He lost out to Jeff Van Gundy in Houston. He may lose out to Rick Carlisle or Eddie Jordan in Washington.

Will Mike Dunleavy's re-entry into the NBA coaching ranks now come in Los Angeles with the Clippers?

Dunleavy is expected to interview in the next few days for the Clippers job that was last held by interim coach Dennis Johnson, who took over when Alvin Gentry was fired during the season.

Dunleavy was the second choice for the Rockets' job that was accepted by Van Gundy earlier this week. Carlisle and Jordan appear to be the leading candidates for the Wizards' vacancy, although Dunleavy remains an option there.

If Carlisle doesn't get the Wizards' job, he'll also be a candidate for the Clippers' opening as the NBA's coaching carousel reaches warp speed.

Dunleavy, father of Golden State forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., already has one L.A. coaching stint on his resume. He coached the Lakers for two seasons starting in 1990, reaching the NBA Finals in his first season before losing to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

Dunleavy has also coached in Milwaukee and Portland. He last coached the Trail Blazers in 2001, and was a television commentator this season for the San Antonio Spurs.

Last summer, he pulled his name from consideration for the Warriors' head coaching job because of the uncomfortable situation of coaching his son, the third overall pick in last year's draft.