Clippers to Hire Gentry as Coach

After going six months and a week without a permanent head coach, the Clippers will fill the position today by naming Alvin Gentry as the franchise’s 10th coach since 1988.

Gentry, fired as the Detroit Pistons’ coach March 6 with 24 regular-season games left, was in Los Angeles on Wednesday and reportedly agreed to a multiyear contract with the Clippers. He takes over as coach for Chris Ford, who was fired Feb. 3 and replaced by interim coach Jim Todd.

The Clippers refused comment, but scheduled a news conference for today.

Gentry, who joined the San Antonio Spurs’ coaching staff June 16, had a 73-72 coaching record in parts of three seasons with Detroit. Gentry also coached the Miami Heat briefly, where he was 15-21 after replacing Kevin Loughery in 1995.

Gentry will take over a job that has been a difficult sell for the Clippers.

Less than two weeks ago, University of Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins turned down the Clippers’ reported four-year offer at $2 million a season to stay at the college level, at least for now.

Former Atlanta Hawk and Cleveland Cavalier coach Mike Fratello also was courted by the Clippers but twice withdrew his name as a candidate when he felt the team was taking too long to make a decision.

Gentry wasn’t the first choice of some of the Clipper players, either.

Darius Miles, the team’s No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, said he wanted John Lucas, former San Antonio and Philadelphia coach and a current Denver assistant, to take over the team. Jeff McInnis, the team’s top returning point guard, said the Clippers would have done well by making assistant Dennis Johnson the coach.

But in the end, Gentry turned out to be owner Donald Sterling’s man.

Although he may not have done well enough in Detroit to keep his job with the Pistons, Gentry has a solid reputation around the NBA. Philadelphia Coach Larry Brown is one of Gentry’s biggest supporters. The former Clipper coach still has Sterling’s ear and has said Gentry was treated unfairly by the Pistons.

After being fired by Detroit, Gentry was courted by Atlanta Coach Lon Kruger to be his top assistant but ended up in San Antonio, where his wife, Suzanne, is from.

The Clippers have kept their eye on Gentry, who served as an Clipper assistant to coach Mike Schuler in the 1990-91 season. Elgin Baylor, vice president of basketball operations, has followed him throughout his career as a player and coach, and said he had included Gentry in the team’s coaching search this summer.

In Detroit, Gentry started off well. He led the Pistons to a 29-21 record in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season before losing to Atlanta in the first round of the playoffs.

Gentry’s job was made tougher last season because of questions surrounding the future of franchise player Grant Hill, who was due to become a free agent. After a strong start, the Pistons faded. They lost 11 consecutive road games to drop to 28-30, then Gentry was fired and replaced on an interim basis by assistant George Irvine, who has since been named permanent coach.

“The only thing that was consistent was our inconsistency,” Joe Dumars, the Pistons’ vice president of player personnel, told the Detroit Free Press at the time.

“You could see the little things. . . . When winnable games are lost, when players’ body language slumps, when they lose home games that they absolutely should win, then you say, ‘There’s a problem going on here.’

“You see it in the players’ faces. Kind of a blank expression.”

Gentry was well-liked by the Pistons, but after he was released, some players said he was too soft.

“Alvin didn’t yell at us enough,” forward Christian Laettner told the Free Press. “If I had one criticism of him, that would be it.”