The more things change, the more Clippers, Warriors look the same
Over the years, there have been few teams quite so much like each other as the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors -- and yes, that should cause an involuntary shudder in you as you consider it.
Only now, as they see their one burst of glory in this decade as a decreasing speck in the rearview mirror, does it become clear that they are actually a little more similar than before -- and yes, that should give you out-and-out spasms.
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| Free agents Corey Maggette and Baron Davis trading places was just one offseason storyline for the Warriors and Clippers. (Getty Images) |
Oh, and the Clippers tried to sign backup swing man Kelenna Azubuike, only to have the Warriors match the offer.
In other words, it's slightly more difficult to separate these two teams than it used to be, but it will still be easy to find them -- hovering in that 10-13 hole, safely away from the achievers. You know, like always.
The Clippers had their one swing at the piñata of fun in 2006, going 47-35, finishing sixth and reaching the conference semifinals before losing to Phoenix. Then everyone got hurt, they fell back to 40-42, and last year more folks got hurt and they dropped to 23-59, which is slightly below their average record for the past 10 full seasons -- 30-52.
The Warriors, on the other hand, got their moment in the sun lamp in '07, sneaking into the playoffs on the next-to-last day with a 42-40 record, stunning top-seeded Dallas in the first round and capturing the nation's temporary fancy before being Sloaned out in the second round by Utah. Then they got slightly better, going 48-34, but couldn't overcome an early-season suspension to Stephen Jackson or some late-season drama.
Then they chose not to match the Clippers' offer to Davis, then they missed out on Brand, and then Monta Ellis decided to slap $66 million on a moped ride while leaving his brain in the garage, and came away with a surgically altered ankle that will keep him up on blocks until the new year. Nobody sees this as good, and the Warriors look like they will pull into the station in April with their average record for the decade -- 31-51.
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| So Baron Davis is now a Clipper and Corey Maggette is a Warrior. There was some serious face-lifting done out in L.A. and the Bay Area this summer. The Clippers added Davises (Baron and Ricky to go with lesser known Paul) and the Warriors took on the Clippers' leading scorer from a year ago in Maggette. So what does it all mean for Fantasy? It means that the Warriors will need Monta Ellis to step up big at the point, but unfortunately he's only been stepping up into mopeds so far. C.J. Watson is penciled in as the starter for now, but Marcus Williams has a chance to win that job in the preseason. There will be some short-term sleeper potential there. Expect whoever wins the job to get at least five assists per game with a chance for double-digit scoring. Ellis' absence will also mean that Maggette will need to step up his scoring alongside Stephen Jackson during the season's first month. So will Kelenna Azubuike, who stormed onto the Fantasy scene in the season's first weeks a year ago when Jackson was out. Look for Azubuike to get off to another hot start, making him a great sell-high candidate. In L.A., the biggest intrigue surrounds their pair of big rebounders. Marcus Camby came over from Denver, bringing his 13.1 boards per game with him. Chris Kaman led the Clips last year with 12.7. It's highly likely each will see their rebounding totals decline this year as a result of playing alongside each other. With Elton Brand now out of the mix Al Thornton should continue to develop, making him a big sleeper candidate this season. -- Sergio Gonzalez |
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I mean, we know things change quickly in your NBA, but the Clips open with only two players from the team that finished that magical 2005-06 season -- Chris Kaman and Cuttino Mobley. The Warriors, with even less time for turnaround, will have four in uniform from their 2006-07 core rotation for the opener -- Jackson, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins and Azubuike.
In short, everything and nothing has changed, which in the West is just plain bad news.
You see, six spots are always gone before either the Clippers or Warriors get discussed. The Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, Jazz and Rockets are perennials, and the rise of the Hornets (probably replacing the Nuggets, who essentially replaced the Kings) leaves only playoff spot for the dreamers, and Portland is better positioned to dream than anyone else.
Indeed, going back those 10 full seasons, only two other teams (Memphis and Seattahoma City) have made the playoffs less than half the time, and while Minnesota has fallen on hard times recently, the Clips and Dubs still set the conference's zinc standard for accomplishment.
That's history, and history wouldn't count if it wasn't so disturbingly mirroring the present. And now they want to borrow each others' players, as though they were bridesmaids' dresses? Wow.
Too bad for them both, too. Nothing is more exhilarating as the promise of good times after so many bad ones, and nothing more deflating than the realization that the good times were just a momentary failure to fail. Moods get dark, owners get less patient and more hands-on (read: tight-fisted), and fans realize that they might have been had yet again.
So it goes with the Clippers and Warriors, then. Sharing the same unsavory history, and now wearing each other's clothes. Gee, and most teams try to copy the ones that do well. Go figure.
Ray Ratto is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.
