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Los Angeles Clippers Success Gives Hope

By Brenton Lillie

Jan 17, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A general view during the game between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Los Angeles Clippers won 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 17, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A general view during the game between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Los Angeles Clippers won 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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The success of the Los Angeles Clippers gives hope to every sad sack franchise in the National Basketball Association. That would include the pathetic New York Knicks, who just lost by 31 points at home to these Clippers.

The Knicks and the old Clippers have a lot in common. Both teams have bumbling, unlikable owners. The old Clippers had Donald Sterling, unapologetic racist and womanizer. The Knicks have James Dolan, the often ridiculed trust fund kid.

Both teams have had their share of bizarre legal troubles. The Clippers have faced numerous lawsuits, including from an unpaid intern alleging that the internship for the Clippers was worse than even that of Krimerica.

The Clippers also faced a lawsuit alleging that they spammed fans’ cell phones with automated text messages that went against federal law. And of course, there was the racist comments recorded by Sterlings’ former lover, V. Stiviano. Those comments eventually would cost Sterling his ownership in the team.

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Meanwhile, the New York Knicks were busy sexually harassing their employees, as a jury recently awarded a former team executive $11.6 million for crude sexual comments, unwanted sexual advances, and other disturbing events related to former Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas.

Another recent lawsuit came from a fan who alleges that he was thrown out of a game for yelling “Carmelo, you stink!”. More than that, the fan alleges that the Knicks contacted the man’s employer and got him fired over the incident.

The product on the court often matched the turmoil off of it. The old Los Angeles Clippers’ were often seen as a farm system for the rest of the league. Players would be drafted by the Clippers only to flee as soon as they became a free agent.

The Clippers were often regarded as one of the worst organizations in professional sports. From the 1980-81 season until the Clippers drafted Blake Griffin, the franchise had just two winning season, with neither producing more than 47 wins.

Just two seasons in 20 years where the team won more games than it lost. The Knicks, meanwhile, went nine straight seasons without a winning record, from 2001 until a mini renaissance in 2010. However, after an oh-so-brief run of mild relevance, the Knicks are again at the bottom of the NBA.

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    • But there is hope. If the Clippers, once synonymous with losing and disfunction, can climb into champion contention, then every team has hope. If the horrid, cheap, and bumbling Donald Sterling can be forced from the NBA, then perhaps one day even James Dolan can be jettisoned from the Big Apple.

    After all, both cities are big markets, very attractive to NBA stars. New York City is the marquee city of the populous American Northeast, while Los Angeles has sunny weather, nice beaches, and movie stars.

    The important thing is to remember that all it takes is one superstar player, like Blake Griffin, to change everything. Carmelo Anthony might not be that player any longer, but with all the losing comes an opportunity to draft high. Eventually, even the worst teams will land a winning lottery ticket.

    That ticket will give them the next Tim Duncan, LeBron James, or Blake Griffin. And once you have the superstar, a player who can carry a franchise, then everything else seems to fall into place.

    Blake Griffin and Adam Silver saved the Clippers. Sooner or later, someone will save the Knicks.

    Next: Our Latest NBA Mock Draft

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