I posted here when they started slowly that the Clippers were, yet again, a massive dissapointment. Someone replied that I was a fool and they'd turn it around soon. Well, it's now 2003 and you see that LA team BOTTOM of the Pacific division, that's the Clips...again... Bottom despite having an all star PF, a top class PG and a series of guys with lottery level talent. Yes, they have had injuries, but so has just about every team. This is all about club culture. The Clips have none. An example, Olowakandi has openly stated he won't be there next year and is playing for a contract...so bench his lame ass and start a kid who wants to wear the jersey. Have some pride in the place. Of course, the owner is just as lame...and no one wants to play for him. So, you have a series of guys all just wanting to push their personal stats to get a contract elsewhere. That's not a ball club. When the big O and Odom leave, I wonder what Andre Miller will think? What odds he bolts to Utah to take over from Stockton? Then what does Brand do? He'll be unhappy and leave also or force a trade...and another bunch of guys will come in who don't want to wear the jersey. Either that clubs culture needs to be changed or they should just dissolve the franchise. As it stands, they are just wasting eveyone's time being in the league.
Does anybody think a Jason Terry/Darvin Ham for Andre Miller trade could be something they are looking into?
They need to trade for veterans already signed to lenghty multi-year deals, so they can't jump ship anytime soon. "Hold 'em hostage"... that should be the Clippers' goal.
Sterling might not want young players with max contracts, but he does not want veterans with big time contracts either. And I for once am happy with that.
Oh I know Sterling is a cheapskate. But that's the only sure fired way to get players to stay in town... unless they jump ship to the Lakers.
I dont think he cares about making his players stay in town either. He makes money whether they win or lose.
I was probably the one who disagreed with you. Things looked like they were going to pick up with the Clippers, since they had just beaten some good teams on the road and had their top guys coming back from injury. But the last two weeks have been HORRIBLE and, barring a miracle, they are pretty much done for. I couldn't have predicted this in my worst dreams. As a franchise, the Clips were finally showing some good signs, having had a number of great offseasons to improve to a near-playoff team last year. Adding Miller and Jaric, and getting Odom back from injury seemed like it would be enough. But it has totally backfired. The problems isn't the talent. And I don't think it's the contract issues. It's that these guys aren't playing to their strengths. I suppose you can blame the coach for that. The Clippers have more slashers and athletic runners than anyone in the league, but they insist on playing a dull, grind-it-out half-court game with their two big men. One problem is that one of their big men, Kandi, is a total stiff who is afraid to go to the hole and shoots a dismal percentage for a guy who never ventures out of the apint. The other problem is that they have no shooters to capitalize on the double-teams. So we Clipper fans get frustrated with night after night of ugly basketball, just knowing that these guys could do so much better if they were able to run and gun (that is, after all, what got them back into respectability two years ago). The simplistic solution is two-fold. Fire Gentry and put Kandi on the IR for the rest of the year. That probably won't vault them into the playoffs or anything, but I bet they would win more games and at least be fun to watch. Unfortunately Sterling probably won't do either move because it would kill him to have to pay people who aren't working for him. So, I guess it all does boil down to bad management, after all.
I feel your pain Clippy. I don't mean to death ride them, well I do I suppose, but I can't see the point in a team that is a perpetual transit lounge. No one intends staying there, the owner never intends to try and win...so what's the point of their existence? If the owner won't sign anyone to a decent contract, every player who comes will either be a: looking to leave to get paid or b: just playing to get their contract money. If I were a Clipps fan, I'd find that very disheartening.
