Don’t hold out hope
Watching Blake Griffin ascend the stage Thursday night at the NBA Draft, don a Los Angeles Clippers hat, shake David Stern’s hand and offer a wondrous smile to the folks in attendance and watching at home, seasoned NBA observers had to think: does this boy have any idea what he’s in for?
It isn’t just the fact that he is now an LA Clipper. That was pretty much a foregone conclusion after the lottery. Even the Clippers aren’t going to trade away the No. 1 pick in a draft that is, well, one player deep. But throw in the fact that Griffin is the No. 1 overall pick and a Clipper and that is a combustible mix, the draft equivalent of hooking Clippers owner Donald Sterling up to a lie detector machine.
You are just waiting for everything to explode.
It’s not Griffin’s fault, to be sure. I suppose his agent could have made a stand, although that tends not to work these days; remember how Dan Fegan said that Yi Jianlian was never going to go to Milwaukee? And the Clippers do reside in Los Angeles, which is not to be confused with, say, Milwaukee or Minneapolis.
But do you think Griffin knows that there is as much space devoted in the Clippers Media Guide to player numbers as there is to playoff history? Do you think he knows that of the last 10 lottery picks the Clippers have made, and they make one just about every year, only three are still on the roster?
And do you think he has any idea about the previous two No. 1 overall picks the Clippers had – and what happened to them? It’s not promising.
Danny Manning was the Blake Griffin of 1988, except even better. He was a 6-foot-10 magician with the ball, drawing comparisons to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He was coming off a season which saw his college team, the University of Kansas, win the NCAA title. He was as consensus a No. 1 pick as there was – and the Clippers did not flinch in making this pick. It was the right thing to do.
This was, however, before the days of the rookie salary cap and the late, great, Ron Grinker represented Manning. It was a bit of a change for Grinker, whose clientele usually consisted of borderline NBA guys. (He was dubbed the ‘Broadway Danny Rose’ of agents for that reason.) Grinker and Sterling went nose to nose amid threats of holdouts and lines in the sand and, eventually, Manning signed.
Twenty-six games into his rookie year, Manning blew out his right knee, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament. His season was over; so was his team’s. The Clippers were in a stretch where they would go 1-28 in the months of January and February.
Although Manning recovered and played well enough in Los Angeles to be chosen to make two All-Star Game appearances in 1993 and 1994 – the latter coming a few days before he was traded to Atlanta for Dominique Wilkins – it is the knee injury that sticks to his Clipper Days. (You would be hard pressed to find an article from that time that doesn’t mention Manning and Tony Daly, the Clippers’ orthopedist, in the same sentence.) Oh, yes, the the Clippers made the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time with Manning. They lost in the first round both times.
Manning never became the star di tutti that everyone thought he’d be. He picked up a Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1998 with the Suns, a few years after he tore the ACL in his other knee during a practice in Phoenix. He ended up playing for seven teams and it’s safe to say he won’t have to spend any time waiting for the phone call from Springfield. But no one – and I mean, no one- would have dared make that statement on Draft Night 1988.
Then came 1998, a decade later, and the Clippers again had the No. 1 overall pick. Among the names available that night were Paul Pierce, Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and a young, unknown German named Dirk Nowitzki. Confronted with all these possibilities, the Clippers instead selected Michael Olowokandi, from the University of the Pacific, mainly because he was (a) 7-feet tall and (b) full of promise.
Five years later, after playing his final game for the Clippers, Olowokandi was still (a) 7-feet tall and (b) full of promise. A few years later, he was out of the NBA, as Pierce was becoming the MVP of the NBA Finals and the other aforementioned fellows were annual All-Stars or All-NBA selections.
The Clippers weren’t alone in their interest in Olowokandi. He was pleasant chap from across the pond who was appealing because he supposedly was uncorrupted by the AAU culture of American basketball and, thus, open to the possibilities of actually learning. (Read: The anti-Stephon Marbury.) Five seasons in a Clipper uniform, only one of which could be deemed remotely productive, left him with the reputation of, well, a pleasant chap open to learning. He still is that.
