Letter from Elton Brand to Clip Nation
by Another son of Mike Smith on Jan 31, 2012 10:53 AM PST
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PrintNote: Elton wrote this on Clipperblog and I thought it was too good to leave buried in the comments section. Enjoy.
Elton Brand 42 Said,
Dear Clipper Nation,
It’s me, Elton. Some of you may remember me, and some of you may just be pretending not to remember me. Whatever the case may be, I just want you guys to know that I’m sorry.
I know I had a verbal agreement with Coach Dunleavy to sign the contract, but I am an East Coast boy at heart. I wanted to be closer to my family. I also love Philly Cheesesteaks. And the 76ers uniforms are the same exact colors as the Clipper uniforms, so I thought it wouldn’t be much of a difference to move to Philadelphia.
I’ve been watching a lot of Clipper games this season. I want you to know that I’m sorry, and that I want to come back to Los Angeles. I want to be a part of this phenomenon. I want to help put the finishing touches on something which I helped to create.
Don’t get me wrong. We (the 76ers) are playing extremely well right now. I love Coach Collins and I love my teammates. We are a sure-shot playoff team as currently constructed. But let’s be honest. We are never going to win a championship.
I think this Clippers team is capable of winning multiple championships. And when it happens, I want my jersey number to be retired at Staples Center. I think it’s only right. I think I deserve it.
I become a free agent after next season, and I would love to come back and play for the Clippers. I’ll even play for free, no strings attached. I think I’d be the perfect back up to both Blake and Deandre.
Like I said, I’m sorry about what happened in the past. But let’s move on from that. I miss Clipper Nation. And I think you guys miss me, too. Please forgive me. I think we could make things work.
Love,
Elton
P.S. Philly Cheesesteaks are overrated.
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We should make Elton sit next to this guy
Now this would be funny!!
by jonnyplastic@yahoo.com on Feb 13, 2012 10:30 PM PST up reply actions
F*** Elton
Once a guy does bull**** like that (i.e. Boozer / Brand) they get written off for me as a guy with zero class or morals.
I wouldn’t want that type of trash around Griffin and putting ideas in his head that it’s ok to screw over your franchise by going back on your word…
Elton coming back would be about as welcome as LeBron begging to come back to Cleveland once he is old and washed up (like that actually makes up for the backstabbing from before when you were in your prime).
by ap3604 on Jan 31, 2012 11:16 AM PST reply actions
FElton is a backstabber for sure...
but I don’t see how LeBron stabbed Cleveland in the back. He didn’t exactly pretend he was a lock to sign with the Cavs, after all. Is it a sad story for Cavs fans? Sure, but LeBron simply left as a free agent, which he had every right to do.
Clippers // Chargers // Rays // Boise State
"The Lakers do win games. But things can change." - Blake Griffin
Oh I agree
LeBron gets way too much **** over “the decision” and while I think he was fine to leave the Cavs as a free agent… I’m sure that people living in Ohio would still disagree/hate him, which is why I said he would be about as welcome back as Elton coming back to L.A. =P
by ap3604 on Jan 31, 2012 12:56 PM PST up reply actions
I think that with Lebron is not that he left that how he left
The guy did a freakin 1 hour T.V show to break the hearts of the people in his town and then there was that stupid welcome celebration.
no I think basically destroying your city's economy in your home state is bad enough
+ the parade. Its ok, until the heat win a title, Cleveland will have the last laugh.
Jeremy Stearn- Keith Closs for Prez!
by JStearnLAC91 on Feb 13, 2012 4:05 AM PST up reply actions
FElton
Funny though
Bingo! Oh me oh my!
by ClippersUK on Jan 31, 2012 11:24 AM PST via mobile reply actions
I'm over Elton
he helped us go far in 05-06 but then he burnt all the bridges the way he handled his free agency, I was fine with him leaving I wasn’t fine with him stringing us along. But his departure indirectly led to the drafting of Blake Griffin so maybe it was for the best.
"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right"unknown
Felton?
already forgotten brah! Strictly Business…you’re bound to be amnistied and will be looking for a job soon, best of luck!
"Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime
and too sleepy to worry at night."
Author Unknown
Imagine if FElton hadn't left.
Helped us win a game or two, Blake goes to OKC, we all cry like babies.
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
At equal salaries
gimme 3 Eltons over Cookie, Jones and Thompkins
by paris clips man on Jan 31, 2012 1:22 PM PST reply actions
Apart of me doesn't believe this is real.
I mean, I can put my name as Baron Davis and write the same message as a comment. Until ht comes out of the horses mouth, I have no reason to believe it. I mean, comon, not many people are dumb enough to say their team (currently within contention of a playoff race) is not a championship team, even if everybody thinks it. Brand was always a classy cat (aside from how he left), he wouldn’t say it without the media all up in his grill.
Regardless, my harsh feelings for Elton Brand is gone. It wasn’t fun watching him go to Philadelphia, but he made a business decision. If he wants to come back to the Clippers, I’ll accept it.
I think all of us has such hard feelings for him because he was our star player and anytime the face of our franchise leaves, most of us would get upset. In this case, we’d like to think that it’s the way he left, but no, I think that even if he told us he was leaving, we’d be pretty down on the news.
"Things change when something is taken away from you" -BG32
Believe the part of you that doesn't believe it's real...
cause it isn’t. lol
Yeah but
I didn’t want to come out and say “THIS ISN’T REAL” because what happens if there is a slight possibility that it was?
I mean, I was positive Miami would win it all last year, even made very bold statements, but I guess not. :X
"Things change when something is taken away from you" -BG32
No Thanks.... EB
I bought your jersey……. I cant believe i did…… you can stay in Philly & go hangout with Michael Vick
holy crap if any of you thought this was real..
then reconsider right away.. we don’t need that type of arrogance to believe that a player would actually write this to our team, wouldnt separate us much from laker homers
funny, though
I'd take him back for the league minimum
He would be a nice back up big.
And I would be able to recycle my EB jersey.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
If we can get Maggette back, too
then my wife can wear her jersey.
Save us some money.
Do not worry. (Matthew 6:27)
and unretire mobley while were at it
Ralph, "Last year so often with Blake Griffin you would see these things coming, with Paul, he's so crafty, all of a sudden boom there it is."
Some homeless guy is wearing mine
Donated it to Goodwill immediately.
Proudly enduring the pain since the days of Bill Walton's foot.
Now living the good life in Lob City, CA.
I always have mixed feelings concerning Phili.
I agree, I do go against Brand, but there is just something about Iguodala that makes me always root for him.
yeah, we have this guy named blake griffin, maybe you heard of him?
Also, i hate elton brand now, it’s a shame we don’t play Philly at home.
LOL - love it
"[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.
ASMS
Thank you. This is a much needed post. Seems like the quality of posts have gone down recently. This one is very enjoyable and refreshing.
As for Elton. I already forgave him and I wouldn’t mind if he came back. Maybe if Baron had a better tenure with the Clips, I’d still be upset, but Baron was a joke and him dogging his time with the Clips trumps Elton leaving IMO/
when you hear the Clippers, it’s not going to be a joke anymore. I can guarantee you that -BG32
I thought it wouldn’t be much of a difference to move to Philadelphia.
Are you kidding me??
I want my jersey number to be retired at Staples Center. I think it’s only right. I think I deserve it.
Don’t flatter yourself
I think you guys miss me, too.
We don’t Elton, we don’t.
we’re cheap, like to drink and are pissed off.
WHO WANTS A FREE SHARPIE?? -- Blake Griffin
Elton wrote this on Clipperblog
we’re cheap, like to drink and are pissed off.
WHO WANTS A FREE SHARPIE?? -- Blake Griffin
by ClipperBEAST on Jan 31, 2012 8:07 PM PST up reply actions
Fanpost
and not fanshot ;)
when you hear the Clippers, it’s not going to be a joke anymore. I can guarantee you that -BG32
And read the title of the post
we’re cheap, like to drink and are pissed off.
