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Clips/Roxfan

02-07-2007, 12:35 PM

Clippers don't get any answers

Maggette again wonders where he stands with Dunleavy after the sixth man plays only 17 minutes in a 102-90 loss to the Knicks.

By Jason Reid, Times Staff Writer

February 7, 2007

Knicks 102, Clippers 90NEW YORK — It seems Corey Maggette's situation hasn't been resolved after all.

The veteran Clippers forward again expressed confusion about his role on the team Tuesday night after a 102-90 loss to the New York Knicks in front of 18,539 at Madison Square Garden.

Frustrated about playing only 17 minutes, Maggette criticized Coach Mike Dunleavy for leaving him on the bench for most of the second half while the Knicks overcame a 10-point halftime deficit in their third victory in four games.

Elton Brand scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Tim Thomas contributed 22 points — making six of 11 three-point shots — for the Clippers (24-24), who would be seeded seventh if the Western Conference playoffs began today.

The Knicks (22-28), who began the third quarter with a 24-4 run and outscored the Clippers, 27-11, in the quarter, got 23 points apiece from center Eddy Curry and guard Jamal Crawford. Stephon Marbury scored 12 of his 15 points in the big run.

New York went 36 for 44 from the free-throw line, and the Clippers attempted only 20 free throws, making 14.

Maggette, the Clippers' sixth man, said he might have helped to make a difference for the Clippers, who have lost their last two games after winning the opener on their seven-game trip, their longest of the season.

Owner Donald T. Sterling recently made strong comments about his positive view of the seven-year veteran in an impromptu meeting with Maggette, Dunleavy and General Manager Elgin Baylor.

The Clippers thought things were fine with Maggette after Sterling's pep talk, but another group session might be needed.

"It's just more of Dunleavy's [stuff] again," Maggette said. "I don't get it, I really don't. It's crazy. I put in work. I deserve to play.

"It's totally mind-boggling to me. [It's] unbelievable that I couldn't help this team tonight. Why? Why?"

Dunleavy declined to specifically address Maggette's comments, saying only that he had made a coach's decision.

Maggette, who averages 15.2 points, made two of three shots from the field and scored four points.

Third on the team with an average of 5.7 rebounds, Maggette had no rebounds against the Knicks, which might have contributed to Dunleavy's decision.

That's fine, but let him know where he stands, Maggette said.

"Give me an excuse, give me something, just tell me something," Maggette said. "I'm a grown man. I can take it."

On Dec. 15, Maggette said he and Dunleavy "don't see eye to eye. Coach doesn't respect what I do. If that's the case, it might be time for me to go, move on and have a new beginning. It's better for me to go."

In an attempt to end trade speculation, Sterling on Jan. 20 told Maggette, Baylor and Dunleavy that he wanted Maggette to remain with the team. He left the door ajar to trade the Clippers' second-leading scorer, telling Maggette he would permit Baylor and Dunleavy to move him in a deal that might improve the team significantly.

But because of Sterling's firm stance, the price for Maggette probably would be too high for most teams before the Feb. 22 trading deadline.

In the previous two games on the trip, Maggette played 23 minutes and scored 19 points in a victory over Boston and played 27 minutes and scored 10 points with six rebounds as the Clippers lost to Toronto.

"He isn't listening to Sterling," Maggette said of Dunleavy. "If he listened to him, I'd be playing.

"I really felt we were [past this]. I guess not, because here we go again. I'm a yo-yo, man."
*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jason.reid@latimes.com

Clutch

02-07-2007, 12:37 PM

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A_3PO

02-07-2007, 12:39 PM

I don't blame Maggette for wondering. I'm confused too. Of course blasting Dunleavy in the media was wrong, but he's trying to force a trade.

Clips/Roxfan

02-07-2007, 12:39 PM

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/clippers/la-sp-clippers7feb07,1,3537043.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-clippe

sorry...

A_3PO

02-07-2007, 12:45 PM

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/clippers/la-sp-clippers7feb07,1,3537043.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-clippe

sorry...
Hey, what is the perspective of Clippers fans on this? Does Dunleavy have a lot of support? How do fans feel about Maggette?

I have never talked NBA basketball with a Clippers fan. That franchise hasn't even been a blip on my radar screen until Sam was traded there. Looking forward to your reply.

Clips/Roxfan

02-07-2007, 12:49 PM

Here's what some Clippers fans have to say about this.....

