Why Clippers are Making Wrong Choice by Keeping Vinny Del Negro

Usually by this time of the NBA season, the Los Angeles Clippers are preparing for the NBA lottery and another season without playoff basketball. That still could happen this season, but last night's win over New Orleans gave the Clippers back-to-back wins and bumped Los Angeles back up to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

Not bad for a team that last week reportedly quit on head coach Vinny Del Negro.

A coaching change could be exactly the thing that could ignite the Clippers for the stretch run, but owner Donald Sterling assured everyone that Del Negro's job is safe, telling the Los Angeles Times' T.J. Simers:

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"I like him," said Sterling. "I usually follow the advice of my people, and I think they care for him, like him and want him to succeed. And I think he will."

"Would I like more wins? I'd like more. I'd like the players to develop more; I'd like to play better. But then I have great expectations, and to a certain extent they've been realized. To some extent they haven't, but I'm a patient guy."

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So while Del Negro has the vote of confidence from Sterling, as usual with the Clippers, it's the wrong choice.

Anytime you here words like "lost the team," and "won't play hard for him anymore," there is a problem, whether or not you want to realize it or not.

The Clippers have two superstars in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and showing them that the franchise is serious about winning should be a top priority. As important as it is to win now, the organization must prove to them that there is no good reason to leave when their contracts expire.

Paul will be a free agent after next season and the Clippers will have chance to offer Griffin a five-year contract beginning July 1 for a maximum of $94 million.

Del Negro doesn't have the respect as a coach around the league. His offensive and defensive schemes have often been called predictable and the results show that this is nothing more then an average basketball team, despite having the likes of Paul and Griffin.

The team ranks in the middle of the pack in every major category, including 13th in points per game (96.9), 16th in rebounding (41.9), 17th in assists (20.8) and 14th in points allowed (95.3).

At the end of the day, sticking with Del Negro will likely produce only average results. If anything, Sterling should take a page from how the New York Knicks made an immediate turnaround after replacing Mike D'Antoni with interim head coach Mike Woodson.

Sometimes it's all about effort and this current group may give more for a new coach. More effort would likely lead to more wins and at the end of the day, wins are really the only thing that matters.