Dunleavy Officially Steps Down From L.A.

In a surprising move, only because it didn't already happen three or four years ago, Mike Dunleavy officially stepped down as the head coach of the Clippers Thursday afternoon. He is now free to "focus exclusively on the team’s personnel matters," which may or may not be a good thing.

According to the Clippers, the move was a mutual decision made during a meeting earlier in the day. Current Assistant Coach Kim Hughes will takeover, and remain the interim coach for the rest of the season.

In defining the move, Dunleavy said, "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."

Dunleavy continued, "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."