An Interesting Phone Call
by ClipperSteve
on Jul 10, 2008 11:54 PM PDT
in News
I got a call from my dad earlier today. He wanted to talk about the Brand situation.
My parents were on vacation for the last three weeks: back-to-back cruises in the Norwegian fjords and the Baltics. Not a lot of NBA news.
As a result, the big guy (that's what I call him) hadn't been on this roller coaster with the rest of us. Not that he's a huge Clippers fan, but he's an NBA fan, and he has more than a passing interest in the Clips, partly because of me no doubt. But he wasn't around for the draft, he wasn't around for the free agency frenzy, he wasn't here when we all thought we were sure to have Brand and Baron. He left when the team had Brand and Maggette. He came back, they had the draft picks and Baron Davis.
Funny thing is, he's OK with it.
Maybe he's trying to make me feel better. I don't think that's it. Certainly it's not about convincing himself it's OK, because he's not really emotionally invested in the Clippers. But he points out (and rightly so) that Brand was always problematic as a big money player. He's incredibly solid, he works hard, it is (was) hard not to like the guy. But he's pretty limited offensively. Bear in mind the way his numbers dipped from 05-06 to 06-07 has defenses began to gear up for him. He's never going to carry a team, and he's not a great option for getting a big basket late in a game. I've actually said this before: it's hard to imagine Elton Brand as the best player on a championship team. So the big guy thinks it's really not that big a deal. It's too bad, and the team may not be as good next season as the could have been. But they may be better off in the long run.
On the other hand, the big guy LOVES Baron Davis. And he loves Kaman and Thornton too. So he thinks the Clippers have three great pieces already. And he's always loved Shaun Livingston, so he's hoping some day he'll be able to contribute again.
I'm still pretty psyched about Gordon and Jordan (who will play their first summer league games tonight). And of course there's all that lovely cap space.
So, maybe we should all pretend we weren't here for the last three weeks. We had a team before. Now we have this team. It's a very different team. It's a pretty good team. It's potentially a very exciting team.
The big guy thinks it's not so bad.
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That's interesting, but
the reason defenses sagged on EB in 06-07 was that the team had no legitimate offensive weapons other than EB and Maggette, and MDSr did not start Maggette for most of the year. EB is a great, great player, and if he comes back from the recent injury, his loss is huge for the Clippers. Irreplaceable IMO.
by Jax on Jul 11, 2008 12:21 AM PDT 0 recs
The End.
The soul-shattering climax threw us all for a loop, and of course the denouement was hashing out how the oncoming ascent could have veered so quickly off course. There was anger, bitterness, resentment, finger-pointing, and general catharsis.
But now it’s over. Perhaps the FElton moniker has served its purpose. He is just Elton Brand now, a talented Power Forward who ultimately proved to be too problematic to be a franchise player for all the reasons put forth by CS.
A well-timed phone call to put things into perspective. Let this be the last chapter, the last scene. An uplifting way to end this drama. Cue the closing credits. We can move on now.
New plot. Some familiar faces.
by OhMeOhMy on Jul 11, 2008 12:22 AM PDT 0 recs
I have been saying
as the “cornerstones”, Brand and Maggette accomplished little.
If Brand and Maggette turn into Davis and Smith/Okafor/Marion, the Clippers come out ahead.
This is a PG driven league. Brand’s best year – the year he had a PG.
I recall only two games where EB took over and won the game. Once vs. Memphis, once vs. Miami.F-Elton!
by mikey p on Jul 11, 2008 5:59 AM PDT 0 recs
Livingston
was on the radio last night. Doesn’t sound like he really wants to come back to the Clippers.
He says he has received support from the team, and he appreciates it, but he is prepared to move on, and said that he would be happy to experience something new. He does realize that his choices are limited.
However, he also would love to play with BD.
F-Elton!
by mikey p on Jul 11, 2008 11:10 AM PDT 0 recs
Does it really matter
if he stays or goes? Dude can’t even play one on one right now without being sore for 2 days. How much can he contribute this year, let alone 2 or 3 years down the road? This would not be a big shock to the Clips if he went elsewhere for some more $$. And I wouldn’t blame SL either…
by Clip Show on
Jul 11, 2008 11:22 AM PDT
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Peace out, Judas Brand
my thoughts and feelings regarding the whole back stabbing by benedict and his devil agent.
http://www.riceboytv.com/blogs/rikdaddys-blog/fck-you-elton-brand/
http://www.riceboytv.com/blogs/rikdaddys-blog/last-tribute-to-judas-brand/
by rikdaddy on Jul 11, 2008 11:49 AM PDT 1 recs
Man...
And I thought I was taking this whole thing pretty hard….
Love the passion RikDaddy….here’s to better days ahead…without Benedict Brand.
by Clip Show on
Jul 11, 2008 2:09 PM PDT
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Baron Davis is the new president of Clipper Nation.
Let’s take that as a win. It gives us a chance for a new style of play. B. Diddy will open up the floor and make this team a little more exciting to watch at the very least. Plus, we can’t really get much worse than last year (obviously a byproduct of the countless injuries). We lose FElton, but we still have a post presence in Kaman which allows us to run the halfcourt from time to time. However, we finally have a point guard this time around, which means that we can finally create some easy fast break opportunities, which was an option that I don’t think the Clippers have ever been seriously afforded since coming to SoCal. The starting lineup as is ain’t all that bad and a couple key pickups in the next couple of years could take this team to a new level.
by WestsideBrandon on Jul 11, 2008 12:26 PM PDT 0 recs
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