ATLANTA – Long before the Clippers acquired Doc Rivers in a trade for a draft pick, he was the draft pick getting traded for a coach.
In 1983, the Atlanta Hawks sent coach Kevin Loughery to the Bulls for a second-round pick. That No. 31 overall selection, thanks to coach Mike Fratello, became Rivers, who was back in Atlanta on Wednesday as the Clippers faced the Hawks.
“We kind of came in together, said Fratello, now a national analyst. “So, he was part of the beginning for me. I can remember we got Doc and we got Randy Wittman.