FanPost

Clippers Recap: Special 2009 Touchy-Feely Edition

Well, as we wrap up the 08-09 season I want to thank everyone for their kind words regarding my recent fanpost contributions. This is a killer community and it's a lot of fun contributing thoughts and getting thoughtful, reasoned feedback.

As mentioned in a previous edition, the BE staff does such a solid job of talking Blazers personnel and issues that I often find it a better contribution to put up some observations about the other guys. So some thoughts on the game and on the Clipper franchise, but first, an unusual note from the fourth quarter of Saturday's win:

 

Maybe I'm way off-base on this one, but this was too...just cool not to share. Fourth quarter. Clippers up two. Nate calls time and, I'm sure, reminds the team that this is still their game to lose and that now would probably be a good time to pull out the stops and put the clamps down. The Blazers respond with that nice 14-0 run, anchored by some clutch treys from Rudy and some solid, unselfish play from LaMarcus. A timeout is called. While 2 or 3 minutes remain, the Blazers have essentially selected the best nails for the job and have said a few words on the coffin's behalf. Barring a serious turnaround from the Clippers, the game is largely decided.

 

As the Blazers head for the bench, LaMarcus sidles over to Joel, makes some quiet comment with a smile. Joel responds with something that gets a good chuckle from L.A. As they make their way to the huddle, Joel pats L.A. on the back...and then puts his big old hand on the back of LaMarcus' head. Not the back of his neck, really, more like the base of his skull, right? As they walk back, he keeps it there for maybe three seconds as they head over to rejoin their teammates. LaMarcus takes no notice. A moment late, Joel's hand drops; the camera moves on.

 

Ask yourself how you'd react if someone came up to you at the office, put a hand right on the back of your head, maybe gave a comforting squeeze, and congratulated you on that nice account summary you put together for Ted. Or thanked you for cleaning out the fat fryer last night instead of leaving it for the morning crew. Not a pat, not a dap. Not a reassuring clap on the shoulder. Your. head. What would you do? Not to paint myself as a social leper, but depending on who it was, I'd be confused at best and threatening to call HR at worst.

 

The back of the head's an intimate spot. (Not intimate like that, you pervs.) I'm saying it's in our personal space. That's restricted airspace, off-limits to the general public. Family, spouse, kids only. Again, that's just me, of course, but I'm willing to bet most folks feel somewhat the same.

 

My point with all this is this little mini-moment between Joel and L.A. was a little reminder of just how closely knit this team really is. We see em smiling, we hear the good press, but it's little things like that which tell the story. Even more telling: LaMarcus's complete indifference. It's the way you'd react if it was your brother, or your dad. I get that they're athletes, but this wasn't a slap on the rear or a spirited chest-bump.

 

You can watch some NBA players go an entire career without showing that kind of bond with a teammate, or allowing a teammate to get that close. I saw that and thought, These guys really are a family. Doesn't matter whether we take note or not. And as a fan, you look back to those teams just a few short seasons ago, and that brief, nonchalant display of closeness would never have taken place. No way. The Blazers have been through a lot this year. Let's hope there's more to come. But win or lose this postseason, this group will go down fighting as one.

 

Okay, okay, cue some AC/DC or something. And do something about the frickin patchouli stinking up the place. Some random Clippers observations:

 