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=282&F=2154#S=282&F=2154&T=8286

rick3262
I hope that DTS and Elgin Baylor side with Corey Maggette on this one and cut Doug Christie's ass so that Dunleavy can't pull more of his "stuff." As the season goes down in flames, Dunleavy's going to look for more people to blame, and he'll start head ******* with Maggette some more and lay the blame at Corey's door.

Can you blame James Singleton and the rest of the players. When Maggette says, "It's more of Dunleavy's [stuff] again," is he the only one who thinks this or does the rest of the team as well?

Dunleavy's behavior is exactly why he hadn't been hired as a coach after he got his ass fired by Portland. He lost out to Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, and the Clippers ended up stuck with him. The Clippers sold their soul for a playoff appearance and now will be mired in Dunleavy's mediocrity unless DTS does the right thing and swallows his contract.

The Clippers win a few games against subpar teams who can't or won't fight back. Dunleavy shortens it to an 8-man rotation--I think Paul Davis should be included to make it a 9-man rotation, but that's not a deal breaker for me in questioning the smartest coach in the NBA.

Instead of leaving things alone, Dunleavy has to tinker. He has to micromanage. It's not enough to let the team grow and develop its own identity and play looser and share the ball, he has to stick his nose in it. And what he does isn't for the betterment of the team, but it's to have the final word, not only with Corey Maggette, but with DTS and Elgin Baylor as well

Corey Maggette proved his point. He can contribute and help the team win with little meddling by Dunleavy. Just roll out the balls, let the team play and offer guidance and direction when things don't go well. Instead, Dunleavy breaks his 8-man rotation after a few games and adds Doug Christie into an already overcrowded mix of wing players: Maggette, Mobley, Ross, and perhaps Livingston (when Cassell's at guard). He ignores where the Clippers might need it most--the front line--with Brand, an erratic Chris Kaman and an oftentimes out of position Tim Thomas playing at center.

But Dunleavy's a Corey Maggette being restrained by his teammates incident away from replication his tempestuous misfortunes in Portland. Dunleavy's problem? His stubborn ego that won't allow his team to have success unless they do what his says. Is Dunleavy sacrificing for the team, or is he feeding his ego by trying to win the war with Corey Maggette, regardless of the cost?

He brought in Luke Jackson's outside shooting to try to use that as an excuse to bench Maggette, but Jackson's shooting was horrible.

Now, he's brought in Doug Christie's "defense" to use that as an excuse to bench Maggette, particularly since defense is something harder to measure than shooting.

This is a sad tragedy for the Clippers. I'm hoping that Elgin Baylor can step up to heroic proportions and tell DTS that they've got to eat Dunleavy's contract before it even kicks in. I remember Eddie Futch tossing in the towel for Joe Frazier in the "Thrilla in Manilla" when most cornermen would've let a blinded Frazier go out in the final round against an inspired Muhammed Ali. This is what we need from Elgin--the courage and compassion to acknowledge the mistake that is Mike Dunleavy and move on from there
Who sides with Corey?

SIDING WITH COREY

Corey Maggette
James Singleton (sees all his minutes go to newcomers)
Tim Thomas (sees different environment than in Phoenix)
Cuttino Mobley (still hasn't found comfortable role with team)

NEUTRAL

Elton Brand (taught to be that way by Mama Brand)
Sam Cassell (wants coaching job after career)
Aaron Williams (likes that he doesn't have to pay for these seats)
Yaroslav Korolev (likes American money; only in America does he get paid millions not to do anything)
Daniel Ewing (just happy to be there)
Zeljko Rebraca (see Yaroslav Korolev)
Shaun Livingston (having an opinion would be too much like committing yourself to drive into the paint)

SIDING WITH DUNLEAVY

Quinton Ross (must be Dunleavy's illegtimate son or something)

Doug Christie (in right place at right time for Dunleavy to stick it to Corey Maggette

tinman

02-07-2007, 12:52 PM

They need to trade him.

Sam needs another title to ensure his legacy as one of the greatest PGs of the game. Get Sam some help!

Dave_78

02-07-2007, 01:09 PM

AroundTheWorld

02-07-2007, 01:42 PM

Isn't Sterling all about saving money? :)

--------------
Houston Trade Breakdown
Outgoing

Bob Sura
6-5 from Florida State
No games yet played in 2006/07

Vassilis Spanoulis
6-3 PG from Greece (Foreign)
2.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.0 apg in 8.9 minutes

Scott Padgett
6-9 PF from Kentucky
1.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.4 apg in 8.4 minutes
Incoming

Corey Maggette
6-6 SG from Duke
15.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 apg in 27.6 minutes
Change in team outlook: +11.3 ppg, +3.3 rpg, and +0.6 apg.

