I know I'm a little late on this topic, but I feel like I have a pretty good story on how I became a Clipper fan. Last year in my English class, I was assigned a narrative essay. I could write about any topic I wanted, and I decided to tell the story of how I came to root for one of the worst franchises in professional sports.

Before you read it, though, note that this was written for an English teacher who knows absolutely nothing about basketball. While Clipper fans aren't necessarily the target audience, I think that many of you will find it enjoyable.

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Something good happened to the Clippers. No, something great happened to the Clippers. They won the draft lottery and are going to get a bona fide stud in Blake Griffin in June. Good luck like this is like an eclipse for the Clippers, but that doesn't mean that it's time for us, the fans, to get content.

Let's face facts. This team still has a lot farther to go. Blake Griffin isn't going to magically make Baron Davis and Zach Randolph All Stars. The guys who played awful basketball for the Clippers are going to be on next year's team, and excitement over a draft pick guarantees nothing. Yes, Baron's got the potential to be Boom Dizzle again, but I'll believe it when I see it. This team is not going to make the playoffs if they remotely resemble last year's team, which they do right now.

Secondly, I refuste to be pleased with winning the draft lottery. The fans getting content is exactly what this inept organization wants. The reason that Andy Roeser was so relieved at the lottery was because he knew that fans would start buying tickets again. They're simply using this as a stopgap measure. We're not angry anymore, and getting the top pick is going to take attention away from the multitude of problems within this organization.

The main problem at this point is Mike Dunleavy. I'm not going to stop being angry about him until he is fired. I know it's a lost cause, but I'm willing to fight for what I believe in. Getting Blake Griffin is great, but not in any of MDsr's offensive schemes (as if there are any). Look, last year I subscribed to the Heisler school of thought which was wait it out, and I waited. I've waited long enough for something to happen. I want to see a good basketball team, and to be perfectly honest, the Clippers aren't even close. I like Blake Griffin, but he isn't going to change this organization.

This organization has problems, and if they aren't addressed we'll all be stuck watching more crappy basketball. I'm not going to get content because of this. I really don't mean to be pessimistic about the situation, but after last year I see all the things that can go wrong. I had hope coming into last season, and they came crashing down. I see the same kind of hope in many fans this year, and I don't want the same results.

I have tried to stay away from all things Clipper for the past month or so. Luckily for me, baseball season came around and the Dodgers look really good this year. Even with the allure of May baseball, though, I can't take my mind off of the Clippers. Since about the halfway point of last season (thank FSM it's last season now), it seemed like the general consensus was to get Mike Dunleavy out of here. Even though the Clippers are a completely incompetent organization, we waited. The indicators seemed to be that he would be fired in the offseason, especially with the discontent of the fans at the season ticket holder meeting. However, nothing has happened, and I didn't think it would get this far.

Make no mistake, I don't expect anything from this organization after the debacle that resulted from last year. However, I just never thought that I'd have to see Dunleavy on the sideline anymore. You know that feeling where you fully expect something to happen, but it never does. It's kind of an empty feeling, and it's starting to bother me. I know that this organization will do whatever it takes to make money, but it would seem to me that the way to make money would be to sell tickets and that the way to sell tickets for a struggling team would be to make some kind of gesture to the fans that the team is going in a different direction. The easiest way to do this is to fire the coach, as evidenced by EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE NBA. However, DTS must have his golden calculator telling him that the way to continue to profit from the Clippers is to hold on to Dunleavy instead of eating his contract.

I know that firing Dunleavy isn't going to solve all of the Clipper problems, but it's a start for an organization that seems to care very little about its fan base. There is just no hope for this team anytime in the near future. At least I had some hope at the beginning of last year with Baron and Camby coming in. Even though my hopes came crashing down like a ton of bricks, it's better to have that feeling than not. This year, I'm resigned to the fact that the team will be another trainwreck that probably won't get to 20 wins. Firing Dunleavy would at least show me that the team wants to go in the right direction. Unfortunately, it seems as if this issue has cooled down and everyone is just accepting the fact the MDsr will be the coach...again.

Today, according to ESPN (as told by our own Lawler's Law) Sam Cassell was traded from the Celtics to the Kings in a deal to free up roster space and to take money off of the cap. The link also states that the Kings will most likely waive Sam I Am. This seems like a great opportunity to get him to join the coaching staff, as he said he wanted to do after teh 05-06 playoff run. Obviously, I don't know his intentions so this could make my whole point moot. But working under the assumption that he will retire, shouldn't the Clippers at least go out and try to get him? He's got the kind of attitude that this team desperately needs.

