Debunking the Los Angeles Clipper Curse With Blake Griffin

It's impossible to deny that everything about the Clippers 2009-2010 season revolved around Blake Griffin. ESPN shot one of their RV commercials with Griffin, and even included his image to promote the new ESPN Los Angeles web site. 

L.A., along with the entire NBA community, was excited to welcome this years overall first pick in the draft. 

Everything began to fall apart on a monster dunk by the athletic Griffin during the preseason. He went for his knee after he came down, but nothing about the landing seemed to indicate this was anything more than a minor injury, if that. 

We know now of course that Griffin suffered a broken kneecap which ended up costing him the 2009-2010 season.

The reaction to news that surgery would end Griffin's season before it began was immediate and predictable. 

"Clipper curse strikes Griffin." 

"Does Clipper curse continue with loss of Griffin?"

"How Blake Griffin could have avoided the Clippers curse." 

If it wasn't so prevalent, it would be funny. Well, it's still kind of funny.

There is no curse. 

No Clipper player or owner made a pact with any other-worldly character. No Clipper stadium was ever built on a sacred burial ground. No former player is stabbing a Clipper doll with pins while dancing around a fire.

The Clippers aren't cursed, they are unlucky, and have been, to date, unprepared.

Luck has a way of balancing out between good and bad. All franchises have good-luck streaks followed by a run of bad-luck. It's just the way things go. This is where things change for the Clippers.

During a string of good-luck a team might get the first pick in the draft. Teams well prepared for their streak of good-luck pick Tim Duncan. Teams not as well prepared opt for Michael Olowokandi.

During a string of bad-luck a well-prepared franchise rallies with a united front and a plan to work their way out. Poorly prepared franchises panic. They don't develop a plan for the future...instead, they react to the present. 

Poorly prepared teams spin their wheels, and end up right back where they started by creating their own bad-luck.

See how it works?

There is no Clipper curse. There is, however, no doubt the franchise proved to be ill-prepared for the string of good-luck fate presented in the past, and panicked when things didn't go their way.

The silver lining to the cloud that is Griffin's lost season is understanding that in recent history the Clippers did well when fate sent them good-luck. 

Their last three draft picks were Al Thornton, Eric Grodon, and Blake Griffin. Their trades and player signings brought in the likes of Marcus Camby, and left the team with substantial cap space going into the highly anticipated 2010 free agent signing spree.

Good-luck came and where the Clippers swung and missed in the past...recently they have been hitting the ball out of the park.

Now, the balance comes, and the club has to absorb some bad-news. How they react to that will be key. 

Does the team panic and trade Marcus Camby? Does ownership panic and dump Dunleavy? Or do they ride this out understanding that a plan is in place and everything will balance out in the end?

We will see.

Pat Robertson, there is no curse that was in any way related to the devastation in Haiti. Silly man, stupid asinine statement.

Clipper fans, take heart, there is no Clipper curse that caused the devastation that was the Clipper past. The tide is turning, the balance of luck is changing. 

This is just a speed bump on the way to an exciting offseason, and a energized Clipper squad in the 2010-2011 season.