But while Carter, Pierce, Nowitzki and Bibby all won awards and/or took their teams into the playoffs, the Clippers remained the Clippers. Their best year with Olowokandi resulted in 39 wins. There were no playoff appearances in five years. More to the point, the Clippers never bothered to re-sign the kid – almost automatic with a No. 1 pick these days, even if your name is Andrew Bogut and you’ve done nothing to deserve am extension – and then let him go to free agency, unrestricted. Kevin McHale, then the Timberwolves’ basketball boss, signed Olowokandi, doing a good deed to his friend and college roomie, agent Bill Duffy.
Hopefully, for the Clippers and Blake Griffin, this will be a different story. But it’s hard to make a case for the kid. The Clippers were bad last year and the Western Conference is brutal.
But just when everyone thought things might be changing for the Clippers, after their wonderful playoff run in 2006, things went south again. Franchise stalwart (and the universally loved) Elton Brand ditched them for the 76ers, with the Clippers crying foul (and worse.) Baron Davis came aboard, supposedly to join Brand, and did . . . absolutely nothing. Injuries decimated the team.
But they won the lottery!
And, for all of you basketball-loving fans out there, the address to send Griffin his condolence cards is:
Blake Griffin
Los Angeles Clippers
1111 So. Figueroa St.
Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Ben Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 10:32 am
Why did you write the same article Simmons wrote the day before?
Figz Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 11:21 am
WOW…LMAO! This is hilarious. Sad but true. I hope that this isn’t the case for Blake Griffin. We shall she as soon as the 09-10 season gets rolling.
james Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 12:00 pm
I hope this works, It would be good for the nba if it worked. Clippers need a true superstar.
akram47 Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!! Your an off-brand Bill Simmons. I wonder if Hoops Hype got your words on Discount?
haha
the CAPTCHA words down below are more original than your whole article!!!!
hahaha
haha
shutup Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 2:40 pm
Hey idiot,
Enough with the clipper bashing! There have been tons of teams that have had bad past that turn things around. Mavericks, Hawks, Kings, and Hornets have all had bad pasts then got a couple of good players and turned it around. You have to judge the clippers in two different eras, pre staple center and post staple center. See the clippers have to win now because they have to put butts in the seats or they’ll lose their lease. We’re two years removed from almost going to the western conference finals. We have two solid parts, Griffin and Gordon, who”ll be wrecking shop for the next 10 years. Yes, our coach hasn’t made the best decisions some times but hey he’s been to more finals then most coaches in the NBA. If we get a back up point guard who can shoot we’re deep really deep. The west isn’t as deep as it was before, a couple of teams have been sliding so there is room to make a move. Clipper will have a winning record this year and you”ll eat your words!
G Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 4:11 pm
WOW! I have never seen this before……another article completly ripping the Clipps and their said doomed pick. I hope they turn it around this season…Griffin will find you in your seat and dmup your beer or soda on your head.
stuckey Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
the most positive thing for the Clippers organization of late is not the drafting of Blake Griffin…
it is getting rid of THE WORST GENERAL MANAGER IN SPORTS FRANCHISE HISTORY: ELGIN BAYLOR
the most recent picks under Dunleavy have been good. Mike may only make this team into an average team, but it will be progress compared to what Elgin Baylor consistently put out for 22 years.
Clippers may have a chance in understanding what the definition of potential is.
Paul Corvus Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 6:03 pm
“Never underestimate a team’s ability to change when presented with a strong positive (*or negative) catalyst.” - Me
Some Positive Catalysts:
Denver Nuggets > Arrival of Carmelo Anthony
Cavaliers > Arrival of Lebron “Soon to $ in as an NFL Tight End” James
Suns > Arrival of Steve Nash
Jordan’s Bulls > Arrival of Pippen
Warriors > Don Nelson
Or the Negative Catalysts…
*Suns < Arrival of ShaQ
*Knicks < Arrival of Marbury
*Philly < Arrival of Elton Brand
*L.A. Clipps < Baron “Grizzly Adams” Davis
*Warriors < Don Nelson
If Blake “Griffindor!” Griffin, A.K.A. the Albino Rhino, can win over his teammates, his coach, and even part of the city’s fan base, the Clippers could be “the new cool thing in L.A.”
