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| Thursday, August 10 Talent, yes, but still, they are the Clippers ESPN.com |
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Are the Clippers going to the playoffs this season? We don't think so, but some Clipper fans do. And you know what we have to say about that: good for them! It's nice to believe that your team can actually accomplish something, and who knows, we figured the Magic would stink last year as well. So maybe Lamar Odom and the kids even younger than him can turn this team into something. But enough from us.
Here are some of the better comments you had to say about the Clippers and our recent Team Offseason Spotlight on them. Enjoy, and check out our spotlight index page to see when your favorite team will be broken down.
I think the Clippers have the makings of a pretty good team for the future. I think all their troubles have to go back to their front office (obviously), and their horrible coaches. I think the decision to hire Abdul-Jabbar may have been a step in the right direction, that is, if he can put his ego aside and actually school these young guys in good, solid fundamentals. We'll see. I think the Clips may actually win as many as 30 games this year. Tim Cook Corona, Calif.
Okay, the Clippers may be bad, but their games are still enjoyable. The tickets are the cheapest around, they have talented, flashy players (Odom, Ty Nesby, Boss Closs to name a few), and if you are a fan, you never have to worry about the big letdown -- there are no "what ifs" in that department. In fact, the worst part about the Clippers is not their terrible organization, their terrible attitude, or their horrendous record, its their commentator -- Bill Walton. Leave my Clips alone. Brad Wease Claremont, Calif.
I agree with your analysis of the Clips. Ever since Lamar left the University of Rhode Island we fans in the Ocean State have been rooting our tails off for both he and the Clippers. Unfortunately, last year it appeared that a surgeon would be necessary to remove the ball from the hands of both Maurice Taylor and Derek Anderson. Perhaps they were just trying to make something happen, but if they knew what was best for the team, the ball would have been in Odom's hands a ton more. Maybe they were trying to improve their stock, but it looks like that thought (dollars wise) didn't quite pan out.
In any event, I look forward to the Clips new coach being a motivator who can keep these kids up on the nights when they truly abhor the name of the franchise on the front of their jersey, If so, look for the Clips to win 25-30 contests.
Where the Clips are going to be most improved is at power forward. You probably haven't heard of him, but Brian Skinner will fill Mo T's shoes and the black hole he left on D and the boards. He has the build of Karl Malone, plays D, rebounds like Brian Grant and blocks shots like Theo Ratliff. Hopefully Q. Richardson can play the two and Dooling can man the point. Kevin Richards South Pasadena, Calif.
The Clippers have assembled an impressive group of young talent but they are going to get hammered. After the first 20 or so games go by and they haven't won a game these rookies are going to realize they are in basketball hell and give up. Look no further than the Pacific division to see what they're up against. Lakers, Blazers, that's 10 losses right there and I haven't even mentioned the Kings and Suns! Even G-State will be better this year. It's going to be the same old tune for the paperClips, in which case all we have to do is change the station. Kevin Marshall Los Angeles
I have been a Laker fan since the 1960s. However, I find myself a little excited about the Clippers every year after draft time, particularly this year. When the Lakes and the Clips played each other year, I found myself with mixed emotions. I must admit to having some expectations about the upcoming season for the Clippers, although I am not sure why with Sterling & Baylor, and Huggins turning down $2 mil a year. Maybe it's because I would like all the snide comments from the sports talk guys about the Clippers to stop.
Or maybe because their interim coach last season bears the same last name as me.
The Clippers will improve barring injuries. I do agree that they do have one of the most talented young groups in the NBA. Perhaps with the right attitude and right coach, they can make it to the playoffs. I think they can make it to the sixth or seventh spot of the playoffs, beating out Sacramento and Seattle. If they were in the Eastern conference I can guarantee you that they would make it to the playoffs. Johnny Phan Los Angeles
Oh Boy! Why did I pick the Clippers to discuss? Probably because they have the most problems. I disagree with your starting lineup. Darius Miles should start immediately. No need to baby this kid, throw him to the sharks and let him learn on the floor. You really have got nothing to lose. Kandi Man at center, Odom at power forward, Miles at the other forward spot, Quentin Richardson at the two-guard, and Dooling at the point. There's your starting lineup. This team is gonna stink anyway, so why not let some chemistry build from the get-go. The sooner they start playing together, the sooner they start to gel together.
I predict a 30 in the win column for the Clips this year.
Overall, I like what the Clips are doing and I believe that 30-plus wins is not out of the question for this team. I concur with your assessment that the Clips need a solid coach to help to mold their current crop of players. However, I believe the more pressing concern is to erase the low expectations that the Clippers organization and their fans have grown accustomed to. If the Clips can convince themselves that the time is now and that they have the talent to do some damage in the West, then they can get things turned around. However, the true test will be how they respond to close defeats to veteran teams early on in the season. If they respond well and learn from their mistakes the sky is the limit. But if they go into the tank early, they can expect fans to bolt. Paul R. Jones Nyack, N.Y.