WHO WANTS A FREE SHARPIE?? -- Blake Griffin
by ClipperBEAST on Jan 31, 2012 8:07 PM PST up reply actions
It looked real
I would expect Elton to do something like this.
we’re cheap, like to drink and are pissed off.
WHO WANTS A FREE SHARPIE?? -- Blake Griffin
by ClipperBEAST on Jan 31, 2012 8:14 PM PST up reply actions
I heard Abraham Lincoln
flew a plane into a confederate base and then jumped out via parachute. It must be true I read it on the internet.
"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right"unknown
by bestclipfan on Jan 31, 2012 10:00 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah right.
That’s such crazy nonsense, we all know it was a Spaceship.
Your right it was a spaceship
and it wasn’t a confederate base it was an invading alien star ship.
"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right"unknown
by bestclipfan on Jan 31, 2012 11:20 PM PST up reply actions
lets get Elton!!!
He was the Blake Griffen of our Clipper past.
20/10 monster that DEFENDS as well. home boy would get 2.5 blks a game and shoot high ft %
We can move Blake to SF position and have Butler as our 6th man.
DJ, Brand, Blake!
That is a SICK front line and will help out on our rebs
Brands mid range game is solid and will work well w CP as well
Clip Clip Hooray!
Nope.
Even if we got Brand, which I really would hate, then he would merely be a bench player. There is no way Griffin can play SF, and even if he did, Caron would most likely take the 2 spot. But I think the thing we should focus on, it’s Elton Brand.
No, just no
I wouldn’t be able to root for him.
i've never seen Brand do anything as spectacular as Blake Griffin
hell…I’ve never seen this “Blake Griffen” do any spectacular ever either?
who is he?
Ralph, "Last year so often with Blake Griffin you would see these things coming, with Paul, he's so crafty, all of a sudden boom there it is."
The post was funny
But the serious responses are even funnier…
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
what did he say?
“Don’t be like me…don’t f*ck up a good opportunity”
oh and Blake….please don’t posterize me. I’d never be able to stand in line for my Philly cheese steak without being mocked again….
oh and Blake…Philly cheese stakes are overrated
Ralph, "Last year so often with Blake Griffin you would see these things coming, with Paul, he's so crafty, all of a sudden boom there it is."
Man
maybe Elton knew all along that BD sucks
when you hear the Clippers, it’s not going to be a joke anymore. I can guarantee you that -BG32
My theory was that he never intended to stay and tried to help BD out
EB told me a couple months prior to the “decision” that he didn’t like lurch, er MDSr – so no surprise there.
"[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.
if he never intented to stay
Then why did he told BD he would.
Not sure I believe that
"[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.
so glad u left
Otherwise we probably won’t have BG….
by LAClippers1983 on Jan 31, 2012 8:39 PM PST via mobile reply actions
lol thats funny
but in all seriousness, elton brand would be a good back up big
He would be decent as a minimum signing
but he wouldn’t getting very many minutes as he isn’t big enough to backup the 5 and would only be able to play the 4.
"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right"unknown
he can rebound and block shots
not to mention hit the 15 foot jump shot…even though he left i would still welcome him back
He can rot in hell for all I care
The only time I want him anywhere near Blake is when he is doing a Perkinator on him!
FElton and FFalk too
Bingo! Oh me oh my!
I don't have any real beef with him anymore.
If he didn’t do what he did, then we would not have Blake, which means that we would not have Paul either. Sterling would have been on the stands heckling both Baron and Elton.
Would I bring him back? That’s tough, because part of me feels like he doesn’t deserve to be a part of this team getting over the hump and climbing to the mountaintop. At the same time, he was the Clippers’ best player during his tenure and would have had his number retired had he stayed. When he left, I was upset. It wasn’t so much that he left, but how he handled things. He thought he could just use the same old “the Clippers dropped the ball as usual” line and get off scott-free. Dun held his ground and convinced the majority of the basketball world that Elton is the one who reneged and wasn’t a man of his word.
If Elton actually was sincere and publicly admitted and apologized to the fans for the backstabbing and the cheap shots, then I may consider giving him an opportunity to come off of the bench for the minimum.
Proud member of Club FTR
I'm down for Elton as a scoring backup big off the bench...
Basketball-wise
the letter is fake but i can't believe most of the comments that I am reading
Honestly, if you are still not over the EB signing w/ Philly or, better yet, forgot about EB at all, then you seriously need to get over this and enjoy the BG era. It happened few years ago and thanks to EB leaving, we ended up with BG. Also, he had the right to leave as a FA.
At least he didn’t pull a LBJ on us having a 1-hour special (even then, I don’t think LBJ should be hated as much). I can’t believe the hate some fans still have for a guy who was the only joy to watch for several years prior to BG. Even though Clippers were never good (except for 1 year playoff run) when EB was here, I was proud of the fact that EB was a Clipper because he was class act and hard-working blue-collar basketball player, consistently putting up 20/10 and 2 blocks plus hustle.
Face it, EB was traded to the Clippers, a sub-par franchise, and put in his dues for many years all in his prime without complaining. When free agency came, he had the right to leave and he left.
I was disappointed that he left but I am way over it now. Time to move on folks. Maybe it’s just me, but I have tendency to root for ex-Clippers. I am rooting for all those who brought joy to me as a Clipper player at one time or another.
No, it's the Clip Show!
by dan73962 on Feb 1, 2012 2:44 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Just as I feel a team should be respectful of their players, I think players should be respectful of their team.
That seems to be fading in the game now.
I agree but EB wasn't being disrespectful.
It’s not like he talked trash about the team publicly. If anything, the Clippers whined and cried about EB leaving the team.
No, it's the Clip Show!
I see it differently.
I can’t vouch for exactly what he said, because I wasn’t on the internet nearly as much. But from what it sounds like, he essentially made a commitment to play in LA with Baron Davis. Just as Davis came, Brand left. The fact that he abandoned his team, especially when he said he was content with taking less money if another impact player came, was pretty disrespectful and classless to me.
I will give EB benefit of the doubt for his years of class act in Clippers uniform
Teams seem to trade away players all the time and say it’s just part of the business. If a player whines about the trade, the fans criticize the player for not being a professional (see Gordon, Kaman, even Billups from Denver). The way I see it, it goes both ways. There is no such thing as a verbal commitment. If EB didn’t sign on the dotted line, there was no commitment. All you had was MDSr throwing up fits publicly blaming EB while EB remained silent.
No, it's the Clip Show!
it wasn't that he left
it was that he promised to stay, stuck us with baron, and then left for less money
Not only that but MDSr was negotiating directly as the GM without going through EB's agent
"[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.
He did a few things that left a sour taste in everyone's mouths.
Brand played in the final 8 games of the season for us. His agent was in contact with Philly early in the season. You better believe that he wasn’t just playing for Clipper Nation, but auditioning for Ed Stefanski. Brand went on record of calling out teammates who essentially referred to as quitters (e.g. Sam Cassell). He basically said that he couldn’t stand quitters and that there was going to be some changes made in the next season. He only wanted players to be here that wanted to and that were going to work hard. Kind of funny huh?
According to Dunleavy, Brand said get me $75M and an ETO (Early Termination Option). Dunleavy has said that he has the text messages to prove it. Teammates (Mobley and others) said that Brand sounded excited about the possibility of adding Baron Davis and staying with the Clippers. Then all of a sudden he stopped returning texts/calls.
David Falk got upset that Dunleavy (who he referred to as the quasi-GM) was negotiating directly with his client. Falk then had Brand fly back out east while Falk negotiated on Brand’s behalf. Falk was known to have a huge vendetta against the Clippers due to us drafting Olowokandi over Bibby. Falk upped the offer demands, while negotiating with Philly. We ended up offering a better deal than what Philly gave him, but Falk/Brand went with Philly. You better believe that Falk was in Brand’s ear getting him to lean toward’s Philly.
After announcing that he was going to sign with Philly, he threw the Clipper organization under the bus. He said that the he never got a chance to talk directly to the owner (even though it’s the GM’s that primarily handle negotiations). He said we lowballed (even though we signed his friend and gave him the contract he wanted) him and he wanted to go somewhere that wanted him. He said that it was great to play for some passionate fans (Philly’s) kind of insinuating that the Clipper fans weren’t. We know how often he mentioned playing in the shadow of the Lakers. Thankfully, Chris Paul is up to that challenge.
Baron opted out of his deal with the Warriors because Brand convinced him to come back home and to team up together. It was kind of a shock that Baron opted out of his final season with the Warriors and a salary of $17.8M. Brand claims there was no handshake deal with Baron. Baron was pissed though, because a close friend of his lied to him and he ended up losing out on $5M for that season and was stuck being on what would be a sorry Clipper team. Baron held a grudge for a long time and referred to Brand as an ex-friend after this all went down.
LeBron may have had 1 hour special, but didn’t convince a friend to join the team and then bolt. LeBron never badmouthed the organization either. Can’t say the same for Brand.
Proud member of Club FTR
I have to add...
Brand tried to throw the Clippers under the bus in the media, because he knew that everyone would just chalk it up as the Clippers being the same old Clippers. When Dunleavy made his rounds on the radio and other interviews, he really let Elton have it. Elton always stated that it was never his “intention” to do what he did, but he never once came out and said that what Dunleavy was saying wasn’t true. He never tried to dismiss those accusations against him. There’s a reason for that.
I have never seen Dunleavy that heated and that bold. Even when he was suing Sterling for the last year of his salary, he was more reserved than he was in the whole Elton situation. He had every reason to be pissed on “how Elton left,” just like the rest of us.
Proud member of Club FTR
Lawler you are opening some old wounds my friend
Like when you’ve broken up with a girlfriend and forgotten about it until years down the line something reminds of it all.
I remember the sequence as if it was yesterday. It went from being one of the best days (at that point) of being a Clipper fan, to one of the worst in a matter of hours.
I would personally never forgive Elton for this and I hope our organisation would have enough class to not associate ourselves with that player again. For me, the nice return from it was that he’s never looked the same player at Philly as he was for us and so that contract would be a horrible burden. We’ve been on a strange path since that day but we’ve ended up at the promised land so it’s all good. I still hate him though!
FElton and FFalk.
Bingo! Oh me oh my!
LOL I understand all the hate
I even understand that girlfriend analogy- very true.
Brand was something special when he was with us as a Clipper. He was the golden boy of the NBA; the classy cat that had swag and never complained for playing for the worse franchise possible in the NBA. He wasn’t flashy, but he was consistent (I might even go on a limb and say he’s the opposite of Griffin [whom very flasy and relies more on athleticism than jump shots and post moves.)
The way he left hurt- very very true. We got the news that we had Baron and I’m sure all of us Clippers fan leaped for joy (similarly that GSW fans probably threw away Baron Davis’ jerseys.) Hours later, we learned of our golden boy leaving. We were confused, dazed, angered, shocked.. you name it, we probably felt it.
But now that we’re back in contention; the name Blake Griffin soaring all over Los Angeles (and even other parts of the NBA), the feelings for me are mutually gone. Brand went for the easy way out, he wanted to be a contender. Yes at the time, Baron and Brand looked like a competitive duo, but the West itself had dominant teams (and still does.) I’ve begun to realize that Brand left with the intentions that he wanted to win and that Baron and him were just not going to get it done.
The way I see it, Brand leaving was actually more of a blessing for us. It hurt, but it showed that the organization was possible of making some good moves. We signed Baron in what seemed like a good deal at the time, we stole Marcus Camby for 2nd round draft picks, and we drafted some very talented players in Gordon and Griffin. Without Brand, the acquisition of Baron, Camby, and Griffin were improbable. We wouldn’t be in the golden era of Chris Paul and Griffin.
So while Brand left in a bad way, we don’t have Brand’s ugly contract, we took Brand’s best years from him, and we got ourselves a true franchise player in Griffin. We’re finally on every team’s watch list- something that Elton Brand wasn’t able to do.
I think I’m just babbling now…
"Things change when something is taken away from you" -BG32
good points - it really was a blessing in disguise
No, it's the Clip Show!
Lawler
You just made me remember how I was after it was confirmed that Elton was leaving on the radio. I remember just laying in my bed for at a couple of hours, almost to the point of tearing up. Damn, I was really down. BD thanked Golden State. FElton didn’t even have the audacity to thank Clipper Nation. Not even any mention of the Clippers. We supported this bum during his rehab then suddenly, he just disappeared like Dave Chappelle.
I change my mind. No way in hell I want that bum back on our team unless he gives us a complete apology. Maybe
when you hear the Clippers, it’s not going to be a joke anymore. I can guarantee you that -BG32
I would like to add that he knew he did something wrong
that’s why he got out of here as quickly as he could.
when you hear the Clippers, it’s not going to be a joke anymore. I can guarantee you that -BG32
i remember he said
’ i am not a quiter’. That poster of Griffin dunking on him can’t come soon enough
Ok I guess we are just different folks then.
As much as I was disappointed when Elton left, I don’t “hate” the guy to this day. He was the best player on the Clippers team for a while and was definitely the fan favorite. Like I said, because of that alone, I will continue to root for the guy just like I root for most ex-Clipper players who I enjoyed watching.
Also, I was one of the most disappointed person when Clippers traded EJ & Others for CP3. Based on your argument, you must “hate” the Clippers organization for flat out lying to EJ, Kaman, and AFA the day before trade went down. While I was disappointed in the Clippers organization for the trade and the deception, I don’t “hate” the Clippers and I am way over it now. In fact, I am glad it happened because CP3 is so good.
No, it's the Clip Show!
I also have to add... that you are basically mad because this went down:
Elton: “Hey Baron, come play with me in LA. It will be cool!”
MDSr: “Yeah come play with us Baron and we will re-sign Elton.”
Baron: “All right. Sounds good. See you guys in LA!”
Elton: “Hey guys, sorry but I changed my mind. I signed with the 76ers.”
MDSr: “What! You gave me your word!”
Baron: “You bastard. You are not my friend anymore.”
Elton: “I don’t know if I gave you my word but sorry I am with the 76ers now.”
Get over it please. Until Elton signed on the dotted line, there was no such thing as her “promised” or “gave his word” or “committed”. For all we know, it could have been a serious conversation but why isn’t Elton entitled to change his view?
No, it's the Clip Show!
he made a commitment
that he would play in Los Angeles with his friend Baron. Instead, he pussied out and left a rebuilding team with a max contract (to baron). In order to lose that contract, we had to give up the #1 pick.
He is entitled to change his view, but once he commits, he isn’t. When an man gives his word, he should be good for it. He proved himself to be an untrustworthy, ungrateful liar.
Every time I see him play, I cheer his shortcomings. I love that he has never been the same payer outside of LA, and I hope he is never good again.
You guys go ahead and hate EB but
I am going to continue to root for EB. For me, I can overlook his shortcomings because I really enjoyed watching him give 110% night in and night out when he was with the Clippers.
The same goes for all these players, too. I still check their box scores every game and hope that they did well. EJ, Kaman, AFA, Livingston, Maggette, Odom, Q…
No, it's the Clip Show!
That's just how it seemed to be
I was disappointed when Elton left – he was our golden boy and our rock. But I’m not sure he ever wanted us to match the RSA offer Miami gave him. Even though he gave it his best, he couldn’t overcome the Clippers’ environment and attitude (especially with Falk in his ear), and I think he just saw a chance to leave and took it – just like Q, Simmons, Miles, etc all cashing out as soon as they hit free agency. There’s a reason why the longest-tenured Clip right now is DJ.
That being said, this gave us the chance to completely reinvent ourselves. And Elton has had a tough break since. I wish him and all the other ex-Clippers the best, and will continue to enjoy this ride.
That's just MDSr's spin
"[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.
Go read my first post in this thread before telling me to get over it.
I’m way beyond it. Keeping Brand would have left us with two horrible contracts, no Paul and probably no Griffin.
I was just refreshing your memory and giving you a reason why people feel the way that they do about him. I don’t hate him. I don’t even call him bRANd or Benedict Brand anymore lol.
Elton is entitled to change his view, just as LeBron was entitled to be on TV for the Decision and players like Howard, Melo and Paul are/were entitled to request trades from their organizations. As a result people (basketball fans/media/analysts, etc.) form their opinions of these players based on their actions and the players will have to deal with the ramifications of their actions as a result.
Proud member of Club FTR
by Lawler 4ever on Feb 3, 2012 12:37 PM PST up reply actions
According to MDSr
Who said there were “emails” but never produced them. MDSr was embarrassed by trying to negotiate behind Falk’s back without realizing that EB didn’t like him. I spoke with EB about 3 mos earlier and when refering to MDSr he just rolled his eyes. I predicted then that EB would not be back unless things drastically changed and not surprisingly he bolted. Which he had every right to do having been here 7 years fulfilling the terms of his contract.
I doubt EB lied to BD. BD got paid far more than he was worth here. He was so lucky to get that deal.
"[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'ts not that he left is how he left.
He told us to go sign Baron and comitted to stay if we did, he lied Baron into coming here and then leave, he should not be welcome back.
I don't get the whole "how he left" thing
I really don’t blame EB for how he left. He was a free agent and he signed with the Philly. Verbal commitment doesn’t mean shit. This isn’t the college recruiting day. It’s fucking business and we all know that the Clippers organization isn’t the one to talk about being classy.
No, it's the Clip Show!
excuse the language please
No, it's the Clip Show!
Matters to me
He tolds us he will stay, he told Baron to come and told him he will also sign, he lied to our faces that’s why i wouldn’t want him back.
MDSr negotiating behind the back of his agent
And then telling us all he was just “the coach” so he could do that is just bush league. He was just asking for trouble and he got it.
"[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.
it is business
he shouldn’t have commited if he wasn’t sure. Look at an example:
Eric Gordon was promised by the Clips he wouldn’t leave. The Clippers got an overwhelming opprotunity (Chris Paul), so they broke their word.
Elton Brand promised the Clippers he would stay. Brand got a worse offer to a worse team and signed there instead after forcing the clippers to overpay Baron Davis
So in a wrap
you could kinda say Elton Brand is to Clippers?
A=B
B=C
A=C! =)
"Things change when something is taken away from you" -BG32
it is similar
but the key is that the Clippers got a good deal for Gordon.
Brand took a lesser deal than LA offered.
Just when did EB commit?
"[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.
It was said
that there was a verbal commitment between MDSr and Brand, and not just between those two, but between Brand and Baron, thus the reason Baron his final year on his contract for the Clippers.
Brand bolted but Baron kept true to his words.
"Things change when something is taken away from you" -BG32
Elton who?? ;)
"look, you can find any coach you want, bring him in here and run the situation. But I don't think they are going to do as good a job as I do." -Mike Dunleavy Sr.
You can't blame EB for wanting to escape the Dumblooney.....
….but I really don’t like the fact that he tried to beat up on BG last year during the game in Philly. I’m circling 2/10/12 on my calendar, and I’m sure the Clips are too!
Actually
I don’t think Elton Brand should of left Dunleavy. His system worked very well with Brand’s game.
"Things change when something is taken away from you" -BG32
No, he hated MDSr - he told me that
MDSr was not respected by him, Corey, etc.
"[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.
Elton Brand is the...
Most Valuable Player in the history of the Clippers!
The only reason the Clipppers are where they are today is because Elton Brand left.
They don’t suck if he stays. They don’t get the BG ping pong ball. They don’t have the 7th pick in the first round to get EG. They don’t end up trading an aging, unmotivated Baron Davis for Mo Williams. They never would have had the ammo to pull off the CP3 trade, let alone the balls to put in a claim on Chauncey.
We have the most talented, exciting, balanced team in the history of the Clippers ( and I have been going to/watching games since 1977) all because Elton wanted to head back east, Clippers be damned.
I say thank you to Elton. And sadly for him, he will never win a championship playing in Philly.
i think we still suck with him
he hasn’t been the same since he returned from his injury, we got EJ before Brand leave, he didn’t even play that season. We had EJ and the minny pick regardless of Brand the main pieces in the CP3 trade, i don’t know what balls have to do with Brand leaving.
Your'e right...my bad on EJ timing...
but I still am thrilled with how it all played out.
If Brand doesn’t leave, the Clippers would not have been in the lottery after the 08-09 season in my opinion. Baron Davis, Brand, Kaman, Camby, Randolph along with rookies Gordon and Jordan. There is no way they get in the lottery to get Griffin.
You have to admit that no matter how good Brand and Baron Davis could have been, there is no way they could have been as good as BG and CP3.
You'd be assuming
we would be able to get Camby or Randolph..
Keeping Brand might have meant Dunleavy wasn’t exploring for options to replace Brand.
"Things change when something is taken away from you" -BG32
We don't get Griffin but we go to the lottery.
Most likely we get Rubio, we don’t trade for Zbo or Camby.
No way they get in lottery...
Even if it is just Brand, Kaman and Baron Davis, with Eric Gordon and DeAndre as rookies and a bunch of scrubs like the current Laker’s bench, they still don’t get in the lottery. Even without Camby and Randolph.
that season the west was loaded
They get in the lottery there is no doubt in my mind, the trade for Randolph doesn’t happen, meaning EJ doesn’t get playing time soon and even then that team was really bad. And now i think of it Elton screwing us might have save Mobley’s life, if we don’t trade for Zbo, mobley’s hearth condition might not be discovered.
On Mobley
His heart condition had been discovered. Everywhere he had played, he had signed medical waivers to play through it. The Knicks played it up as a big ‘discovery’ and said they were saving his life and forced him into retirement so they could get out of paying him.
i hope for the best for all of our former Clipper family
that includes Elton
except when he plays us :)
Clip Clip Hooray!
It all comes back to Sam Cassell. He's the guy that made that Clipper team ....
…in ‘05-’06 such a good team. He’s the guy that hit the game winning shots, who controlled the tempo, who made everyone else on the team(including EB) better than they would be without him. And Chris Paul is doing the same thing now with BG and all the other fine role players they have. I just hope KMart fits in as well as they expect .
The only thing that really still irks me about the Brand situation is that he never really got the "booed out of the building" reaction from the fans in Staples that he deserved.
It always seemed he was injured or something whenever the Sixers played in LA since his signing, and now both he and the team are so far removed from the situation that it’s no longer the hot button issue that it was. Cleveland got to rip Lebron a new one last year and although Brand leaving wasn’t of the same magnitude, I certainly remember some fans burning Elton jerseys and whatnot. Of course our “revenge” is that our team is now the toast of the town while Brand’s career really fell off since then, but it still kind of sucks that Clipper fans never really got the opportunity that Cleveland did to boo Elton out of the building.
Sure, I remember the ESPN Clipper boards when it happened.
It was definately our equivalent of LeBron leaving. The fans were going crazy.
Bingo! Oh me oh my!
Brand missed the first return trip to Staples
In his first year with the Sixers, he was hurt and I believe he missed that whole road trip that included the Clippers. The following season (again, a New Year’s Eve game at Staples, like the previous year), Brand did play in that game…there were tons of boos, although all things considering, Staples that night was probably 2/3s full—it was a TNT game as well.
I remember that. I was at the game eagerly awaiting to boo him.
I think the worst part of this whole thing is the actual contract. It was worth literally $1 million more than what we offered him. 5 yr/$81 M he signed for. We offered 5 yr/$80 M and he had already talked to Dumbleavy and BD. I believe Maggette was willing to sign a 2 yr contract if Elton signed as well. Everyone else would have followed suit. We could have had a squad!
Jeremy Stearn- Keith Closs for Prez!
by JStearnLAC91 on Feb 13, 2012 4:10 AM PST up reply actions
and i also remember the new years eve game
which i remember we easily won in a season which didnt have many dominating performances
Jeremy Stearn- Keith Closs for Prez!
by JStearnLAC91 on Feb 13, 2012 4:13 AM PST up reply actions
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