Memo To The Los Angeles Clippers: The Time For Change Is Now

It's official. The Los Angeles Clippers will select first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.

They are in a perfect situation to right a wrong that has been going on for years. Finally, they have no excuses.

It is no secret amongst NBA fans and circles that the Clippers have been consistently bad the last decade. Even though they have always had talented players, for one reason or another, they just can't put together good seasons.

Last offseason they made a big splash when they signed PG Baron Davis to a multiple year contract. They also traded for Marcus Camby in the offseason and traded for Zach Randolph during the season.

Adding those key players to a roster that already included Chris Kaman, Al Thornton and rookie Eric Gordon, the Clippers were expected to do well. Even though they lost their best player of the last few years in Elton Brand to free agency.

It’s safe to say expectations weren't exactly reached.

Kaman was injured for a long portion of the season. Camby was injured also, but when he was on the court, he did perform well. Baron Davis was also injured for a long period of time, but unlike Camby, he performed under his level of expectations.

The young guns were the ones who performed better than people thought.

Eric Gordon had a sensational rookie campaign. He showed that not only is he a sharp shooter, but he is a flat out scorer. He posted rookie averages of 16.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.8 apg. His great rookie season also included a career high 41 points vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He will be a solid player in this league for the next decade.

While Al Thornton didn't take quite the leap the Clippers had hoped for, he still proved that with his talent level, he could be a very good NBA player. He also had very solid averages of 16.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.5 apg.

The Clippers big thing with Thornton has been his willingness to consistently rebound and defend from the small forward position. If you are going to play that spot in the NBA, both of those categories are a must.

He is still young and I expect those expectations to be met, starting with this upcoming season.

Now that the Clippers have officially received the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft, they need to take control of their franchise once and for all and right the ship.

If they aren't sure how to do it, they can give the Portland Trailblazers GM a call. He can help them.

They need to start with a total overhaul of their roster.

Trade injury plagued Chris Kaman. Trade the superbly talented, but severe head-case, Zach Randolph. Yes, they would be getting rid of a 20/10 player in Zach, but it's what they have to do. Hell, Portland traded him when they got Brandon Roy in the draft a few years back and look how that worked out for them.

I don't think there is a market for Baron Davis, but they should explore it. However, unlike Randolph who has off court issues and Kaman who has injury issues, Davis is very good off the court. It only comes down to on the court with him and with his talent; he should be able to bounce back from a sub par season.

When you have young talents like Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Steve Novak, DeAndre Jordan and presumably, Blake Griffin, you need to surround those guys with respectable veterans, who play the game right on and off the court.

They don't need to be around players who aren't tough, like Kaman, and gun handling head cases, like Zach Randolph.

They need to learn how to be professionals and how to play the game right.

Look at what Portland has done to turn their franchise around. They proved that it doesn't have to be a long process. Portland has done it in all of three seasons.

So for you Los Angeles Clipper fans, help is the way.