It appears Clippers coach Doc Rivers will have the final say within the team's basketball operations department, according to Gary Sacks, the team's vice president of basketball operations. Rivers was given the title of senior vice president of basketball operations upon his hiring this week, and as Phil Collin of the Los Angeles Daily News points out, that title indicates that Rivers is one spot above Sacks on the team's organizational hierarchy. Sacks said he believes Rivers "will have the final say," though everyone in the front office will contribute to decision making.
Sacks, who had taken over the role of primary decision maker in September, also said his role would remain the same, though I assume he's simply talking about his capacity as someone who works on player personnel. Former coach Vinny Del Negro had played a role in the Clippers front office prior to the team's decision not to renew his contract this spring. Sacks, Del Negro, and team president Andy Roeser formed a triumvirate that collaborated on the team's moves last summer after former GM Neil Olshey left for the Blazers.
As coach and primary front office decision maker, Rivers assumes a role similar to that of Mike Dunleavy, who was in charge of Clippers personnel decisions in the final two years of his coaching tenure, in 2008/09 and 2009/10.