Five reasons to Enjoy the Beauty of Sports in Los Angeles

Senior Writer Written on July 04, 2008

(Page 2 of 4)

The Clippers came to L.A. from San Diego, but the franchise started as the Buffalo Braves. Some Clipper fans have even stated that they’ve been treated as second-class citizens as fans of the other NBA team. It is understandable, considering the team has had several dismal seasons.

It appeared that the Clippers were on the verge of turning the corner in 2006. The Clippers made the playoffs and took the Phoenix Suns to seven games before losing. The Clippers' 2007-08 season was derailed by multiple player injuries.

The only bright spot after the Clippers horrible season was receiving the seventh-overall pick in the NBA draft. The team drafted shooting guard Eric Gordon from Indiana University.

The 6’3” combo guard and former Mr. Indiana led the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game en route to being named the Big Ten freshman of the year. The team also landed seven-foot center DeAndre Jordan from Texas A & M University.

However, that wasn’t the biggest news for the Clippers. For the first time in the Donald Sterling era they’ve signed a big-name free agent in PG Baron Davis. He signed a five-year, $65-million contract. This is a significant move for the Clippers. It makes them relevant again but does not guarantee them a playoff spot.

The biggest challenge for the Clippers right now is re-signing both PF Elton Brand and SF Corey Maggette, who both opted out of the final years of their contracts.

Brand opted out of a contract that would have paid him $16.4 million for the season. He recently received an offer, ironically, from the Golden State Warriors, which was a maximum offer of $90 million.

Brand has a tough decision to make here. This is about $20 million more than what the Clippers can offer him. However, his skill set fits better with the Clippers.

My gut feeling is that he will re-sign with the Clippers and team with Baron Davis. This gives the Clippers a nice starting five of PG Baron Davis, SG Eric Gordon, SF Al Thornton, PF Elton Brand, C Chris Kaman.

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written on July 04, 2008 Opinion