I have a confession to make....I hated this trade.

I hated having to give up maybe the next best shooting guard in the league, giving up maybe the next great glue guy who can defend and get his in the flow of the offense like luol deng, giving up maybe another number 1 pick in a loaded draft. As clippers fans we're conditioned to think this way, to cherish the possibilities and to always hope for a brighter future.

But then I realized: THE FUTURE IS NOW.

No more waiting for lambs to turn into lions...we're ready to roar.

Congratulations to all of us that suffered happily through all these years, times are about to change and I just wanted to post something to commemorate this moment and celebrate with all of us TRUE clipper fans here online. Clipsnation definitely won't turn into another clippertalk.net, topbuzz, and die off, but we'll definitely lose some of that close knit feeling we all had posting on this site with all the new additions bound to come our way claiming they were always Clipper fans...I'll miss those days but I've never been more excited about what's to come.

PS. A heartfelt thanks to EJ and the Caveman we will always have love for you at Clipsnation. I will be wearing an ej jersey to every home game this year and growing a beard in honor of you two, my favorite clippers for the past couple of years. Hopefully I don't get the bald spot as well.

PPS. f your family faker fans, we'll see you in our rearview mirrors! (Advance Apology to Steve, I know you hate my catchphrase but I just had to. )

I was happy with yesterday's game against the nets. Yes, you read that right HAPPY. While most members of Clipsnation have begun the seemingly annual spiral into depression that comes with supporting our beloved Clippers a little bit early this season, I have found a renewed sense of hope. For the first time in this young season our team fielded a starting lineup with 3 rookies and 2 third year players with an average age of 21.4 years old. A glimpse into our future. And based on yesterday's game that future looks bleak.

But yesterday was just one game and even though we suffered our sixth straight loss in that game there are 71 more games to go. Yes, Blake Griffin did only grab 3 rebounds the entire game, and yes rebounding was the one thing we expected him to truly excel at this season. But Kevin Durant had a 4 point game, a 9 point game, and four 6 point games during his rookie season while everyone thought that scoring was the one thing he could do exceptionally well. 

Deandre Jordan despite some notable plays looked lost out there picking stupid fouls and camping in the box numerous times which lead to free throws for the opposing team. But he's only averaging 17 minutes per game and has been held below that average numerous times even though our starting center has been sidelined and the team is supposed to be grooming him to eventually take over in that spot. In the only two games he has played for over 40 minutes he earned his career high in points at 26 and rebounds at 20. He needs more time out there especially if our only other option is Jarron Collins.

E-Squared played well given the circumstances with EJ scoring an amazing 30 points on 6 of 20 shooting while Ebled gave us the stats we have come to expect while providing us with a couple of great plays on the defensive end when the game was on the line. The Chief played well enough to justify his starting spot, sparking us on the third quarter although he hurt his 3 point percentage in this game which was one of the silver linings that we have clutched onto early in this season.

Yes, it was a maddeningly ugly game but there was also beauty in this madness. If you watched closely enough you could see these five young men who could all still be in college,  smiling at each other after certain plays, communicating with each other during stoppages, trusting each other with the extra pass, and building little by little a very real chemistry.

Now there seems to be an identity crisis taking over in Clipper nation during this time, a split between those that still believe that our veterans can help us when they get back (Club Optimism) and those that believe we should set the youngsters free and start anew (Club Development) and even though in the larger scheme of things whatever team your on won't really affect the road this team will take (unless you are actually Niel Olshey) I think we must surrender to the idea that our greatest chance at future success lies in Club D. These kids won't develop if they don't get the playing time to do so, it's as simple as that. Baron Davis is a great point guard when healthy but every minute he's on the floor is a minute taken away from developing Eric Bledsoe and diminishing his chance to be great someday as well. Chris Kaman is an all star and is currently a better fit with Griffin with his ability to space the floor, but without enough playing time we may never see Deandre Jordan fulfill his potential and translate the great friendship he and Blake Griffin have off the court onto the court. 

Yes it will take time, and yes we will have to suffer several more soul crushing losses along the way, but I would rather watch us suffer through a 3-29 start as the Thunder once did than delay the inevitable passing of the torch at the expense of our young core's development. Even though it physically hurts watching each and every embarrassing loss, I will be there in person or glued to the television watching this team rise and rise again until OUR lambs become Lions.