L.A. Clippers Trade Breakdown
Outgoing

Corey Maggette
6-6 SG from Duke
15.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 apg in 27.6 minutes
Incoming

Bob Sura
6-5 from Florida State
No games yet played in 2006/07

Vassilis Spanoulis
6-3 PG from Greece (Foreign)
2.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.0 apg in 8.9 minutes

Scott Padgett
6-9 PF from Kentucky
1.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.4 apg in 8.4 minutes
Change in team outlook: -11.3 ppg, -3.3 rpg, and -0.6 apg.

Successful Scenario
Due to Houston and L.A. Clippers being over the cap, the 25% trade rule is invoked. Houston and L.A. Clippers had to be no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

------

Throw in a draft pick and get it done :D.

baller4life315

02-07-2007, 01:43 PM

Spurs need to make a push for Maggette. I'm not sure they have the pieces to get him but it's starting to sound like Maggette is going to strong-arm the Clips into getting rid of him.

Spurs need another wing player who can create his own shot (sorry Brent and Bruce) and Maggette does that better than 90% of the players in the league. S.A. isn't coasting, they are falling and need some new blood.

The Spurs do need to get more "athaletic" and Maggette could be a decent option but he wants to start and that wouldn't happen in San Antonio. He's dangerously approaching "cancer" status to go along with his lackluster career in the win/loss column -- those are two negative qualities that aren't exactly all that appealing especially to a premiere franchise like the Spurs.

Clips/Roxfan

02-07-2007, 01:57 PM

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=497~671~2423&teams=14~12~12

Clippers should send him to Miami for Wright, Posey, and a future first round pick......

With the addition of Eddie Jones and the improved play of Jason Kopono, Posey and Wright might have become expendable.

Clippers get an expiring contract (Posey), a young promising player that will never see the floor because mike dunleavy is an idiot (and a future pick which the Clippers will squander due to Mike Dunleavy (I'm not being to hard on this guy. He passed up Danny Granger for Yaroslav Korlev)

Miami brings another slasher who complements Wade.

Shaq
Haslem
Kopono
Wade
Williams

Bench: Zo, Walker, Maggette, Jones, Payton

i believe it would put Miami over the top while keeping the Clippers back in mediocrity......

AroundTheWorld

02-07-2007, 02:02 PM

The Spurs do need to get more "athaletic" and Maggette could be a decent option but he wants to start and that wouldn't happen in San Antonio. He's dangerously approaching "cancer" status to go along with his lackluster career in the win/loss column -- those are two negative qualities that aren't exactly all that appealing especially to a premiere franchise like the Spurs.

Okay, considering this and considering the reports that the Cavs are actively looking on the trade market, how about this one (Houston and Cleveland would each send a 2nd round pick to the Clippers as well - this would mainly be a money-saving move from the Clips' perspective):

Houston Trade Breakdown
Outgoing

Bob Sura
6-5 from Florida State
No games yet played in 2006/07

Vassilis Spanoulis
6-3 PG from Greece (Foreign)
2.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.0 apg in 8.9 minutes

Scott Padgett
6-9 PF from Kentucky
1.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.4 apg in 8.4 minutes
Incoming

Donyell Marshall
6-9 PF from Connecticut
7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.6 apg in 18.5 minutes
Change in team outlook: +3.3 ppg, +1.8 rpg, and -0.8 apg.

Cleveland Trade Breakdown
Outgoing

Donyell Marshall
6-9 PF from Connecticut
7.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.6 apg in 18.5 minutes

Scot Pollard
6-11 C from Kansas
0.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.0 apg in 3.5 minutes
Incoming

Corey Maggette
6-6 SG from Duke
15.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 apg in 27.6 minutes
Change in team outlook: +7.1 ppg, +0.3 rpg, and +1.4 apg.

L.A. Clippers Trade Breakdown
Outgoing

Corey Maggette
6-6 SG from Duke
15.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 apg in 27.6 minutes
Incoming

Bob Sura
6-5 from Florida State
No games yet played in 2006/07

Scott Padgett
6-9 PF from Kentucky
1.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.4 apg in 8.4 minutes

Scot Pollard
6-11 C from Kansas
0.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.0 apg in 3.5 minutes
Change in team outlook: -12.8 ppg, -2.8 rpg, and -1.6 apg.

