FanHouse Andy Roeser

Clippers president Andy Roeser tried to be coy when talking about what player his organization favored with the first overall pick, heaping mountains of praise on Blake Griffin but also maintaining that the basketball staff would put their heads together and talk things over before sharing the decision first with team owner Donald Sterling and then with the world.

Coach (and GM) Mike Dunleavy, though, sees no need to play things so close to the vest. "Clearly, we're taking Blake Griffin," Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times. But what about Ricky Rubio, the Spanish point guard? Is Dunleavy selling Rubio short by announcing his decision so quickly?

Moments after learning that his team had won the 2009 NBA Draft lottery, Clippers president Andy Roeser had a look of euphoria. Within an hour later, he was already back to work taking questions from reporters in a post-lottery conference call.

Roeser didn't come right out and say the Clippers were going to draft Blake Griffin, but he certainly didn't hold back any compliments when talking about him, either.

For a full transcript of his comments, from his thoughts on Mike Dunleavy's job security ("We have every intention of opening camp with Coach Dunleavy this year -- although I think that we have every intention of approaching some things differently, too.") to his not-so-vague comments about which veterans need to improve ("Baron Davis did not have a particularly good season. He knows that; we know that."), keep reading.

Clippers VP Andy Roeser, the lucky (and fashion forward) fellow who took home the winning envelope in tonight's 2009 NBA Draft Lottery, jumped on the phone with reporters after the proceedings ended. He did not shy away from his feelings on presumed top pick Blake Griffin.

"He's a terrific athlete, he's athletic and strong," Roeser said. "He's a terrific person, and I think any franchise would be happy to have Blake Griffin for a long time." Roeser followed this with a substantial pause, then an afterthought comment that teams will be pleased with other players, too. (As in, "we'll be happy with Blake. Y'all can be happy with Hasheem Thabeet.")

Roeser later said he has "a pretty good idea what we're going to want to do" but that he wants to sit down with owner Donald Sterling before telling the world. Roeser isn't a "basketball person" in the organization, but he made it pretty clear who the Clippers have been dreaming about. Mike Dunleavy was among the dozen NBA execs in attendance for Ricky Rubio's weekend playoff games in Barcelona, but ... it's Blake. It's Blake.

This is getting weird: earlier this week, Clippers owner Donald Sterling and coach Mike Dunleavy took swipes at each other through the press. On Wednesday, Dunleavy told reporters that he talked to Sterling and patched things up ... but Sterling later admitted to reporters during Wednesday's game that he hadn't spoken with Dunleavy at all.

When asked why he lied, Dunleavy revealed that it was at the behest of team president Andy Roeser to create the illusion of harmony within the organization. From the LA Times:

Dunleavy elaborated on Roeser's request Thursday morning at the team's practice. Dunleavy explained how he carried through with them, by talking to reporters before Wednesday's game about his "conversation" with Sterling, in an effort to quiet a growing public rift.

Then late Thursday, Roeser said: "In our haste to create closure on this matter, Mike and I obviously had a misunderstanding. Mike has acknowledged to me that he regrets how he handled this situation. You can be sure that we are disappointed in the way he chose to handle it. His comments were inappropriate. It's now time for us all to move forward and concentrate solely on working harder to improve the team."

In the end, I feel bad for Dunleavy because he's the one with the least leverage and most likely to lose his job. The "rift" started when Sterling hung the coaching staff out to dry -- all Dunleavy did was respond to criticism by saying it'd be a mistake to fire him. If Roeser hadn't then complicated matters by stepping in, there would be no controversy (or at least none more than usually exists with a coach on the hot seat during in a losing season). And then to pull rank and act like it was all Dunleavy's fault in the first place? Poor form. You've been caught, man up and take the heat.