Fresh off the start of training camp for the 2014-15 season, the Los Angeles Clippers announced Tuesday the addition of Sam Cassell, Mike Woodson and Lawrence Frank as assistant coaches to the NBA team.
They will join head coach Doc Rivers, assistant coaches Armond Hill and Brendan O’Connor, and assistant player skills coaches J.P. Clark and Dave Severns. The hirings follow the departures of associate head coach Alvin Gentry and assistant coach Tyronn Lue in June.
“We have an impressive and experienced group of coaches who are excited to get to work,” Rivers said in a released statement. “Mike and Lawrence have enjoyed tremendous success as head coaches and Sam is someone who I coached as a player and respected as an assistant with the Wizards. I am excited to continue to work with the entire staff as we prepare for the season.”
Cassell, 44, comes to Los Angeles after five years as assistant coach with the Washington Wizards. His 15-year NBA playing career included seasons with Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Boston and the Clippers.
Frank, 44, has worked as head coach for the New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons, and as assistant coach for Vancouver, New Jersey, Boston and Brooklyn. He previously worked with Rivers as assistant coach for the Boston Celtics in 2010-11. More recently, he left his assistant coach position, and a six-year $6 million contract, with the Brooklyn Nets with the settlement of a buyout agreement, according to ESPN.
The 56-year-old Woodson played two seasons with the Clippers and has spent 18 years on NBA coaching staffs, with eight seasons as head coach. His addition to the Clippers staff was first rumored in July by CBS Sports after the New York Knicks fired Woodson and its entire coaching staff in April.
The Clippers begin their first season under the new ownership of Steve Ballmer.
— Staff