Clippers Suck
David Aldridge spilled the beans for me first. I knew the Clippers had the talent, but Aldridge talked early on about how he expected an implosion due to too many impending free agents, and too little experience. Sure enough, that's what has happened. Olowokandi and Andre Miller completely disappeared against the Wolves last night. Look, the Wolves have struggled against the Clippers for a number of years now, and last night was their easiest win of the year. Will the Clips make a deal, or will dumbass owner Donald Sterling just ride it out and let the talent leave? Either way, they are doomed to suck. Too bad. That could have been a special team.
If I'm a billionaire, I look at the Clippers as being one of the great untapped revenue sources in all of sports. Major city, new arena. Sure, you compete with the Lakers, but it was so clear when the Clippers were even hinting at turning the corner that there was a groundswell of support in LA. Now, they can't even get B-list celebrities in the stands. But would Sterling sell the team? Who knows? He's nuts.
Shaq/Yao Hype Section
Looks like Shaq made an unfortunate attempt at humor, speaking in mock Chinese when discussing Yao. I can understand why some people would make an issue of that, but I think Yao's response was incredibly wise and appropriate (and funny):
"There are a lot of difficulties in two different cultures understanding each other. Especially two very large countries. The world is getting smaller and I think it's important to have a greater understanding of other cultures. I believe Shaquille O'Neal was joking but I think that a lot of Asian people don't understand that kind of joke,'' Yao said.
"Chinese is hard to learn. I had trouble with it when I was little,'' Yao joked.
I love Yao. Shaq needs some competition. It's gonna be a fun game.
Kings Are Real
I can't deny it any more. I watched the Kings and Mavs last night. The Kings are too good, too deep, too strong. They'll play you fast, they'll play tough D. What can you do? How does Peja have such an accurate shot with that quick, long release? Man, they are fun to watch. Is Antoine Rigaudeau going to make a difference for the Mavs? They don't need more shooters; they need people who can defend. The Kings have that.
You know who is hurt most by the success of the Kings? It must be a dagger in the heart of the citizens of Kansas City. The Kings left in 1985, just before Michael Jordan helped the NBA's popularity explode. Kansas Citians must wonder what it would be like to be the center of the NBA; it's not like Sacramento is any more glamorous than KC. Instead, all KC has is memories of Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 1981.
11:32:59 AM 
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