What say you, Clips Nation?

The Clippers poor season is nothing new here to citizens of Clips Nation. Of course, there are a myriad of reasons for the Clippers 10-33 record to this point. I'd like to use this post to highlight two of the bigger and more talked about ones: Baron Davis and Mike Dunleavy.

I'll start off by saying that you probably know where I stand here. I've been frustrated with Baron Davis' play since the first quarter of the first game against the Lakers. ClipperSteve has already made a post about how bad Baron has been. That's just the statistical side, though. Baron looked completely apathetic when he was on the floor, and now he's got himself a boo boo. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but I expected a lot more out of our $65 million man who was also one of my favorite players last year. Maybe coming back home has actually been a bad thing for him, since it looks like his priority list has put his production company, grandma's cooking and flyfishing ahead of basketball. I for one feel that he has an obligation to try, or at least look like he is, on the court. However, he takes out his frustration with Dunleavy's offense in the form of terrible shots. He wants to run and gun, and he refuses to suceed without getting everything the way he wants it. Look, he needs to learn that there are other ways to win basketball games. He's more than capable of gettting it done in the halfcourt, if he tries. He's a 29 year old baby to put it simply. Last year, ESPN the magazine published an article on Baron and his quest for a title. He was a Warrior at the time, but when I read the article I felt like Baron had what it took to get to the promised land. Unfortunately, since sporting the Clipper jersey, Baron has acted like he deserves the respect of a champion without ever actually coming close to one. Last year, he had a swagger that almost created an aura about him. It was a confidence that the other guy couldn't beat him, no way, now how. Now, though, that swagger has turned into arrogance. He rolls his eyes at every non-call due to this disproportionate sense of entitlement. In arguing these calls, he was picking up technical fouls at a Rasheed Wallace like rate. His emotions are in all the wrong places. He needs to step it up a notch...or five.

As scathing as that may have sounded, I've thought over this issue a lot and I'm not going to ignore the other side of this argument. Interestingly enough, the other side seems to be coach Mike Dunleavy. In my time here at Clips Nation this season, I've found that the Baron supporters have blamed Mike Dunleavy for his struggles. This is a more than valid point. I want to make it clear that even though I criticize Baron, I'd like to say that I feel that Dunleavy should shoulder the blame. He signed Baron in the offseason, and he knew what Baron's strengths were. He should have the flexibility to open up the offense to accodomate his new star player. This whole iso offense is not conducive to Baron's style of play. Before the season started, I remember ClipperSteve making a post commenting on how the Clippers got a whole lot more athletic with the complete turnover in personnel. Dunleavy didn't really change his offense, though. He kept relying on the same offense. It works with Elton Brand, but he should change for Baron. If he was really expecting to get all $65 million out of Baron, he should have at least given him the opportunity to show what he did last year at Golden State. There has to be some sort of middle ground, at the very least. Unlike many of the people on this side of the argument, I do find Dunleavy to be an adequate coach. However, there are many flaws in his system, and I think his lack of flexibility is one of them. Being old school is one thing, but signing a big time free agent and not giving him some leeway is another thing all together.

Well, I think I've looked at both sides of the coin fairly evenly (Okay, I have an opinion too, but at least I examined the other side). I think that it might be time for these two rival camps to make a peace treaty. Those who feel it's Baron's fault should acknowledge that Dunleavy has played a big role in Baron's declined play. Those who feel that it's Dunleavy's fault shoult acknowledge Baron's lack of effort during certain times.

Anyways, I feel like I should open this discussion to the nice folks here at Clips Nation. There are a lot of opinions going around, and this seems like a good place to start with how we got to 10-33. What do you guys think?

I was enjoying what was soon to be the Clippers ninth victory of the season earlier tonight. That was until Marcus Camby hit the hardwood grimacing in pain after pulling down an offensive rebound. My heart sank. There was no way that this was happening. I must be imagining it. How can a team have THREE point guards (Baron, Hart and Taylor) and THREE quality big men (Randolph, Kaman, now Camby) all injured at the same time?! After a year in which their best player sat out the entire season and the team was mired in a similar injury situation on their way to a 23 win season. This just can't be happening. What did the Clippers do to piss off the basketball gods, I thought. To sum it up, the guy sitting in front of me turned around and said, "Well, I was about to say 'There goes the season,' but the season is already gone."

