Marc Stein: Dismissal of Vinny Del Negro inevitable

Per Marc Stein in his TrueHoop Blog:

The consistent word in coaching circles is that the Clippers want to go "big" with their forthcoming coaching hire after what insiders continue to describe as the inevitable dismissal of Vinny Del Negro in the wake of L.A.'s first-round exit.

The Clippers are still interested in acquiring the services of Stan Van Gundy, who is not interested in the Bucks coaching job, but should the Clippers' efforts fail to get Van Gundy, here are other names being mentioned for the coaching position:

Co-sign completely with the list of candidates introduced by Hall of Fame writer Mark Heisler on HoopsHype.com in the event that the Clips' interest in Van Gundy doesn't morph into something serious: The unemployed duo of Alvin Gentry and Byron Scott and Warriors assistant Mike Malone. Chris Paul is fond of all three.

As for Chris Paul resigning? It is more likely that Dwight Howard leaves the Lakers than Chris not resigning.

All indications continue to suggest that Dwight Howard is far more likely to give serious thought to leaving Hollywood than Chris Paul.

One source close to the situation said this week that there are just "too many positives" for CP3 in L.A. even in the face of a hugely disappointing Round 1 exit when it seemed that the Clips had a clear path to the Western Conference finals thanks to their 2-0 series lead over Memphis and OKC's loss of Russell Westbrook.