Coach Mike Dunleavy has agreed to terms of a four-year, US$22 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers, making him one of the higher-paid coaches in the NBA.

Dunleavy, in the final year of a four-year, $10 million contract, led the Clippers to a 47-35 record last season _ the second-best in franchise history. The team went on to beat Denver for its first playoff series victory in 30 years before losing to Phoenix in the second round.

``I'm excited about getting it over with. I wanted to be here, I think everybody wanted this to happen,'' Dunleavy said before Wednesday night's game against the Utah Jazz. ``Everything was handled in a professional way. I'm pleased with how it went and I'm pleased with the direction of our team.''

The 52-year-old Dunleavy ranks second on the Clippers' career victory list with 122, and entered the season in ninth place among active NBA coaches. He earned his 500th career win last March.

Previously, he coached the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers following an 11-year playing career.

``Mike has done an outstanding job with the club,'' Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor said. ``The players have responded very well to Mike. We really work well together.

``There's no doubt in my mind Mike is the right guy for this team.''

The Clippers improved their record in each of Dunleavy's first three seasons. They entered Wednesday night's game with a 10-10 record this season and a 122-144 mark under the former South Carolina star.

``It's good for all of us to know he's going to be the guy running the show,'' said Clippers centre Chris Kaman, who signed a five-year contract extension before the season. ``It's good for Mike and the team, for everybody. I'm glad he's here.''

Andy Roeser, the Clippers' executive vice president, said terms of the extension will place Dunleavy among the five highest-paid coaches in the NBA.

``It's a much bigger agreement than the last one,'' Roeser said. ``We're trying to make this franchise as successful as we can.''

Dunleavy said the Clippers aren't among the elite teams in the NBA quite yet.

``It's all about health and a little good luck,'' he said. ``We can be extremely competitive and give ourselves a chance to win. We're not playing at the same level physically as we were last season. I have a lot of confidence in our guys' ability to bounce back.''

Utah coach Jerry Sloan, who became the fifth coach in NBA history to reach the 1,000-win plateau earlier this week, said he believes Dunleavy has done a terrific job with the Clippers.

``The most important thing is that they've kept one guy here, so they can have continuity and he can have a chance to coach the team and do what he wants to do,'' Sloan said. ``He's been up and down in this business and knows what it's all about. He's turned it around over there.

``He's very difficult to play against with his team. They take advantage of about every situation they have, so you better be ready to play against them. That's the thing I've always known about Mike _ he's very clever with what's going on.''

© The Canadian Press, 2007