Are the Clippers Ready to Sail?

For decades, the Los Angeles Clippers have been the laughingstock of the NBA. Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been universally ridiculed for his cheapness and imbecility and GM Elgin Baylor has built a reputation for being one of the worst in the business. Aside from a playoff appearance under coach Larry Brown in the early 90's, the Clippers have been firmly entrenched in lotteryville year after year. When they haven't been busy blowing their high draft picks on players such as Joe Wolf, Reggie Williams and Michael Olowokandi, they have been getting struck down by devastatingly bad luck. Star players such as Danny Manning, Charles Smith, Marques Johnson, Norm Nixon and Ron Harper have all either suffered career-ending or career-altering injuries while wearing the Clipper uniform. All of this losing and poor luck have made the Clippers synonymous with pathetic failure and ineptitude. However, a funny thing has started to happen to the second-tier resident of the Staples Center during the last couple of seasons. Starting with the drafting of Lamar Odom two years ago and continuing with the gutsy drafting of Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson and Keyon Dooling last June, the very complexion of the Clippers franchise has been forever altered. Suddenly, the glorified CBA team posing as an NBA franchise has become one of the most exciting in the NBA.

Key Clippers
Lamar Odom
Lamar Odom has developed into a versatile all-around threat, able to play virtually any position on the court. At 6-10, the left-handed Odom can rebound and block shots like a premier power forward or step outside and hit the three-pointer. He also has the smooth handle and perceptive passing ability to run the team like a gigantic point guard. Odom's feel for the game is already at advanced level that few players can attain. If he can continue to mature and develop his leadership skills, Odom will become one of the ten best players in the game. The question is whether the notorious Sterling will be willing to open up the checkbook to do what it will take to keep Odom with the Clippers, after his contract expires at the end of the 2002 season.

Darius Miles
The 6-9 Miles is an exceptional athlete with the leaping ability to jump out of the gym and the finesse skills to play on the perimeter like a true guard. Miles is a dominant shotblocker and offensive rebounder who will have to add a lot of muscle in order to reach his full potential. However, Miles is unstoppable in the open court because of his excellent speed and is a difficult matchup because of his height. Despite his good ballhandling and passing abilities, Miles is currently too turnover prone to be a true guard. However, few guards can handle Miles' explosiveness and long reach when he gets into the lane. The best thing about Miles is that he has extraordinary self-confidence that belies his years and prevents him from getting intimidated by NBA competition. It would not be a surprise if Miles develops into a player who can post 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks per game.

Quentin Richardson
Q Richardson cost himself a lot of money by struggling during his final season at DePaul, but the skills that Richardson displayed as a freshman, have not gone anywhere. Potentionally the finest rebounder from the guard position since Fat Lever, the tenacious Richardson has an uncanny knack for getting his hands on loose balls. A good leaper with good quickness, Richardson has suffered some growing pains in making the transition from college low post player to NBA off guard. However, he appears to have the shooting stroke and athleticism to make this transition. As he continues to gain confidence in his ballhandling and outside shot, Richardson should develop into one of the better off guards in the NBA.

Michael Olowokandi
The Kandi Man is a physical specimen with the athletic ability and chiseled 7-foot frame to become a dominant center. Unfortunately, Olowokandi is still very much a raw player who has a lot to learn about the game. He has not shown nearly enough progress during his NBA career to justify being selected over players such as Mike Bibby, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Vince Carter. However, he is still very young and big men are generally develop more slowly than other players.

Keyon Dooling
Dooling is a remarkable athlete with excellent size for a point guard. These physical gifts were fully displayed when Dooling dunked over Dikembe Mutombo earlier this season. However, he is not near being ready to play point guard at the NBA level. His decision-making, ballhandling and floor generalship will need to be upgraded substantially before Dooling can take over at the point guard spot. Despite his good shooting range, he has been an erratic shooter thus far and most work on gaining consistency from beyond the arc. With hard work, Dooling could become a bigger version of Lindsey Hunter.

The Future
Most NBA franchises would kill to have the salary cap room that the Clippers will have after this season. Currently, their cap number for the 2001-2002 season is only $28.9 million, far less than the projected $42.7 million cap. Out of the current players, only Jeff McInnis, Earl Boykins, Cherokee Parks and Zendon Hamilton are unsigned for next season. All of the pieces are in place for a legitimate run at a playoff spot next season. After 2002, the big key will be Donald Sterling's willingness to make a financial commitment to winning, since it is extremely apparent that he will not be selling the team anytime soon.