(11) 1981 San Diego Clippers (36-46) vs. (32) 1973 Buffalo Braves (21-61)
OK team I guess…Freeman Williams led them with 19 points, and Phil Smith had 17-2-5. Swen Nater had 16-12, and Michael Brooks had 15-5-3. Bill Walton was out all year. Nothing special (but really, what Clippers team is…), but not TOO bad…
This is Bob McAdoo’s rookie year, were he averaged 18-9. Elmore Smith had a good year, with 18-12. Bob Kauffman was very good, doing it all with his 18-11-5 average. Randy Smith had 15-5-5….I bet this team beats 1981…
(12) 1997 Los Angeles Clippers (36-46) vs. (31) 1972 Buffalo Braves (22-60)
Half-decent (playoff!) team. They featured Slam Dunk champ (that’s right) Brent Barry! He had minimal stats. Loy Vaught had 15-10, and Malik Sealy had 14-3. Rodney Rodgers had 13-5-3.
This may have got them Bob McAdoo, but they aren’t bad…Bob Kauffman had 19-10-4, and Elmore Smith had 17-15…Mahdi Abdul-Rahman had 16-3-6, and Randy Smith had 13-5.
(13) 1980 San Diego Clippers (35-47) vs. (30) 1971 Buffalo Braves (22-60)
Bill Walton signs with San Diego…and didn’t exactly deliver. He played 14 games this year….then didn’t play again till 1983. World B Free was the high scorer, with 30-4-4, and Freeman Williams added 19 points of his own. Swen Nater had an inhumane 13-15, in place of Walton.
Year one of the Clippers franchise….a promoters nightmare, with Bob Kauffman (20-11-5) being the only recognizable player here in the 2010s. Don May also had 20-8…but how many of you have heard of him?
(14) 1986 Los Angeles Clippers (32-50) vs. (29) 2008 Los Angeles Clippers (23-59)
Derek Smith (the waiver wire turned scorer player they picked up), predictably blows out his knee…Bill Walton was sent to Boston for Cedric Maxwell, where Walton immediately becomes healthy and wins Sixth Man…bad trade, or bad luck? Derek Smith blows out his knee this year…Marques Johnson has a good year though, as he had 20-6-4. Norm Nixon had 15-3-9, and Cedric Maxwell had 14-8.
Guess who got injured this year? Elton Brand torn his Achilles this season…Corey Maggette (22-6-3) took over scoring. Also helping: Chris Kaman (16-13 in 56 games), Cuttino Mobley (13 points) and Sam Cassell (13-3-5).
(15) 2011 Los Angeles Clippers (32-50) vs. (28) 1983 San Diego Clippers (25-57)
This is the most recent team, featuring Blake Griffin’s rookie year (after he broke his kneecap before last season…). Blake had 23-12-4, and had Eric Gordon there for only 56 games, though he had 22-3-4 in them…Baron Davis (13-3-7) was traded away for Mo Williams (15-3-6)…
Terry Cummings leads this team with his 24-11, and was helped by Tom Chambers (18-7, only to be traded after the season). Michael Brooks had 12-6-3, and Bill Walton made his first appearance since 1980, though he had only 33 games of action…Before the year, Terry Cummings was diagnosed with a serious heart condition….
(16) 1985 Los Angeles Clippers (31-51) vs. (27) 2003 Los Angeles Clippers (27-55)
First year in LA! Derek Smith had 22-5-3, Marques Johnson (who came over for Terry Cummings) had 16-6, and Norm Nixon had 17-3-9. Bill Walton actually played 67 games, averaging 10-9…he’s gone by next year.