Successful Scenario
Due to Houston, Cleveland, and L.A. Clippers being over the cap, the 25% trade rule is invoked. Houston, Cleveland, and L.A. Clippers had to be no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

:P

A-Train

02-07-2007, 02:30 PM

They need to trade him.

Sam needs another title to ensure his legacy as one of the greatest PGs of the game. Get Sam some help!

Cassell and Magette for Rafer and and JL3. :D

Highwire

02-07-2007, 02:38 PM

guess we can get this guy for VSpan for same reasons... :)

A_3PO

02-07-2007, 06:29 PM

Ziggy

02-07-2007, 07:08 PM

Why Maggette isnt starting every game and getting at least 34mpg is crazy to me. He typically shoots at a high %, rebounds extremely well, isnt soft, doesnt disappear against tough opponents, etc... I guess they like Cuttino jacking up shots and not looking for Brand? Maggette is playing almost 10 less mpg than Cuttino yet manages to score more and get to the line 7.8 times per game! He is far more dynamic as he has a post, slash, and shooting presence. Whatever, keep giving Ross 20+mpg...

AstroRocket

02-07-2007, 07:20 PM

JeopardE

02-07-2007, 08:08 PM

Corey Maggette sucks. I had the misfortune of watching a Clippers game the other day and I was absolutely astounded by his ineptitude.

Possession 1. Long range brick.
Possession 2. Long range brick.
Possession 3. Long range brick.
You get the idea.
...
...
Possession n. Post. Turnover.
Possesion n+1. Post. Travel.
Possession n+2. Drives. Blocked.

(In the mean time the other team is making like a 17-2 run or something. He never passed the ball. Not once. Seriously.)

Possession n+m. Drives. Blocked with authority by NBDL outcast Saer Sene into the first row.

Teammates have had enough. He doesn't touch the ball again.

I hope the Spurs get Maggette. Then they can suck even more.

Drexlerfan22

02-07-2007, 08:17 PM

Maggette certainly ain't god's gift to man, but there's no way he should ever be playing less than 20 mpg for that team. Ever. Normally I think whining to the press is kinda lame, but on the other hand I think the man has a point...

Invisible Fan

02-07-2007, 09:45 PM

Corey hasn't met a shot he doesn't like, but he can be devastating with today's rules.

The knocks on him are his erratic shot selection and his low assists numbers. He passes, but he doesn't make plays. Those combined deficiencies make it sink or swim with him as a main scoring option.

macfan

02-07-2007, 09:54 PM

He can't play for most contenders. If he goes to Miami, Houston, San Antonio, he wouldn't play more minutes than he's already playing with the Clippers.

He's the most overrated player in teh league. The only thing he does is jack it up. If you get beat out by Mobley, who is not exactly a halfcourt player, that tells you all you need to know about Maggette. He doesn't play defense, he is selfish and he doesn't do any of the little things to win.

He thinks he's better than he really is. Contenders look for character guys. How many times do you hear players from contenders complain about minutes?

If he's not calling out Dunleavy just to force a trade, if that's who he is as a player, who would want his complaints and the inflated salary for a one dimensional player?

He wants to be a starter and he can't start for San Antonio, Houston or Miami.

Maybe one of the loser teams. The only contender he can play for is Phoenix. He can jack it up all he wants.

kpsta

02-07-2007, 10:50 PM

Sure is strange how he caught the flu and sat out tonight's game...

:confused:

Dave_78

02-07-2007, 11:05 PM

A lot of teams value instant offense. If you can put the ball in the hoop as well as Maggette can you can get minutes anywhere. As weak as S.A. is at the wing position he could get serious minutes there. Pop will take care of the defense part.

He could also get huge minutes in Miami who is also lacking in scoring and athleticism.

He doesn't fit well in Houston but only because of our depth at SG/SF.

Ziggy

02-07-2007, 11:15 PM

Crazy to see so many of yall attack the guy. Last year he was one of the few bright spots during their playoff stint. Settles for too many jump shots? 8 free throw attempts in 25mpg tells me different.

Dr.Strangelove

02-08-2007, 06:47 AM

I sure wish there was a way that we could get him.The guy works hard in the offseason and whenever I see him he's crashing the boards,getting to the line,or catching fire and draining threes.I know he's streaky from outside,but CM's a freak and I'm sure we could find a home for him.
It amazes me how "little dictators" like Dunleavy can pull the control freak deal and sit a guy like this to the detriment of the team.
I sincerely hope he gets dealt SOMEWHERE before the deadline.

