Sam Cassell has 10 years of coaching experience in the NBA. Should the LA Clippers promote him to head coach?
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00:00In the wake of Doc Rivers' departure from the LA Clippers, several candidates have emerged to
00:04replace the former head coach's position on the team. Among them are Tyron Blue, Jeff Van Gundy,
00:08Mike Brown, Wes Unsell Jr., and Darvin Ham, most of whom we've welcomed since the organization.
00:14Surprisingly though, there's been one name that hasn't really been circulated regarding the job,
00:18and that's Clippers assistant Sam Cassell. A three-time NBA champion as a player,
00:22Cassell has been coaching since 2009 and had been an assistant on Rivers' staff in
00:27Los Angeles since 2014. He's been linked to other vacancies around the league,
00:30most notably Houston Rockets where he got his start as a player back in the mid-90s,
00:34but there's been no words to whether Clippers will consider him for the job. Perhaps that's
00:39a good thing. The Clippers tend to be a more tight-lipped organization, and as far as we
00:43know, Cassell could have already aided you for the position. There's really no way of knowing
00:46whether that's happened or not unless it's been reported by someone official. But if he isn't a
00:51candidate to become LA's next head coach, one would have to wonder why. We already touched on
00:56Cassell's coaching experience, but his expertise goes well beyond that. In 2014,
01:01when he was with the Wizards, five-time All-Star John Wall credited Cassell for his development in
01:05the early years of his career. He helped bring Paul Pierce to the Washington Wizards early that
01:09season as well, helped the franchise with its first playoff series in nearly a decade. Cassell
01:15has also been lauded for his high basketball IQ by Rivers, among many others, who have said that
01:19he should be a head coach before the season came to an end. It's hard to say how much stock LA
01:23put into an endorsement from Rivers, but Cassell fits the mold for the organization's ideal head
01:28coach. According to Athletics' Yovanne Bruja, the Clippers want their next coach to be a
01:33high-level game strategist who values progress and innovation and upholds the
01:37underdog attitude LA established during the 2018-2019 NBA season. Player development is
01:43also on the list for LA, as well as a desire to get back to playing fun and competitive basketball.
01:49Cassell fits that profile to a tee. If Lou doesn't end up getting the job, there's an argument being
01:54made that Cassell would be the best available candidate. He's already familiar with the
01:58organization, is respected by the team, he's full of energy, and most of all has the potential to
02:02bring this team to the NBA Finals for a chance to win its first ever NBA title next season.