**the official la lakers thread**

[-MAKAVELLI-]

No Danny Manning??????????????

i've been enjoying watching the Clippers suck since they had Benoit Benjamin and Pooh richardson

[extracurRICular]

i've been enjoying watching the Clippers suck since they had Benoit Benjamin and Pooh richardson

For Clippers, lottery rarely a reward
No, Reggie Williams was not the next Michael Jordan ... and other tales
Updated: June 24, 2009, 4:18 PM ET
By David Schoenfield | Page 2

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No team has had more lottery selections in the NBA draft since 1985 than the Los Angeles Clippers. They've had 20, more than the Golden State Warriors (16) or Sacramento Kings (13).

You will not be surprised to learn that only one of those 20 picks has become an All-Star while with the organization (Danny Manning).

That's one fewer All-Star than players who weren't drafted at all and became All-Stars during the lottery era (Ben Wallace and Brad Miller). According to ESPN Insider's study of the past 20 years of the NBA draft, the Clippers have been the worst-drafting franchise -- by a huge margin.

How did this happen? Which player did the Clippers draft instead of Kobe Bryant? Which three first-round picks did Elgin Baylor refer to as the greatest draft haul ever? Find out all this and more as we look back at the sordid history of the Clippers' lottery picks. Warning: Children must be accompanied by a parent.

Note: All quotes are real and taken from the Los Angeles Times.

1985
Clippers' record (season prior to draft): 31-51, tied for fourth-worst.
Pick: Benoit Benjamin, C, Creighton (3rd overall).
Could have had: Karl Malone.

[+] EnlargeBenoit Benjamin
Stephen Dunn/Getty ImagesBenoit Benjamin averaged a career-best 16.4 ppg in 1989, but his Clippers career is viewed as a disappointment.

What they said then
"When you have a center that can play for 10 to 15 years, you don't have to back off against teams like the Lakers and Philadelphia and Boston. I guess we have to be careful in hyping him too much and putting a lot of pressure on him. But he's a very good basketball player. I've said before that he could turn out to be as good as or better than [Patrick] Ewing."
--Clippers GM Carl Scheer

Postscript
There were questions about Benjamin's effort when he was drafted and they persisted during his five-plus seasons with the Clippers. As for the Ewing comparison, Benjamin never played in a playoff game with the Clippers; Ewing played in 135 with the Knicks. On the other hand, Benjamin was never required to testify that he received sexual favors at the Gold Club.

1986
Clippers' record: 32-50, tied for sixth-worst
Pick: Traded to Philadelphia in 1979 for Joe "Jellybean" Bryant (yes, Kobe's father). This ended up being the first pick in the draft (Cleveland selected Brad Daugherty).

Postscript
Believe it or not, Jellybean Bryant was a player with a "selfish" tag (according to a 1980 story in The New York Times). You can't make that stuff up. He lasted three seasons with the Clippers, scoring a career-high 11.8 points per game in 1981-82.

More NBA Draft Coverage

• Grading the drafts: Page 2 looks back each draft of the lottery era

• Woe is the Clippers: The sad, sordid history of 20 lottery picks

• Quiz: Do you know your draft history?

• Rank 'Em: 2009 draft prospects

• SportsNation: Are T-Wolves investing wisely?

1987
Clippers' record: 12-70, worst.
Pick: Reggie Williams, G/F, Georgetown (4th).
Could have had: Scottie Pippen.

What they said then
"I think [Williams] is going to set this city on fire. I think he's a Michael Jordan-type player."
--Owner Donald Sterling

Postscript
In typical Clippers fashion, the year they deserved to win the lottery (and the rights to David Robinson), they get shafted. As for Reggie Williams ... well, at the time Jordan had never won any NBA titles so Sterling's comparison wasn't necessarily inaccurate.

1988
Clippers' record: 17-65, worst.
Pick: Danny Manning, F, Kansas (1st).
Pick No. 2: Charles Smith, F, Pittsburgh (3rd overall). In a three-way trade, the Clippers landed Smith and Gary Grant, the 15th overall selection.
Could have had: Rik Smits, Mitch Richmond.

