New Clippers arena doesn’t make them any better on the court
By Keith Rivas
Don’t let the new Clippers arena be a distraction to who the team really is.
It’s at this point in time that the Clippers are really showing why they’re the most confusing franchise in sports right now. From blowing big playoff leads, to never making the conference finals, to not being able to win a championship with the Lakers down for the count.
Now, it seems that Inglewood could be where they call home in the near future. It doesn’t seem that Ballmer has plans to move them to Seattle, which was one possibility.
For the Clippers, a legitimate culture change is needed. Adding Jerry West to the staff is an ok move, but again doesn’t fix everything.
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Also, Inglewood is very close to Los Angeles. If they were trying to distance themselves from the Lakers, that’s not very far.
In any case, the Clippers stand a very good chance of losing huge chunks of their starting lineup. Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin, and several depth players are free agents this summer.
With Paul likely deciding based on where it’s best for him to win a title, Los Angeles looks less and less likely to retain him. Griffin has been shown interest by Boston and OKC already, which means heavy competition for the former number one pick.
A new stadium will only get the fans hyped for what they hope is a new atmosphere. However, if you don’t start winning, it means nothing.
As a matter of fact, it really doesn’t matter where they move. If the Clippers can’t get a good value backup to replace Paul, Redick, and Griffin, this time will have several losing seasons coming their way.
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And you can forget about contending in the Western Conference playoffs at that point.