Jerry West heads south, to the Clippers
‘Sometimes you need to be challenged’ says NBA legend of new role
After helping the Warriors establish themselves as the NBA’s reigning powerhouse, Jerry West is returning to Los Angeles. Not however, to the Lakers, the franchise with which West built arguably the NBA’s greatest overall career as both an elite player and general manager.
West is joining the Clippers, for whom he will serve as a special consultant, similar to his role at Golden State. That’s according Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum, who reported Wednesday that the 79-year-old Hall of Famer “made his decision over the last couple of weeks.”
West told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne Wednesday that, while he has yet to sign a contract with the Clippers, he knew that Monday’s title-clinching Game 5 Finals win would represent his final night with Golden State. “I don’t feel old, I feel really competitive,” West said. “Sometimes you need to be challenged. I’ve kind of been defiant my whole life.”
West had input on, not control over, the Warriors’ personnel decisions, and the same arrangement will likely be the case with his new team. Nevertheless, he is arriving at a time when the Clippers have desperate need of some sage counsel, as they could be facing a major shakeup.
The team’s two biggest stars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, can opt out of their contracts, an expected development given the lucrative long-term deals they could then sign. The Clippers could try to bring them both back on maximum contracts, which would add up to over $200 million for Paul and around $175 million for Griffin, or focus on one of them — or decide to blow the whole thing up and start over.
The latter option is not thought to be under consideration by the Clippers, who reportedly want to retain the Paul-Griffin pairing, despite that duo not having led the team past the second round of the playoffs in six seasons together. Paul, however, is rumoured to have a mutual interest in the Spurs, while Griffin could potentially be inclined to move on, as well.
J.J. Redick, another key player for the Clippers, will be an unrestricted free agent, while the team’s third major star, DeAndre Jordan, can opt out of his contract next year. Thus the Clippers need all the helpful advice they can get, and West brings a wellearned reputation as one of the cleverest move-makers in NBA history.
He signed on with the Warriors in 2011, two years after the team had drafted a cornerstone in Steph Curry, and the long-downtrodden organization went on to make savvy picks in the likes of Klay Thompson (11th overall in 2011) and Draymond Green (35th overall in 2012). West was also credited with a phone call to Kevin Durant last year that helped convince the prized free agent to leave Oklahoma City for Golden State.
Calling West “an incredible asset to our organization,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob told ESPN’s Marc Stein, “We would have loved for him to remain with our franchise ... but we respect his decision. He’s earned that right.”
West, of course, earned his greatest acclaim while with the Lakers, for whom he was a 14-time all-star and a 1972 champion, not to mention the 1969 Finals MVP (the only time that honour has been bestowed on a player from the losing team). Since 1969, a silhouette from a photo of him driving to the basket has famously served as the NBA’s logo, although West has said that it’s high time to go with someone else.
As general manager of the Lakers, after three years as a scout for the team, West helped build one of the NBA’s greatest dynasties, a five-time champion in the 1980s. Several years later, West’s trade for Kobe Bryant and signing of Shaquille O’Neal in free agency laid the groundwork for a Lakers squad that won three straight championships between 2000 and 2002, and he was twice named NBA executive of the year.
In 2002, West became general manager of the Grizzlies, a team located much closer to his home state of West Virginia. That franchise, which originated in 1995, soon made the first three post-season appearances of its existence, before he retired in 2007.
Now West is back in Los Angeles, this time with the city’s “other” NBA team, one that, even in its recent run of success, has managed to continue frustrating its fan base. West has nothing more to prove, but if he can help guide the Clippers through what appears to be a very thorny path to their first championship, that might go down as his greatest accomplishment.