Since the move to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers have only been known as L.A.’s “other team”. This label of mediocrity is perhaps an understatement – they should be all the NBA’s “other team”. Under the ownership of Donald Sterling, the Clippers have only won one playoff series, while getting knocked out in 3 other appearances. They are the oldest team with no Finals appearance, and are one of three teams to have never won any championship(that includes Finals, Conference, and Division). In fact, Sterling has been critiqued as one of the worst owners in the league, so all of this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. But this upcoming offseason presents a great opportunity for the franchise to reshape their future dramatically for the better. They have a core of Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, Chris Kaman, a first round pick in the lottery, and enough cap space to sign a max free agent. No matter how you look at it, that’s a golden opportunity. Yet the Clippers have not received nearly as much praise or faith as they should have. The reason? Precedents. The Clippers have failed to put together a winning culture time and time again. What makes this situation any different? I suppose that’s why they relieved Mike Dunleavy of his GM duties, hoping to change their luck for the better. However, they may have to do more than that to convince the doubters.

Last game: Jan 21, Denver Nuggets 105 – Los Angeles Clippers 85 Next game: @ Washington Wizards, Jan 24 1:00pm ET

Come back soon Blake, this team needs you.

The Clippers have been a big disappointment, they have too much talent to play this bad, bring in a real coach for gods sake, how long must this go on?

Playoffs for the Clippers? If they can stay injury-free, the Clippers have lots of talent on this roster. Baron Davis, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman all have durability concerns. Rookie Blake Griffin improves the talent, athleticism, scoring potential, rebounding and in short if he stays healthy, he should be the Rookie of the Year. Eric Gordon had a very promising rookie season and i expect for him to improve upon it in his second season. Craig Smith was a very underrated acquisition for the clippers, he should provide frontcourt depth. Newly acquired Rasual Butler should also provide much needed perimeter shooting, backup point guard Sebastian Telfair must show more consistency.

Key Additions: Blake Griffin, Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith

Key Subtractions: Zach Randolph, Fred Jones

Projected Starting Lineup: Baron Davis/ Eric Gordon/ Al Thornton/ Blake Griffin/ Chris Kaman

Key Reserves: Marcus Camby, Sebastian Telfair, Rasual Butler, Ricky Davis, Craig Smith, DeAndre Jordan

-Bennice

It was inevitable that once the Clippers landed the top overall pick that either Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, or Zach Randolph would have to be traded so that Griffin could come in and start right and the Clippers decided that shipping out Zach Randolph would be the best route to go. That’s probably not going to be the only move the Clippers make this off-season as there are reports that they were and still are receiving calls about center Marcus Camby. Franchises receive calls about players all the time and it is unknown of just how serious these talks got, however, because Camby’s contract expires this season it makes him a big time acqusition because of his play and he won’t eat into anyone’s salary beyond the 2009-10 season.

If Camby is dealt, then the Clippers will be losing much more than an expiring contract. Even at his age, Camby is still a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end and on maybe 25 of the 30 teams in the NBA, he’d serve as their defensive backbone and perhaps be their best defender in the process. This Clippers team has tons of talent all over and should begin to slowly pull themselves up out of the basement of the Western Conference, but that’ll ultimately rest upon a few things. 1) The health of Baron Davis, 2) the growth of Eric Gordon and Al Thorton, and 3) how well Blake Griffin can mesh into the line-up with those guys.

When the Los Angeles Clippers won the NBA Lottery on Tuesday, there was no question who’d be selected first overall. Now that the Clippers have came out and opened said they’d select Blake Griffin with the first pick, what comes next? Is the arrival of Blake Griffin enough to thrust the Clippers into playoff consideration? Probably not, but they’ll be much closer than they were last season. However, Griffin will definitely create a logjam on the Clippers front-line, kind of how Greg Oden caused a logjam on the Blazers front-line a couple of seasons ago. So who’s go to? Will it be Kaman? Camby? Randolph? Will they venture to keep them all? Whatever they decide to do, the Clippers have tough decisions ahead of them.