A_3PO

02-08-2007, 07:08 AM

Clips/Roxfan

02-09-2007, 01:20 AM

Here's the orginal article...

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-cliprep9feb09195918,1,7431935.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

Here is the article translated by a Clipper fan.....

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=282&F=2154#S=282&F=2154&T=97713

Maggette is sick, not being punished
Conspiracy theorists, relax: Sixth man was too ill to play against Cavaliers.
By Jason Reid, Times Staff Writer
8:08 PM PST, February 8, 2007

PHILADELPHIA — Although the Clippers seem to have many problems that might derail their season, Corey Maggette's situation hasn't been a distraction for the team, Clippers sources (Mike Dunleavy) said Thursday.

The Clippers' sixth man again expressed frustration about his role after playing only 17 minutes in Tuesday's loss to the New York Knicks, blasting Coach Mike Dunleavy ("blasting" sounds so derogatory. If Jason Reid had any credentials, why doesn't he do some investigative journalism about Maggette's quote that Dunleavy's pulling his "stuff" again? Because it would require him to get off his butt, put down his sandwich, and actually doing something for a living rather than parroting Mike Dunleavy's thoughts) for leaving him on the bench for most of the second half while the Knicks overcame a 10-point halftime deficit.

Maggette sat out Wednesday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers because of what a Clippers official (Mike Dunleavy) said were flu-like symptoms, and his absence from the lineup and bench a day after criticizing Dunleavy prompted reporters to question whether the Clippers had privately taken disciplinary action against their second-leading scorer.

There was no coverup, team sources (Mike Dunleavy) said.

Maggette was so ill that he remained at the team hotel for the first half of Wednesday's game. The seven-year veteran wasn't at practice Thursday and might not play tonight. People (Mike Dunleavy) who saw Maggette on Thursday said he "looked horrible" and laughed about fans' conspiracy theories. (He looked horrible because of the blatant hatchet job that Mike Dunleavy did to him, provoking him to respond to the press after being so professional about it up until now and outclassing Mike Dunleavy to the point that Donald T. Sterling had to step in and read the riot act to Dunleavy).

Meanwhile, the Clippers have lost three in a row and are 1-3 on a seven-game, 12-day trip, their longest of the season.

Most in the organization (Mike Dunleavy--Maggette told DTS that he wanted to stay. He just got married and just bought a house. If Dunleavy wasn't here, Corey Maggette would be happy) already knew that Maggette would rather play elsewhere because of his feelings about Dunleavy, sources (Mike Dunleavy) said, and Maggette's agent earlier in the season requested a trade. General Manager Elgin Baylor (notice this is the only person who has been named in this article) has repeatedly tried to bring Maggette and Dunleavy together. (notice no mention of how DTS and Elgin Baylor had to step in and bring Corey Maggette and Mike Dunleavy together and tell Dunleavy that they're not trading Corey Maggette--somehow pseudo-journalist Jason Reid forgot that important detail).

Dunleavy would commit to playing almost anyone who performed to his expectations (what are those expectations. Ask James Singleton, Paul Davis, and Yaroslav Korolev. They don't know. Ask Doug Christie and Luke Jackson? They don't know; they were just handed the minutes), many (who are the many? Once again, it's all innuendo. The only thing I can think of is that the many are the lackeys who sit by Dunleavy's side. No one else would say it) said, but Maggette rarely does (according to who, Mike Dunleavy? DTS and Elgin Baylor were happy enough to step in and intervene. None of the players feel this way--see their "business is business" attitude).

In the loss to the Knicks, Maggette had no rebounds or deflections (a key statistic in Dunleavy's grading system) and missed several rotations on defense, sources (Mike Dunleavy) said. (Yet somehow Corey Maggette's 66% shooting on 2 out of 3 attempts is not a factor, while Doug Christie's 20% shooting on 1 out of 5 attempts means that he earns more minutes than Corey. Somehow, with Corey Maggette playing in the first half, the Clippers were able to build up a 10-point lead. Without Maggette, and with Doug Christie, the Clippers lose the game. And somehow, the Clippers still managed to outrebound New York).

The situation hasn't been a problem in the locker room because the Clippers are a veteran team, players said, adding they admire Maggette for his work ethic and like him personally, but business is business. (notice how there are absolutely no quotes in this article. Shame on puppet Jason Reid. It's all innuendo, especially this "situation hasn't been a problem because the Clippers are a veteran team." Wonder how James Singleton feels about this? How many people are staying quiet because they know of the type of vendetta that Dunleavy has for Maggette, and that the team has already quit on Dunleavy because of it).

