To All Clipper Fans: Season Opener "State of the Nation"
by moKi on Dec 26, 2011 3:44 PM PST
Email
PrintWelcome All Clipper Fans!
The opening game of the season has officially kicked off a great amount of debating and interaction here and I am excited to address many of the comments and posts I have been reading. I have absolutely no authority or claim to this site but am just a long time fan and old time blogger/poster. So here in my humble opinion, is the state of Clips Nation and more importantly the Clippers themselves!
CLIPS NATION - THE BEGINNING of a NEW ERA
With the arrival of Chris Paul, there seem to be many new Clipper fans. If you are one of them, we welcome you! I suggest you read a great post by Citizen shay outlining some basic info you should know about our community. After reading that some may still wonder why there is a negative under tone in so many posts.
True Clipper Fans Are Conservative
Any longtime Clipper fan will tell you if there is one motto to sum up our feelings for the past 20 years it would be "Don't count your chicks before they hatch". Yes, an old farmers saying maybe but die hard Clips fans have had years of exciting potential fizzle in front of our eyes. Call it a curse or bad management or a combination of both, but the results have always been the same in the end - disappointment.
So new fans, you have to be patient with old fans as we try and change our mindset to a more positive tone. You will see that there are many of us long time fans that have an eternally optimistic attitude (how else could we be fans this long?)
Conversely new fans must know the history of our beloved Clippers and understand that we here at Clips Nation value cautious optimism and most importantly GOOD BASKETBALL. We don't throw all logic out the window when evaluating games and run around shouting, "It doesn't matter how we won, we got CP3 and Blake so BOO-YA suckers!" We refrain from talking trash to Laker fans, respecting the Championship banners and our lack of any. Plus true Clipper fans really don't care about the Lakers.
True Clipper fans care about how well our team is playing basketball.
We care about how well the team played defense. We care about rebounding. We care about ball movement. We care about shot selection. We care about play calling and time management.
What we don't care about is how "cool" our stars are or if we have more/better stars than the other team. The Clippers have never really had superstars so it has always been a team that has attracted fans that love the blue collar, hard working underdogs. True Clipper fans love to see our team built around hard work and smart basketball beating teams built around megastars.
This is exactly why some here in Clips Nation may be so negative about the win last night.
True Clipper fans want to see our team win with smart basketball. That was definitely not the case last night. CP3 bailed out the team at the end of the game. He made "superstar" plays at a critical time and ensured a win for the team. We are definitely not accustomed to winning any games in that way. The closest thing we've had to that in recent memory is Sam Cassell.
So to balance out some of that negativity with some "New Clippers" positivity, here are my thoughts as a long time fan, of last nights win over the Warriors.
Clippers Edge Warriors on Christmas Night Victory
moKi's notes:
Clipper Nation: Be Patient. Yes the offense was ugly. The defense was bad, rebounding horrible. Too much reliance on CP3 going 1 on 1 to get the win. But they are working on it and I believe it will come in time. I expect to see better defense and rebounding by game ~10 and a smooth flowing offense by game ~20. Arnovitz wrote a great article on high expectations after last night's win on ESPN.
Clipper Nation: Be HAPPY!
Caron Butler. Look at Butler's stat line. 11pts, 10reb, 4ast, 3stl. Isn't this GLOOEY?? Stop whining about his knees and how much we paid or how old he'll be in 3 years! Shut up and enjoy it!
Chauncey Billups. He shot too much. More precisely, he missed too much. He didn't pass enough. Like he had a choice??? Everyone else was standing around and the Warriors were sagging on Blake and DJ. You don't think EJ could have just as easily had the same performance or worse? (Admit it, EJ would have forced a few into the lane and turned it over, leading to a few 4 point swings. Remember those???????) Chauncey was a Finals MVP. If anyone has the right to try to shoot himself into a game while the defense sags, it's him. The offense will improve and his performance last night will not be a regular occurrence. Let's forget it and move on.
