because we don’t make 65 mil.

Both checking in. Adande ends in classic fashion: “they’re the Clippers.” Heisler talks about the troubles and chaos of the last year. But what team wouldn’t be in turmoil when their best player is hurt over the summer and misses the season?

We don’t get what happened. But nobody gets our sense of betrayal, frustration, and pain.

Adande does show some sympathy, and he also says to us, if you feel bad, how does Baron Davis feel? How does Chris Kaman feel?

Heisler at least proposes a theory, not just the idea that Falk holds a meaningless old grudge. The theory is that ever since the Clippers matched the Heat’s RFA offer, Brand has been in a sort of servitude. That one is worth pondering.

But none of it is going to get us very far. Clipper Steve doesn’t get it. There’s only one thing to get: Elton Brand is a creep. He duped Corey Maggette, the best man at his wedding, as part of his bluff. He double duped Baron Davis, who left 17 million on the table at GSW to come and play with him in LA. And then he duped the Clippers, when they called his bluff and he realized that you could talk about the Celtics and wanting to win all day, but Garnett, Pierce, and Allen never took an actual paycut to make it happen.

Heisler says that “For those who know Brand, questioning his sincerity is like refusing to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” And then he mentions that you occasionally see flashes of another Brand, who tells you what you want to hear.

So now we know. Brand is insincere.

I agree with Adande’s theory for the most part. EB wanted to leave all along. Sure, the playoff run may have briefly changed his mind. But the letdown 06-07 season and the injury last year snapped him out of it. He opted out the second the option became available to him.

But that’s not the whole story. Let’s not omit the deceit and lies. Throughout his entire injury recovery, during which the Clippers and fans stood by him 100%, he sang the same song. Even after he opted out, he was still singing that song. EB can’t wait to get back on the court with his Clipper teammates. EB is not a quitter. EB intends to stay with the Clippers. EB will make sacrifices to better the team. Bee-Ess.

So I do get it. EB is a two-faced jackass. Four-letter-word him.

Someone photoshop the left side of EB’s mug onto THIS.

I sorta disagree with ClipperSteve in suggesting we go straight into rebuild mode after dreaming about going far in the playoffs for the last week. Clips can still field a competitive team by going after the various RFA’s out there….Josh Smith probably would create similar logjam issues with Al Thornton that Maggette did, but it would still be a competitive team.

This is a shell-shock to loyal Clips fans, but as ClipperSteve mentioned, the last 15 months have already been a pretty much Brand-less team. Life goes on, we’ll sign another player, and things will move forward with a younger core. EB left for pretty much the same reasons B Diddy came: going back home and a little extra raise. At the end of the day, we as fans have to realise that we care more about teams and loyalty, etc. than the players do. They are simply high paid employees. Look at Johnny Damon for example. He was the face of the Red Sox, then he bolted to the Yanks. Was he aware of all the backlash that Sox fans would give him? Of course, but in the long run, those things from an employee viewpoint don’t really matter. Malone soured his legacy on the Jazz just so he could chase a ring with the ill-fated 04 Lakers….these things happen in sports. We just have to accept it and move on with life. Life with a Front office led by the incompetent Elgin Baylor. An Elgin Baylor that hasn’t delivered in 20 years.

How this team will turn out is anyone’s guess. At this point, it would seem the team would be better suited as a guard-oriented team as the only post presence is a Kaman. If that were the case, a Josh Smith, Ellis or Iggy would be sensible acquisitions. Then again, Mike Dunleavy is the coach, so we can all expect another slow and prodding team. I think the Clips will not stand pat here, they have to deliver a decent FA after this.

On the bright side, at least we have a team….Seattle no longer does, thanks to gutless council members who took the money over awaiting a court decision.

No Maggette for sure on the same day makes this one of the darkest days in franchise history. Perhaps all along our loyalties were mixed up. Could Corey have been the model citizen? He was DTS’ favorite player….keeping him around would have been no problem….he was just looking for a slight raise and likely would have stayed if given a better contract. Sorry I keep bringing the guy up, but I really do think Corey will be missed greatly by the Clips and ClipperNation as well. We can blame EB for pretty much eliminating any chance of a Plan B with Maggette.