But, to play devil's advocate for a second, what mistakes has Sterling really made recently? Kandi wanted the max (or near max), and clearly Sterling made the right call in veto-ing that one. I mean, the guy is a complete cancer for the team. He's getting booed just as much as Danny Ferry nowadays. Really, Gentry deserves the blame for not sitting his ass down on the pine. Sterling should have paid Brand this offseason to send a message to the team, but it shouldn't be a major deal since Brand is restricted and can thus be tendered an offer this next season. I haven't sensed any disgruntlement on his end. Miller was just acquired and Odom has to prove himself still, so not making them offers is fair game. On the other hand, Sterling did ok the trade for Brand, taking on a more recently-expiring contract. Furthermore, he traded fan-favorite Darius Miles (responsible for more sellouts than anyone on the team) for a boring but reliable PG, also with an expiring contract. Those are the moves of an owner who wants to win. This franchise has a miserable history, but we can't fault the owner for everything. There's been bad management all around, and this year the coaching is really the biggest issue, if you discount the unexpectedly bad chemistry between what looked to be an extremely talented group of players.
All i care about is that this lousy team beat the Rockets twice!? damn losing to sorry teams really suck!
Fans should break into staple center, hold sterling hostage and force him to release his players to be distributed to the worst 15 teams in the league, that will give the league a new in rush of talents... sacrifice one city, which has another championship team, to benefit the whole league. That's the way to go. oh...and let miller goes to wizards... brand goes to houston, and olowokani go to magic
Contraction!!! While you're at it, get rid of 2 other teams + the new franchise that's soon to arrive. Let the rest of the teams have their pick at these new "free-agents", and you'll be on the way to a much better league. 26 teams. Oh...Side Note, but if the Magic to have enough money to get Brand, I sure as hell hope they pick him up instead of Candy.
He has always looked upon the team as a status symbol. Even in the dumpy Sports Arena, it was a place where he could show it off to his buddies. Not exactly Cuban/Maloof material here. He doesn't want to break the cap. Currently he's making money off the cheapness of his payroll and the increased seating of the Staples Center. He doesn't want to pay for proven coaches. Even Gentry, who was proven, had to be stiffed on his contract and was on it for 2 years. Sterling tried to stiff Bill Fitch by reneging on the remaining contract, but Fitch sued to get what he signed up for. Again, look at the hiring of Gentry. Sterling waited 2 weeks before the lottery to hire a coach just to pinch some pennies. It wasn't because it was a deep or intensive search... His fingers are always present in team decisions. He didn't want to trade Miles at first because of cap implications and less tickets sold. Personally, I think Miles is an overrated yet athletic dunker who can't make his own shot. (And people rag on EG...) The only player he's supposedly commited to is Brand. Kandiman is likely out (good riddance) with nothing in return. Odom is an embarassment to the team despite his insane talents. Miller is supposedly demanding a double digit annual salary. That is the Clippers' core. If they are to be trade bait, then something is seriously wrong here. He put the players in a position where they all have to pad their stats because it's in a contract year. This ruins whatever team philosophy and momentum Gentry had built last year. Players: Gentry is not to blame "It's on our shoulders, not the coach's," Andre Miller said when asked about Gentry, whose contract expires at season's end. "We have to play off each other and make plays for each other and we're not doing that. As a team, we're not shooting well at all. Right now, we're not playing good defense, we're not rebounding, we're not playing with energy." This team that was supposed to be deep is not acting like a team. Who is to blame? The one that holds the money but won't give any out, or the one who has no control over his players because of it?
No, he's not committed to Brand. Sterling made Brand an offer and Elton turned it down. So obviously Elton knew he could get better money elsewhere. I wish, I wish, I wish we would trade with the Paper Clips for Elton Brand but we have nothing to offer...or, well, we won't, anyway. From what I understand Sterling likes Lamar Odom but probably because he thinks no one else will overpay for damaged goods and he might be able to lowball Lamar.
Odom should fetch a good price. Pretty nice line, last nite. Boards, Assists, PTs, free throws. He was good from the line when fouled for a miss. Geez, I'd love to have him instead of Glen Rice and Cuttino. Slide Posey to the two and insert Odom, wow. Now there's d and size in the backcourt w/ SF, passing, rebounding and size in the frontcourt w/Ming. Slashers and post up at the 2 and 3, shooters at 1 and 5. The wings can set picks, too. Get a board man and you're set. Nice. Dump GR to a team needing cap room and pay Sterling what it takes to get Odom in S&T. Maybe Griffin and Cat, maybe Cato +, whatever it takes. Odom can play right now.