Well, well, this is the spotlight I have been waiting for since you guys started. As a lifelong Los Angeleno and Laker fan, I have found it difficult, if not absolutely deplorable to have the Clippers play in L.A. What made it even more difficult to swallow was that they had to play in our beautiful new Staples Center under all the banners of the Lakers. But enough about the past, with a team like this, the only thing we can talk about is the future. After draft day (a day usually filled with Jerry West's brilliant moves and Elgin Baylor's crazy trades) we Los Angelenos were actually excited about the teams success. Not the Lakers, but the Clips. Yes that is what was talked about in newsrooms and bars across the Southland. We in SoCal finally have something we never had before -- hope that someday this team will climb out of the cellars of the Western conference. Yeah, I know we can't ask for much. I guess for the good of the franchise and the sanity of all three Clipper fans here in L.A. (other than Billy Crystal), that's all we can hope for. Gehaan D'Souza Los Angeles, Calif.
I'm an L.A. sports fan, that means I even cheer for the Clippers. In fact, I had a dream one night where Sterling got so drunk at one of his wild parties that he actually considered selling the team. Shame it was just a dream. The Clipper history is rooted in potential, and there-in lies the problem. L.A. wants to root for this blue-collared team, it's just Sterling won't give us a player to identify with. It's unfortunate when a team is known more for the owner than the players who play for him. Anthony Granado Whittier, Calif.
Let's face it!! This is the Clippers. On paper, the got better through the draft. But watch them lose all the talent they've accumulated in three years or so via free agency or trades. Besides, young talent can only go so far. To be a winner in this league, you need veterans who've been through the wars and who could compliment young talent. (Look at Toronto.) And what veteran in his right mind wants to play for the Clips. Losing is a culture for the whole organization and will continue to be so until the owner sells the team to someone like Mark Cuban. Someone who actually cares. Jay Newark, N.J.
I think that Quentin Richardson is a talented player. He, Lamar Odom and Michael Olowokandi all have the talent to become good scorers, and in Odom's and Richardson's cases, future All-Stars. I agree with the lineup and also agree that Darius Miles is too young to get 30 minutes a contest. The Clips may be in the playoffs if they all can forget about losing, and concentrate on winning. Josh Graffius Erie, Pa.
The Clippers remind me of the Lakers, during their rebuilding years. The years they drafted Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, and good old Vlade Divac. Those were the days when they had young and fearless attitudes, and they won some games. The Clippers are in that position right now. They've acquired some great talent, adding on to the talent they already have. My predictions are these "young guns" are going to be the Lakers of old, and maybe even better. The question is will Donald Sterling mess things up again? I guess we will all have to wait and see. But as things stand, I'd pay to watch these "young guns" play some ball. Elias Atienza Irvine, Calif.
Corey Maggette has a chance to be something special. He just needs to mature, and I can promise you, he will turn out to be nothing short of an All-Star. Combine him with Odom, Richardson, Dooling, Candy Man and Miles, the Clippers may be looking at the playoffs sooner than you may think. They need to through in a few veterans to come off the bench and teach the young boys some things, but after that just let them grow and hope their heads and egos don't get too big!!!! S. Blount Newport News, Va.
If the Los Angeles Lakers are the American Dream, then the Los Angeles Clippers are the American Tragedy. When a team like last year's Bulls win 17 games, it's no big deal because really, past Artest and Brand, they had zero talent. But the Clippers actually HAD talent, it's such a shame that it was wasted away. And they only hurt themselves by not hiring a coach before July and not having the young new talent play in summer league games. As a fan of basketball in general, and pro basketball in particular, I pray that the Clippers can get their act together and put up a decent win total en route to maybe playoff berth contention a few years from now. Amin Elhassan Atlanta, Ga.
It doesn't matter if the Clippers sign their "future" players. It doesn't matter if they get a new coach or new players. The Clippers will always be the Clippers: losers, hapless losers. It's time for this organization to die. I can't take the comedy routine much longer. They took Lamar Odom, a rookie with a promising future, and turned him into an average player. Olowokandi was bad as a center. But put those players on other teams and they will shine. The Clippers will mess up their promising future, and go back to the dregs where they belong. Timothy Blue West Helena, Ark.
I once saw Danny Manning interviewed on TV. He said the problem that the Clippers had was that there was no stability. Man, was he ever right. This team changes coaches almost every season. I am not sure if drafting a player like Miles was a good idea. Why draft a guy who you have to groom just to have him bolt to another team. Fizer would have been able to give them more productivity for the money. Jonathan Brown Nashville, Tenn.
Year after year all I hear about this Clipper team is that they are rebuilding for the future. I'm tired of hearing that over and over and over. No one wants to play for this organization. Mo Taylor wants out. Derek Anderson's already out. All I have to ask is why was Darius Miles so happy about playing for the Clippers? If I were him I'd just whine about not wanting to play in L.A. and force the organization to trade me. Basically what Steve Francis did to Vancouver last year. Lamar Odom is the future of this squad, but once his contract is up will he re-sign? Mo Taylor didn't. Derek Anderson didn't. Maybe Odom will follow suit. If he did it would be better for him. This Clippers team is a joke. Francis David Castro Valley, Calif.
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