’s prime years together deserve better than one man trying to preserve his ego and attempting to do it all. Where the expectations are great, in Clipperland, perhaps the Clippers need to think twice about having one man attempt to perform two roles that are, in and of themselves, so difficult. The dual role does not have the best track record in cases like Rivers’. It hasn’t worked yet, and it is hard to see it working in the near future.
