The firing of Doc Rivers as Los Angeles Clippers head coach left the NBA world asking questions. Foremost of the concern is what motivated the move and after that, who made the fateful decision. It has to be team owner Steve Ballmer, of course, but what convinced him to move forward minus Rivers.

Reports from ESPN started clearing out the speculations that led to Rivers' departure. In the end, it was Ballmer's call and the initial understanding was he lost faith in the team coach and decided to start afresh with a new man in charge next season.

It was not an abrupt decision though and from what Fadeaway World had picked up, Ballmer made his move his following a meeting with Rivers. The talk was meant to identify the things that went wrong for the Clippers and it seemed the team owner emerged from the discussion with the idea that his basketball team will be better off without River.

But Ballmer decided to speak first with Clippers executives and key players to make his case, and perhaps to see a different viewpoint that will change his mind. He had sessions with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George discussing his plan before making up his mind.

It was unclear if Leonard and George are supportive of Ballmer's call but the bottom line is, the Clippers owner no longer trusts Rivers so the coach was let go. From the reports so far, it was a decision made alone by Ballmer.

For his part, Rivers did not challenge the decision. The former coach felt he'd be more effective with the full trust and support of the organization and absent those elements, he agreed to step down, per the same report.

One mystery though for the Clippers fans is the thought of Leonard and PG going along with Ballmer. There was no mention that the two superstars approved the decision but it seemed clear that the players, who enjoy a pull in the team, opted not to fight hard for Rivers.

CBS Sports said the firing of Rivers did not need the votes coming from Leonard and George. Ballmer consulted the players with his mind made up. The superstars were brought in late into the discussion and there was no way they can talk Ballmer out of the decision.

Rivers is out because the Clippers choke out of the playoff series under his watch. And Ballmer merely used the episode to make the changes he might be looking to implement for a long time. The billionaire saw the opportunity and it just so happened that Rivers became collateral damage of his swift move.