Clippers Junk Their Ford

By LONNIE WHITE

Feb. 4, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Some may say the Clippers waited too long. Others may say they pulled the trigger too soon.

But when you’re 11-34 and coming off back-to-back losses by a combined 77 points, something had to be done, and Thursday, Chris Ford was fired as coach and replaced by assistant and close friend Jim Todd on an interim basis.

“It’s something that probably needed to be done, even though you never want to see someone lose their job,” veteran guard Eric Piatkowski said.

“But it started to look as if [Ford] didn’t want to be here anymore.”

Ford was hired by the Clippers shortly before the start of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season and was in the second year of a three-year contract. The Clippers will pay Ford for this season and partially for next season.

“I just think it was time to make a change,” said Elgin Baylor, vice president of basketball operations. “We’d thought we’d be a lot better record-wise than we are now. It’s always tough when you lose, it’s tough when you have to dismiss someone. He was OK with it, handled it very professionally.”

Because of the team’s record, Ford probably saw it coming. He coached the team at practice Thursday morning and in the afternoon, Ford discovered what moves the Clippers were going to make.

Baylor made a visit to the house Ford rents in the South Bay with Todd and told him he was no longer coach, which didn’t seem to surprise Ford.

“I’m very happy to be going home and to be with my family,” said Ford, 51, who has been fired by three NBA teams and had a 20-75 record with the Clippers.

Todd, 47, coached the Clippers to two victories in December when Ford was unable to coach for two games because of back spasms. Todd said it will not be easy taking over for a friend who gave him his first NBA coaching job.

“Everyone has been trying to get me to understand that this is part of the business,” said Todd, whose first game as interim coach will be Saturday against Dallas at Staples Center. “It was definitely difficult. . . . I am happy for myself and unhappy for him.”

The players are happy too.

“The guys think the world of J.T., that was definitely evident in the two games he coached us,” backup center Keith Closs said. “We had a more fluid offense. We didn’t have a slow-down offense where we played so much one-on-one. We didn’t have to have one or two guys carry us, his offense showcased everyone.”

Todd, who coached Division II Salem State for nine seasons and had a 192-57 record from 1987-96, said he will not try to change too much. His plan is for the Clippers to play the same as they did before.

“Everyone seems to be happy right now,” Todd said. “Of course, we haven’t played any games yet. We were happy with the way things were going there [in December]. That’s what we’re going to build on.”

Ford, who played 10 seasons in the NBA, coached the Boston Celtics for five seasons and the Milwaukee Bucks for two. Ford hired Todd in Milwaukee.

Ford’s first season with the Clippers was not a good one. With eight soon-to-be free agents on the roster, the Clippers lost their first 17 games and finished with a 9-41 record.

This season was supposed to be different, with the addition of celebrated rookie Lamar Odom along with guards Derek Anderson and Eric Murdock.

But Ford’s job was not made any easier when owner Donald Sterling and David Falk, agent for forward Maurice Taylor, did not reach a contract extension resolution during the off-season. That prompted Taylor to open training camp by announcing this will be his final season as a Clipper.

Once the season began, the Clippers lost early and with each defeat, Ford seemed to lose touch with his young players. With an average age 25 years and 65 days, the Clippers have the youngest team in the league, and at times, their lack of maturity seemed too much for Ford.

“This team needs a lot of direction,” Piatkowski said. “Ford treated a lot of guys like veterans and they didn’t need to be treated like veterans. Discipline just wasn’t there and it showed because of our youth.”

Hurting Ford’s cause was how well the Clippers played under Todd. They won an inspirational game at Golden State and upset the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center the next night.

But when Ford’s back got better, the Clippers didn’t need long to return to their losing habits. They’ve won only two of their last 18 games and the players continue to make the same mistakes they made when the season began.

“Everyone thought it was just time to go in a different direction,” said Taylor, who skipped Thursday’s practice but plans to be at today’s workout. “I feel bad for Coach Ford, but when he was gone, we had fun winning games under J.T.”

Many of the Clippers were not pleased when Ford returned and did not implement some of the things they did under Todd. Taylor said Ford did not try to make changes with the offense until only recently.

“It was just the same old negative attitude around the team,” Taylor said. “The guys didn’t want to do the same things. It was just hard for Ford to adjust.”

Not only do the Clippers have one of the league’s worst records, they rank among the bottom in many statistical categories. They are last in assists, next to last in points and 26th in field-goal percentage and offensive rebounds.

Until the Clippers add an assistant, Todd will work with Rex Kalamian. Although being an NBA head coach was not a main goal when he began his coaching career at 24, Todd is ready to accept Baylor’s challenge.

“Jim did a good job earlier this year,” Baylor said. “There are no guarantees, but if he does well and the team responds, it would certainly make him a viable candidate for long-term consideration.”

That sits well with his players.

“It’s really a fantastic opportunity for [Todd],” Piatkowski said. “The players like him an awful lot. But we have to remember that when he coached those two games, we had only eight healthy players. The guys didn’t have to worry about minutes and it was easy to pull together.”

That’s something the Clippers will have to do if they are to salvage the season.

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By the Numbers

11 Clipper coaches since moving to L.A. for 1984-85 season

1 L.A. Clipper coaches with winning record (Larry Brown)

.327 Winning percentage since moving to L.A. (406-837)

.211 Chris Ford’s winning percentage with Clippers (20-75)

3 Season in playoffs in L.A. (1991-92, 1992-93, 1996-97)

Losing Proposition

Los Angeles Clipper coaching records:

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Coach Record Pct. Larry Brown (1992-93) 64-53 .547 Mack Calvin (1992) 1-1 .500 Mike Schuler (1990-92) 52-75 .409 Jim Lynam (1984-85) 22-39 .361 Bob Weiss (1993-94) 27-55 .329 Don Casey (1989-90) 41-85 .325 Bill Fitch (1994-98) 99-229 .302 Don Chaney (1985-87) 53-132 .286 Gene Shue (1987-89) 27-93 .225 Chris Ford (1999-2000) 20-75 .211

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WINNING PERCENTAGES

A look at where the Clippers have ranked in winning percentage the last five seasons:

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Year Record Pct. Finish 1995-96 29-53 .354 23rd 1996-97 36-46 .439 18th 1997-98 17-65 .207 27th 1999 9-41 .180 28th 1999-2000 11-34 .244 28th

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FIVE WORST TEAMS

The five worst winning percentages in the NBA since the 1995-96 season:

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Team Record Pct. Vancouver 68-272 .200 Clippers 102-239 .299 Denver 102-237 .301 Dallas 106-234 .312 Toronto 114-225 .336

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Coaching Changes