Supposedly there's trouble in Clipperland (behind the scenes)

[sed522002]

Major turmoil behind the scenes with the L.A. Clippers … the players are fuming, the staff is confused … and multiple sources tell us all roads lead to a conflict involving Steve Ballmer‘s first major hire.

After Bill Simmons said the Clips were “as dysfunctional as ever” in the new Ballmer era, TMZ Sports spoke with multiple sources within the organization — including players — who tell us the drama all centers around Gillian Zucker, the team’s president of business operations.
Long story short … several players and key staffers feel she’s not just stepping on Doc Rivers‘ toes, but she’s creating a divide … leaving many wondering who’s really calling the shots in Clipperland.

Zucker was tasked with growing the business side of things when she was brought on back in November, while Doc — president of basketball operations and head coach — is supposed to control all things related to winning.
But we’re told Zucker has been increasingly more involved on the basketball side … inserting herself into things like player development and playing time decisions … and it’s leaving many people confused, since she’s often not on the same page as Doc.

The way it’s being described to us … it’s like if you have 2 bosses telling you to do 2 different things — who do you listen to? People feel like their allegiance is constantly being tested.
In fact, we’re told one player was so frustrated with the power struggle, he actually made the decision not to re-sign with the Clippers because it wasn’t worth the headache.

http://redsarmy.com/2015/09/08/your-morning-dump-where-doc-rivers-might-be-losing-his-grip-on-the-clippers/?

[Big333223]

Meh. Once the season starts no player is going to care what the head of business operations has to say. You're going to listen to your coach.

[Kane3387]

How can Doc not have all the power outside ballmer?

[fairweatherfan]

How can Doc not have all the power outside ballmer?

The short answer is, Doc wasn't Ballmer's hire.  Whether deliberate or not, the first one of the "new owner's people" is going to put people in an awkward position, and if that hire is willing to exploit it, a rift and an ongoing power struggle can quickly develop.

Wonder if this had anything to do with the DeAndre Jordan drama over the summer.

[TheFlex]

Welcome to the online speculative trade market, Blake Griffin!

[Surferdad]

Welcome to the online speculative trade market, Blake Griffin!

Of course. I admit I came to this thread to see what speculation there was about DA taking advantage of the situation. 

Seriously, if true this is really a shame. The Clips are stacked deeper than last year and should be WC semi finalists at least.

[KeepRondo]

I like Doc but he has only himself to blame. The Clippers were the second or third best team last year and should had made the conference finals. This report makes you think Doc might be on the hot seat if they flop again in the playoffs.

[KeepRondo]

How can Doc not have all the power outside ballmer?

The short answer is, Doc wasn't Ballmer's hire.  Whether deliberate or not, the first one of the "new owner's people" is going to put people in an awkward position, and if that hire is willing to exploit it, a rift and an ongoing power struggle can quickly develop.

Wonder if this had anything to do with the DeAndre Jordan drama over the summer.

Doc kind of built up Deandre. I was surprised he almost left.

[Ogaju]

People like Ballmer did not become billionaires because they are stupid. Didn't take him that long to see through the Doc Rivers bull. You know Gillian has the green light from her boss.

[D.o.s.]

People like Ballmer did not become billionaires because they are stupid. Didn't take him that long to see through the Doc Rivers bull. You know Gillian has the green light from her boss.

People like Ballmer didn't become billionaires because they're smart, either.

[hwangjini_1]

People like Ballmer did not become billionaires because they are stupid. Didn't take him that long to see through the Doc Rivers bull. You know Gillian has the green light from her boss.

are you saying gillian has the green light to run basketball operations, player court time, rotations, etc? if so, ok, but what are her credentials in these areas?

[Ogaju]

I am saying Glenn Rivers does not have the credentials to run a big business like and NBA franchise.

[MBunge]

People like Ballmer did not become billionaires because they are stupid.

Most billionaires got that way though hard work, incredible ambition and even more incredible luck.

Mike

[Grindfather]

I think most people are misinterpreting what the dysfunction actually is.  A lot of people here, and pretty much everyone over at the Clippers forum on RealGM, seem to think it's related to the on-the-court performance of the team.  What Simmons's tweets imply is that Gillian Zucker is overstepping her bounds and trying to home in on Doc's turf. 

Doc doesn't run the entire Clipper's organization, he's president of Basketball Operations, meaning he handles the player transactions, the coaches, the medical staff, the scouts, etc.  He's not in charge of HR or marketing or selling season tickets and ad space, that's what Zucker oversees, the business side of the team (although its been implied that Doc was overseeing this stuff in the immediate aftermath of the Sterling scandal). 

The turmoil within the organization is likely related to Zucker trying to build a power base. She's trying to exert influence over basketball matters, which I'm sure does not sit well with Doc.

All this seems to imply is that Ballmer doesn't quite know what he's doing yet as owner.  This hasn't spilled over onto the court yet (he's not at Vivek levels), but it certainly could if he doesn't chill things out.  And I certainly don't think he will,"chill" and "Steve Ballmer" have probably never collided in a sentence before.

But the important thing is, how do we leverage this to get Blake.

[Csfan1984]

Doc is overrated and the new owners/management knows it. Doc needs management help and a leash. Doc needs to drop the ego and accept help. Players need to know chain of command they still answer to Doc first. It's all simple.