Ok, maybe not, but I believe that with a few shrewd additions and subtractions from the roster. Despite the track record of consistently being one of the most poorly managed sports teams in the last half century, I think they just might be able to turn things around and navigate their way out of the lottery.
If not, expect to see “Cavaliers” printed on the front of the big Griffindor’s jersey come time he opts out.
noah Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 9:42 pm
Obviously, neither of these picks worked out great, but the Manning pick is totally different from the Olowokandi pick. First of all, if Manning had stayed healthy, he probably would have been an all-star. Second, even with all the injuries, Manning had a top-five career among players in the ‘88 draft.
Who was better/more valuable than Manning in that draft?
1. Rik Smits
2. Mitch Richmond
3. Rony Seikaly
That’s it. There was also a handful of guys who were about as valuable as Manning. Charles Smith, Hersey Hawkins, Rex Chapman, Dan Majerle, Rod Strickland, Vernon Maxwell (who did’t go until #47), and Anthony Mason (who went #53).
So Manning was almost certainly a top five pick, and was absolutely a top 10 pick—even considering the injury. Olowokandi proved not to be deserving of a first round pick. Manning was a top 10 guy.
TheManWhoKnows Said,
June 26, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
Peter……Peter……. Peter.
If you are gonna bash the Clippers - how original, btw…..! - at least get your facts straight.
RE.: Olowokandi: The Clippers actually did want to re-sign him and offered that lazy slug a deal in the neighborhood of 5 yrs/60 mio. after his 4th year. But, the guy and his greedy agent thought they should be rewarded with a MAX deal so Cancer decided to play out his contract and get max $$$ somewhere else. Of course, he then got injured and had a pretty miserable season - and ended up signing with the Wolves for 3/15! LOL
Second biggest bullet the Clippers ever dodged - after the 6/80 Brand disaster the Sixers are currently trying to unload after they stole the gentleman from us.
Karma……… is a bitch.
Melvin Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 1:57 am
Lols, the article made me laugh… I guess the Clips are just UNLUCKY in cards.. =p
sdfsdf Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 3:00 am
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/207700-do-you-believe-in-magic-off-season-analysis
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/207700-do-you-believe-in-magic-off-season-analysis
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/207700-do-you-believe-in-magic-off-season-analysis
CubansTasteGood Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 7:39 am
What’s your address so I can send you a brain?
B. Laesch Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 12:15 pm
Here, I will say something original. I would like to give Blake Griffin his first nickname. Now, this may not be any good until we see him play and he throws down a monstrous dunk. Barring that happening, I kind of like it.
Ready?
Here it is: RoboClip
Corny? Maybe. But he kind of reminds me of RoboCop and he’s a Clipper. You’ve gotta admit, it’s at least better than “The Matrix” or “The Machine.” You just need the right announcer to make it sound cool.
Thoughts?
Scubba Steve Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 4:42 pm
Aight this h=guy is just a pompous sports writer who doesn’t seem to understand that every trend gets broken at some point in sports. Do You think the Spurs were always a consumate playoff championship team? NO afeter they merged into the league they sucked until they got THE ADMIRAL and then sucked a few more times until they got TIM DUNCAN. That’s what’s happening with the clips. Forget Baron Davis who’s on vacation in LA and not really a professional basketball player anymore, or Chris Kaman who has so many offensive skills but yet disappears nightly, and forget Zack Randoplh who we really don’t want and will just let his contract expire, and forget Marcus Camby who is great, but just not a good fit for this team.
Have you forgot yet?
The Clippers are Al Thornton, a sporadic but sharp 3rd scoring option, Eric Gordon, who will be the best all-around shooter/scorer in the league at some point in his career, DeAndre Jordan, the slept on bigman who only had 5 games to prove himself last year and blocked and rebounded incrediby well, and the bright young buck Blake Griffin, who is a shorter, quicker Tim Duncan, but without the D.
Plug in a new PG in the future and this team will be a perenial playoff team.
