A fan video summary of the 08-09 season that I found on YouTube. I think everyone should take a...

Redmosa — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:55:44 -0000

A fan video summary of the 08-09 season that I found on YouTube. I think everyone should take a look... It really showed the ups and downs, and it got me pumped for next season!

Elgin Wins First Round...

Redmosa — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:32:03 -0000

Elgin Wins First Round...

...for his racial discrimination case.

Found this around google image search... man, this would be a sweet new logo.

Redmosa — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:19:01 -0000

Found this around google image search... man, this would be a sweet new logo.

Clippers "Where Amazing Happens Next" Commercial

Redmosa — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:10:02 -0000

Clippers "Where Amazing Happens Next" Commercial

Looks about right.

Redmosa — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:45:33 -0000

Looks about right.

About Hard Work and Character...

Redmosa — Sat, 09 May 2009 19:46:05 -0000

Dear Club Optimism,

I often read about how citizens of Clipper Nation say our team doesn't need talent as much as it needs players that are willing to give 100% every time. A lot of Clipper fans talk about how we have so many players with character issues and not enough dedication to working hard. Do we still have work horses after the FElton era? Yes, we do, but it's difficult to really see it in such a dismal season. We seem to forget that we're fans and we don't know the severity of injuries on a professional athlete's level. The fact that these guys go out there for 48 minutes 82 times between November and April (Some to June) is astonishing enough, but we forget the hours of practice they go through. The wear and tear of the NBA is something a lot of fans can't comprehend. I'm not saying I do understand how grueling a season can physically be, nor am I saying this season is acceptable by any means. Baron played through his injured finger in the beginning of the season, but he seemed to be the most defeated Clipper on the roster by April. I think Zach Randolph is arguably a slacker, but the loss of a loved one during a tumultuous season can severely alter someone's game (Ask Leandro Barbosa). Although we had guys who clearly slacked off this season like Ricky Davis who was terrible and Kaman who wore himself out during the summer, we had players who clearly made the best of their time and put in substantial effort.

One case is the performance of the rookies. Eric Gordon exploded this season as a ROY candidate. Mike Taylor took the opportunities he got when Baron was injured and showed he could be a solid backup right now. Deandre Jordan is constantly active and looking for playing time; even on the bench his enthusiasm is incredible. These young players have a fire in their hearts to become great players right now.

The second case is the chip on the veterans' shoulders. Fred Jones finally found a team and showed the league that he can probably win another slam dunk title, and he took every opportunity that came to him. He's worked hard in every game we've seen him in. Mardy Collins? Enough said, he proved himself from useless by Hollinger to a very decent backup in the Clippers rotation. Marcus Camby is hands-down our first half of the season MVP for being a class act during such a horrible season. Steve Novak proved how good he could be in this league.

The third case is the guys who were buried on the bench but remained class-acts. I really stand up for these guys because as an avid reader of this and the "other" blog, I know these two really took a lot of heat for not living up to what they were supposed to be this season. Jason Hart and Brian Skinner we second-stringers at the start of the season, and eventually became non-existent with the emergence of of Mike Taylor and DJ. Okay, well Skinner still logged more minutes than DJ but you could tell DJ was slowly getting more time over Skinner by season's end. Hart on the other hand was eventually waived. I give these two a gold star for roughing it through and not even complaining about where they were on the bench. Hart saw Taylor get better and better and didn't even complain. He just acted as a good lockerroom guy through and through.

Who am I missing now? The guy who has been a complete enigma. I know I've written up some posts on him in the past so it may seem repetitive, but Al Thornton is the player we've seemed to forget for much of this season and for good reason. I mean, I would be lying if I said I was more excited about Al Thornton than Eric Gordon this past season. After having a promising rookie campaign and proving he could be a great player in this league from December onward, we all believed Al was going to do good things for this team. I think fans had the highest expectations from Al; that he could become the dominant go-to guy the Clippers needed after FElton and Corey abandoned ship. We got a taste of what might come in the 2008 Las Vegas Summer League after dominating scrubs. However, this season was such a disappointment. Al shot a horrendous 28% from 3pt range. He continued to settle for jumpers when he could have easily driven to the hoop. He continued to jab and jab and jab and go for the fadeaway, never seeming to learn from those mistakes. The result? Many fans saying that Al is either simply a brainless oaf of a player who can't get any smarter, or that he's clearly slacking. First of all basketball fundamentals and knowing how and when to use them can be taught and practiced. No one is born with them. Second of all, Al is hands-down the hardest working Clipper on the team. I think so many years of terrible drafting and finally getting a steal in Al, we felt he could do all the things we thought he could do. However, one must agree that even if he never becomes a superstar or even an all-star, we know how Al responds to adversity and challenges. We've seen it when he was left off the rookie team; and I know Al Horford definitely saw. We've seen how he feels after blowout losses. We've seen his response to DTS. We've seen him prove critics wrong. There is no moment I believe Al is a slacker and should be labeled with the Davises. I'll admit that his BBall IQ has been low this season and he doesn't make the right choices on the court, but the willingness to become a great player is there, and I wouldn't trade him because of the character he's shown.

A final point I want to make is that I feel as a Clipper fan I can understand how human our players really are rather than persay a perennial playoff team's fan who expects their them to be in the playoffs every year contending for a title because it just seems so easy for them (And I apologize for the hasty generalization). Clipper Nation understands how tough it is to get a competitive team on the floor; it took 9 years since the 1997 season to see it in the '05-'06 squad. We've endured so many injuries and realized how much effort each player is giving on the court. We know what dissappointment is in Olowokandi. We know what betrayal is in FElton. We know what crushed dreams are in Shaun's knees. I think when all is said and done, and when the championship is finally won by whatever Clipper team in the future, all that pain and suffering will be worth it. Perhaps that time will be with Eric Gordon and Al Thornton.

I remember when Al Thornton could shoot 3s. Dear Club Optimism... I was actually watching...

Redmosa — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:40:07 -0000

I remember when Al Thornton could shoot 3s.

Dear Club Optimism...

I was actually watching 2006 playoff highlights... Sigh.

Rubio Declares

Redmosa — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:24:18 -0000

Rubio Declares

Word

So, remember this? Funny how over the course of the season the attitude of a franchise could change...

Redmosa — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:12:21 -0000

So, remember this? Funny how over the course of the season the attitude of a franchise could change so much.

2:52... "I want to inspire a lot of kids." I'm more inspired by a bologna sandwich right now.

Is this some sort of a joke?

Redmosa — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:05:28 -0000

Is this some sort of a joke?

SB Nation User Blog: Redmosa

A fan video summary of the 08-09 season that I found on YouTube. I think everyone should take a...

Elgin Wins First Round...

Elgin Wins First Round...

Found this around google image search... man, this would be a sweet new logo.

Clippers "Where Amazing Happens Next" Commercial

Looks about right.

About Hard Work and Character...

I remember when Al Thornton could shoot 3s. Dear Club Optimism... I was actually watching...

Rubio Declares

Rubio Declares

So, remember this? Funny how over the course of the season the attitude of a franchise could change...

Is this some sort of a joke?