Despite Maggette's latest comments, it's doubtful the team would trade him before the Feb. 22 deadline. (no quotes, just more Dunleavy propaganda and innuendo. Shame on you, Jason Reid, if only you had any shame to feel).

A_3PO

02-09-2007, 11:28 AM

And I wanted Dunleavy as Rockets coach to replace Rudy. Shame on me.

v3.0

02-09-2007, 12:06 PM

Maggette is a loser, he's another Derek Anderson type.

Clips/Roxfan

02-10-2007, 02:57 PM

i got this trade from another message board, i like it what do you think....

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=138~497~671~933~2423&teams=14~14~12~12~12

Incoming Players

Corey Maggette
Salary: $7,000,000 Years Remaining: 3
PTS: 15.2 REB: 5.7 AST: 2.0 PER: 17.56

Sam Cassell
Salary: $6,850,000 Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 14.8 REB: 3.1 AST: 5.5 PER: 19.07

for

Dorell Wright
Salary: $1,325,160 Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 6.6 REB: 4.6 AST: 1.5 PER: 12.53

Jason Williams
Salary: $8,250,000 Years Remaining: 2
PTS: 10.2 REB: 2.3 AST: 5.1 PER: 15.23

James Posey
Salary: $6,392,100 Years Remaining: 1
PTS: 6.7 REB: 4.6 AST: 1.2 PER: 11.52

Ziggy

02-10-2007, 03:42 PM

Maggette is a loser, he's another Derek Anderson type.
When has the guy ever been put in a position to win?! The only chance he had was last years playoffs when he took it to the basket, posted up, and grabbed rebounds while Brand hit 12ft jumpers...

Clips/Roxfan

02-12-2007, 01:15 AM

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/la-sp-adande12feb12,1,7909426.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba

For Clippers, bad isn't good, but worse would be better
February 12, 2007

The Clippers can't even lose correctly.

If they're not going to ascend, the least they could do is nosedive. Instead they're just trudging along into the worst region of the NBA, that seedy border town at the bottom of the playoffs or the low end of the lottery odds, probably out of Greg Oden-Kevin Durant range.

This isn't a new development for them. As bad as they've been historically, they've never been consistently horrendous at the right times to get the right players.

There's a stat that was trotted out when the Boston Celtics' 18-game losing streak hit 15. The last three teams with 15-game losing streaks wound up with the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Clippers were noticeably absent from that list.

Didn't they have a monster losing streak during that period? Not quite long enough, it turns out. They had a 13-game losing streak near the end of the 2003-04 season, part of a skid in which they dropped 18 of their final 20 games. The Clippers finished 28-54 that season, but Orlando was 21-61 and wound up with the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery.

The Magic selected Dwight Howard. The Clippers picked fourth and selected Shaun Livingston.

Fast-forward to today, and the current issue of ESPN magazine sums it up best. Howard is on the cover, anointed as the newest "Next." Inside is a story on Livingston and how everyone — including Livingston himself — is waiting for him to finally live up to his potential.

At the time we didn't realize the effect that lottery would have on the future of the Clippers. They could have planted Howard at center next to Elton Brand and had one of the top frontlines in the NBA, regardless of who played small forward.

But these being the Clippers, you wonder if they would have made the wrong call and selected Emeka Okafor instead of Howard. Mike Dunleavy has been granted more personnel input than any other coach under Donald Sterling, and that's not a good thing.

You want Dunleavy the coach, not the executive. He coaxed a past-its-prime Lakers team to the NBA Finals in his first coaching gig. But when he held both coaching and general manager duties with the Milwaukee Bucks, the team never had a winning record in his four years there. When he was just a coach in Portland, he came within a quarter of the Finals despite the combustible collection of players Bob Whitsitt had assembled on a roster that was long on talent but short on character, leadership and go-to guys.

The Clippers' loss to Indiana on Sunday was a reminder of one of Dunleavy's personnel gaffes. Danny Granger was on the board when the Clippers had the 12th pick in the 2005 draft, but because of Dunleavy's fixation on Yaroslav Korolev, the Clippers took the Russian teenager. Granger went to the Pacers and has contributed much more than Korolev. Even when Granger was taken to the hospital following a hard fall Sunday, the nine points he'd scored before leaving were three times as many as Korolev has for the season.

