| 07 September 2010
If there were to be a byword for 'futility' for the NBA, that word would be "Clippers". Unlike the team it shares the Staples Center with, the Los Angeles Clippers have endured heart-ache season after season. The franchise started as the Buffalo Braves - and enjoyed a moderate level of success, making the playoffs three out of the eight seasons it spent in Buffalo. Then the move to San Diego - they only finished above .500 one season out of six.
And their current incarnation, the Los Angeles Clippers, which they've been for 26 years? How many times have they finished at .500 or higher? Three times, making the playoffs 4 times.
Ouch. You have to feel for Clipper-fans around the world.
But anyway, continuing through the merry path of getting to the top 5 players of each and every franchise: Ladies and gentlemen, your top 5 Clippers!
5. William Theodore Walton III - Bill Walton was injury-plagued in his time at the Clippers - and without a doubt wasn't at the level he was in Rip City, but when he did play... he evoked memories of why he was often thought of as one of the best big men to play the game.
4. Ronald Harper - Ok, most know this guy as the PG at Chicago, and finishing off at the "other" LA franchise... but Harp was one helluva player at the Clip too. 19.3 ppg; 5.5 rpg; 4.8 apg and 2 steals a game. Not at all shabby.
3. Elton Tyron Brand - Like Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers, it's easy to look at Elton Brand now and forget how good he actually was. In his time (2001-2008), he was a consistent 20/10 player with a real knack for blocking, and the backbone of one of the best Clipper teams ever.
2. Daniel Ricardo Manning - Danny Manning spent the best years of his career as a Clipper, his first 6. Manning managed to average a veritable swag of stats - 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game - and made it to 2 All Star games and with Harper took the Clippers to the playoffs 2 years running ('92 & '93).
1. Robert Allen McAdoo - Clippers big man, Bob McAdoo blazed into the NBA with the then Buffalo Braves in 1972, and won the Rookie of the Year. The next 3 seasons belonged to McAdoo, he lead the league in scoring for 3 straight years, and won the MVP in 1975.
Big Bob was a complete beast, averaging 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.5 blocks as a Brave - and lead them to their golden years. Under McAdoo, the Braves made the playoffs 3 of the 4 years he was there.
And next, a franchise very near and dear to my heart: the Los Angeles Lakers...