I mean, seriously. Fate obviously does not cut the Clippers any slack. Of all the players who could have gotten injured, Marcus was probably the one I wanted least. Seriously, it couldn't be Novak or Jordan? I mean, it's no longer the training staff. There is something funky going on here. This just doesn't happen in the real world. This is other wordly, but in a bad way. The Clippers as an organization have never been any good, which is why this is so incredibly frustrating. I don't have any good history to look back on. All I have is six of the teams best players in street clothes on one end of the bench. Just as I get content with the fact that Baron, Kaman and Randolph probably aren't going to play for awhile, Marcus goes down. I can't take this anymore.

I think that there is some legitimacy to an idea of a curse. There is no reason for it, but it most definitely seems to exist. We're already talking about salvaging the season, so it would be nice if we could get healthy and establish some momentum for '09-'10. But no, we can't even get that. Instead, we get consecutive seasons where injuries have ruined what little hope of the playoffs we had. The worst part is talking to Laker fans or listening to national sports coverage where all I hear is "That's the Clippers." Yes, it is the Clippers, but it is also SIX injuries to KEY players. Laker fans, cry me a freakin' river about your three injuries to role players. Basically, my point is that it isn't that publicized. We will forever be just "the Clippers." Never the team that got screwed by injuries. It's like we're yelling at the top of lungs for help on an uncharted island. It's frustrating.

Well, I did hear on the postgame report that Marcus' injury might not be as serious as it first looked, but I've had enough experience with seemingly small injuries on this team not to look at the worst possible scenario. I mean, Taylor is the only Clipper who's out for a set period of time with an injury that's been clearly defined. Every other injured Clipper has some ambiguous injury and it doesn't look like any of them are coming back soon. As ClipperSteve pointed out, Kaman's return date continues to be pushed farther back such that he'll probably retire before returning to the court.

To wrap it up, I just feel like I don't know what to think anymore. I mean, just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. Every time this team gives me hope, it selfishly takes it right back. I'd like to see one year, just ONE YEAR, where things go right. Please, Clippers, for us.

In another shocking development, the Clippers have agreed to terms with Fox Sports in a trade that would send Marcus Camby to FSN West/Prime Ticket in exchange for former NBA player and collegiate star Don MacLean and cash considerations. The particulars have to be worked out, as it appears that FSN is in search of an unconditional draft pick in order for the Clips to obtain their star basketball analyst.

"I'm happy to be back in the NBA," MacLean said after he recieved the news. The 1994 Most Improved Player will resume a career in which he is averaging 10.9 ppg and 3.8 rebounds per game.

MacLean's studio partner Michael Eaves was not nearly as happy. "This totally disrupts the studio chemistry," Eaves said after hearing the news. "I mean, I like Marcus Camby as a player, but he and I will never have the same chemistry as Donny Mac and I shared."

Camby will take over MacLean's duties with Clippers live, which involve the pre-game show, halftime report and post-game show. "I'm looking forward to joining a new team," Marcus said. "I think this gives me a much better opportunity for me to get that ring I missed out on in '99. I want to thank the Clippers organization for the way that I've been treated. It was a good run, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be." The UMass grad was seen shedding a tear as he cleared out his locker.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said it was hard to let Camby go, but knew that MacLean fit into the Clippers system. "I think that this trade really worked out for all parties involved. We needed a guy like Donny who can provide that veteran leadership that we're lacking. We loved Marcus, but sometimes you got to let people go. This was one of those times."

No word yet on when the trade will be formally completed. FSN produces said they hoped to see Camby suit up for Clippers Live Sunday when the Clippers take on the Suns at home.

Alright, so this started out as a comment to Citizen bestclipfan's recap of the game today, but I had a lot of thoughts (as you can all see) so I made it a FanPost. No disrespect to bestclipfan. I was there, which means that the Clippers' record drops to 2-1 with me in attendance, but that still means I've seen 25% of their victories to this point.

It was definitely tough to take, but it was good to see a line-up that was giving it a great effort, despite the fact that after Jones went down there were only eight Clippers in uniform. I didn't have a good view, but I was pretty sure that Baron was not even on the bench, which I take to mean that Grandma's cooking is better than Clipper basketball (anyone who watched on TV, feel free to tell me that I just didn't see him).

There were a lot of things to take from this game, so I'll start with the bad. Seeing Fred Jones go down was not fun, knowing that we were down our fifth point guard in Mardy Collins. It didn't help that I was surrounded by Piston fans, though I've gotten used to that at Clipper games. With an absurd seven injuries, I wasn't sure how the Clippers were even staying competitive, albeit against a Piston team missing Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton. They got off to a good start, but as the game wore on, it was clear that this was a two man team of Gordon and Camby.