But the move that might hamper the Clippers the most is the four-year contract extension Dunleavy signed. If things don't improve on a roster loaded with locked-in players, will Sterling want to fire Dunleavy and keep paying him more than $5 million a year through 2011?

We didn't think this would even be a question after the Clippers had their best postseason. The NBA works that way now. In the last few years we've seen the Pistons, Heat, Nets and Lakers change coaches within a year of advancing to the conference finals or beyond.

Dunleavy's already inhibiting one key player: Corey Maggette. His refusal to play Maggette more is keeping one of the top scoring threats off the court and isn't helping the cause of a team that ranks 19th in the NBA in points per game.

For what it's worth, according to 82games.com the most effective Clippers lineup has been Livingston, Brand, Maggette, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, with a plus/minus of plus 38.

With 10 days until the trading deadline, sending Maggette off won't cure the Clippers' woes, either. When it comes to providing the spark that Chris Kaman needs, shipping Maggette would be about as effective as Kaman's haircut. It wouldn't help Sam Cassell pull out of his worst shooting season since the 1999 lockout year. It wouldn't remind the rest of the players to keep pounding the ball in to Brand.

Brand, even if he isn't up to his career-best play of last season, is still good enough to give the Clippers a shot at winning games. Which, given their current position, might not be such a good thing.

*

J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read more by Adande go to latimes.com/adandeblog.

Clips/Roxfan

02-12-2007, 01:24 AM

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_5204759

Another Sterling moment
Rich Hammond, Columnist
Article Last Updated: 02/10/2007 10:46:42 PM PST

Well, Clippers, it was fun while it lasted.

We'll always remember the good times. The exciting playoff run last spring and the ... OK, well, that's pretty much it, so the Clippers better be prepared to show those highlights for the next decade.

To be fair, the NBA coroner hasn't arrived. In fact, the Clippers would be in the playoffs if the season ended today and yes, if the Clippers make the postseason they could go on some miracu-

lous run.

But they won't, at this rate, because this team is closer to a total collapse than it is a turnaround.

That's not Chris Kaman's fault, even though he has been a $52 million stiff, and it's not Shaun Livingston's fault for being too young or Elton Brand's fault for perhaps being tired after a long summer of basketball.

The blame for the Clippers' struggles, especially of late, falls at the top, with owner Donald Sterling, with general manager Elgin Baylor and with coach Mike Dunleavy, for their inability to get their act together.

This team is falling apart because it can't figure out what to do with its sixth man, Corey Maggette.

Think about it. The Clippers have Brand, one of the best post men in the game, and Sam

Cassell, perhaps the smartest point guard, leading a deep and talented lineup, and they're imploding over their sixth man?
Dunleavy and Maggette can't coexist. We know this. They tried to put on happy faces for a while, but it came to a head again last week when Maggette publicly lashed out about his lack of playing time.

This, remember, came less than a month after Sterling, Baylor, Dunleavy and Maggette came together in the Staples Center tunnel, sang "Kumbaya" and decided they would try to be a happy family.

Well, that lasted a while, didn't it?

It's now nothing short of a clown show, and the men wearing the suits should have known better.

Who's running this team, anyway? Dunleavy wants to trade Maggette, Sterling wants to keep him and Baylor, well, who knows? He seems to be in the middle, trying to placate both sides.

The lion's share of the blame here falls on Sterling. His involvement in the whole thing has turned the Maggette affair from a sticky situation to a tar pit. Because who isn't going to listen to the boss?

Sterling is making himself look like L.A.'s version of George Steinbrenner, minus the mean streak.

Donald, if Maggette is more important to you than Dunleavy, fire Dunleavy. If Baylor isn't doing the job you want, fire Baylor. But trying to play all sides and have this magically work out, it just isn't going to happen. You'd think that a man with Sterling's business background would understand management.

With the trade deadline approaching, Sterling needs to ask himself one question: What's more important, his admiration for Maggette or his team's chances of making the playoffs?

Dunleavy's feelings aren't going to change. He doesn't like Maggette's defense or attitude, and the road-trip outburst just sealed the deal. Now it's time to take the handcuffs off Baylor, let him do his job and make a respectable trade, one that will allow the team to focus on something other than internal strife.

This could have been the Clippers' season. Instead, it's a mess, but maybe it's not too late to fix.

Don't do it: As the Feb.22 trade deadline approaches, the hottest non-Maggette trade stories center around Memphis' Pau Gasol, with Chicago as a possible trade partner for the Grizzlies.

