harrick

SoCal High School & Prep Report

Harrick To Coach Clippers? Stay Tuned
For More LA Hijinks--(April 21,1998)

Bill Fitch has the all-time worst record in the NBA. He also has the all-time second best record in the NBA.

And now, Bill Fitch is unemployed. No longer in the NBA at all.

But will Jim Harrick be back in LA? That's the speculation. Apparently last week, Digger Phelps (former ND coach and ESPN/CBS analyst) mentioned that he believed Harrick was the most likely candidate for the job.

That got everyone talking. Elgin Baylor's VP of operations denied that the team was talking to Harrick. Harrick denied that he had talked to the Clippers.

But wouldn't that be the biggest irony of all. Harrick comes back to LA, can't do much better than Fitch (whose problems were, in our opinion created not so much because of Fitch, but due to Donald Sterling's ridiculous inability to pay for and field a first class team operation), and gets fired, only to be replaced by....Steve Lavin.

Hoo-Ha.

So in the Times today, Harrick is again denying that he's talked to either Baylor or Sterling, but we're betting that if he does get the call, he'll be gone from Rhode Island quicker than you can say "medium-well done T-Bone Monty's Steak".

Who would we really like to see get the Clipper job, especially since they'll be moving to the new Staples arena next year, sharing it with the Lakers and the Kings (what happens when everyone had a home game? Happens now with the Lakers and the Clips)?

We'd like to see Kareem at the helm.

Why not? If Larry Bird can do it, why not Kareem? He would certainly relate better to the players, and we can't think of a player with a better understanding of the game, how to coach and work with big men (why hasn't Keith Closs developed under Fitch? Why would Ike Austin even think about staying?). Sure Pooh Richardson can deal with Harrick, but why would he want to?

Our vote is for Kareem.

But we're willing to bet even money that Harrick ends up with the job.

Which will make Leon Brisport's (6'-9" So. C) father, who has thus far refused to sign Leon's LOI with Rhode Island unless and until Harrick commits to staying at URI, look like a pretty smart guy.

We'll see.