



Unbelievable as it may seem, the LA Clippers currently hold the best record in the NBA, and according to Jamal Crawford, head coach Vinny Del Negro should be given most of the credit for successfully managing the roster minutes and egos. Per the OC Register: “Trying to figure out the reasons for the Clippers’ best start in franchise history, one must credit the defense. Or credit the team’s stars, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Or credit the team’s bench, which has blown open a bunch of close games. But how much credit goes to Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro? ‘I think a lot should go to him,’ Jamal Crawford said. Crawford, who has played for 16 coaches in the NBA said Del Negro has navigated some tough waters in dealing with the team’s talented, deep roster. ‘Everybody here has a decent body of work in some way shape or form,’ Crawford said. ‘They’ve proven something somewhere in the NBA. With that is a confidence that a player has, and there are egos involved. For him to be able to manage that and put people in the right positions and use people to their strengths, he deserves a lot of credit.’ Del Negro has juggled a rotation full of veterans without much drama, but he’s established roles for everyone from Paul to Ryan Hollins. ‘Guys get frustrated sometimes not playing as much, but it’s about the team winning games,’ Del Negro said. One thing Del Negro has done is allow players to operate in their areas of strength. […] Said Crawford of Del Negro: ‘For him to have the pulse of the team and feel the team and the stuff he draws up, he has us believing we can win every single day.'”

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