"To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them." -Charles de Montesqieu  

And so the decision was set, the King was heading to Miami as his once loyal subjects burned him in effigy. Soon the national media would follow lambasting every twitch of his face, every insignificant detail of his facial expressions as he delivered the words that will forever echo in the hallowed out hearts of Cleveland sports fans everywhere; "I'm taking my talents to South Beach". Seven words that have forever changed the landscape of the NBA.  

You can see it everywhere, in the rash reaction of a jilted owner, in the depressing tweets of a former running mate, and most of all in the reactionary angst of the so-called "expert" analysts, those venerable sports writers who all thought that they knew this kid all too well, that the ego of a self-proclaimed king would be too big to share the spotlight. But they were wrong. Now these festering boils in the dark crack of journalism are trying to dig their way out of the graves they had dug for themselves by bashing anything and everything about the athlete they once showered so much praise onto. Why? Because they are all afraid. Afraid that someone they had built up, spoiled, and coddled throughout the years has done something that all kids do when they get to a certain age, they stand up and make their own decision. A decision that did not go with the story line they had already set forth, so now they come up with their excuses, they blame his management team as if he is nothing more than a puppet dancing on strings, they blame his insecurities, his inner demons, without acknowledging the simple possibility that they failed to account for, that for Lebron James this is and was always about basketball. They say that with this move he has officially dropped out of the running for the greatest of all time and that may be true. He will never be known now as the GOAT, the best individual player to ever play the game. But now he has a chance to be part of the best team to ever play in the NBA, and less we soon forget basketball IS a team sport. It may take a couple of seasons or it might come instantly but I believe this team could rival the Celtics dynasty that won eight championships in a row, the rest of the league is scared...and it should be. 

we DO pull a "magic" lottery pick and end up with the number 1? since this is basically the only joy us clipper fans have had for the last couple of years allow me to share my hopes for this offseason... as mentioned above we get the number 1 pick and draft john wall ofcourse. what to do with baron? trade him to the knicks for curry's expiring after the dust settles on their free agency bonanza. then trade the caveman to the pistons for their pick and tayshaun prince which gives us the ability to draft donatas, maybe wesley johnson, aminu, or if we're really dreaming evan turner....oh yesssss (i realize that giving up the second pick is next to impossible but kaman does give the pistons the missing piece of their puzzle and besides this is MY scenario)

starting lineup:

john wall

eric gordon

evan turner

blake griffin

deandre jordan

all 21 and under phenoms! and we'd still have enough money to sign our free agents as well as rolling over our max contract capability to 2011 when all the other teams would have spent theirs...

yes i do realize that im dreaming right now but that is basically what clipsnation is all about the possibility of a dream. if sportswriters can continually post stories about lebron coming to la then i can have this.

As long as we're throwing out the trade ideas I thought I'd get in the mix:

Clippers Get: 

Tmac

Joey Dorsey

Jermaine Taylor

Rockets Get:

Camby

Telfair

Butler 

Tricky Rick

Rhino

Afterwards we welcome home Shaun Livingston at the same time Blake Griffin is getting set to take the stage. Meanwhile we'll be treated to more of DJ's dunks and brick free throws but hey if we could beat the celtics without Camby then maybe it'll be good for us to jumpstart the young mans on the job training?

The breaks keep on coming for us but it seems we just can't capitalize on any of them. But despite this I feel the team is on the verge of going for a spectacular run to close out this year! I actually believe that the Clippers can win---wait for it---the next four games in a row! The opportunities are there for the the team as Paul Pierce will be out for the Boston game and Portland basically has no center anymore, if we steal one from the Suns at home and take care of Philly we're at .500 to start the year! Please Santa....

NBC Los Angeles Petition Coverage

1500 signatures and the media is starting to pick it up! Hopefully this will Old man Sterling's desk and make him choke on his croissant. I have to admit I was pretty skeptical about the whole internet petition thing while i was signing it but it seems its doing the job, which is to shed a light on the growing number of frustrated clipper faithful. So kudos to whoever it was that started this thing, hopefully we get more of the media to write about it. FIRE DUNLEAVY clap clap clap!

That's it. I'm done. I've gone through a lot with this team but enough is enough. Dumbleavy needs to go! Us fans need to show the solidarity that is obviously lacking in our team. I say we boycott the game this friday against the Nuggets. Heres how:

1st: We could all meet up at a predetermined location and then walk up behind the stage to where they shoot the pregame show and burn our tickets in protest while on camera.

2nd: Solicit all the people going in to staples to join the boycott.

3rd: Finally head to a bar and drown our sorrows as we watch the Nuggets massacre us on tv.