Ekker settles for mediocrity - and mediocrity brings losses - in turn Ekker settles for losses.

From Not wanting LBJ to Kaman to Paul Davis to Dunleavy.

I still don't get the obsession with Paul Davis. There are hundreds of guys in the league that can do what he does and more. He had zero vertical leap, the flattest shot ever, and looked like he was playing in slow motion every time he got the ball.

1. in an ideal world, you're right, i wouldnt want LBJ. he's become arrogant, expects all plays to run through him, and he's bigger than any team he plays on. i was just talking to someone about a remark they heard on the radio - that the cavs by far utilize the most set plays in the league and that 99.9% of them involve giving it to lebron and having him decide what to do with the ball. we'd be the los angeles lebrons. i wouldnt be to fond of tuning into FSN Prime Ticket and expecting lebron to get the ball and chuck it in every single play. that being said, i wouldnt throw a fit if we picked him up. (or maybe i would...because id rather earn success than buy it by relying on a single player)

2. kaman's current play speaks for itself.

3. paul davis = someone who does the little things that go unnoticed and under-appreciated. sorry LAC12, each team NEEDS role players that dont try and score 30 a night. (see harold ellis, ken norman, bo outlaw and all the other bangers)

4. mike dunleavy's better than you think. people rarely criticized the guy when he improved the club's record 3 consecutive years once he signed. everyone knows the non-coaching related misfortunes that followed (injuries, scrubs, no-chemistry). you blame the coach, i blame the players.

ill give you this. the club hasnt won in the past 3+ years and from a business standpoint, the man in charge in most cases has to go. while i agree this is correct, it by no means signifies that the current state of the team was dunleavy's fault. it would only serve as a way to deal with impatient fans who desire change.
people are haters - whenever we lose a game this board blows up with anti-dunleavy remarks. whenever we win a game its all about giving props to the players and nothing else. its a lose-lose situation for the guy.

hate away. im almost certain the next coach's job would be on the line within the first couple weeks of his tenure. then what? that's right INSTABILITY. more instability for a franchise on an already faulty foundation is a recipe for prolonged crappiness.

Heres what I think... either way you are buying success anyway you look at it. Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, heck even Chris Kaman - PAYROLL. (well tie this in with the rest of my commentary in a moment)

Keyword in point number 2.... is in red. Kaman has been with us since 03.

Paul Davis is not a role player, he is a bench player, and a sorry one at that. Chris Wilcox was/is not even a role player most his career.

Now we come to my point. Ive been watching NBA basketball too long to be naive and believe that it is a sport. It is a buisness. You buy players, they perform and you make money (more wins, more money). If you wanna be NBAs sweetheart, and true underdog story, struggles from nothing becoming something.... newsflash its not going to happen. This is to every Clipper fan... WE HAVE ALREADY ESTABLISHED OURSELVES AS LOSERS AND WE ARE THE UNDERDOGS. As long as we are in Staples, as lonng as the 10 championship banners of our cross town rivals still hang, we will be underdogs. We need to get out and WIN. And im not talking about hitting playoffs and calling it a season. I am talking about contending for a damn ring (I know this may seem odd for some people, like a championship shouldnt even be on our agenda, we should be happy with playoffs and hope for something miraculous and maybe make 2nd round making that moment feel soooo much sweeter.... but guess what theres something after the second round.) If you want to win you have to have the best players, and that means you have to spend money.

LBJ is proven. Kaman not proven. Dunleavy proven (to suck and not go anywhere). Gordon/Griffin/Jordan/young players not proven. B Diddy/Camby somewhat proven.

Kaman has proven to be highly inconsistent (meaning he does play well, but not night in/night out), stupid, clumsy, needs someone to carry him. Expendable? Now, NO.

Dunleavy. Has poor relationships with players, power hungry, controlling, slow paced, poor offensive schemes. Expendable? YES.

Gordon/Griffin/Jordan/young players. Expendable? Yes, impact will take time to develop. Keep some of the works in progress, YES, but not over a proven winner.

B Diddy/Camby - respective to their careers they have dealt their damage and still go on to do work. Not as impactive as what they could be. Expendable? YES.

i made the "buying a championship" argument earlier and someone came up with your same argument. im specifically talking about buying an obscene contract like lebron's. of course players cost money. the difference is that with such an elite player, there will be a demand for the ball (most likely 95% of all plays). that's where repitition comes into play.


what good is criticizing a player's past?


paul davis played the zeljko rebraca role - to take up space (aka take bigmen with you and away from the action), rebound, and play defense. he did those 3 things well. they might not be spectacular, but he did his job and that's why im a fan.


this is where we differ AS FANS.

if i was fortunate enough to be the owner, i wouldnt think twice about getting a player like lebron. i would be salivating at the thought. but as a fan, i chose the clippers for all the underdog reasons. clipper nation is like a secret clique of true LA basketball fans and not just some sheep. i embrace our role since its gonna make winning a ring that much more spectacular. AS A FAN, and after all these decades, it wouldnt seem right for me to watch us turn into the LA Lebrons and expect him to do 90% of the work on a nightly basis. i shutter at the thought. i love team ball and earning wins the old-school way. again, this is just my viewpoint as a fan. if i were the owner, things would be different.


how is LBJ proven? he's proven to put up spectacular stats, that's for damn sure. but he's never won a ring. in fact, you diss dunleavy for not being proven but he's also led a team to the NBA finals (LBJ's peak as well). so how's that work?


the kaman being stupid remark is a bit harsh. kaman was ALWAYS capable of putting up good numbers (as he is now), but that all seems like inconsistency because he was battling for low post numbers with elton brand and zach randolph. now that he's alone, we see the numbers sky rocket (the same thing happened when EB was injured - remember kaman putting up those crazy insane numbers?). so its not necessarily inconsistency in his play, more so inconsistency in his opportunities.

I used to think the worst kind of fans were bandwagon fans, but I have been proven wrong! The worst kind of fans are the ones that do NOT want their team to excel and they settle for mediocracy! There is a reason our team has been the laughingstock of all sports. You guys complain everytime someone makes fun of the Clippers, everytime we're the butt of a joke, but get offended when someone actually brings up doing something that might change the negative view we have! The only way we are gonna change that is to win a championship and we are gonna need an elite player, be it L James or someone else. There are too many stacked teams in the NBA now to win a championshion without an elite player and multiple stars. For anyone that has played organized basketball or any organized sport, you play to win, you play to win it all, not to just make the playoffs!

Thanks... Ekker would thank you too but he's a big meanie

how is LBJ proven? he's proven to put up spectacular stats, that's for damn sure. but he's never won a ring. in fact, you diss dunleavy for not being proven but he's also led a team to the NBA finals (LBJ's peak as well). so how's that work?

I think you're arguing for the sake of arguing here. A championship does not prove how good you are. By that logic, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Charles Barkley are not "proven" players. If championships were a measure of how good someone was, Robert Horry would be one of the greatest players of all time. Even Antoine Walker has a ring, it doesn't mean squat.

LeBron is hands down the best player in the game right now and if we had him we would instantly be a championship contender as opposed to a playoff contender.

But the logic does fit... rings are not the units of measurement that players are proven. LBJ is the best player in the NBA, reigining MVP, conference finalist... im sorry, but thats a horribly weak argument on anyones side trying to downplay LBJ. He will, as mentioned before, turn any team in the NBA into a title contending team.

ok so championships dont prove a players individual ability, but they prove a player's ability to actually make something of it. stats and individual greatness are worthless if they dont work in a team concept. im not saying lebron isnt a team player, just that he hasnt proven he can lead a team to a ring. that's more important to me than anything else.

I want him gone already