It’s not like the Clippers have huge holes to fill on the wings or at the point guard position. Eric Gordon will come into his own, Al Thornton will come into his own, and Baron Davis is a proven guy who can get this team going if he can stay on the court. Maybe they’ll venture to try and acquire a capable bench guy who can be instant offense from a reserve role. No one knows, but one thing that is for certain, even though it’s a tough position to be in, it’s a good problem to have.

By: Dustin Chapman

Transactions

• Selected Eric Gordon 7th overall.

• Selected DeAndre Jordan 35th overall.

• Traded a 2009 second round draft pick to Portland for the rights to Mike Taylor (55th overall).

The Clippers were put in a terrific situation at #7, where they had the option of choosing between Eric Gordon and Jerryd Bayless. The bottom line is that heading into this draft, the Clippers needed to get a high-potential guard. They got just that in Eric Gordon, who is a dynamite perimeter scorer with a strong body and long arms. He’s got ridiculous shooting range, a lightning quick release, and a second gear off the dribble when he wants to explode to the bucket. He’s not going to turn himself into a point guard, but he is a big time scorer with star potential despite his size. Could LA regret passing on Bayless down the line? Possibly, time will tell. But he isn’t quite a prototypical point guard, himself.

Coming into the draft, it seemed as though everybody was low on DeAndre Jordan, and rightfully so. Let’s be honest – he’s a great athlete, but he’s got a long way to go before he can be considered a good basketball player. Teams were not willing to take the risk on him in the first round, which is understandable. However, the Clippers being able to snatch him up in the early second round (35th overall) was fantastic. At that point, he is no longer a risk. At 35th overall, that is a low-risk, high-reward scenario; that’s all you could ask for with a prospect like Jordan.

Grade: B+

Just days after reports suggested that Clippers guard Shaun Livingston had been making steady progress, Marc Spears of the Boston Globe writes that the Clippers are unlikely to send the injury-plagued guard the qualifying offer this summer.

It’s not always best to take need over talent in the NBA draft, but with long-term concerns over injured guard Shaun Livingston, it would be a shock if the Clippers didn’t take a guard with the seventh pick. Livingston destroyed his left knee after landing awkwardly following a missed layup against Charlotte in February 2007, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament, and the lateral meniscus. The fourth overall pick in 2004 missed last season and it’s uncertain when he will play again. An NBA source said the Clippers aren’t expected to make Livingston a qualifying offer (the lowest starts at $5.8 million), making him an unrestricted free agent July 1. But with major knee concerns, it’s uncertain the Clippers, or any team, will be rushing to sign him. According to the source, Livingston can’t work out back-to-back days and needs about 90 minutes of therapy before doing noncontact basketball drills. There is speculation he might not be able to play at the NBA level again. What made Livingston special: he is a point guard with Magic Johnson-like height, at 6 feet 7 inches. But if he returns without his spectacular quickness, he could move to the small forward position.

Let’s also note that the Clippers declining Livingston’s option does not necessarily mean that he is done in Los Angeles. It could merely mean that Elgin Baylor and the gang are reluctant to shell out over $5 million to a player who has as much of a chance of becoming a failure than becoming a recovery success story… if not more of a chance.

Anybody with half of a heart wishes Livingston luck. Let’s hope the multi-talented 6′7” guard can indeed develop a heart-warming story to get his career back on the right track.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

Art Thompson III reports:

Guard Shaun Livingston has yet to play in any sort of pickup basketball game but Livingston said that day is coming, soon.

“I’m feeling real good,” he said. “We’re getting real close to the time. Hopefully by June, I’ll be playing. That’s the plan, right now.”

Of course, the Clippers’ basketball staff will want to see Livingston in action by next month because a major decision involving him is impending. The Clippers must decide to tender Livingston a one-year contract offer of at least $5.8 million by June 30, otherwise he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Livingston, of course, missed the entire 2007-2008 season, while recovering from a catastrophic injury to his left knee, suffered Feb. 26, 2007. Livingston will conduct his third annual youth basketball camp in his hometown of Peoria, Ill., Aug. 4-9.