What they said then
"I think this is probably the best draft any team has ever come up with in history. We were able to get three All-Americans. It's like getting six players because they all play two positions."
--GM Elgin Baylor

Postscript
Six players but only one playoff appearance (in 1992). Manning blew out his knee as a rookie (although he did recover to later make two All-Star Games); Smith had four solid seasons before he was traded away in a deal that brought in Mark Jackson and Stanley Roberts; and Grant lasted seven seasons with the Clippers, but was only a part-time starter. Best draft any team has ever had? Hey, "Forrest Gump" seemed like a swell picture at the time as well.

[+] EnlargeDanny Manning
Mike Powell /Allsport Danny Manning -- one of only two Clippers All-Stars from the past 20 years (Elton Brand is the other).

1989
Clippers' record: 21-61, tied for third-worst.
Pick: Danny Ferry, F, Duke (2nd)
Could have had: Glen Rice. Or Vlade Divac ... whom the Lakers drafted and would one day trade for Kobe Bryant. Just sayin'.

What they said then
"Take Glen Rice."
--Guard Gary Grant to GM Baylor

"I know there's some mixed emotions with the pick. We just felt we had to get the best available player."
--Baylor

Postscript
The Clippers needed a shooting guard. Gary Grant apparently begged the front office to take his former Michigan teammate. Instead, they went with Danny Ferry, who refused to sign with the Clippers and was eventually traded with Reggie Williams (he of the once-Jordanesque skills) to Cleveland for Ron Harper and two future first-round picks (who would turn into Loy Vaught and Elmore Spencer). Harper would go on to win five NBA championship rings -- with the Bulls and Lakers.

1990
Clippers' record: 30-52, seventh-worst.
Pick: Bo Kimble, G, Loyola Marymount (8th).
Could have had: Toni Kukoc.

What they said then
"If we hadn't selected Bo, there would have been a riot."
--Sterling

Postscript
Kimble had averaged 35.3 points per game for Loyola Marymount and led the Lions to the regional finals of the NCAA tournament after the death of his friend Hank Gathers. Since Kimble played college ball in Los Angeles, he wanted to play for the Clippers. Unfortunately, concerns about his quickness and defense proved accurate and he lasted just 105 games in the NBA, one of the worst top-10 picks in lottery history.

1991
Clippers' record: 31-51, tied for ninth-worst.
Pick: Traded to the Hawks for Doc Rivers, who was 30 years old and past his prime. He played just 59 games with the Clips. Hawks selected Stacey Augmon with the ninth pick.

1992
Clippers' record: 45-37 (made playoffs!).
Pick: No lottery pick!

1993
Clippers' record: 41-41, made playoffs again!
Pick: No lottery pick. These are known as the glory years in Clippers history.

1994
Clippers' record: 27-55, seventh-worst.
Pick: Lamond Murray, F, Cal (7th).
Could have had: Eddie Jones.

What they said then
"When I first started scouting I asked 'What makes a player?' and they said, 'The guy who pops out at you.' Lamond Murray was the guy who popped out at me. He's got all kinds of talent. He could be an All-Star if he works at it."
--Clippers scout Barry Hecker

Postscript
The old "if he works at it" excuse. They didn't draft the wrong guy; he just didn't work hard enough! Murray had a decent NBA career, averaging 11.3 points in 736 career games. But in typical Clippers fashion, three picks later the Lakers selected Eddie Jones, who could do more than launch jump shots and would become a three-time All-Star.

1995
Clippers' record: 17-65, worst.
Pick: Antonio McDyess, F, Alabama (2nd). Traded with Randy Woods to Nuggets for Rodney Rogers, rights to Brent Barry (15th pick).
Could have had: Kevin Garnett.

What they said then
"Yuck, you can have this."
--McDyess, told at the draft he'd been traded, whipping off his Clippers hat.

Postscript
Clippers coach Bill Fitch said the franchise couldn't wait for a young player like McDyess (or, ahem, Kevin Garnett) to develop, so it traded for Rogers, whom one personnel director described as "Charles Barkley Jr. on some nights, Elmer Fudd on others." In typical Clippers fashion, they also gave up too early on Brent Barry, trading him in his third season for Ike Austin.

