No team in the NBA inspires as much love and hate amongst sports fans as the Los Angeles Lakers, because their fans are so impassioned, and their doubters are just as sick of their title runs and headline ubiquity. On a different front, amongst NBA diehards, no team in the NBA inspires as much love and hate as the Los Angeles Clippers, who pair a disgusting owner and miserable take on fan relations with what might be the most thrilling roster in the NBA.
And lovable, as this report from the Los Angeles Times points out:
No, this doesn't do anything to help us forget the team's broken "ties" (if you can call them that) with superfan Clipper Darrell, or the needlessly nasty press release they sent out defending it, and we won't forgive owner Donald Sterling (and, by extension, his enablers in the NBA's Manhattan offices) until he's out of the league, but it does help us narrow that view as we watch the five Clippers run up and down the court.
Of course, we can't have too much Clipper sweetness without introducing the sour. Coach Nick is a favorite amongst NBAniks because of his fantastic X's and O's breakdowns along with cogent commentary on his Twitter feed. We feel a bit dodgy including the entirety of the clip he put together to discuss Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro's limitations, but do him and yourself a favor and make BBallBreakdown a daily visit. You'll be a smarter and more entertained fan for it.
Here's Nick on VDN:
Ouch. This mirrors how a lot of us felt about Del Negro's time in Chicago. VDN did well to post a .500 record with a rebuilding Bulls team going through myriad lineup changes, but you still got the feeling Chicago could have done much better with a stronger sideline presence.
The Clippers have a very telling six-game road trip ahead of them, with five very winnable games leading up to a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. Put the cell phone cameras away, and get plenty of rest, guys.
Not you, Vinny.