It is without question that the Los Angeles Clippers have had one of, if not the most successful offseason performances in the entire league. In the mind of team head coach Doc Rivers, a lot of credit has to be given to Clippers president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, for the pivotal role he played in what was a historic summer for the organization.
“I got a lot of credit, and so did Jerry West, but the guy that was the hero in all this was Lawrence Frank,” Rivers said, via Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times. “He did all the work. He had Steve Ballmer going to Raptors games and he went to some, too. We were warned that no more Clippers players, coaches or employees could go to games in Toronto. We were sending guys to go sit the stands.”
L.A. scored the biggest coup of the summer by convincing reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to shun interest from all other teams, and to instead, sign with the Clippers. This even came with an added bonus in the form of Paul George, whose addition has propelled the team to one of the title favorites for the 2019-20 campaign.
According to Rivers, they played the long game with Leonard. Their courtship with the former Toronto Raptors superstar was one that was methodically planned out and perfectly executed.
“There was nothing wrong with what we were doing, but Steve Ballmer sitting courtside in Toronto seemed a little strange,” Rivers explained. “But we didn’t say a word. We just wanted [Leonard] to know we were there and we were interested.”
This is arguably the first time in Clippers franchise history that they will be entering a new season with so much promise and potential on their side. The pressure to perform will be overwhelming, so Rivers and company will need to be at their very best.
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