When I say Clippers, you think…
And you should feel absolutely no shame for laughing. Earlier this week, I read this story and my heart leapt with excitement. I have watched NBA basketball my entire life. My first memories are at the Forum with my Dad watching the Showtime Lakers of the 80′s. I was in High School during Jordan’s 3-peat farewell tour. I’ve missed about a dozen Lakers’ games since Kobe Bryant first pulled an NBA jersey over his head. You watch basketball in hopes of beholding greatness.
M.J. against the Jazz.
Kobe against the Raptors.
Baron against the Mavericks.
Those are moments that I’ll never forget, and they rightfully belong on my short list of great NBA highlights. However, to help you understand the magnitude of the Clippers possibly hiring Isaiah Thomas, let’s just say that his employment alone will immediately move into one of the greatest basketball moments of my life.
Just think of the never-ending possibilities for incompetence:
To start, you have the worst owner in professional sports in Donald Sterling. Then, you pair him up with Isaiah Thomas, easily the most inept GM in the history of the NBA. Don’t forget that you still have the worst coach in the league, Mike Dunleavy, calling the shots from the bench. Lastly, you group them all together to work for the Los Angeles Clippers, the laughing stock of professional basketball.
Pure genius.
This is an absolute gold mine for the NBA. There’s no way that David Stern doesn’t have something to do with this. Hell, I would watch every single minute of next years’ Clippers. I’d even consider dropping the whopping $100 I’m sure I’d have to pay for season tickets. The thought of the Clippers with Isaiah Thomas has me so excited that I can’t help but write about it. There are so many opportunities for idiocy that it’s literally overwhelming.
What are the odds of seeing the first 0-82 NBA season? How about the first shutout in professional basketball? Will Vegas set an over/under on sexual harassment law suits filed? Will Isaiah buy out and release Eric Gordon before, or after, the All-Star break? Maybe sign Latrell Sprewell to an 8-year, max deal? Will he run a promotion for a lucky fan to start at point guard for a game? Will the Clippers file for bankruptcy by January? It’s not impossible that the Clippers bus driver could get lost and cause the team to miss an entire game. With the addition of Isaiah, there is no basement for the 2009-2010 Los Angeles Clippers.
As Lakers fans, we have to root for this to happen in our city. Imagine having a defending champion Lakers’ team playing in the same building as the worst team in the history of organized sports. In a single day, we could experience historical basketball on both ends of the spectrum. Why are more people not getting excited about this possibility?
How much would you pay to go see an 0-81 Clippers team play their final game?
How loud would you be chanting defense for a Clippers’ opponent leading 87-0 with 3 minutes to go?
Would you not TIVO a Clippers game if a random contest winner was starting at point guard?
Hiring Isaiah Thomas is the smartest economical move the Los Angeles Clippers could ever make. Nobody really cares to watch bad basketball. … But historically bad basketball? Now that’s something I could get into.
Let’s just hope Sterling is smart enough to be historically stupid.
Jason Riley is a columnist for the Lakers Nation. In addition to this column, he writes on an array of topics that you can check out by visiting J-Ri.com. You can email him by clicking here, or look him up on Facebook.
Recent Comments