  • What the hell is a Clipper anyway. Yeah, yeah, wikipedia is my friend: "A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had multiple masts and a square rig." Sexy. On the one hand, I wonder if maybe at least some very small part of this franchise's issues is that they're fundamentally hard to identify with. Seriously. On the other hand, I don't particularly identify with boys' or mens' baggy trousers either, but never mind.
  • Poor Eric Gordon. You talk about a guy selling out for his team. That dunk on Rudy in the fourth, siiick. All you need to know about the depth and talent of this year's rookie class: Eric Gordon scores more per game than Steve Nash, gets to the line more per game than Rudy Gay, shoots the three better than Peja, and picks more pockets per game than Rudy Fernandez, yet he's barely a footnote in the Rookie of the Year conversation. He's sure gonna look good in somebody else's uniform in a couple of years.
  • I think Baron Davis has been an embarrassment this year. I understand he thought he'd have Elton Brand around, I understand he got burned, I understand he now plays on a bad team and that can't be fun. But you look at the way his stats have dropped across the board this season and it's just disappointing, especially after he made us all fans when he threw it down on Kirilenko back in 2007. What's frustrating is you saw a little bit of that fire last night, some passion. I've seen a couple of Clippers games this season and he's just not into it. If you give this Bill Simmons column a read, you'll understand some of why this is such a tough team to sell out for. But that's not much of an excuse. He's making sick money to lead these guys. Anybody can get excited when you're all tied with under five to go. You're paid superstar bucks to lead by example and that's exactly what he hasn't been doing for much of this season.
  • Much has been made of the percentage of Blazer fans at Staples Center. I was less startled by that then by the serious lack of Clippers fans. I know that sounds stupidly self-evident; I'm referring to the cavernous silence that greeted the L.A. players after a bad call or a hard foul. I saw a couple calls that went Portland's way (amazingly, when we decided to assert ourselves in the paint, I know, go figure), and lemme tell you, you don't even think to acknowledge that grumble of disapproval until you realize with surprise that it just ain't there. No chorus of boos upon the replay. Either that was the best officiated game in the history of the league, or those were some well-mannered fans, or that's a fanbase who decided to stay home and play Halo or something.
  • Zach Randolph has exactly the same game he has when he left Portland what seems like half a decade ago. Same strengths, same weaknesses. I'm not going to take any shots other than to observe that you'd expect a PF in his late twenties to be adding something to his game. Evidently low-post defense and shot selection have not ascended on the list of priorities. Three-point attempts per game, however, have clearly become the flavor of the day.
  • The tough thing about the Clips is that some pieces are there, man. Honestly I've always been a little bit of a Brian Skinner homer. NBA body, works pretty hard, active on the boards. He's one of the guys who I hope gets a shot to crack the rotation on a playoff team. And Chris Kaman? I don't care that he's got that weirdness going on with his hair, and I don't care that his name kinda rhymes with Caveman lololol because he looks like a big dumb caveman roflmao. He's friggin huge, and he boxes out without even trying, and don't look now but he has a better offensive game than Greg Oden. He also shoots 71% from the line and averages nearly a double-double in under 30 minutes. I think anyone who thinks the Clippers overpaid for Kaman is on crack. Go ask half the league if they'd pay $10M a year for that kind of consistent productivity from a 7'3" center. We're just spoiled up here because we have Joel right now.
  • I don't know if that was really Tina Fey but I'm choosing to tell myself that it was, and she's a rabid Rip City believer, and she's going to be at the next Blazer's Edge party.
  • In defense of Baron Davis, I'll refer to an L.A. Times piece on the close to the long Clippers season:

Dunleavy spoke about what the team wants out of Davis, and pointed to Friday night's win against Sacramento as example No. 1.

"I think when he has spurts when he's in attack mode and he's trying to get to the rim, like in our game last night, that's exactly what he should do," he said.

  • Really? Gosh, Mike, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that this whole time you've wanted to Baron to freewheel into the paint and drive the lane and push the tempo in attack mode. That must be why you've chosen to pair one of the great uptempo guards in the game today with a frontcourt of some of the slowest, most downtempo PFs and Cs in the game today. It's okay, though: Randolph and Kaman are only under contract for two more seasons. I'm sure the youth movement will jump at the chance to hang around, reup into lengthy multi-year contracts,  and jumpstart the next Clippers revolution under "Coach" Dunleavy's guiding hand. What's frustrating here, by the way, is that after years, decades of well-documented frugality, we've finally seen Clippers owner Donald Sterling shell out some cash the last couple of seasons, and since Dunleavy's the one telling him where to write the checks, we see it spent on the absolute wrong set of players.
  • I didn't realize that Al Thornton had been shelved for the season. Bummer. There's another guy who absolutely belongs in the league and who I'd pay to see play. I don't think the Clippers have necessarily drafted worse than other teams at all. Fact is, they've made some very solid picks in recent years. Their share of busts, of course, but hell, when you're in the lottery every year, there's this thing called the law of averages. 

Ehh, that's all I've got. Let's finish the season strong with a couple of Ws!