It's difficult to imagine that less than a month ago, the team was peaking at Memphis, one game below .500 before the water main broke.  Back then, the most incendiary topic on the blogosphere was the ineptitude of the Dunleavy led Clippers team to blow large leads and lose games.  Most of us were questioning how a talented team like the Clippers can't overachieve like the Rockets, Grizzlies, Thunder, injury-riddled Portland & Hornets, and whether Dunleavy was capable of coaching a roster that he has assembled.  After tonight's debacle against a Golden State team that suited 7 players--missing Monta Ellis, Maggette, Anthony Morrow, Azubuike, Brandon Wright, Radmonovic, Raja Bell--it has become painful to watch the depths to which this team has fallen.

Whether or not Dunleavy's removal/resignation at midseason was a good idea, the team now faces a serious existential crisis after only three games under Kim Hughes.  Losses, to an extent, are to be expected when there is a regime change and a rookie coach step up to the plate for the first time.  Sometimes, there can be a burst of energy and enthusiasm if the players are worn down from the previous regime.  In and of itself, an 0-3 start is not cataclysmic.  But an unsettling malaise that reared up in the San Antonio game became a full blown crisis tonight against Golden State.  The lack of pride and effort tonight from the players was disturbing.  It is almost as if, now freed of Dunleavy's hectoring, they no longer have any accountability toward themselves or their teammates.  The lack of any semblance of effort on defense, never mind teamwork, is an embarassment that defies description.  Losing to such an undermanned Golden State team might have been acceptable, to a degree, but losing the way they did hint at a deeper poverty of the spirit and it calls into question the viability of every man on the roster, which is painful to say.

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This probably belongs in the fanshot section, but it is too good for most fans on this site to miss.  After reading it, you are reminded about how little we know, as fans, about the chemistry and interaction of players and coaches behind closed doors.  What we can directly observe are their behavior on the court, their body language on the bench, and their interaction during the game.  This is a really good read if you're looking for an insight into the evolution of the Baron and Dunleavy relationship:


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/01/07/davis.clippers/index.html

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A civil war seems to be brewing in Clipsnation and Clipperblog about the merits of Dunleavy and whether he should be fired immediately.  While the team's performance the last three years have steadily deteriorated, we have to remember that the team's performance showed steady improvement during the first four years of his tenure, culminating in the Clippers most successful season in franchise history (excluding the Braves years).  An argument can be made that any coach, no matter how competent he is, will eventually lose the ears of his charges.  A few exception can be made for stalwarts like Phil, Pop, and Sloan, but even great coaches like Riley eventually wore out his welcome in Lakersland.  All statiscal evidence, and more importantly, the win-loss record, seems to point out that Dunleavy's effectiveness as head coach is over for the franchise.  But before we can discuss Dunleavy's dismissal as head coach and GM, we should try to anticipate its aftermath, and the long record of Clippers futility under Sterling.

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Our first meeting against Houston this year is fascinating.  Mainly because most people assumed that without Yao and TMac, the Rockets do not have enough talent to compete night in and night out.  But something about this Houston squad and the way they pushed the Lakers to 7 games last year impressed me.  True they don't have any clear cut "superstar" active on the roster, but they do have alot of complementary young talent and a very underrated coach in Adelman.  Our roster, in comparison, look far superior, even without Blake and Eric.  In a way, if you had to choose between a healthy Yao and a healthy Blake, Yao would win, because he has proven his worth in the NBA.  Same with comparing a healthy TMac against a healthy Gordon.  As promising as Gordon is, he has yet to reach the level of dominance that TMac once achieved on his way up.  Yet Houston, with the loss of their two All-Stars, have a better record than we do.  And on this night, they proved that, as constituted, they are clearly a superior team.

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If there is a pattern so far in this disconcerting Clippers campaign; it's that the team has found ways to bounce back after soul crushing losses.  In a perverse sense, the players and coaches deserve some credit for not throwing in the towel and pointing fingers at one another (like in Golden State and Washington).  After the inexcusable loss to a depleted Indiana squad on Wednesday, you get the sense that the team was flat on the mat once again, and a loss tonight against the tiny-toon version of the Detroit Pistons would mean the psychological death of this Clippers squad.  A dejected Dunleavy described Wednesday's loss as "horrible,"  Ralph called it "devastating," and Smith said it was "unacceptable" for the Clippers to lose both games on this road trip.

