Heisler: In choosing Clippers coach, will Donald draw name from a hat?

This just in from Clipper Nation, where the home team can take its pick among top coaching candidates Lionel Hollins, Jeff Van Gundy, Byron Scott and Brian Shaw.

And the winner is …

Let me get back to you on that.

No decision may soon be forthcoming from owner Donald Sterling, as none was for weeks after his people recommended firing Vinny Del Negro, a no-brainer they had set up that way with Sterling’s help.

It’s hard to to handicap the Clippers with officials given little weight by an owner who’s short on clues, and now, once again, in prime Confusion Mode.

Chris Paul, the reason they just had their best back-to-back seasons with unprecedented managerial solidarity, has withdrawn — after Donald outed him, acknowledging they fired Vinny for his sake.

The charge isn’t exactly true since more players were grumbling, too. Team officials were set to pull the plug in the event of a disappointing ending since last spring, when they brought him back as a lame duck on an expiring deal.

On the other hand, CP3 has been in effective control since he arrived – to the benefit of all, except, of course, Vinny. So what’s the surprise?

Not that Donald had much chance in an interview with T.J. Simers of The Los Angeles Times, who shakes information out of him as if he were a piggy bank.

Anyway, Chris is now ticked off and hands off. But he is probably not ticked off enough to leave, even if he drags the Clips through a tour of other options before re-upping.

Team president Andy Roeser tries, but is there primarily at Donald’s direction to make sure no one does anything Donald doesn’t want.

GM Gary Sacks is a bright young guy who replaced Neil Olshey, hired away by Portland after making the CP3 deal because Donald having neglected to offer him a new deal before his old one ran out.

On the other hand, Sacks’ contract isn’t running out. He doesn’t have one.

Sterling’s son-in-law, Eric Miller, who’s now a player, is close to Sacks. That means little while Donald’s still around, since Roeser is still his guy.

Happily for the Clips, a long list of candidates would leap at a chance to coach this team, which is a totally new experience for them.

As to how they are to sort out one from another, the Clippers have a method for that, too. Team officials make their recommendations to Donald, who is caught by his instinctive distrust of taking a risk or anyone’s word, and the fact he personally knows nothing about basketball.

Thus, Donald sits on the decision until he talks to someone — an NBA owner, or someone he’s introduced to at a party — who shows him the way.

The last time they hired a coach, Olshey and Roeser recommended Dallas assistant Dwane Casey. Donald thought it over, and over, until getting a call from friend and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, recommending his former coach, Vinny Del Negro — whom Reinsdorf was still paying.

Vinny it was!

With that in mind, I’m, going to guess the current favorite is …