CP3. He wasn't "engaged" in the first three quarters. Why did he wait so long to "turn it on"? Can't believe some complained about that. It's his very first game of the season on a brand new team and you want him to come out "guns blazing"? If you've watched any of his interviews so far you know Chris is a humble guy. He didn't come to the Clippers to show off. You can tell that in his mind he has nothing to prove to anybody, especially dumb bandwagon fans. CP3 is not a scorer first. He's a team-first kind of guy with the capacity to carry a team when needed. The offense is still a mess, but even when it improves he may choose to try to get others on the team scoring in the first half of games. As the point guard that is his job. He will score when needed. Stop worrying.
BlaKe. He didn't rebound enough. He didn't box out enough. He didn't block any shots. All valid points, but we have to remember that with Kaman gone there is even more pressure on Griffin to avoid getting into foul trouble. Think about it. If he racks up fouls early, who do you throw the ball to down low? DJ is not a consistent post scorer. Cook and Thompkins seem better suited to perimeter play. Most nights CP3 and Billups will not be taller and bigger than their defenders, wanting to take them to the low post. Blake must stay out of foul trouble and that means playing a bit more conservative which equals less rebounds and blocks. If the Clips can win without him racking up double doubles I'm sure he is fine with that. As fans we may have to accept that fact as well. Let's wait and see how things work out with Reggie "The Nutcracker" Evans.
DJ. Free Throws? Yes, he must improve. Could it get worse? Hopefully not. It was a block party last night but you better believe the Spurs will watch that tape and think "Pump-Fake" followed by "Foul on DJ" followed by "Cook into the game for DJ". I hope someone on the coaching staff is getting the Big Eraser ready for Timmy and Herky Jerky Ginobilli or else he's going to foul out by half time. DJ definitely needs to rebound better. He only had 5 last night, which is horrible for a guy with his size and jumping abilities. Sure he was focused on blocking on defense, so where were the offensive boards? 3? Not what you expect for 10 MILLION dollars. Sure 8 blocks sounds great, but it was the Warriors. With all that said, I've heard before that it usually takes years for big men to develop and DJ is still very young. Let's stay positive and look for his rebounding numbers and FT% to increase as the season progresses.
Mo Williams. In recent times the Clippers have always had the worst point guards. Even when we'd get an exciting one like Sam, he was past his prime. Andre Miller? It was amazing when he cared enough to jog up the court or talk to any of his teammates. Baron "Fat Boy" Davis? Shaun Livingston? Kneed I say more? No, we have been used to the Dan Dickaus and Daniel Ewings, Mike Taylors of the league. So now we have Mo Williams coming off the bench scoring with ease and some in Clips Nation want to get rid of him? He doesn't like coming off the bench? He's not happy here so we should trade him? What are we? The Lakers?
You don't trade away a perfect bench player just because he thinks he deserves to be a starter. Every player in the NBA should believe he's a starter or he really has no business being in the league - unless he's old or just used to living off his bigness (See Eddie Curry).
I believe Mo Williams is KEY to the Clippers being successful, especially in this short season of compacted games. Clipper coaches and management should be doing everything they can to make him happy as a 6th man. As of today, Mo is far superior to Foye or Bledsoe and to think the Clips would be OK without him would be a big mistake. He showed up in camp 20 pounds lighter and in top shape, mentally ready to lead the Clippers to the playoffs. As of today, he knows Vinny, the system, Blake, DJ, Bled, Foye and Gomes better than CP3 or Billups. Keep Mo for now. For stability and for wins. He may become expendable later, IF Bledsoe develops and a trade for a quality big demands it. But other than that I say we here at Clips Nation should do as much as possible to show love for Mo and keep him here.
- - - - -
I hope all is well with everyone here at Clips Nation. This season will be the best ever and I am looking forward to enjoying each and every moment! I still live close to Staples (about 10 min away) but I no longer have Season Tickets. If anyone wants to sell/give away tickets at the last minute please keep me in mind (I know, shameless plea).
