Another One Bites the Dust: Mike Dunleavy Out As Clippers Coach

The trail of Clippers ex-coaches just got a little longer.

The team announced Thursday afternoon that Mike Dunleavy has agreed to step down as coach to concentrate on his other duties as general manager.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the Draft and the free agent process,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts.”

Current Assistant Coach Kim Hughes will lead the team as interim head coach through the remainder of the season.

The decision was made at an afternoon meeting that included team President Andy Roeser, Dunleavy and Assistant General Manager Neil Olshey, who will continue in his role.

“I’ve had several conversations with our owner (Donald Sterling) concerning what we think is best for the team overall,” Dunleavy said. “We have discussed the possibility of my concentrating only on basketball operations. That option has always been available to me.”

The Clippers just concluded a 2-6 road trip with a loss at Atlanta Tuesday and have tumbled to the 12th place spot in the Western Conference. They’re seven games under .500 at 21-28 as they prepare for a return to the Staples Center for a Saturday night game with San Antonio.

“We fully agree with Mike that this is the right time to make this change,” said Roeser. “It just seems clear that the team needs a fresh voice and we hope that our players will respond in a positive way.”

Few would have anticipated this result for Dunleavy and the Clippers after L.A. struck it rich in last year’s NBA Draft Lottery. They landed the first pick and selected Oklahoma star Blake Griffin. But Griffin’s career was put on hold before it really got started after he suffered a stress fracture in his left knee and was lost for the season.

Dunleavy became the Clippers coach in 2003 and is the all-time franchise leader in wins with 215. His best season at the helm came in 2005-06, when the Clippers finished second in the Pacific Division with a 47-35 record and won their first round playoff series with Denver before losing in the conference semifinals to Phoenix.

Hughes, who played six seasons in the ABA and NBA, is in his seventh season with the Clippers after serving five years with Denver. He also spent seven seasons as a scout with the Milwaukee Bucks.