The Best Clippers Team Ever?
Headed into the off-season, Clippers fans will be asking the same question they always ask - will this be the best Clippers team ever?
It's a question that only the historically worst teams could possibly ask; teams like the Clippers that have never won a championship, never had 60 win seasons, and that seem to always be peeking at yet another lottery pick in next year's draft…
Though a history of mediocrity and failure might seem depressing to some, it is precisely this mixture of ingredients that puts every new Clippers team in the position to become the greatest squad every to suit up in the red, white and blue.
The Ranking "Best Clippers Team Ever" The Los Angeles Clippers have been LA's second team since they moved into town from San Diego (a long time ago), but in the mid 2000s the Clippers had more wins than the Lakers and found their way into the playoffs.
Thanks to some savvy off-season moves, the Clippers acquired Sam Cassell, Cutino Mobley, and Tim Thomas in 2005 to join Elton Brand and Chris Kaman for the 2005-2006 campaign. Brand made the All-Star team that season as the team went 47-35, winning in the first round of the playoffs against the Nuggets and finally losing in a game seven to Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.
Winning one round in the playoffs would not be constitute a "historic" team for many NBA franchises. If the Lakers lost in the first round, Kobe Bryant would be the angriest man alive. Not so for the perennial underdog LA Clippers.
In the last 35 years, the Clippers have made the playoffs 4 times and won a series only once, in 2006.
Recent Clippers Teams Considering the franchise track record, it makes sense for fans to get a little bit excited about the prospect of watching a this year's team become the greatest in franchise history. With some exciting talent on the roster - Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan - the Clippers are poised to compete for a playoff spot.
If the team can make some moves in the off-season to plug the defensive holes and the leadership void left by the trade of Baron Davis, these Clippers can do a lot with a short NBA season. Mo Williams and Chris Kaman seem to be the likeliest trade bait, but some Clippers fans don't want to see Williams go.
Williams is seen as a humble guy with some scoring skills and, though I would not take that away from him, there are people like myself who see too much redundancy between Williams and Gordon. Who knows? Maybe the three guard rotation with Eric Bledsoe, Eric Gordon and Mo Williams can be an effective one.
Any development in Blake Griffin's game will make this Clippers team a formidable opponent on any given night. The young legs of the Clippers may hold up better than those of some other teams if the games per week increase in this shortened NBA season.
Will this season be another step forward LA's second team? I think it will.
More From This Contributor:
Jordan vs. Russell: Best Ever Talk
Sources: YahooSports Basketball Reference
It's a question that only the historically worst teams could possibly ask; teams like the Clippers that have never won a championship, never had 60 win seasons, and that seem to always be peeking at yet another lottery pick in next year's draft…
Though a history of mediocrity and failure might seem depressing to some, it is precisely this mixture of ingredients that puts every new Clippers team in the position to become the greatest squad every to suit up in the red, white and blue.
The Ranking "Best Clippers Team Ever" The Los Angeles Clippers have been LA's second team since they moved into town from San Diego (a long time ago), but in the mid 2000s the Clippers had more wins than the Lakers and found their way into the playoffs.
Thanks to some savvy off-season moves, the Clippers acquired Sam Cassell, Cutino Mobley, and Tim Thomas in 2005 to join Elton Brand and Chris Kaman for the 2005-2006 campaign. Brand made the All-Star team that season as the team went 47-35, winning in the first round of the playoffs against the Nuggets and finally losing in a game seven to Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.
Winning one round in the playoffs would not be constitute a "historic" team for many NBA franchises. If the Lakers lost in the first round, Kobe Bryant would be the angriest man alive. Not so for the perennial underdog LA Clippers.
In the last 35 years, the Clippers have made the playoffs 4 times and won a series only once, in 2006.
Recent Clippers Teams Considering the franchise track record, it makes sense for fans to get a little bit excited about the prospect of watching a this year's team become the greatest in franchise history. With some exciting talent on the roster - Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan - the Clippers are poised to compete for a playoff spot.
If the team can make some moves in the off-season to plug the defensive holes and the leadership void left by the trade of Baron Davis, these Clippers can do a lot with a short NBA season. Mo Williams and Chris Kaman seem to be the likeliest trade bait, but some Clippers fans don't want to see Williams go.
Williams is seen as a humble guy with some scoring skills and, though I would not take that away from him, there are people like myself who see too much redundancy between Williams and Gordon. Who knows? Maybe the three guard rotation with Eric Bledsoe, Eric Gordon and Mo Williams can be an effective one.
Any development in Blake Griffin's game will make this Clippers team a formidable opponent on any given night. The young legs of the Clippers may hold up better than those of some other teams if the games per week increase in this shortened NBA season.
Will this season be another step forward LA's second team? I think it will.
More From This Contributor:
Jordan vs. Russell: Best Ever Talk
Sources: YahooSports Basketball Reference
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
Published by Eric Martin
Eric Martin is an artist and writer. Look for more of his work in The Stone Hobo, the Antelope Valley Anthology, The Open Doors Poetry Zine, Failure of Theory, Euclid's Negatives and on stage. He is an owner... View profile
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