LET'S GO CLIPPERS!!!!!! LET'S GO!!!!!!!
21 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Billups just played 38 minutes, if we had a game tonight,,,,, we would be screwed if we didnt have Mo
if we are going to trade anyone, it should be Bledsoe. Besides, I think Bledsoe has the most trade value for a team rebuilding.
Would like to hold on to Bledsoe
Especially since he played the 2 next to Wall in college and he has the hops that CP3 doesn’t. Or at least he used to before the knee surgery… It’s gonna be interesting to see if he flies around with the same reckless abandon as last year.
But I agree if we can get something back that we NEED I guess he’s trade bait too.
nice breakdown
I think with the addition of Evans, we can stay put for a while. I would’ve liked to get a bigger body off the bench, but there really isn’t enough talent out there right now.
Yes The Free Agent/Waiver Wire...
…looks pretty unappealing. Big Centers with “basketball ability” are in short supply right now. When you see the big men other teams are rolling with Reggie Evans seems like a decent pickup as a backup for now.
Melvin Ely was waived yesterday by the Cats
The best big man out their- better stat line than Pryzybilla
Enjoyed reading your fanpost.
We just have to be patient. This is going to be a fun season and things will fall into place. We still need to address our front court depth..we need a big guy with decent enough skills to back up DJ at least.
Sorry but
Being a “True Clipper” fan sounds like it sucks. I’ll just stick with the regular version if that’s okay with you. I don’t know guys … I just kind of hate that on this site I’ve been reading all these “rules” and “open letters” that supposedly govern what it does and doesn’t take to be a Clipper fan. Look it doesn’t take shit to be a Clipper fan, and it takes a whole lot less than that now considering the Clips have the most exciting lineup in the NBA. We are the definition of bandwagon material. I hate that some of the regulars, or as I like to call them “senior citizens”, are trying so desperately to separate themselves from the new fans, i.e. “bandwagoners” that the Clippers have added because of the CP3 deal. It’s like there’s this disconnect between the senior citizens and the bandwagoners because one side is entirely too worried about proving how much better and deeper their love runs for the Clippers than the other. The senior citizens of this blog have been overly eager at almost ever juncture of this blog to assert themselves as an authority over the new fans, like their opinions should be weighted differently. Well, you really need to get over your Clipper xenophobia, bro. This message isn’t just for you moki, it’s for all those people who liked the Clippers long before CP3. Seriously, it’s cool that you have liked the Clips for so long and that you are so knowledgeable about the game of basketball and that you liked the Clippers before it was cool to like the Clippers like it is now. You can stop bragging about it now.
This may make you wonder what my status as a Clipper fan is … well I’ve been a fan since 2002, I’ve followed this blog for the better part of 2 years and I only recently started contributing, which not gonna lie, is almost entirely a byproduct of the CP3 trade. I started commenting seriously during the CP3 stuff earlier this month and it took literally one post before some senior citizen was up my ass questioning to see my Clippers fan membership card — as to suggest that this Clippers thing is some sort of exclusive club or password-protected speakeasy. Look, you guys are crazy, the Clips were fun because it wasn’t a club at all. It was more of a dive bar, the kind where you would find PBR on draft and degenerates asking for money. That’s where we were. But now that the Clips are moving more towards a club with the likes of CP3, I think the senior citizens are panicking a little thinking they might lose their spot at the bar. Look seniors, you’re not gonna lose your spot. You have VIP seats in here for life because you’ve been here for so long. Now can we get over this who-was-a-fan-first pissing contest and get back to what we all came here to do anyways, enjoy the Clippers with other Clipper fans?
One other thing, moki what does this mean?
True Clipper fans love to see our team built around hard work and smart basketball beating teams built around megastars.
