Pressure on Dunleavy to Win Now

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling made Mike Dunleavy one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. Despite a slew of injuries, Sterling expects more from his investment, according to a published report Tuesday.

Sterling was left wanting more from his team and coach after what he perceived to be a lack of effort in a 109-93 home loss on Monday to the Utah Jazz.

"I'm not happy," Sterling told the Los Angeles Times. "The fans aren't happy, and can't be happy when they don't see a motivated performance.

"I want to make L.A. fans proud of this team, but if (vice president of basketball operations Elgin Baylor and Mike Dunleavy) can't make it happen, then I have no choice but to make changes."

Dunleavy is just 37 games into a four-year contract extension worth $22 million, one of the five richest deals among NBA coaches.

"That's why I'm paying (Dunleavy) the money I am," Sterling told the Times. "I want to see him win. I don't want to tell him how to do it. I'm just interested in the conclusion. My whole philosophy is hire the best people and let them do their jobs.

"There is no alternative, you have to rely on them, and if it doesn't work out, either you're patient or make changes, right?"

Unfortunately for the Clippers' franchise, it almost always has been the latter, as Dunleavy is the first coach in franchise history to coach five consecutive seasons since the team joined the league in 1970-1971.

The Clippers currently are mired in last place in the Pacific Division with a 12-25 record, the sixth-worst mark in the NBA.

The poor performance is a far cry from the 2005-06 season, when Los Angeles went 47-35 before advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.

Dunleavy, 53, has amassed a 164-176 record in four-plus seasons with the Clippers. Earlier in the season, he surpassed Jack Ramsey (158) as the franchise's all-time winningest coach.

After a 40-42 campaign a season ago, Los Angeles could be forgiven for having lowered expectations, losing All-Star forward Elton Brand to an Achilles' injury over the summer.

Injuries have permeated throughout the roster, somewhat overshadowing the emergence of center Chris Kaman - the only Clipper to play in every game this season.

However, Dunleavy sounded more upset at the organization's unwillingness to make the necessary changes to his roster than he did with his team's bad luck.

"I'm very frustrated too," Dunleavy told the Times. "But I'm also frustrated with the organization. I saw this coming, but had two deals out there that they didn't want to do. It contributed to where we are now."

The team continues to hold out hope that Brand and promising guard Shaun Livingston, who suffered a gruesome knee injury last March, can return before the end of the season.

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