Suck It Peter May ur about to look like a douche
Ryan Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
LOL, the clippers need to change their management, (owners and personnels) Their players are never going to get better because they are stuck with the same people from the past. These people are just not as good as the other teams which actually makes their player better.
GG to the clippers.
Daniel Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 5:17 pm
The Clippers are dumb, they should have set themselves up for the Summer of 2010. Imagine having a bunch of these lottery picks,
SG Eric Gordon
SF Al Thorton
PF Blake Griffin
C DeAndre Jordan (lottery potential had he stayed a year)
and then bringing in LeBron or somebody else. Dont think LeBron would be interested in coming to Kobe-Town with a young promising roster??? We’ll never get to see that
sulingman Said,
June 27, 2009 @ 8:59 pm
Oh, this is rich. The Clips were epically stupid for using a #1 pick on a Center, like no other franchise ever made that mistake. Or as if other franchises know what they’re getting in the draft. But when McHale signs him… after plenty of NBA evidence was in hand… that’s a good deed.
Which was the bigger mistake? Drafting a bad player or signing a bad veteran? They should’ve picked the “unknown” Nowitzki?
But what truly boggles my mind is people’s refusal to acknowledge management turnover and the subsequent great picks that happen to still be on the roster…
Alan Ayoub (Pharaoh MC) Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 3:48 am
I honestly believe the Clippers are the best team in the West now. The 19 wins they had last year were because of injuries and confusion. Now, there is no confusion, depth, and no injuries!
The Clippers are hard.
No Corny cell phone crowd, and we are the pure underdog element of LA about to show the world that there’s a Rocky inside of Staples Center ready to destroy.
My evidence: Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby, Blake Griffin, Eric Gordan, Al Thorton, Chris Kaman, Mike Taylor, Steve Novak
Redondo Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 12:00 pm
Lol, your just jealous (like a lot of other writers) that your team didn’t get to draft Griffin.
frank_head Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
I like the Clippers. Al thornton, Eric Gordon, Zach Randolph. These guys are very productive players. DeAndre Jordan at that cost looks very good on the team also.
Who cares what mistake have been made in the past. Its irrelevant to the team now. With the addition of Blake, things arent as bad as this article reads.
harry Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
Wow…A lot of delusional Clipper fans in this thread. I didn’t even know delusional Clipper fan existed. I mean, I’m assuming you guys live in LA and were just too stupid not to realize you had one of the five best franchises in sports playing in the exact same city actually winning and putting teams on the floor that were fun to watch.
Oh…and this article is Bill Simmons lite. There’s a good chance that May didn’t read Simmons article on the Clippers, but you have to do better if you want to write puff pieces. You have to make the puff entertaining.
jason Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
This is the worse artcle i have ever read cause its a carbon copy of another one i read and if your a sports writer i guesse its easy game with the clippers hey even conan rips on them. Blake Griffen is a stud any team would have taken him at #1 clippers have a deep roster with vets and youth and we have every postition covered so look out!!
jason Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 3:33 pm
Hey peter whats your Address so i can send condolence cards to you i have a feeling you wont be a sports writer for long with artcles like this!!!
Phil Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
This article is lame. It’d be a fair or rational thing to predict things go bad for the Clippers because of bad management, and the fact that their owner seems content with making money off the team and not winning. He’s one of the few owners really making money.
But to say they’re doomed because of a bad history with number one picks. That has absolutely nothing to do with Blake Griffin, Zach Randolph, Baron Davis and some of the other talents on the team. I think it really comes down to what it comes down to with every team. Is ownership really committed to trying to build a winner? Not will this pick save the franchise, silly article.
Harry Sucksa Vaginal Juice Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 6:41 pm
Yo Harry their are planty of reasons to be a clipper fan. You get to go to cheaper games and get better seats while still seeing all the same NBA players, and if we want to see the Lakers we can buy Clipper tickets 2 times a year for almost half the price. Sounds like ur just a dillusional Clipper hater FAG!!!!!!!!!
Jerry Said,
June 28, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
Danny Manning was better?
