10 Jan 11 Bleacher Report Goes Hollywood: Are the Los Angeles Clippers Ready To Set Sail?

Stephen Dunn/Getty ImagesWhile wondering what I should do with my Drew Gooden Clippers jerseyWelcome to the inaugural edition of Bleacher Report Goes Hollywood , where we look at the LA sports scene from a Tinsel town point of view. Each week well look at the major issues involving Southern California Reebok Baltimore Ravens #27 Ray Rice Realtree camo Jersey
franchises both college and professional. Also, on a completely unrelated note, well have a special feature at the end of each column called Pimp Slap of the Week , which needs no explanation, and deservedly so.Remember how in The Karate Kid when Daniel-San was always being beaten down by the Cobra Kai and finally getting the upper hand by crane-kicking Johnny in the tournament finals? Well for years Ive waited for the LA Clippers to do the same thing to their Staples Center brethren since they drafted Danny Manning No. 1 more than 20 years ago. Unfortunately though, knowing the Clippers history, Daniel-San crane kick was blocked, with him falling to the ground with a broken leg and Mr. Miyagi having to rely on washing windows.It as if for every draft pick for the Clippers that resulted in a Benoit Benjamin, Lamond Murray and even Michael Olowokandi No. 1 overall, there has always been that hope that they would finally rise up out of the incompetence of owner Donald Sterling and succeed in spite of his attempts to use former GM Elgin Baylor as the scapegoat for their failures. When they had a thrilling semi-final series against the Suns a few years ago in the playoffs, I thought their fortunes had changed. Since then Elton Brand went to sabotage his own career in Philly in a turncoat move worthy of Hulk Hogan-status, leaving Baron Davis and others to wonder whose dog they had ran over to end up in this situation.Yet, I remained hopeful when they selected Oklahoma Blake Griffin No. 1 in the 2009 NBA Draft. Then, in true Clipper fashion, he broke his kneecap on a fast-break dunk in the final preseason game, resulting in season-ending surgery and another year of setback. That being said, I do believe that THIS is the time in which the Clippers might finally awaken out of their own abyss.Now JR, Im sure you might be asking, when are you going to put the pipe down? This team hasn even won a game since Dumbleavy stepped down as coach? Well, the realist in me realizes this is the case, and yet the optimist in me looks at the recent moves and believes that perhaps Mike Dunleavy may know what he doing, despite the recent barbs fired by frustrated All-Star Center Chris Kaman . The recent trades have shed light into what appears to be an actual plan by the red-headed stepchildren of the Staples Center. Although Marcus Camby was leading the team in rebounding at 12.1/game, they made a shrewd move to send him to Portland for forward Travis Outlaw and point guard Steve Blake. Blake can provide a measure of Reebok Baltimore Ravens #52 Ray Lewis Realtree camo Jersey
leadership that the Blazers will miss out on come playoff time, and he will provide a solid back up presence when Baron Davis has to rest. Davis had grown to actually realize there are actually guys he can pass the ball to this year, and also developed a (gasp!) relationship with Dunleavy before he spared all of us of his head-scratching decisions.Also, in what was a very good cap-clearing trade, which is the modus operandi in Clipperland, they executed a three-way deal that sent Al Thornton and draft bust Sebastian Telfair to the Wizards and resulted in Drew Gooden, who will probably smash the Mike Morgan record for the most number of teams played for in a career should they decide that his soul patch isn worth keeping around. Now it puts them in a category where only a few will reach come July 1, 2010. They are now in position to shop for that mega-star that could finally put butts in seats not named Billy Crystal or Bill Simmons.The question is now who should they get to go alongside Kaman, a healthy Griffin, Baron, and up-and-coming guard Eric Gordon? They would need someone who can play the three and switch over to the two if they want to go big. Someone who can placate as playmaker when Baron decides to revert back to his Golden State days and will have no problem playing second, or even third banana, yet have All-Star talent.I have to agree with Simmons and suggest they go hard after Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks. He has spent the past five years making the Hawks relevant, and after another year of coming up short against the likes of Dwight Howard, LeBron, and KG, he will have had enough and want to go to a team that could possess legitimate title hopes with two strong post players. Also, JJ won have to feel like being the first go-to option all of the time, since he usually gets smothered come playoff time with no one else able to score consistently for Atlanta. That said, should Atlanta break through and reach the conference finals this year thanks to an improved Al Horford, Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford all bets are off.The Clips second best option would be Rudy Gay of Memphis. He is an unassuming slasher who can take a lot of guys off the dribble and won demand the ball as much. A lineup of Griffin, Gay, Kaman, Gordon and Baron as the veteran leader could create a lot of headaches out west.I don think LeBron will be willing to share top billing with Kobe in the Staples Center. Being in the same commercials is one issue, sharing the same court for six years is another altogether. All of the other potential big free agents (Bosh, Stoudemire, Boozer) will only hinder the development of Griffin, who actually looked interested in ending the so called Clippers curse after getting drafted. Dwayne Wade could be an option, but he seems like his mind is already focused on going north instead of west.Yes, the Clippers are 21-33, losers of six straight and are about to watch another season go up in ping-pong balls. However come October 2010 they might start off with one of the best starting fives in all of basketball without destroying their salary cap in the process. Here hoping they will finally be able to deliver that crane kick! PIMP SLAP OF THE WEEKThis is the portion of the column where we have to unfortunately smack some Reebok Chicago Bears #54 Brian Urlacher Realtree camo Jersey
sense into someone from the world of sports. However, for our first ever slap were headed in a totally different direction: were going towards those fans who actually believe Tiger Woods needs to apologize to them!Okay, I don necessarily like the fact that this man couldn figure out how to keep it in his pants, thus forcing his wife Elin to now place a house-arrest style ankle bracelet whenever Eldrick so much as goes to take out the trash. It won even matter what he says on his apology come Friday, the fact is that he doesn owe the fans any explanation because he didn cheat the game of golf, nor taint any of the majors that he won.Sure he a cheater to the nth degree, but the only people he needs to apologize too is to his family, case closed. It not his fault you bought Buicks, Titleist golf balls, and Nike gear because he said so. Besides, should he roll over to Augusta and shoot a first round 68 on the second Thursday in April, you fans will be the first ones running over family members to watch it on TV.Fans, time to a dose of reality, not every scumbag athlete needs to tell you Im sorry. For displaying a self-righteous desire to fulfill a sensitive ego, you deserve BRGH first Pimp Slap of the Week!