West saddles up for ‘last adventure’
Hall of Famer Jerry West, fresh off helping the Warriors win another NBA championship, is now officially a consultant with the Los Angeles Clippers.
West was introduced at a news conference Monday with Doc Rivers, the Clippers’ coach and president of basketball operations, and Executive Vice President Lawrence Frank. He was an executive board member with Golden State and is expected to have a similar role in Los Angeles.
The former Lakers player and executive credited Rivers, Frank and owner Steve Ballmer with convincing him the other team in Los Angeles was the right fit.
“Here I am on the last adventure of my life, and I like to call it an adventure,” West said. “I believe in ownership a lot. After I talked to Steve and Doc and what’s-your-name, Frank Lawrence, I was even more convinced. I’ve known these guys and respected them.
“I like people flying under the radar. I don’t like gigantic egos . ... For them to want me to come here and maybe think I can help, I’m really flattered.”
West, 79, is coming in just ahead of the draft and the free agency period, when the Clippers will be focused on retaining key players, including Chris Paul. West didn’t specifically address what he would advise the team to do with Paul and Blake Griffin.
“I haven’t talked much about that,” West said. “I think they know what they need to do . ... I think very definitely, they want to try to protect their assets.”
West called leaving the Warriors one of the saddest days of his life, and Golden State general manager Bob Myers said, “I’ll miss Jerry,” lauding “The Logo” for “his presence, his personality, his competitiveness, his passion ... it’s unique.”
Cavs’ GM out: David Griffin’s three-year run as Cleveland’s GM is over after one championship and three NBA Finals matchups with the Warriors.
Griffin mutually parted ways with the Cavaliers and owner Dan Gilbert, who said the GM’s contract will not be extended once it expires June 30.
“We have no announcement at this time related to new leadership of the Cavaliers basketball operations group,” Gilbert said in a statement, “but we ... will continue to aggressively explore and pursue opportunities to improve our team.”
Griffin’s departure comes on the one-year anniversary of the Cavs’ Game 7 win over the Warriors that gave Cleveland its first major professional sports championship since 1964.
The Cavs currently have no pick in Thursday’s draft, and enter free agency trying to revamp their roster as LeBron James enters his final season under contract.
The team has reportedly been contacted by the Pacers regarding a potential deal for All-Star forward Paul George, who will be a free agent after next season.
Done deal: Philadelphia and Boston completed their trade of draft picks, the 76ers acquiring the No. 1 pick from the Celtics and netting the chance to draft Washington guard Markelle Fultz. The Celtics moved down to No. 3 and picked up another first-round selection in 2018 or 2019 — with Celtics executive Danny Ainge saying the deal came at no cost to Boston.
The 76ers wouldn’t say it, but they want Fultz. Next up are the Lakers, expected to take UCLA guard Lonzo Ball.
And then come the Celtics. If Ainge is to be believed, even they don’t know who they will take at No. 3 — but he insisted that whichever choice they make there would have been the choice they made at No. 1 if this deal hadn’t gone down.