Starting with the defense, does anybody have any clue why Dunleavy was using a match-up zone against the Pistons. I counted more than five times that I saw Allen Iverson wide open. It was clear that the Clippers didn't know how to play that kind of defense since I'd never seen them use it. They continually got confused, yet Dunleavy stuck with it which gave the Pistons a lot of open shots. The Pistons just placed their guards on the baseline, which forced guys like Novak and Davis to try to guard Iverson and Stuckey. You don't change defense in the middle of the year. I realize that they may not be the best shooting team around, but you can't continually give any NBA team good opportunites to score. Despite the odd choice in defense, the Clippers were still able to hold the Pistons to just 88 points and Gordon did a good job contatating Iverson for the most part, though Iverson was able to negate this by taking it at Collins' side of the zone.

Al Thornton is quickly turning into a below average basketball player. I've heard of sophmore slumps, but I really can't figure out what's been going on with him. I'm going to start calling him the black hole, because once you throw the ball to him, it never comes back out. In the second half, I'm pretty sure I only saw Al make one pass, and it was when he, for the first time, saw that a drive to the basket was failing. The pass was off target and turned into a Clipper turnover. Al continues to take multiple jab steps and then throw up a bad fadeaway jumper. He doesn't realize that the only thing that he's got going for him right now are his drives to the bucket. Even those are failing, though, as defenses collapse, knowing that as soon as he drives, he'll shoot. He's got to keep the defense honest with a pass every once in a while.

I know that we have very limited offense with the ridiculous number of injuries, but c'mon, has Dunleavy ever heard of a set play. The least he could do is run some sort of a standard motion offense with this line-up which has no one-on-one capabilites (with the exception of Eric Gordon). I mean, you can't iso with a line-up that consists of Mardy Collins, Steve Novak, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and Marcus Camby. I nearly lost my voice yelling "Dunleavy, try running a play." However, he seems pretty oblivious to the advances made in offense over the past hundred years. He forces inexperienced and not very talented players to make plays for themselves. They seem to have no plays which require passing the ball two times. Honestly, I only saw plays that consisted of an off ball screen, a pass and shot. That barely requires two players to defend.

That said, I have no idea how we overcame an eight point defecit late, considering we ran one play (Mardy gives the ball to Gordon on the near wing, Gordon drives and tries to get a shot and/or get fouled; if he misses, hope Camby is there to put it back in). Gordon really electrified what was a true lazy Sunday crowd, scoring five points in a row to put the Clippers up by one. I mean, Clipper Darryl didn't even show up until after halftime. I was so pumped to see the show that EJ was putting on. I mean, the Clippers had literally no offense except for him, and the rookie found a way to step up. He has been so impressive on both ends of the floor, which is why the defense was pissing me off so much. He should have been guarding Iverson or Stuckey, but he was stuck on one side of the court because of the match-up zone. The Pistons learned to drive away from him and forced the Clippers second line of defense to make a play. Gordon can really do it all offensively, though. I have to admit, I did not like him out of Indiana. He shot a poor percentage, but I guess that really can be attributed to the wrist injury, because he looks so much better this year. To score 31 of a teams 87 points is incredible, regardless of the talent, or lack thereof, of the rest of the players. He can do it all.

Camby continues to impress. His play reminds me of Kobe (WAIT! Let me explain) in the sense that I went to a Laker game last year with my friend (needless to say a big Laker fan). My friend marveled at how Kobe had a ho hum game and still scored over thirty. Camby does the same, but with rebounding. He looks like he's having an average game (with the exception of the few great hustle plays he makes every game), and then you look on the scoreboard and you see another 20 rebound game. He is my favorite Clipper, and it pains me to watch him have to go through this in the twilight of his career.

Quick props also go out to Steve Novak and DeAndre Jordan for providing some big minutes off of the bench. I wasn't expecting anything out of a bench that consisted of three players, considering what we've seen out of a much fuller bench.