I am a Bulls, fan but I live in LA, and I go watch Clips games all the time. This really hurt me, I dont even know how much it sucks for you. Damn, Elton was my boy from Chicago to LA. and please change this in the start of trying to join here.. “The Clippers haven’t had a ton of success over the years, but they have been blessed with a lot of classy players, led by Elton Brand. We want that sort of citizenship here on ClipsNation as well.

A few specifics -” Elton Brand aint classy, he is worse than Carlos Boozer…

Its a sad day for the Clippers organization, and even a sadder day for Elton Brand. EB had always carefully cultivated his stand-up public persona and presented himself as an all around nice guy; hard working, dedicated, loyal to his teammates, and a quiet leader. In one move, he torched that persona and destroyed whatever integrity he had, not only as a basketball player, but as a man.

He could have been honest with the Clippers and made his intentions clear; that he wanted out, that he preferred to play in the East, etc and the Clips could have acted accordingly. But he strung the orgnization along, demanding that we get someone like Baron Davis (we did), all the while using the Clippers to drive up the bidding for his services.

This is worse than what Boozer had done to Cleveland. Perhaps Duke University fails to properly instruct its young athletes on the principles of integrity, honesty, and character.

Norman Mailer once wrote that in the Latin world, a man is not defined by who he is every day, but is defined by his best days and his worst. Because it is only in those brightest or darkest moments that he reveals his true self and shows the world who he was truly meant to be.

Elton has not only betrayed his public persona and code of honor, he has betrayed himself. He has betrayed the trust that the Clippers organization and the fans have invested in him—in the belief that he was a stand-up guy, someone with integrity who was true to his word and commitment. He proved himself to be less than Gilbert Arenas, and maybe even Baron Davis in terms of character. In short, he has revealed himself to be nothing more than another greedy NBA player; carefully crafting his public persona for endorsement contracts and looking out for himself above all. I suppose you can’t blame a man for that in this day and age. But the hypocrisy that he represents is disturbing. Rarely has an athlete’s public persona and true self been so divergent. Rarely has an athlete been able to deceive so many people for so long in our cynical time.

I usually wish former Clippers well on their next team and cheer them from afar. I will not be doing that for Elton.

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_9821785

They say Brand was offered over $80M by the Clips, so it wasn’t the money. They have not been in touch with him, but were convinced as of Monday that he was coming back.

So this is a pretty dodgy move by EB.

They also say that as soon as they heard, the Clips immediately “dispatched” someone to talk to Baron Davis. Uh oh.

Lots more to learn, but I may owe the Clippers front office an apology.

Just wished EB made his intentions loud and clear prior to free agency, we could have traded for Beasley and Marion. Instead of this horrible burning sensation.

Back to Free Agency.

Yea there are some conversations that haven’t been released to public, this has everyone scratching their head. Now the Clips have to go after another free agent like Josh Smith…

Sports Betting Articles

How does EB going from “Beno Udrih is out there” to bailing after the Clips get Baron Davis?

It is just more proof that something happened. I can’t wait for the tell all.

We need to fire our front office. They have failed time and time again to either keep or sign players that we needed. And this latest failure should be the last straw, Sterling needs to get new people that can actually get the job done. I mean how did you let EB leave when all you had to was ask him what he wants and if he wants more money you get it to him.

But maybe we could still sign Maggs I heard he wants the clippers to match GS offer. If there is a way to keep him then he should become the face of the clippers. Either way no one should boo maggs he made his intentions clear from minute he opted out but Brand should be booed the whole game to remind who he left.

...I’m obviously pleased that we’ve somehow managed to get a player as good as Elton Brand.

As an NBA fan in general, I share the puzzlement expressed by a lot of people here as to how it happened. Every comment I saw in the papers during the last week was focused on how the Clippers had managed to get Davis to agree to a contract, a move that should have been guaranteed to make Brand happy. I was even in the middle of posting to my blog that all the Brand-to-Sixers talk was just nonsense when I saw the late-breaking reports that pushed the possibility from rumor to done deal.

Just weird. I hope sometime in the near future Brand shares with everyone what his thought process actually was during this time period (assuming we can believe whatever story he chooses to share).

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