Elgin Baylor's Attorney Exploring Options In Wake Of Dismissal

Sources Indicate Baylor Has Not Had A Contract Since Early '90s

Sources indicated that former Clippers VP/Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor, who parted ways with the team Tuesday, "had been working without a contract since the early 1990s, having been told that one was not necessary," according to Lisa Dillman of the L.A. TIMES. Now it "appears Baylor is gearing up for a battle, hiring attorney Carl Douglas and employment law specialist Alvin Pittman." Douglas said there is a "dispute over the circumstances of [Baylor's] separation" with the Clippers. Douglas added that they are "trying to get the matter resolved informally." But if that does not happen, Douglas said they will "leave our options open." Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy assumed the role of GM after Baylor's departure, and Dillman noted there will be "no change in his salary with the extra title" (L.A. TIMES, 10/9). 

REAX: In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin wrote Clippers Owner Donald Sterling is "a cretin. But we already knew that. What we didn't know -- what few of us believed possible -- was that [Sterling] was capable of chasing off his loyal, longest-tenured executive in a most undignified manner." Voisin wondered, "Does Sterling know who he just dumped? ... Why now? Why not allow the chronically underpaid Baylor to keep his title and his salary, enabling the organization to retain a modicum of credibility?" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/9). In N.Y., Peter Vecsey writes, "After 22 years of accepting paychecks and his plight, Baylor is standing up to Sterling. There had to be far more righteous fights to pick in the past. ... I can't say I'm rooting for him to win" (N.Y. POST, 10/10).