The universe we live in consists of a series of delicate balancing acts. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Each natural cycle consists of millions of potential pitfalls, but still manage to reach their end (and naturally, their beginning) due to a very specific give and take between an infinite number of potential factors. And in the NBA, two franchises have won almost all the championships, but they…well I mean…you see…I’ve got nothing. Basketball does, at times, exist in a vacuum. There are haves and have-nots with little room for mobility in-between.
But on this very day, one of those have-nots has finally taken a step to right the ship. The absolutely invincible, untouchable, immortal Mike Dunleavy, Sr. has finally been relieved of his duties as the head of the Clippers. In all honesty, he probably doesn’t deserve it. The Clippers’ roster is a muddled mess of mismatched talent, missing a pretty pivotal piece, and yet they’ve been borderline world-beaters this year. When motivated and clicking, this team is tough to beat. They’re just not built in a way that’s cogent enough to deal with the daily grind. That’s the team that Dunleavy is coaching this year, and that’s the team that, for awhile there, looked to be a Blake Griffin return away from a playoff push. Now they’re sitting comfortably at 12th in the West, and aside from a truly surprising Grizzlies team (/cutaway to Moore dancing), are they really displaced in the conference hierarchy?
Hardly. But this is a lifetime achievement firing. Dunleavy the coach and Dunleavy the GM have kept the franchise’s head underwater in the lottery cesspool, though the former is hardly as responsible as the latter. But when you consider just how difficult it is to cut ties with a coach/GM with another year under contract (for $5.5 million, no less), this is a crucial first step. Call me petty and vengeful, but I have no qualms about Dunleavy being fired today for his sins of yesteryear, especially if it means we’re that much closer to punishing the real culprit here. It’s hard to uproot a combo coach/GM all at once, but in relieving Dunleavy from his coaching job, the Clippers are that much closer to redemption and hopefully, legitimacy.
