Los Angeles Clippers No More? It's Time to Consider a Name Change

I am all for consistency. I believe in sticking with a rookie through tough times and letting a manager live out his contract no matter his record. 

I love watching Phil Jackson not call a time-out when his team is floundering; preferring instead to have his squad figure things out. I believe that in the big scheme of things, consistency wins out over impulsive change brought on by panic.

That all being said, I think it's time the Clippers changed their name.

I realize how hypocritical that sounds, but the Clippers are in dire straits. This is no impulse move brought on by panic. Instead, it's a well-thought-out plan to help change the course the Clippers have been on.

In researching this move, I found absolutely NO evidence to support it.  A quick look at the three most successful franchises in the three major sports (baseball, basketball, and football) pulls up teams with names unchanged since their conception.

Baseball - Yankees, Cardinals, and Athletics
Basketball - Celtics, Lakers, and Bulls
Football - Giants, Bears, and Steelers

In fact, the only team in the top-10 for any of the three sports listed that may have to change their name are the Washington Redskins.  That, of course, is another story.

I dug deeper and continued to come up empty in my attempt to justify the name change.

Since the Washington Bullets became the Washington Wizards in 1995, the very best the team could muster was a 45-37 campaign in 2004-2005.  Of course, that would represent a high watermark for the Clippers, so maybe I am on to something after all.

Regardless of a lack of any stone cold, solid facts to support it, I believe it's time for a name change; drastic times call for drastic measures, do they not? 

The Clippers have the nucleus of a good squad.  Eric Gordon at guard, Al Thorton and Blake Griffin down low, with Kaman at center and Baron Davis at point is a powerful lineup.  They play in the greatest city in the world and in one of the most state-of-the-art arenas in all of basketball.  They need a name to match and it's my job to suggest it.

Do you know why they are called the Clippers?  After arriving in San Diego from Buffalo, the team decided being the San Diego Braves didn't roll off the tongue.  They opted for Clippers in deference to the boating and sailing that is done off San Diego bay.  They kept the name after arriving in Los Angeles, where the only clippers you will find are at Supercuts.

You may be saying that the Lakers name is pretty silly, considering Los Angeles has as many lakes as it does clipper ships.  Good point, but when you win it doesn't much matter what you call yourself.  The Los Angeles Werewolves of London would get a parade down Figueroa if they beat up the Celtics in seven games.

The Clippers don't share the storied history the other club in LA does, they don't win consistently; they need the new identity a name change will bring and they need it now. 

So, I humbly submit for your approval my choice of names for the basketball team from LA.  Each has a link to Los Angeles and would serve as a great starting point to propel the now-Clippers onward and upward.


The Los Angeles Stars

This makes sense for lots of different reasons, the most obvious of which is Los Angeles is the land of stars.  We have a sidewalk here littered with them.  Less obvious is the link to a 1968-1970 ABA team by the same name.  The original LA Stars shocked the basketball world with an improbable run all the way to the ABA Finals in 1970.  No, I wasn't there, just read about it!  They succumbed to the Indiana Pacers in six games.  I for one would welcome that kind of history into what is now Clipper Nation.


The Los Angeles Express

This is also a throw-back to an old team.  The LA Express played in the now defunct USFL from 1983-1985.  That team captured the imagination of Los Angeles, but never found great success.  The name, however, is cool and also would connect our basketball team to one of the first things most people associate with Los Angeles, the freeways.


The Los Angeles Aztecs

Again, I'm resurrecting a long-gone Los Angeles moniker.  This time I'm suggesting the name used by the soccer club that ruled LA from 1974-1981.  They won a championship in 1974 and would connect the club to Los Angeles's rich latino history.


There you have it, my three name recommendations for the basketball team from Los Angeles.  I need to hear from you now, Clipper fans.  Vote and vote often.  I plan on sending the results directly to Clipper headquarters.  No, really, the results will go to Clipper headquarters, so vote.  Call your friends, neighbors, enemies, loved ones, and hated ones alike, and vote!

What would you like to hear from the PA announcer when you visit Staples next year?

And now, the starting lineup for YOUR LOS ANGELES...?