The picture above is a little rough to look at, but that doesn’t even come close to comparing with the gruesome image of the injury captured on video. If you have yet to view it, you can take a look here (caution: be prepared for a glorified nails against the chalkboard type of effect).

Let’s hope Livingston can overcome this agonizing misfortune, and continue to pursue his dreams as a successful pro. He’s got a boat load of talent; it’d be a real shame to see that all thrown away due to an uncontrollable situation like this.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

On the NBA’s 2008 NBA Draft Lottery night, the Los Angeles Clippers came away with the seventh overall pick in this year’s deep draft, filled with a cast of extremely talented young ballplayers.

Clippers President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor provided Clippers.com with some brief sentiments:

Do you have a list of players you want to look at?
“Absolutely. We always have a list of players that we like and want to bring in.”

How much does roster uncertainty affect the draft process?
“It’s not going to affect who we draft.”

What are the specific needs right now?
“We just have to look at our point guard situation. Last year we had a lot of injuries. We just have to look at that position very closely. We’ll get it done.”

Could you consider a trade?
“If it would be beneficial to our team, absolutely.”

Head coach Mike Dunleavy, who represented the Clippers at the lottery, offered his insights as well.

Can you tell me about your experience, representing your team?
“Obviously, I’m a little disappointed. We were hoping to move up and we actually moved back one slot, but we should still be able to get a pretty good player.”

Your thoughts on the outcome of the lottery overall?
“It worked out pretty well for the Chicago Bulls, getting the number one pick. Miami got number two and Minnesota moved up one spot, so I’m sure all three of those teams are pretty happy.”

At this time are you going after a specific player or a specific position?
“We’re picking seventh. The idea is to go with who is the best player available at that time, but you also look at the draft in terms of what your needs are. Overall, best player is going to override need, but if you have a situation where it’s close, you go with your need. Until we get players in and start working them out, there may be specific needs that we’re targeting, but until we get to that point in the draft and evaluate the players in the draft we won’t be able to make that decision.”

Can you speak specifically on the depth of the point guard class this year?“Overall there are a lot of guys in the draft that play point guard, but not necessarily on a full-time basis. They may be combo guards that have the ability to play one and two. Therefore you would evaluate based on that and depending on your need for a pure point guard or a combo guard, or if you say you’re going to go for the best player available, you turn it into an asset for a need you might have.”

Do you have a list of players you want to look at?

“We’re at seven. We have a draft order probably of the top 15 players that will be in that range. There’s a new format in the NBA this year where teams are allowed to bring in six players for a workout as opposed to four players last year. With that format of looking at six players at a time, you can play three-on-three, and it lends the opportunity to evaluate the players in a different way, a better way, I think. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

“We’re allowed to start bringing in players as of June 1st. The trick to it all is getting the guys in that you want to get in and see them play against guys you want to see them play against. It’s an interesting dynamic to say the least. For us, bottom line is we have to get through all of that to get players in that we think can help us and help us evaluate our situation the best.”

“We can’t say certain names because there are certain guys in the draft that have the ability to go back to college and have not totally committed. As we bring guys in, it will be apparent what our objective is.”

What are the specific needs right now?
“You have to evaluate all scenarios that are available to you. One is via trade, one is via free agency and the draft. When it comes time to pick, you’re going to make that decision based on those evaluations. For us, we have a lot of moving parts right now. We have guys that are free agents, we have guys that have been injured and there’s a lot more information that we need to have.”

What went through your head when you knew the Bulls had a top three pick?
“Obviously I was disappointed. You’re hoping that when Adam Silver says, ‘And with the ninth pick…’ you’ll see Chicago come up. When they don’t and you see the Charlotte Bobcats come up instead, you think, ‘Damn.’ The more teams you get through the better the opportunity is available for you to move up. Chicago’s probability was one and a half percent, so it was a big move and a very positive thing for them.”

The Clippers own the rights to two picks in this year’s NBA Draft, one in the first round (7th overall) and one in the second round (35th overall). The draft will take place on June 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman