BAD NEWS - A recent trip to my local thrift store yielded a penetrating insight into the conundrum that is the Golden State Warriors. I happened upon a Ziploc bag which included a section of model train track, a Trivial Pursuit card, a Barbie outfit, and a mitten. These disparate items had come to share their plastic home for two reasons; 1) their previous owner no longer wanted them, and 2) they lacked monetary value. Applying this realization to the NBA, which I do so often that it even bothers me, I decided that this is the way the Warriors' roster was collected, assembled in a spirit of frugality rather than compatibilty. And while these random parts may be fun for a while, eventually their quirky appeal fades, and they begin to lose all of their road games by 20+ points (I can only hold a metaphor for so long).
Los Angeles Clippers
GOOD NEWS - The Clippers have a solid core of Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, and Quentin Richardson. Brand and Maggette are the first players to receive significant contracts from this franchise, and they take that distinction very seriously and look to justify it every night. For the first time, LA has players who are actually proud to be Clippers and are spared the anxiety of wondering when it will fall apart. Richardson is seeking to play himself into the same tax bracket and join the ranks of long-term Clippers. These three stars, along with emerging talents like Chris Wilcox, Chris Kaman, and Marko Jaric, give the Clippers cause for optimism.
BAD NEWS - What NBA team could watch four of its top players walk away, receive absolutely nothing in return, and call it a successful offseason? Only the Clippers, who shocked fans everywhere by matching lucrative offers to Brand and Maggette. Jaded fans quickly forgot the uncompensated exodus of valuable players like Lamar Odom and Michael Olowokandi to celebrate the fact that they'll finally get to watch really good players in the prime of their careers. However, the Clippers may not have gotten over their commitment issues yet - the team still has one of the league's lowest payrolls, and could keep it that way by surrounding Brand and Maggette with rookies and cheap veterans for the length of their contracts. Optimism should remain tempered until the Clippers are willing to pay to keep Richardson this summer, and maybe spend a little to bring in bench help.
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