I can’t be sure but I’m pretty positive we traded in a good chunk of our “hard work and smart basketball” (EJ) for one megastar and a couple of other fading stars. But this is a megastar league and even megastars can play hard and smart. I don’t know, this entire post kind of confused me. But I read the whole thing, which I will commend you for. This is a megastar league though and we got one of best megastars in what is easily the biggest trade in Clippers history. If you don’t like that, well then you should probably go find another dive bar to hang out. This one just underwent a huge renovation, which means there’s gonna be a lot more people handing out in here soon. I’m sorry if that upsets you senior citizens.
Not really though.
BG + CP3 = STFD
Hey TinkyTime - Welcome!
1. I’m not suggesting you aren’t a true Clipper fan or a regular fan – either is okay with me – as I said in the opening introduction of this post I have no authority of jack squat and this is all my humble opinion. I’m just another fan – “True” or not.
2. Have you ever read a text message that could be taken two ways? One way might offend you and the other maybe is not written in a way you thought the writer was speaking – so you get offended? I’m going to go with the second one here. It kind of sounds like you thought my post was “telling” people what “True” Clipper fans are and that they should be more like them. That was not my intent.
My intent was to calm down all the panicking “True” Senior Citizens who aren’t used to having a megastar on our team WHILE EXPLAINING to “New” or “Bandwagon” fans how things have always been around here and to please be PATIENT with the Senior Citizens. It’s going to take awhile for them to adjust to the fact that we are not rooting for an “underdog” group of no name hard working guys.
I wrote this exactly because I agree with what you said! There seems to be this disconnect between old fans and new ones and each side seems to be overly sensitive about the other. You are in fact just about an older Senior Citizen than I am because I only really started liking the Clips around 2003. I used to be a Laker fan before that! So I think it’s funny that your message (not only to me) is to “get over your Clippers xenophobia”.
So please be clear. I am not a “Senior” Citizen or a “True” Clipper fan. I am just a fan that was stating, in my opinion, how things have been around here but how they are now going to change. Thus my first sub heading -
CLIPS NATION – THE BEGINNING of a NEW ERA
It’s going to be new era, just as you say and some hardcore Clips fans here on CN are going to have to get used to new fans who don’t care about how things have always been around here. Thus the whole second half of my post was basically asking all the “Senior” Citizens to stop freaking out about how “unsmart” our players were in the first game and just accept the fact that we are now a team built around megastars. Accept it and be happy!
3. You asked me what this means…
True Clipper fans love to see our team built around hard work and smart basketball beating teams built around megastars.
And you basically answered your own question. My point is that “True” Clipper fans want to see hard work and smart basketball and you said it –
even megastars can play hard and smart
So if new fans are upset with so much negativity from the “Seniors” I was just trying to defend them by saying that even though they may be happy that we have megastars on our team now, they still want to see those megastars to play hard and smart – which did not show in Game Uno.
So please don’t kick people out of our dive bar to find another place to go hang out, especially me!! I’m fine with the “renovation” and you’re more Senior than me. Old fans and new just need to be patient with each other as we enter the NEW ERA of CLIPS NATION!
Can’t we all just get along?
Moki - I agree with Tinky
There is no such thing as a “true” clipper fan. I"ve been around here longer than most and been a clipper fan longer than probably 95% of the people on this site. I have no idea what it means to be “smart” when it comes to basketball. That phrase is loaded and means different things to different people.
The difference now is not that we have “megastars” but rather that we have competent management and an owner who trusts the management to do what teams in big markets typically do. We’ve suffered for far far far too long as a result of bad management, but things are now changing. All management did was entice a really good player to come and play for the team, after getting rid of malcontents and creating capspace to get it done, taking advantage of BG’s entrance.
One of the reasons why the players you call megastars are megastars is that they are smarter and/or more focused than other players. There are a good number of physically talented players out there who just never pan out. Cough – Thornton – cough. Given the poor management, we just picked an inordinate number of those. We also had a coach for a long time who will remain nameless who did not know how to bring out the best in the players he had or how to get the team to have sufficient depth. No one wanted to come here during those years.
Stated anohter way, we had really dumb basketball management during those years. Is it your position that all the fans during that time were fans of dumb basketball management? I don’t think that’s the case at all.
