Draft Offers Little Relief For Beleaguered Clippers

June 27 looms large for Los Angeles Clippers fans. No, it’s not the date of the NBA Draft—That takes place a couple days earlier.

Rather, June 27 is the date of the pre-audition clinic for the Clippers Spirit Dance Team, the lovely ladies who will try and take your mind off of what could be another miserable season should the Clips not land the top pick in the draft.

Much like the other 13 teams that make up the lottery, the Clippers know and understand the 2009 NBA Draft has one game-changer followed by a whole lot of question marks.

It’s one reason why the draft could end up being a non-event for the perennially hapless franchise.

But even if the Clippers fail to get the first pick in the draft—and the odds are against them—they should still be able to pick up a player who can help them immediately.

The Clippers finished the 2008-2009 season at 19-63, four games worse than their record a year ago. But even their .232 winning percentage wasn’t good enough for them to secure the NBA’s worst record—Sacramento won only 17 games.

The Clippers actually tied with Washington for the second worst record and both teams will have a roughly 18 percent chance of winning the NBA lottery. Sacramento’s chances stand at around 25 percent.

Should the Clippers overcome the odds and secure the top spot, their work, for all intents and purposes, will be done. Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin is the consensus No. 1 pick and the Clippers would surely take him over any other player.

Yet, even taking Griffin presents a problem for the franchise since their leading scorer from last year, Zach Randolph, not only plays the same position, but also sports one of the worst contracts in the NBA, making it nearly impossible to trade him.

Randolph is still owed $33 million over the next two years and his troubled past, which included a DUI charge last year (that was recently rejected), will make it difficult to pawn him off on another team.

After Griffin, the draft’s talent level takes a hit.

Spain’s Ricky Rubio is a dynamic point guard (though enough about the Pete Maravich comparisons already) and a possible second pick, but again, the Clippers have Baron Davis locked up for another four years at $13 million a year.

The team’s best option could be UConn center Hasheem Thabeet, a 7'3" monster on the defensive end, but quite raw offensively.

Can you say Michael Olowokandi?

What makes this draft all the more disappointing, as far as the Clippers are concerned, is that it is light in the one area where they need the most improvement—small forward.

Louisville’s Earl Clark, who averaged 14.2 points per game as a third-year player, and Gonzaga’s Austin Daye, who averaged 12.7 points as a sophomore, are seen as the top two wing players, but not worthy of a top five pick.

The Clips would be better served trading down if their pick is not top three, though finding a trading partner in a down year will be difficult.

So Clips fans, circle June 27 on the calendar. It appears to be the best chance for some meaningful change for next year’s squad, even if it is just the cheerleaders.