Summer Introspective, Volume 2: The Dawn Of A New L.A. Dynasty

In 1981 Donald Sterling purchased the then San Diego Clippers and moved them to L.A. to rival the in town Los Angeles Lakers. Problem with that, the Lakers had recently drafted Magic Johnson and were already beginning a dynasty that would dominate the 1980's. Meanwhile the Clippers, which at one point were actually pretty decent found themselves coming up short, time and time and time again. Its not like they never had the talent, it was more about luck. There was a brief period during the Danny Manning/Ron Harper years that saw a young core push the middling Clippers to the playoffs. If not for the following 15 seasons of roller coaster like activity they may have sustained themselves like the early 90's Spurs or early 90's Pacers.


During the 1990's both teams experienced struggles, but one would eventually bounce back. The Clippers had some fresh faces such as Elton Brand, Lamar Odom and Darius Miles and once again had plans for their young nucleus to make waves. Initially they were right, the young core led by Brand played a more exciting "Brand" of basketball, but it failed to yield results. Eventually Brand would depart in search of money and the remaining players were not too far behind. The Lakers returned to greatness after a decade of ups and downs sparked by the abrupt retirement of Magic for health reasons. In 1996 they drafted Kobe Bryant out of high school and added Shaquille O'neal. With those two future hall of famers in place the team took off and found themselves in the mist of a dynasty. Like the 80's, the Clippers continued to play second fiddle to the Lake Show. Meanwhile the Lakers, sans Shaq were able to win back to back titles in 2009 and 2010.

Once again the Clippers found themselves with the top pick in the NBA draft. The number one prize was Blake Griffin and with him came a potential trip to certain greatness. Griffin destroyed defenders while playing in the SEC on his way to a consensus National Player of the Year season (22 ppg, 14 rebs). So as anyone could imagine, hopes were hight for the most talented player ever drafted by the Clippers. In typical Clippers fashion, the arrival of Blake Griffin was delayed a year due to a knee injury that sidelined him for a full season. It appeared that the Clipper Curse was rearing it's ugly head yet again.

The year off gave Griffin the time he needed to mature and put on muscle. In his debut season the Clippers dramatically improved with second year player Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin leading the charge (21 ppg and 11 rebs) and eventually earning Rookie of the Year honors. The following offseason proved to be a rather dramatic one. The Lakers had plans of adding All Star point guard Chris Paul, however the league blocked the deal and instead Chris Paul found himself being dealt to the Clippers for Eric Gordon and others. This of course was the beginning of "Lob City" and a complete franchise turnaround.

Two years later, the Clippers have completely taken the city of L.A. and NBA by storm. Their high power, high speed brand of ball is possibly the most entertaining in the league. They are no longer the bottom dwellers of the West Conference. This year they are actually the potential favorites to dethrone the Heat. They have reloaded the roster and will be led by new head coach Doc Rivers. His defense first style, combined with the raw athleticism of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will make for an instant improvement. New shooters Jared Dudley and JJ Redick will help to free up the paint for Chris Paul to create and orchestrate the new offense that will be implemented. Reserves Matt Barnes and the enigmatic Jamal Crawford should continue to provide quality veteran leadership and a entertaining spark off the bench. Backup point guard Darren Collison and rookie shooter Reggie Bullock will also help to improve the scoring opportunities.

The Clippers should find themselves atop the league standings this year, while the Lakers have hit a rough patch. They failed to sign Dwight Howard in the offseason and Kobe Bryant continues to nurse his injured ACL. They amnestied Metta World Peace and have assembled a band of misfits that rivals the 2012/13 Dallas Mavericks team that failed to make the playoffs. It appears as if for the moment, the tide has turned and the Clippers hold the cards. As long as they remain injury and drama free they should continue to succeed and excel. The Clippers have the coaching, the talent and the fan base to harvest a winning environment, lets see if they can make it happen and maintain their dominance as L.A.'s new dynasty.

The Draft Fanatic

BONUS VIDEO: LOB CITY!!!!