With recent management changes, ane BG of course, this has now changed. This is now suddenly a desination team, as I thought it would be after Olshey was given the reigns last year. It was like a team in waiting.
Some of us have been long-suffering Clipper fans primarily because we were so unhappy with the way management ran the team. Now that the team has better management, is it really surprising that more people are coming to the fold? Do we long time Clpsnationers really get any props for sticking it out as long as we did? What, under the guise that we, unlike everyone else, like “smart” basketball or players that “play hard”? I woud think everyone likes “smart” basketball players who “play hard.”
In any event, there’s really nothing that anyone can do with the new folks except to embrace them for smartly realizing that the team that reflected the epitome of poor management has now turned itself around and is actually an enjoyable team that is fun to watch.
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
I Agreed With Tinky Too
I guess my post is just poorly written because I never mentioned dumb management because I figured it was a given that Clipper management has always been bad. Fire Dumbleavy, Yaroslav Korolev, blah blah blah.
So Jax take it easy. You don’t have to be so mean spirited. Implying that my position is that we were fans of dumb basketball management is just taking my post past what I addressed – which was just the state of new and old fans here at Clip Nation and how I am happy with our new team.
Finally you would think that "everyone likes “smart” basketball players who “play hard”" but that is my point exactly. We may have to get used to having new fans here who don’t really care about that and are attracted to “Lob City”. They may just like playing favorites and like rooting for “winners” regardless of how the team plays. I used to hate that about the Lakers because I felt they would play “dumb” “lazy” basketball for three quarters and then “turn it on” in the fourth. It was so frustrating to me as a fan because I felt they disrespected their opponents by taking them lightly and would rely on a mad dash of hustle, heroic plays by Kobe, Shaq, Horry and Fish and luck to win it at the end. Broadcasters would always joke that it was a Hollywood thing and that the Lakers had to keep the crowd in suspense by always coming from behind in a dramatic way. Some fans actually liked it and didn’t mind the dumb, lazy basketball for two or three quarters!!! All they cared was that they won in the end.
So once again I agree. We should embrace new fans no matter the reason for them jumping in Clipper Nation. There reasons for coming aboard may be highly intellectual or purely emotional but if we’re all rooting for the same team, let’s not let dogma get in the way of a united fanbase.
Moki - not trying to be mean-spirited
Just pointing out that no one really has a monopoly on Clipper-fandom and that those of us like you and I who have been around here a long time have very different viewpoints even from each other. Really, all viewpoints should be respected and when it comes to Clipper fandom the more the merrier.
I think you misunderstand what is going on with teams who you perceive may be turning it on at the end, but that is a subject of another post. Suffice it to say that no one basketball player can play perfect, finals, smart basketball all the time.
"[Fans are] not technically a lot of times savvy. They don't understand and they don't weigh issues the way that [I] weigh them."
Mike Dunleavy, Sr.
Moki
I’m sorry to do this to you (I might get accused of being a troll. I’m not really sure how this works), but what the hell are you talking about? The only thing that matters is that your team wins in the end, isn’t it? At least, I think that’s the only thing I really care about as a fan. Now before you get all defensive, I understand that there are many different types of fans out there. I think Moki, you and I, might be on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of what we like to in the NBA. And that’s okay. Like I get what you were saying about playing smart and hard. I’ve always understood this notion by the sports cliche “playing the game the right way.” It’s more of a baseball term, but I think it works for what you were saying. You like guys who play the game the right way and Chris Paul happens to be one of those guys. Who doesn’t like a guy like that? But CP3 also happens to be a megastar who I think will be on the front lines of the MVP race this season. He’ll probably win it, too. Whatever. I guess all I want to say was don’t insinuate by your posts that you aren’t a true fan if you like the Clippers because of Lob City and all the ESPN hoopla that comes with it. Your post read in a very high brow way, one that I didn’t really like. One that I don’t think a true Clipper fan should ever have. I think some people take a lot of pride in liking something before everyone else, before it was cool and then they hate on the people that jump on board after it becomes cool. Those are the people that always have to get it out there that they liked it first. Very popular with the Dave Matthews crowd. It’s funny. I’m just not sure I’ve ever felt this.
