The Los Angeles Clippers are slowly picking up the pieces left in the wake of the NBA’s devastating punishment after their investigation into the Clippers for salary cap circumvention.
One of the biggest areas that the Clippers needed to address after the NBA handed down it’s punishment was finding out who was going to lead the team through this difficult time.
Advertisement
While the forfeiture of draft picks and the fine handed to owner Steve Ballmer of $30 million are both problematic for Los Angeles, the true dysfunction caused by the punishment came from the suspension the NBA issued to the Clippers.
A general overall view as LA Clippers guard Bradley Beal dribbles the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears on the in-season tournament logo at midcourt in the first half at Intuit Dome. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker were both suspended for one year while president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months.
While the Clippers have already addressed the chaos in the front office caused by Frank’s suspension by naming a pair of new decision makers, but the executive void left by Ballmer’s suspension was the next problem to address.
Sheel Tyle, left, one of the owners of the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer visit with each other before the start of the Trail Blazers- Clippers game at Moda Center. Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
To solve that problem, the Clippers have named Los Angeles-based lawyer John Gibson as interim governor and CEO, per a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania. Ballmer reportedly nominated Gibson and the NBA has since approved him for the role.
Advertisement
“I am honored to take on this responsibility and grateful for the opportunity to serve an organization I have supported for many years,” Gibson said in a statement (via ESPN).
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer (left) greets New Orleans Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan (right) after the game at Intuit Dome. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Gibson is certainly joining the franchise at a chaotic time, with both the reckoning of the NBA’s punishment, which Ballmer recently accepted in a statement that put any thought of him legally challenging the verdict to bed, and the team’s ongoing rebuild to manage.
Gibson is a long-time season ticket holder for the Clippers and was a litigation partner at DLA Piper, a Los Angeles-based firm. He was a graduate of Harvard and the University of Michigan Law School.
LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer watches against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
In his role as interim CEO and governor, Gibson will be overseeing the general basketball and business operations of the franchise, as wide-reaching as those responsibilities may be.
Advertisement
This state of chaos that the Clippers find themselves in likely won’t let up any time soon, especially not with some of the most executive personnel within the organization suspended, so Gibson’s biggest task will likely be simply keeping the peace within the organization while they try to wait out these suspensions.
There’s a lot of work ahead of the Clippers and Gibson to keep the organization functional during this time, but securing any kind of leadership to keep the ship afloat is the best thing that the team can do at this time.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
