Vinny Del Negro will be back as coach of the LA Clippers after guiding them to the highest winning percentage in organization history in the lockout-shortened season. Football odds

The team asserted it has exercised its choice on him to return for a 3rd season. Del Negro led the Clippers to a 40-26 record, a winning percentage of 60.6 and the 2nd round of the playoffs, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

The Clippers didn’t communicate details of the agreement, but an expounded that Del Negro will make “slightly more than $2 million” next season.

“We think we’ve got the most talented roster in organization history and Vinny turned that into the greatest record in organization history,” GM Neil Olshey claimed. “Clearly, there was never a query that Vinny was going to return.”

Del Negro has a 72-76 record in 2 seasons with the team.

“I’m excited about the chance to continue the plan we set in place,” he revealed by phone. “I give the players a lot of credit for playing hard and believing in what we were making an attempt to do. I appreciate their work and my staff’s work.”

Del Negro asserted there wasn’t any debate about extending his offer outside the one year selection.

“That wasn’t on the radar right now,” he revealed. “It’s where I want to be. We’ll get to that stuff, but there’s a lot more pressing issues for me.”

Those include next month’s draft and the imminent free-agency period, together with making decisions on current players with one year agreements. All-Star Blake Griffin can sign a 5-year extension worth up to $95 million this summer.

Olshey asserted no one particular result made him decide that Del Negro should return.

“Vinny does all the correct things. There is no greater compliment as a coach than to discover how hard his players are playing at the end of the year and that was not always the situation in this franchise,” he announced. “Even though we lost Games Three and Four at home against the Spurs, those players played hard.”

While Del Negro is locked up for next season, Olshey’s future with the team has still to be confirmed. He’s not under contract for next season and the Portland Trail Blazers are allegedly enthusiastic about him for their empty General Manager role.

“I don’t have any comment on my scenario,” he said. “We have a sequential order of things that need to take place to make sure we’re playing at this time next year.”

Del Negro came under stress in March after the Clippers lost successive road games at Indiana, Oklahoma City and New Orleans, but they replied by winning 13 of their next 15 games on the way to making the playoffs for the 1st time in 6 years.

“We stuck together, we made it work and we got on a little a roll,” he said. “Those are never easy times because nobody enjoys losing.”

Del Negro coached 2 seasons in Chicago, compiling an 82-82 record and leading the team to consecutive playoff appearances then was fired in May 2010. He played 12 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2002.