Sounds good for the Bulls, except the latest rumors have the Grizzlies seeking two players from a group that includes Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. Thanks, but no thanks.

Nocioni is 27 and the other three are 25 or younger. That quartet forms the core of a group that has kept the Bulls competitive in the ultra-tough Central Division and should keep them strong for years to come.

A versatile 7-foot center such as Gasol is nothing to sneeze at, but the Bulls can't afford to lose two of their top four scorers.

One player and a draft pick? Sure, and if that happens, watch out for the Bulls.

Numbers game: Is there something about The Palace of Auburn Hills that makes NBA players lose their minds? First the Indiana Pacers go charging into the seats and now, the Brian Cook incident.

Cook, bothered by a lack of recent playing time, dropped his warmups into Lakers coach Phil Jackson's lap as he left the bench and, well, there's really no good way to spin this one in Cook's favor.

But does Cook have a point? Let's look at some numbers provided by the stat gurus at 82games.com.

Using a simple formula known as "net points," which measures a team's point totals when a particular player is on or off the court, Cook is the Lakers' fifth-most efficient player with a plus-17 rating.

That puts Cook behind Kobe Bryant (plus-175), Kwame Brown (plus-93), Lamar Odom (plus-63) and Maurice Evans (plus-51) and far ahead of Smush Parker (minus-35) and Andrew Bynum (minus-75).

And Vladimir Radmanovic, who competes with Cook for playing time?

He's a minus-275. Ouch.

Baby Shaq? The NBA slam-dunk contest, which stopped being interesting after Spud Webb threw down, could get an infusion of life if Orlando's Dwight Howard pulls off what he's thinking.

Howard told the Orlando Sentinel last week he's considering a dunk so thunderous that it would bring down the basket support, something Shaquille O'Neal made famous a few years back.

"That's what I have people telling me: tear it down!" Howard said. "But you know how hard that is to do? I know Shaq has done it. I don't know. It's never been done (in the slam-dunk contest)."

Take that: Dwyane Wade is known as being perhaps the most mild-mannered of all the NBA stars, but Wade couldn't resist taking a jab at Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, who, in the estimation of Miami followers, hasn't given enough credit to the Heat for its NBA Finals win over the Mavericks.

"At the end of the day," Wade told the Miami Herald, "you're remembered for what you did at the end. ... Dirk says they gave us the championship last year, but he's the reason they lost the championship, because he wasn't the leader that he's supposed to be in the closing moments."

For those interested in calendar-circling, Dallas hosts Miami on Feb. 22.

rich.hammond@dailynews.com

(818) 713-3611

Shroopy2

02-12-2007, 02:24 AM

Los Angeles sure loves their drama don't they?
I'm close to the L.A. area, and me and coworkers have been sick as can be. Wouldnt be suprised if there was some flu bug going around the whole area and Maggette would have it but usually its not just one guy on the team having it?

Donald Sterling and Elgin Baylor had a good few seasons run of making safe decisions and building a team instead of looking to dump off people and get by cheap. Now they're starting to show their old ways again and how their incompetence can cripple a franchise. It may not be the best but actually one of the RIGHT things to do here would be a cheap move - trade Magette for some expiring contracts or something and get rid of the distraction. It doesn't make sense really.

DaDakota

02-12-2007, 06:47 AM

And I wanted Dunleavy as Rockets coach to replace Rudy. Shame on me.

Me too, but I don't think Dunleavy is the problem, it sounds like Sterling is the issue.

DD

tinman

02-12-2007, 08:47 PM

trade maggette now! or send Sam to a contender! Sam needs to go down with Horry as some of the most legendary playoff players of all time.

thus the legacy of the 93 Rockets will be that of one of the greatest team on the planet we know today as the earth.

A_3PO

02-12-2007, 09:31 PM

Well, tonight Maggette got 38 minutes on the floor and earned 10 FTs. Of course, the Clips got smoked in Detroit anyway. They had no chance without Elton Brand.

Clips/Roxfan

02-12-2007, 10:11 PM

The Clippers should blow it up and rebulid.

If i were the Clippers i would:

Trade Cassell to Miami for James Posey's expiring contract and a future Miami first round draft pick.

Trade Corey Magggette to Charlotte for Toronto's 2007 draft pick.

Release Rebracca

Try to unload Aarron Williams

Start over with a core of Kaman/Brand/Livingston. Surround them with the right pieces......