The Los Angeles Clippers will remove the title of president of basketball operations from Doc Rivers.

Rivers will be freed from his front office responsibilities to return his focus on coaching.

Lawrence Frank will oversee basketball operations, including the general manager.

"I've owned the team for three years now, and I really better understand what an owner's responsibility is -- and it turns out that running a franchise and coaching are two enormous and different jobs," Steve Ballmer told ESPN. "The notion that one person can fairly focus on them and give them all the attention they need isn't the case. To be as good as we can be, to be a championship franchise, we need two functioning strong people building teams out beneath them. There needs to be a healthy discussion and debate with two strong, independent minded people.

"There are different relationships that a player needs to have with the coach and the front office," Ballmer said. "Doc put Lawrence in charge of the non-coaching aspects of the front office last year, and he's done a fantastic job. I want each of them to dig in and do what they do best. Lawrence has come on so strong in that role, and that has helped us go down this path."

Rivers will still earn his fully $10 million-plus salary per season, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.