NBA Rumors: Firing Vinny Del Negro Won't Fix Los Angeles Clippers Issues

The Los Angeles Clippers are an NBA team, but they're not acting like one. No problem going on in Los Angeles will be fixed with a new coach, regardless of what kind of mutiny may be building. 

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine, talk of a coaching change is already in the works. 

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With the Clippers having lost 11 of their past 18 games to turn this once-promising season into a mess, Del Negro's job security would certainly seem to be in jeopardy. As it is, Del Negro is in the final guaranteed season of his contract. The Clippers hold a team option for next season.

Most of the players, according to sources, believe it's time for a change. They cite the uncertainty of Del Negro's rotation as a major problem.

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Correct me if I am wrong, but this is an NBA basketball team. It is filled with stars, notably Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who are two of the best players in the league and their respective positions. All of that is just a nice way of telling the Clippers to suck it up and act like professional athletes. 

I am not here to say that firing Vinny Del Negro would be a bad idea. Frankly, I don't really have much of an opinion on Del Negro or his style of coaching. 

But I can tell you that when you're dealing with a team of veterans and All-Star-caliber players, the coach is not the problem. If they fire Del Negro either before the season ends or in the offseason, the new coach will not have the answers to the problem. 

No, that comes from the on-court leaders, like Paul and Griffin are, or at least are supposed to be. Bringing a new coach may provide a temporary spark, but the problem is ultimately the same thing.

Rotations are going to be a little inconsistent, especially this time of the year and in a season such as this one with a compacted schedule. Teams bound for the playoffs should be mixing things up a little, trying to be sure that the starters remain fresh. 

A team of professional athletes has to be able to make those adjustments and not whine when they come. That's exactly what the Clippers are doing, though.

If Del Negro is fired, the players are going to have to deal with the same problems this time next season with a new coach. They need to look to themselves if they want to take the next step and become a Western Conference power. 

Los Angeles has problems, but the biggest one is not Vinny Del Negro. 

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