The last thing that I want to write about is the last play. Now, the goal tending call on Al Thornton was truly questionable, and I don't mean that in a negative way towards the referees. To me, it was a toss-up. They showed the replay a few times on the big screen at Staples, and it looked (at least from the views they gave) to be at the very top of its flight. I realize that Allen Iverson is going to get the call over Al Thornton in that case, but I just hate to see the referees make a crucial call late in a ball game, especially a winnable one for the Clippers. If they were decisive with the call, I would have been more understanding, but they seemed really unsure, and in my mind, that seems like a time when you've got to swallow your whistle. No opponent of the Clippers need any more help than the basic fact that they're playing Clippers. It probably was a goal tend, but I just can't stand referees having a major say in the outcome of a basketball game.

Anways, here are my REAL last thoughts. Kudos to Eric Gordon for his play today; he is so fun to watch and I'm appreciative that he got a shot off in those last three seconds to give me hope for that half a second it was airborne. I saw Tayshaun guarding him and I was thinkning "Oh no," but I was surprised to see him get to the ball and get a decent shot off in the face of one of the league's best defenders. Marcus Camby needs to keep doing what he's doing (or the opposite of what Baron's doing, they're the same). He's great to watch when you really appreciate the hustle plays. Thanks for not faking an injury and sitting out (*cough* Baron *cough*).

And, I finally figured out why Baron is such a great player. You get the same contribution from him whether he's on the bench or on the floor.

For some reason, I decided to open up the Sports section of today's Los Angeles Times to get more perspective on the Clippers fifth straight loss, this one coming against a Brand-less 76ers team. What I found, though, was one of the funniest quotes of all time from Donald Sterling. Per Lisa Dillman:

"Not one of my better nights," Sterling said in a brief chat with a couple of reporters in the corridor. "I don't take losing well."

It was hard for me to stop laughing after reading the afforementioned quote from probably the worst owner in professional sports. If he doesn't take losing well, than he sure has a hard time showing it. From what I can see, the product that he has put together doesn't take winning well. Since he's taken over the team in 1981, the team has never won 50 games in a season or made it past the second round of the playoffs. The team has only four playoff appearances (including one with a 36-46 record) .

Many people have argued that he's finally loosened up his wallet, which makes him a competent owner. However, I strongly disagree. Yes, the team has some talent now, but it sure hasn't translated into victories. The team is 8-23. I realize that there have been some key injuries, but by just watching this team anyone can tell that nobody (with the exception of Marcus Camby) really cares. Baron Davis hasn't led anything, except this team into the proverbial basement. I almost appreciate DTS' stingy days, because the Clippers had players who played hard, even though the results weren't there. With this team, Baron Davis has shown nothing but a disproportionate sense of entitlement. All he does is complain about calls he doesn't get or systems he's not in. If he were even worth half of the contract he signed this summer, he would suck it up and play basketball.

With the spending of money, DTS has really only exascerbated the problem. The Clipper attitude is still there, but now it is partnered with players who belive wins should just be handed to them based on their talent level. These guys don't realize that you have to fight for every win in the NBA. Just look at the Celtics. Yes, they're struggling right now, but they come out every game with an intensity that can't be matched by anyone else. You pair that with their talent level and you have yourself an NBA Championship. I am in no way comparing the Clippers to the Celtics, but it just goes to show that a certain attitude is needed to win, and the Clippers sorely lack that, especially from the man they brought in for that specific reason in Baron Davis.

They say that when a fish stinks, it stinks from the head. Well, we all know that the head of a professional sports franchise is the owner. Just like the rest of you, I'm putting a lot of blame on Dunleavy and Baron Davis. However, solving those problems would only cover up the real problem, which is the common denominator that every Clipper team since 1981 has had. Obviously, I'm talking about Donald Sterling. Sterling is a complete scumbag, though that part of his reputation does not get the attention that it deserves. The least he could do is put a competitive product on the floor.

Unfortunatly, I'm pretty sure that Donald Sterling was lying through his teeth in the quote above. What he was actually trying to say was that he has a love affair with losing.

ESPN and Yahoo Sports are reporting that Zach Randolph is going to be out for 1-2 weeks with that knee injury he suffered after being pushed by Jake Voskuhl, though as CS pointed out, none of the journalists seemed to have noticed that part. Anyways, here's the link to Yahoo's article:

Randolph Out

Well, what's new in Clipper land. Just as the team looks alright taking four of five games, they go ahead and remind us all that they are still the Clippers with three consecutive losses by at least twenty points. I would indulge you with the stats, except I haven't bothered to look them up (I really don't want to feel any worse than I have after watching these three games).

So with Zach out, I guess the question becomes when do the Clippers get to 10 wins. Judging from their play against a Dallas team sans Dirk Nowitzki, I would be leaning towards the never side. Oh, Zack, please come back soon.