Are the Los Angeles Clippers cursed into being one of the leagues worst franchises ever? How does a team that has had so many top 10 selections in the NBA draft throughout the years be unable to improve itself via the draft? Although many fans in the Clipper Nation can easily point out the draft bust selections of center Lorenzen Wright (#7 pick in 1996) or Michael Olowokandi (#1 1998) and Russian small foward Yaroslav Korolev (#12 2005) in which they never lived up to their expectations.
However, owner Donald Sterling and GM Elgin Baylor have been able to draft quailty players such as Lamar Odom, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, Marko Jaric, Chris Kaman, Shaun Livingston, Chris Wilcox and Al Thornton. But why are the Clippers still the laughing stock of the league? One of the reasons is that it is widely known that the Clipper management pinches their pennies and would rather trade away a player in return for young talent than on re-signing a player to a long-term contract.
Letting PG Sam Cassell leave to the Boston Celtics reiterated to its fans that they would rather save money and let a player who can still run the floor and post up most guards and was clearly their 3rd best player on the team just walk away from this sinking Clipper ship. How many other players will they simply let walk away from this bad situation?
This summer, the Clippers will have two quality fowards that will be free-agents, PF Elton Brand and SF Corey Maggette. Although GM Baylor has already expressed his desire to sign Brand to a deal in that he is the leagues most underrated power fowards in the NBA. In addition, SF Corey Maggette has been the sole reason why they have won at least 21 gms this year. However, I really don't see Corey staying in LA due to the fact that head coach Mike Dunleavy and Maggette don't see eye-to-eye and every year his name is always tossed in various trade rumors. Unfortunately, it looks like both Livingston and Brand will not be able to play until next season and the new just goes from bad to worse.
I really believe that the Clippers have the players to make a good run for the next 3-4 seasons if they can keep these players. Injuries has really devastated this team and clearly have not been the same since Livingston's freak accident against the Memphis Grizzlies last season. On the other hand, if he can make a successful comeback and with the development of Al Thornton emerging as a slashing foward similar to Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks, then the Clippers will have young and atheletic players to compete on a nightly basis.
It is crucial that Sterling and Baylor re-sign both these players this summer and start a new chapter in their history in where they are no longer known as just developing young talent so that they can simply sign elsewhere. This misery must be put to an end, once and for all.