Last week, the awful Clippers lost to the awesome Spurs, prompting goofy Clippers owner Donald Sterling to rip apart the team in the locker room. Now the Clippers likely deserve every bit of spittle Sterling can muster: the team should not be nearly as bad as it has been. There is talent on that roster, top to bottom. Sterling told the team he'd trade every one of the them, told second-year player Al Thornton he's the most selfish player in basketball, allegedly told coach Mike Dunleavy to "shut up."How'd that work out, boss? The Clips followed that expected Spurs loss with a 23-point home defeat to the 16-45 Grizzlies, and another home loss to the 28-37 Pacers on Saturday. Chris Kaman hasn't played in forever, but he knows what's cracking.
[...] Kaman said before tipoff, "It's like there's a curse on this team."There is a curse. It's (arguably) sentient, and it signs the paychecks. Everyone has talked about injuries (sure, a problem), Baron Davis' inability to work with Dunleavy (plausible) and the general malaise. But these cats aren't blind. Elgin Baylor had been, for better or worse (mostly worse), the face of the franchise for decades. And Sterling, Dunleavy and team president Andy Roeser booted him unceremoniously in October. Kaman admitted earlier this season by being weirded out by the Baylor exile. If you're weirding out Chris Kaman, things are weird.
These players (Davis especially) should be prideful enough to overcome the stench from courtside to compete consistently. It's no shock that the near-win Saturday came largely with youngsters manning the floor. But at some point, as one fan argues, the excuse that a cloud hangs over the Clippers ... that's excuse enough.↵
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