So with their back to the wall; the Clippers found a way to win against a clearly depleted Pistons team.  But it was a hard fought victory, much closer than it needed to be, despite the fact that the Clippers played relatively well on the offensive end and limited their turnovers.  Defensively, the Clippers allowed another unknown NBA scrub to torch them.  Well, our sole Swedish Clippers fan can enlighten us on the wonders of Jonas Jerebko.  But I, for one, have never heard of the kid who torched us for a career high 22 points on 8-11 shooting. 

More than the blown rotations and our weak perimter defense, however, this game was nearly lost on the defensive glass.  We gave up 19 offensive rebounds to Detroit, most of them to a hustling Ben Wallace.  Maxiell also came up with some big rebounds against our wings.  The fatal flaw of this Clippers squad that some of us have been worrying about since the summer are now coming to fruition: the inability of our wing players to get boards.  Eric, Sebastian, and Baron are a bit too small to grab crucial rebounds, and both Rasual and Thornton are below average rebounders for their position.  Al is doing a better job on the offensive glass, but now he needs to step up on the defensive end for this team to have a chance.  Luckily for us, Ben Gordon, Tayshaun, and Rip were all out, so even when they got three offensive boards to extend a possession, they were not able to cash them in consistently.  We escaped with a win tonight in spite of ourselves.  The plane ride back to LA won't be as morose.  But you get the feeling that this team is still standing on a ledge, on the verge of falling.

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There seems to be a chill in the free agency market this off season.  Unlike most  years, we've seen very few inflated long term contracts being awarded and alot of good solid veterans signed for much less money than what they would have earned a few years ago.  Part of this might be due to the big free agency class of next season, where many GM still harbor fantasies of adding Lebron and D-Wade to their franchise.  A bigger factor might be due to the reduced salary cap, which is a concession by the NBA that the recession has impacted league wide revenues. 

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After going through some posts on this blog, and talking to our Clippers rep for the upcoming season, it seems to me that many people assume that we have a good chance of making the playoffs next year.  This seems a bit overly optimistic for a team coming off a 19 win season.  Even if we double our wins to 38 next year, which would be a pretty impressive turnaround, that probably won't be enough to snag a spot in the western conference playoff.  Granted the West has gotten weaker than in years past, but of the eight playoff spots in the West, how many are actually up for grabs?

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For those fans who don't approve of changes in either coaching/personnel (40% of respondents), this should warm your hearts:

Los Angeles Clippers Getting Inside
SportsXchange
Apr. 16, 2009 09:40 AM

In limping to the finish line with their poorest record since the 1999-2000
season, the nagging question is this: Can the Clippers satisfy their long
suffering fan base by promising that an injury-free season next year with the
same cast of players will produce a playoff team? Clippers coach and general
manager Mike Dunleavy could be banking on that risky platform because when asked recently if he expected an overhaul of this year's team, his answer was that he did not think so, pointing out that of the 15 players currently on the team,
only two could claim to be Clippers in 2007-2008.

The makeover began in the offseason, which featured the ballyhooed signing of free agent guard Baron Davis, and it continued into the season, when Dunleavy sent veterans Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas to the New York Knicks in exchange for high-scoring forward Zach Randolph and sparingly-used swingman Mardy Collins. The trade did little to affect the Clippers' fortunes for this year. Time will tell if it is to have any future positive effect, other than opening up a starting position for potential star Eric Gordon, the 20-year old guard, whom the Clippers
selected seventh overall in the 2008 NBA draft.

Throughout this season, Dunleavy has used the same excuse that he offered for the team's debacle the previous year -- injuries. No doubt the team was decimated by injuries, with not one player able to stay healthy enough to play all 82 regular-season games. But it is possible that even if all the players would have remained healthy that the squad Dunleavy assembled was a combustible one.Randolph and free agent acquisition Ricky Davis came dragging baggage and both had episodes that gave credence to their wayward past. Ricky Davis had to serve a suspension for violating terms of the NBA's substance abuse policy, while Randolph was docked with a two-game team suspension for being arrested on a suspicion of DUI.

Clippers assistant general manager Neil Olshey said recently that it would be
difficult for whomever the Clippers draft to break into the rotation.  (As their roster is already loaded with talent and lacks only chemistry to be successful).

So it seems that we will have more of the same next year, an encore of this season.  Dunleavy still believes that he has assembled a very talented squad: as Ricky Davis, Zach, & Baron are capable of going off for 30 points on any given night.  They didn't do so very often this season, but just wait till next year.

I'm interested to see if fan opinion on this website has changed with regards to Baron.  Earlier in the season, when sentiments turned against Baron at Staples, it seemed that his popularity held up relatively well online.  The first poll, if memory is correct, gave Baron 85% approval.  By mid season, the second poll gave Baron a 60% approval, so there were some decline, though the majority still believe that he is the team's leader and future.  I would like to see if there's any further changes in opinion regarding Baron's leadership and role with this team going forward.

Ok, I'm pretty exhausted as after the game as we spent a few too many hours at the Roosevelt afterwards, but this is too good to pass up.  I've been watching Dunleavy's reaction to fans heckling and chants throughout the season and for the most part, the man has kept his composure.  But tonight, at half time against Portland, he finally lost his cool.

One of the season ticket holder in my section is a pretty vocal guy.  He's a big dude, with a deep baritone, who yells some pretty funny and sometimes derogatory things to opposing players to knock them off their game.  This season, his ire has also turned to Dunleavy, Baron, Zach, or Kaman depending upon their level of ineptitude.  Earlier in the season, he brought along signs and tried to lead the crowd in chants of "Pat Summit" to replace Dunleavy...which I thought was pretty funny, if you knew who Pat Summit was.

Well tonight, after a dismal second quarter, he was yelling at Dunleavy again.  He wasn't the only one, as there were others yelling at Dunleavy to fire himself and of course, the now constant "Fire Dunleavy" chants reverberating in different part of the arena.  But tonight, as Dunleavy was walking off the floor, he seemed more agitated than usual, and he turned to our section's human megaphone, grabbed his crotch and yelled back in very clear term to "kiss my ass."  The redness in his face and his anger was palpable and made it clear that he wasn't joking around.

We thought it was amusing, though I'm sure that if this were New York and Dunleavy were Isiah, there would be an uproar about the coach cursing out his season ticket holders.  I feel a bit sorry for the man though.  Dealing with hecklers and unhappy fans is part of the job of being an NBA coach.  But I get the feeling that the facade cracked a bit tonight.  The season has been terrible and the toll is heavy for all involved...perhaps more on Dunleavy most of all.  Perhaps relieving Dunleavy of his duties now would be the humane thing to do, though I doubt it will happen due to Sterling legendary miseriness.  It will be an interesting off season to say the least.

Is the Clippers entire organization completely tone deaf?  With better teams than us slashing ticket prices for next year, did Andy Roeser confuse our team with the Lakers?  Yes, the Lakers announced that they won't raise ticket prices next year due to the economy and their fans take it in stride...because they're close to 60 wins and are favored to win the championship AGAIN.  Our team on the other hand has the inverse record of the Lakers and we're going to hit 60 losses.  We're the laughingstock of the league and the city.  And Andey Roeser has the balls to tell us that he understands our pain and will not raise ticket prices.  Gee thanks.  What an idiot.  What a completly dysfunctional, tone deaf, incompetent organization.  The Staples Center crowd is going to look like a girls high school basketball game next year for Clippers games.  What a way to destroy what is left of the season ticket holder base.  This is the last handful of dirt on the grave of Clippers Nation.

Here's the email that we got today from the Clippers:

We want to personally thank you for your loyal support as a Clippers Season Ticket Holder. We understand times are tough and appreciate your commitment to the team.

We recognize the effect the economy is having on our fans. More than ever, we understand that investing your hard-earned dollars in season tickets is a big commitment.

To help make your renewal decision a little easier, we are pleased to announce that there will be no price increase in the lower level for the second consecutive year. In addition, we think you'll be excited to learn about the new benefits, flexible payment options, and tenured Season Ticket Holder programs we have added. You've maintained the kind of enthusiasm we admire in Clippers fans and we are grateful for your dedication.

We remain optimistic regarding our core of young players combined with the experienced leadership of our veterans. We will also have the advantage of one of the top lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, who should give us a boost next season as well.

We need your support more than ever and encourage you to remain loyal for the better times ahead. Your 2009-10 Season Ticket renewal kit will arrive in the mail next week.

We look forward to seeing you next season!

Sincerely,

Andy Roeser
President

Ok, so I'm just reading the Isiah GM rumors and I'm shocked beyond words.  If this were to happen, then I'm done with this franchise.  Never mind renewing season tickets, I will never watch another Clippers game again.  As a matter of fact, I will be tempted to put my fist through every TV screen showing a Clippers game.

Is this Dunleavy's ruse to freak out the fans and remind us that there are worst alternatives than him?  After all, the articles seem to suggest that it was Dunleavy who set up the meeting between Isiah and Sterling.  Perhaps all of us have underestimated Dunleavy.  Perhaps he is much more than inept, he might be one of those rare, truly evil men (Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot) who plans nefarious deeds for the satisfaction of seeing everything burn, wither, and die.  Ok, maybe he's not that evil, but he's at least on par with Manson or Charles Starkweather.

At any rate, bringing in Isiah is the equivalent of calling in a nuclear strike on your own position.  The devastation would be total and there won't be a soul left standing.  With a franchise as moribound as the Clippers, this can be construed as a good thing, I suppose. 

We Clippers fans are gluttons for punishment.  We've taken alot over the years.  But this might be the greatest indignity of all.  It just might be the final fatal blow. 

Read this on my mobile phone's SportsXchange page, though strangely, you have to be a paid member in order to access their website via a computer....It will be interesting to see which Clippers team show up on Wednesday against the Celtics.  The one that played well against Golden State or the one that the Portland players described below:

Los Angeles Clippers Notes, Quotes
--Right or wrong, the Trail Blazers thought they detected some early quit in the
Clippers during what eventually resulted in a 116-87 Portland victory Sunday.
According to Blazers forward-center Channing Frye, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy
kept calling the same plays over and over. In addition, several Portland players
said after the game that it seemed apparent to them that there was a lot of
bickering among Clippers players on the floor and it appeared that the players
didn't really like each other.

This is not directly Clippers related, but after reading this article by Bill Dwyre in the LA Times today, I couldn't help but be jarred by the discrepancy between the Clippers recent performance and this description of Jerry West:

Dwyre quoted Keith Erickson, who was a teammate of West, that "West was the only player he has ever seen who could score 40 points in a game in which his hamstring was torn and he couldn't run."

Jerry West loved the game with passionate intensity.  It was why even his fiercest competitors loved and respected him; why Bill Russell would embrace and commiserate with him after beating the Lakers.  Can you ever imagine West jogging down the court and not trying very hard?  I think he would have rather shot himself in the head. 

How did we ever go from Jerry West to Baron Davis?  Are these guys even playing the same sport?  Are they even part of the same family of man?

Did anybody read Heisler's weekly article on the NBA in Sunday's LA Times?  He listed tonight's Clippers-Heat game as his NBA Game of the Week.  Then he wrote "just kidding" right below it.  Heisler is a funny guy.

He also moved us to dead last in his NBA Power Rankings.  After tonight's performace against Miami, I think it is well deserved.  I'm curious if other reporters in other cities (let's say the Plainsdealer) have their own power rankings and if they list the Clippers as dead last too.  Heisler is a local reporter so he might be biased toward the Clips.  I mean do national reporters look at our team and think that we're just run-of-the-mill awful?  Or do they consider us exceptionally awful?

If we're going to be this bad, then we should strive to be the absolute worst that we can be.  We should revel in our badness.

I'm pretty sure that most hard core Clips fans here read Kevin's blog as well, but now that he's writing for the Daily Dime, today's article was pretty judicious and didn't hold any punches about the franchise.

Here's an excerpt from the end:

As the Clippers piled up losses with their ragtag lineup, empathy turned into grumbling. Dunleavy made a veiled suggestion to the Los Angeles Times story that agents often tell their players to take their time returning from injury. Meanwhile, reports began to surface that there was resentment in certain corners of the Clippers' locker room over the glacial pace of recovery among the big-name players.

For many in Los Angeles, the contrast came into focus last week when the Clippers faced the Lakers at Staples Center. While Kobe Bryant gritted his way though a dislocated finger on his shooting hand, the Clippers' M*A*S*H unit was in street clothes on the bench.

The entire article can be found on ESPN's page and not on his blog:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-090129

Not sure if anyone posted this yet, but a buddy sent this article to me from the NY Daily News.  If true, then it's probably time that we get rid of Baron, Kaman, and Ricky Davis...if only to improve morale, pull the team together, and rebuild for next year.

Sinking Clips

Going nowhere, the Clippers are showing signs that they've given up. They're on a pace to win 18 games and Mike Dunleavy has all kinds of trouble on his hands.
 
Baron Davis has been busy defending himself against teammates' whispers that he's healthy enough to play but taking his sweet time coming back from a hamstring injury. Davis won't be available tonight when he returns for the first time to Golden State since leaving last summer as a free agent.

Chris Kaman, out with a foot injury, has confided in various Clippers that he is in no rush to return to action before the Feb. 19 trading deadline, since he wants to stay in L.A. Ricky Davis recently waved off Dunleavy when he wanted him to participate in a scrimmage. Dunleavy let Davis slide, prompting groans and grumbling from a few players, according to one Clipper.

Summing up all the injuries and bad karma, Marcus Camby said, "It's like no other place I've ever been." Well, it is Clipper-land.

Earlier in the season, with the team steadily going downhill, I posted a poll to guage this community's reaction to Baron Davis' play.  It was interesting because fan opinions in my Staples Center section seem to run opposite of this site.  Just from talking to the regulars there, I would estimate that opinions run 70% against Baron to 30% in support.  I think the end result of that last post on this blog was 80% of the people believe that Baron is our guy, for good or ill.  With 20% in favor of benching Baron for Mike Taylor or trading him.

Just from glancing at the posts recenty, it seems that alot more people have been getting exasperated at Baron's play before his injuries.  So I'm curious to see if opinion here have changed...

Once again, our injury situation is getting ridiculous.  Is the franchise cursed, or do we just have incompetent trainers and coaches?  Before we start sacrificing lambs and appealing to Yahweh, I say we do the rational thing and fire our trainer Jasen Powell. 

I don't know what the rest of you think, but with Zach, Kaman, Ricky Davis, Baron, and Mike Taylor now out with questionable injuries, it's time the trainer and medical staff take some responsibility.  Why is it that we have major injuries to our key players year after year after year.  When guys like Lamar move to Miami and the Lakers, he never misses another game.  Are players dogging it on the Clippers?  Is our training staff letting them get away with it?  Whatever the reason, heads should fall.  Of course, Roeser, being president of basketball operations, probably doesn't even know who Jasen Powell is or what exactly he does.

As a follow up to last week's poll where over 80% of respondents want Dunleavy to step down as coach, I'm interested to see if people thinks this squad can turn it around with Dunleavy at the helm.  While many of us wants Dunleavy out, we are also resigned to the fact that he will probably finish out his contract, due to Sterling's legendary miseriness.

So with the exact same personnel and Dunleavy leading us, how many wins can the Clippers get this year after such a demoralizing start?  Our expectations are low, but what can we expect out of this ball club in terms of wins? 

Baron's play at the end of quarters and ball games have contributed mightily to our losses this year.  As bad as Dunleavy's play calls maybe, it is hard to imagine that he is drawing up plays for Baron to dribble out the clock in order to force a 20 foot fadeaway with two defenders in his face.  After almost 20 games, we can probably say that Baron's return to Los Angeles has been more disastrous than Andre Miller's tenure so far.  Should the franchise send a drastic message and risk alienating its most high profile free agent signing ever?  Is the team bigger than Baron Davis?  Or is Baron the face of the franchise now, for better or worse?

The franchise is at a crossroad.  After giving us one of the best season in Clippers history, Dunleavy's tenure has degenerated into an epic disaster of Mugabe like proportions.  This year's squad has been the poster child of underachievement and failed promises.  After last night's game, the coaching staff might have finally lost control of the team.  Comments on these blogs seem to have turned against Dunleavy, though he still has a few defenders.  I'm curious to see what the consensus is. 

We all know that good Account Executives tend to have a short career with the Clips.  Most of the good ones tend to leave the organization for greener pastures on a regular basis.  In the six or seven years that I've had season tickets we must have had 4 different rep.  The one I have right now--Josh Scott-- is terrible in terms of returning phone calls or being responsive to requests (it might be why he has been around 2 years running).

I know there is a policy in place where the account execs don't poach season ticket holders from one another, but I've not renewed my seats this year mainly to see what happened with the Brand situation and to hopefully get a new account exec if I renew season tickets again this year.  Anybody here have a current Account Exec that they can recommend?