Like the more people I can talk about the Clippers with, the better. I live in Tucson and you don’t meet a lot of Clipper fans out here. For the longest time, I was the only one I knew. Will I probably meet a lot more this year? Hell yeah I will. Will I buy them shots when Top Plays comes on the midnight edition of Sportscenter and it’s just a freaking Lob City dunk fest showcase spectacular? Woo. Woo. Woo. YOU KNOW I WILL. It’s gonna be sick and I’ve never been more excited for a Clipper team since I’ve been a fan. Let’s get some dubs this month baby!
The only way bandwagoners would really bother me was if I was a season ticket holder and my ticket price got jacked up because of all these idiots jumping on board now. That might make me mad. But I’m not a season ticket holder. Let it be known, TinkyTime welcomes all Clipper bandwagoners to the Clipper domain! You’re jumping on board at the exact right time. You’re probably better off than me because of it, too.
Damnit, now I know I’m going to be buying one of you bastards shots during Top Plays this year.
One last thing, and I swear it’s not mean-spirited. For whatever reason, I think I just like getting different fans perspectives on things other than stats because I’m not a big stats guy. You get a little hazy in there talking about the Laker-Hollywood thing. Like would I hate CP3 if he threw errant lobs off the backboard for 3 1/2 quarters and Chauncey jacked up brick 3s 10 straight times, but in the final quarter they made a mad dash of heroic plays to win it at the end? I don’t really know I guess. But I would like to think that I’m a fan who likes watching exciting games and sick finishes and most importantly WINS. Do I care how they get there? Not as much. Would I like to see Blake Griffin and CP3 play the game the right way? Of course I would. But as a fan to me, all that really matters is that W.
And I feel like the Clips are gonna be getting a lot of them this year because their starting 5 is the dirtiest thing I’ve ever seen.
BG + CP3 = STFD
While your name sounds like you may choose
to go to a different type of bar, I think this is extremely well written. It is similar to the generations of surfers where I live that are very territorial to new faces. Let’s all just enjoy the ride!
Clips Nation is comprised of a wordwide fan base of all ages, race and socio-economic status which makes it a fun and unique forum for posting. In fact, I would love to see some passionate female posters giving opinions. I have never called a poster a name for their opinion but can instantly smell a troll who comes with smack a mile away and will chew their neck off if necessary to defend the inte grity of the site..
"Who wants a free Sharpie?"
Clipper Nation UNITE!!!!!!!!!!
This is gonna be our year!
If we catch a few breaks, who knows what could happen
I think we have the best PG and PF in the league! Time to show the rest of the league what we are made of
by benoitcagewoodson on Dec 27, 2011 8:25 AM PST reply actions
MOKI!!!!!!!!! long time no see..... then again, i've been gone a long time too....stupid work....
Anyways, enough about this dogma or attacking one’s post (if it’s even that), enjoy the post just like we should enjoy the season. :)
"Put the icing on the cake ladies and gentlemen" - Ralph Lawler vs. The Grizzlies
by In GrIfFin We TrUsT on Dec 27, 2011 6:53 PM PST reply actions
Yes IGWT We Are BAAACKKK!!!
I’ve been sick, work plus I couldn’t afford Season Tickets anymore so yeah it’s been a long time! But how can we not post/comment now???? This is going to be the best season EVER!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on Clips Nation
Related FanShots on Clips Nation
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Dwyane Wade’s hot pink pants: The kind of thing you can get away with when you drop 41
- Lamar Odom to New York? Dwight Howard on the move? For now, it’s all talk
- David West hilariously denies each and every one of his young fans a high-five (VIDEO)
- Behind the Box Score, where the Miami Heat are moving on to the conference finals
- Kevin Durant is tired of hearing about the Spurs
