CLIPPERS DUNLEAVY OUT AS HEAD COACH

The Los Angeles Clippers have made a coaching change with just 32 games left in the season, naming Kim Hughes as their new interim coach today after Mike Dunleavy relinquished his bench duties. Dunleavy will retain the title of Clippers general manager in what the team has described as a decision that was "reached mutually" earlier today during a meeting attended by club president Andy Roeser, Dunleavy and assistant general manager Neil Olshey. Although Dunleavy has been under pressure at various points during the past few months despite the season-long absence of No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin (ESPN.com reported in November that Clippers owner Donald Sterling contemplated making a change after an 0-4 start) one source close to the situation insisted that it was Dunleavy's "decision to step down."

Said Dunleavy in a team statement: "I've had several conversations with our owner [Donald T. Sterling] concerning what we think is best for the team overall. We have discussed the possibility of my concentrating only on basketball operations. That option has always been available to me. "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. We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts."

It has been widely assumed in NBA coaching circles that Dunleavy, given Sterling's famed aversion to paying coaches who no longer work for the Clippers, was virtually insulated from being fired because his contract has one more season to go after this season at $5 million.

- Jason