8 Jan 11 The Los Angeles Clippers Are Broken: Here Is The Fix

My mom never said it to me personally, but I still remember growing up aware of the old adage that "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Maybe that will help explain my week or so of silent Clippers treatment. It's not for lack of wanting to write about the Clips, but another Blake Griffin and/or LeBron James article seems odd now. Sort of like writing about a possible Beatles reunion in 1975. Sure, it could happen, but chances were slim. Instead, I'm forced to focus on the team. The team that was once so close to reaching . Minnesota Vikings
500, so close to getting its top draft pick on the floor, so close to reaching the Western Conference Finals. The "so-close Clippers" have returned to form sadly and are now, well, pathetic again. Like Marlon Brando's character in "On the Waterfront" who could have been a contender, the Clippers were close.No, really, they were.Now they are hoping that four steps backwards equal one giant leap forward. They still have several attributes that should have free agents at least kicking the tires on the club. A solid core of players, state of the art practice facility, sunny L.A., and enough money to be competitive. On the downside there is a history of loss, the shadow of the other team in L.A., an owner with a shady past, and a team with a shady present. That's the part that really frustrates me about what appears to be the Clippers' grand plan. Mike Dunleavy positioned the Clippers to be buyers this offseason. The club, when it dismissed Dunleavy, made it clear it intends to win now!It's no secret that the Clippers are going to go hard after a free-agent; they have to! That's the plan. So, doesn't it make sense to make themselves as attractive to possible free agents as possible? In an effort to be positive, I present the following plan to make attracting and signing a quality free agent a tad more feasible. Some of the aforementioned negatives the Clippers can't change, but they can present them in a positive light; they can "pretty them up." One negative in particular, however, has to change. The team can't do anything about the lousy history, New England Patriots jersey
but you can explain it away by presenting it as a challenge for the newcomer. Highly-paid basketball players love a challenge. I can't think of a bigger one than to bring the Clippers to respectability. The team likewise can't do anything about the shadow that emanates from its very arena. Again, I wouldn't hide from the fact that the Lakers exist, but I would point out that Kobe Bryant is on the downside of his career. The time is now to prepare to fil the eventual vacancy the superstar will leave behind. In regards to the owner's shady past, well, even Marilyn Monroe had a mole. The team's recent play, however, has to be addressed, and addressed now. It's really the only negative about the club that doesn't have to be prettied up or glossed over. The team can play better and needs to. With that goal in mind I present the team motto starting today: P-cubed. In arithmetic and algebra the cube of a number n is its third power. In Clipper Nation we are cubing the letter PPersistence, Passion, and Placate. P-cubed, get it? Persistence relates to how the team plays. Every player that hits the court wearing the red-white-blue must play with persistence. Push the ball on offense, press the opponent on defense, play with persistence. Failure to do so brings you back to the bench. Passion relates to how the team does everything off the court. Practices are passionate. Bench players are passionate as they root on their team. Interviews with the media are passionate. Make it clear you love being here and love playing the game here. Placate relates to the overall New Orleans Saints jersey
goal of the team, from the players to the person who answers the phone. Let's let LeBron, um, I mean all free agents, know that this is the place to be, recent firings and poor play aside. If the free-agent signing period is Christmas, this is the time to start wrapping the present. I'm confident the they can get it done. If not, I'll return with another article in a few months.