| Why LeBron To The Clippers Makes Sense Authored by Scott Essman - November 20, 2009 - 10:46 am
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But there's one no brainer, a team who needs him worse than every other NBA team combined: the Los Angeles Clippers.
Not only have the Clippers been the sorriest team in the NBA over the past 25 years, they have been the perennial left-handed redheaded stepchild in Los Angeles, whose heart and soul fully belong to the Lakers, who, to make everything much worse, have owned the Staples Center in the ten years that the teams have co-inhabited that building.
Just how bad are the Clippers? Consider that in their 25 seasons in L.A., they have been above .500 in the regular season twice. Yes, two winning seasons and 23 losing ones. They made the playoffs in the 1991-92 season with 45 wins only to lose to a Utah Jazz team in a series that was relocated and postponed by the Rodney King L.A. riots.
Four years ago, their best in L.A., they won 47 games and launched into the playoffs before being bounced by a destined Phoenix team. Now, nearly every key player from that team (other than Chris Kaman) is long gone.
In fact, the Clippers have been doomed with the reality that quality players have regularly come to the team through drafts and trades - the most notable being their steal of Elton Brand from the Chicago Bulls before the 2001 season - but after a short taste of this notoriously cheap and mismanaged franchise, most valuable players end up leaving.
Owner Donald Sterling has said on record that he really means well and has tried to build a winning team in this Laker-mad town while he has attempted to be a great basketball owner. He isn't. Not even close. In fact, one can very easily make the case that he is among the worst owners in all of sports for many reasons. But that list would be rapidly erased if he signed LeBron James for several reasons.
Here are the big three reasons why LeBron should be and could be lured to the second team in the second city (and these reasons apply equally to the plights of both Sterling and James):
1) Attendance and Attention
The Clippers would become an immediate draw on par with the Lakers and would covet nearly equal media attention. Other good players would also be drawn to the idea of building a second great team in L.A., potentially surpassing the Lakers as an underdog story.
Everybody loves an underdog and it is incredibly rare to have the opportunity to play that underdog role while still in the second largest market in the country.
The Lakers have dominated all of the ink for so long, smashing the Clippers in the 25 years that both teams have been based in L.A., a Clippers-led by James would become quickly sexy to the otherwise Laker-soaked media and local beat writers.
2) Contention
Sure, the Clippers would be a top dog amongst a lot of other top dog in the difficult Western Conference, but if they kept their core of youthful perimeter players and workmanlike center Kaman all together to surround James, they would instantaneously become a playoff threat. Think of it this way - with a young core around James, they would have a team just as fortified as Cleveland.
Between Baron Davis and Kaman, plus Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon, the Clippers have a blend of old and young that will allow them to compete for a championship immediately while also holding enough young potential to lead the franchise to sustainability.
3) The Program
Why would James want to come to the Clippers when he will surely have other suitors? If he's asked ex-Clippers about the team's previous dealings with star players, he would certainly run screaming in the opposite direction of Sterling. But, if "the other Donald" decided to finally open his checkbook and make a commitment to James and possibly bring in another top talent to play beside him, James might welcome the challenge of growing a junior nascent L.A. team. Plus, it's not as if the Knicks have been recently well-organized or are on a path to NBA greatness with their current lineup. James and the Clippers could actually become a potent force in visibility, marketing, and on-the-court presence. And do the Clippers ever need something, ANYTHING to boost their team.
If the Clippers go without James or any of the big-name free agents entering the market next summer, we can just expect more of the same for this team: drafting high, losing such picks, and dismantling the team every five years. Their top pick Griffin, only 20, has yet to play a game this season due to major injury, another part of the Clippers' ongoing curse (see Danny Manning).
Without Griffin, how bad has it gotten in Clipper-land this season? On November 18th, they lost badly to an impotent Memphis team, getting manhandled by 15 points on the road in front of a scant few thousand indifferent fans. For a team that has been headed in the wrong direction for 25 years, things have gotten even worse for the LAC. Taking a legitimate shot at James could finally put them on the right path. |