Nobody played a full year here…Brand (19-11), and Maggette (17-5) both played in only the 60 game range. Lamar Odom (15-7-4, who leaves for Miami after the year) played less than 50 games. Andre Miller though played 80 and had 14-4-7. This gets them…Chris Kaman in the Wade-James-Bosh-Melo-Darko draft…
(17) 1991 Los Angeles Clippers (31-51) vs. (26) 1994 Los Angeles Clippers (27-55)
Not too great…Charles Smith had 20-8, and Ron Harper returns from his knee injury to score 20-5-5 in a short year for him. Ken Norman had 17-7, Danny Manning had 16-6, and they turned Benoit Benjamin (15-12) into Olden Polynice (12-9)!!! Bad trade…
Atlanta knew Wilkins would leave, so they traded him for Danny Manning (24-7-4). Wilkins thrived with 29-7, and Ron Harper played an almost full year, having 20-6-5 in it. Loy Vaught had 12-9, Mark Jackson had 11-4-9, and Mark Aguirre ended his career with 11-3-3.
(18) 2001 Los Angeles Clippers (31-51) vs. (25) 1978 Buffalo Braves (27-55)
Very bad team…Lamar Odom led with 17-8-5….and no one else was relevant…
Randy Smith wasn’t bad, he had 25-4-6, but instead of ROY Adrian Dantley, they traded him to Indiana for Billy Knight (23-7-3, in only 53 games). Tiny Archibald was on the team…but ripped his Achilles tendon before the season…and was gone the next year. Swen Nater had 16-13.
(19) 1977 Buffalo Braves (30-52) vs. (24) 2004 Los Angeles Clippers (28-54)
Bob McAdoo was shown the door midseason…while averaging 24-13...I understand why they got rid of him…but not why New York got him. Randy Smith had 21-6-5, and John Shumate had 15-10. Rookie of the Year Adrian Dantley was wonderful, with 20-8. Moses Malone was on this team after New Orleans (Jazz) and Portland decided they didn’t want him. Of course, Buffalo didn’t want him either, and he played two games of 3 minutes each…then was sent to Houston…smart, huh?
BAD…Very bad. Maggette had 21-6-3, Brand had 20-10, and Quentin Richardson had 17-6…and nothing else.
(20) 1984 San Diego Clippers (30-52) vs. (23) 2010 Los Angeles Clippers (29-53)
Tom Chambers gets traded for James Donaldson and the pick that got Michael Cage…not a good trade at all. Terry Cummings had 23-10, Norm Nixon had 17-3-11, and we have a Bill Walton sighting! He played 55 games and had 12-9. Michael Brooks (11-7) blew out his knee.
Bad team…Chris Kaman had 19-9, Eric Gordon had 17-3-3, and Baron Davis had 15-3-8, while Marcus Camby had 8-12 in 51 games, while they wait for the broken kneecap of Blake Griffin to heal.
(21) 1990 Los Angeles Clippers (30-52) vs. (22) 1996 Los Angeles Clippers (29-53)
So the average Clippers team is a 30 win team…Ron Harper joins the Clippers and proceeds to blow out his knee. In his place, Charles Smith had 21-7, Danny Manning had 16-6-3, Ken Norman had 16-7, and Benoit Benjamin had 14-9.
Loy Vaught had 16-10, Bison Dele had 16-8, and that’s it…
That’s the Clippers…Bob McAdoo and injuries…Here’s the list:
- · Tiny Archibald (ripped Achilles) 1978
- · Bill Walton (feet) 1980-1985
- · Terry Cummings (heart condition) 1983
- · Michael Brooks (blown out knee) 1984
- · Derek Smith (blown out knee) 1986
- · Marques Johnson (neck) 1987
- · Norm Nixon (blown out knee) 1987
- · Norm Nixon (ruptured Achilles) 1988
- · Danny Manning (blown out knee) 1989
- · Ron Harper (blown out knee) 1990
- · Loy Vaught (back) 1998
- · Shaun Livingston (blown out knee) 2007
- · Elton Brand (Torn Achilles) 2008
- · Blake Griffin (broken kneecap) 2010
Pretty awful time in LA/SD/BUF…They also have an awful average team…30 wins is amazing…
Ladies and gentlemen, your Buffalo/San Diego/Los Angeles Braves/Clippers! Next, Mikan, West, Baylor, Wilt, Magic, Kareem, Shaq, Kobe and the Lakers! Things are heating up now…
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