1996
Clippers' record: 29-53, seventh-worst.
Pick: Lorenzen Wright, F/C, Memphis (7th).
Could have had: Kobe Bryant.

What they said then
"He's 6-11 and can run the floor like a deer. He's got the quickness of a little guy. He just plays hard all the time. He's relentless when he goes out onto the floor. This is one of the things that professional teams like about him because he brings a lot of energy to a program."
--Coach Bill Fitch

Postscript
Wright lasted three seasons with the Clippers but never developed much of a shooting touch and was traded to the Hawks (imagine how those talks must have gone) for two future first-round picks (which turned into Quentin Richardson and Chris Wilcox).


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...lippers/090624

[thuggery]

im ready for my spurs rape

[Left Hook Tua]

gasol triple double, howard quadruple double tonight.



pau gasol 45 pts, 15 rebs, 20 asts, 5 blocks

dwight howard 30 pts, 25 rebs, 10 asts, 10 blocks, 5 stls

[-MAKAVELLI-]

gasol triple double, howard quadruple double tonight.



pau gasol 45 pts, 15 rebs, 20 asts, 5 blocks

dwight howard 30 pts, 25 rebs, 10 asts, 10 blocks, 5 stls

Jordan Hill should get some nice run once we're up by 40...he got cleared to play today

[Left Hook Tua]

Dream on...I've been watching the Clippers since the Myles, Richardson, Brand, Odom, etc. days. The Clips have never had a team this good. They have already signed Blake to a long term deal and best believe that CP3 isn't going anywhere. If the Clippers make any moves it will probably be coaching wise or a personnel move to better the team. The Clippers have tons of momentum right now and Clipper Nation is live and growing. This isn't the Clippers of old, everything changed once Chris arrived in LA. I think the Clips will be good for the foreseeable future. The Lakers better get better or your team will be owned by the Clips consistently. The Clippers are young and exciting, while the Lakers are old, slow, and boring.

like i said you don't know shiet.

you'll see in a year or so, when crap starts going wrong.


it's darius miles not myles.

if you're gonna pretend you're a clipper fan, you gotta know these things.

phaggot ass bandwagonning lying ass biatch.

[Left Hook Tua]

Jordan Hill should get some nice run once we're up by 40...he got cleared to play today

jordan hill double double off the bench.

20 pts 15 rebs.

[Left Hook Tua]

i've been enjoying watching the Clippers suck since they had Benoit Benjamin and Pooh richardson

i like how every decade or so they have 1 good year or 2 and it gives them hope.

then the koreatown slumlord starts selling their players off.

miles, quentin, odom.... the guys that phaggot clippers wannabe was talking about.... they were only on the clippers 2-3 years.

[-MAKAVELLI-]

i like how every decade or so they have 1 good year or 2 and it gives them hope.

then the koreatown slumlord starts selling their players off.

miles, quentin, odom.... the guys that phaggot clippers wannabe was talking about.... they were only on the clippers 2-3 years.

the first time i remember them being decent was with Mark Jackson and them...before that, it was the good ole Michael Cage days when they'd win 12 games a season


and honestly, the only reason they became good is because Stern gifted them a PG that was signed, sealed and ready to play for the purple n gold


but yea, just wait til Sterling starts lowballing his free agents and they're back to lotto picks...your buddy from Inglewood there will again claim to be 'just a fan of basketball'

[Left Hook Tua]

the first time i remember them being decent was with Mark Jackson and them...before that, it was the good ole Michael Cage days when they'd win 12 games a season


and honestly, the only reason they became good is because Stern gifted them a PG that was signed, sealed and ready to play for the purple n gold


but yea, just wait til Sterling starts lowballing his free agents and they're back to lotto picks...your buddy from Inglewood there will again claim to be 'just a fan of basketball'

i doubt that queer is from inglewood.

i remember him in my bears thread he was claiming born and raised in chicago and supposedly long time bears/bulls fan.

how the hell someone grows up around great western forum and roots clippers?