As opposed to the Clippers' owner, who's willing to spend whatever it takes to win. Point well taken. And yet, in a move that mystifies even the Grinch, Sterling took a wrench to his pocketbook. I don't know what did it. Was it the constant ribbing? The losing? Did someone convince him (finally) that fielding a competitive team could be profitable? Whatever the reason, Sterling has showed a willingness to pay over the last 7 years. Lost in all this is the fact that Sterling loved Brand & Maggette. He's never had this kind of connection with any player on any of his previous teams. There's absolutely no reason at all for Sterling to have allowed this to happen. Which is why I'm inclined to believe the Clippers front office. And believe me that is not a sentence I ever thought I would hear come out of my mouth. But even if the front office was its usual bungling self, we had Baron in the bag and the promise of Brand on the way. Which is vexing, and pretty much the crux of the main link:
Clippers fans, by their nature, can stomach a great deal of indignity. But either circumstance -- cold-blooded betrayal or woeful neglect -- is something not even Clippers fans are truly equipped to deal with.
Isn't Elgin Baylor regarded as a piss-poor GM? I'll buy that. I wasn't trying to lay this at the feet of Sterling, it's just that, like George Will, in sports, I'm a Marxist. The idea revenue is more happily placed in the pocket of an owner than a player drives me nuts.