Not! He didn’t have much toughness and couldn’t shoot from outside. In the 1988 Olympics Final Game, he scored exactly “zero” points. Way to represent your country, Danny boy. Last time Griffen scored zero was probably in 1st grade. Celtics went from worst to best. It would be nice if your level of journalism could show the same improvement…..
scain Said,
June 29, 2009 @ 9:30 am
On paper they have respectable talent. Z Randolph, M. Camby, B. Davis, C. Kaman and also some nice young talent in B Griffin, A Thorton and E Gordon. But two questions remain: Can they stay healthy? and Can they develop team chemistry? The Clippers need a winning season to get some momentum going again and then will see what happens.
space Said,
June 29, 2009 @ 10:08 am
olowakandi was viewed as a calculated gamble. its not his selection that was a bad thing. look at ALL the #1 picks. its never really what one thinks. the curse is in all the injuries that destroy the possibilities of this team over the years and the ‘fix’ moves that follow.
most recently: brand, livingston.
i sincerely hope blake griffin has a fabulous career.
his brother was vastly underrated as well. hope they both do well
illastrate Said,
June 29, 2009 @ 11:56 am
Just another article dissing the Clips because of the Clipper “brand”. At the time Olowokandi was projected #1 by most scouts, so had the Grizzlies won, they would’ve probably selected him too, but of course they’re NOT the Clippers, so people would’ve just swept it under the rug years later.
What’s hilarious is a lot of these “journalists” and “bloggers” have very little insight when writing about the Clips. That’s no different than Leno’s Clipper jokes during his monologue. It’s myopia at its best.
@harry It would be all too easy to jump on the Lakers bandwagon, wouldn’t it? To be a fan of a team where fans don’t show up until halftime and stars are in the stands drinking their chai tea. You want Clippers fans to support that product? Where’s the fun in that?
frank B Said,
June 29, 2009 @ 11:59 am
Remember what Ron Harper said when he left the Clippers and went to the Bulls? Leaving the Clippers was like getting out of jail!
The Clippers have talent. Mike Dunleavy is just a terrible coach. It is unbelievable that Donald Sterling gives this guy more and more power and money.
In 1986 I attended the business school at UCLA. One of our first year projects was to pick a local business and examine their management to see what made them succesful. A bunch of us had the idea of interviewing Clipper managment to try to understand how they were so poorly managed. Fortunately Mitch Kupchak was attending UCLA at the same time and he was able to get us an interview with Jerry West instead—what a treat!
As long as Donald Sterling runs the Clippers they won’t be succesful on the court. Period.
sdfsdf Said,
June 30, 2009 @ 1:16 pm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/209238-milwaukee-bucks-off-season-preview
Joe Said,
July 2, 2009 @ 11:31 am
This article is garbage. Were the Clips supposed to magically predict that Manning was going to tear his ACL?
The Clipper bashing is out of control. In recent years they have started to open up their checkbook to free agents, and they should be praised for that. They have a solid core of players that includes Davis, Gordon, Thornton, Griffin, and Kaman. Enough already with the Clipper bashing.
Alain Niala Said,
July 2, 2009 @ 10:53 pm
wow, an article bashing the clippers. how original. yes, the clippers have had monumental bad luck, but what is there potential for next season? why won’t people talk about that? why won’t sportswriters pull their heads out of the backside of their boxers and take a real look at the roster going into next season?
salary cap draining Randolph is gone… Q is back and is a decent long-range threat. The bulk of the team from last year is returning, along with the #1 pick. Gordon is a real stud-in-the-making. Thornton is a solid scorer. Jordan has shown signs of being a decent C. If Kaman can regain his poise from a couple seasons ago, he can also be a real threat. B-Dizzle is a question mark, but nobody can question he’s one of the best when he’s at the top of his game. This is a solid team that is very capable of making noise in the league next season. I’m not saying they are playoff worthy yet, but they can certainly beat most of the elite teams. and if they play their cards right, they may have enough cap space to land one of the 2010 free agent superstars.
Jon KIng Said,
July 3, 2009 @ 9:41 pm
Clippers fans are so sensitive and wrong. The franchise should be a joke subject. They are in a huge markets and the other team in town wins time after time and they lose time after time. It is what it is, a joke of a franchise whose every move backfires due to an owner with crappy karma.