A little over a month ago, we all sang, and drank, and were merry in celebrating that Mike Dunleavy had stepped down as coach of the Clippers. I’ve got nothing against the man himself, other than the fact that he’s a bit more than partially responsible for how bad the Clippers have been for the better part of this decade. It’s not all on his shoulders — after all, who’s to say what would have become of the Clips had they not blown a 3-1 lead against the Suns in the 2006 playoffs, or had lottery pick Shaun Livingston not had the injury nightmare of a lifetime, or of the one successful core not inexplicably regressed, or if Elton Brand hadn’t bolted in free agency — but he’s had more than a hand in the horrible management of the worst franchise in basketball.
It’s honestly a bit impressive that the Clippers have been so bad for so long; you’d figure that eventually, Dunleavy and Sterling were bound to stumble into success. Maybe their brush with hope was back in ’06, but it left as quickly as it came. Dunleavy has had chance after chance to not only justify his position as head coach, but rectify the mistakes he’s made as a general manager. He’s had no right to complain about his roster, or his coach’s use of the roster, because Dun is one of those guys in a rare position to both build the team to his liking and manage everything from the contracts to the minutes. He’s blessed with considerable power but cursed with accountability for everything…or at least he should have been cursed with accountability. Few GMs or coaches could have gotten away with losing so consistently, but give Dunleavy credit: he managed to stay alive, even if it’s only because the man signing the checks was a cheapskate who inked him to a foolish deal and refused to cut him loose.
But that’s enough dancing on MDSr’s grave; there will be plenty of that going on today, and I feel like I’ve already done plenty of it before. Enough is probably enough, if only because this move should have come long ago. I come to praise Caesar, not to bury him. This particular man and this particular franchise are so easy to hyperbolize that he’ll get his share of criticism and he probably deserves it. But not everything turned to dust under Dunleavy’s watch, and while his roster moves on the whole can’t be called a success given that Dunleavy coached the Clips to a winning record just once in seven stints, L.A.’s selections in the draft during his time as GM have actually been pretty successful.
———
2003:
Chris Kaman, 6th overall pick – Kaman is still the starting center of the Clips today, and though he’s battled injury and some pretty wicked consistency issues, he’s had a solid season. Kaman has found success despite playing a very different style than Baron Davis, which isn’t easy. But post-heavy sets have been a staple of the Dunleavy era, and as the Clips shift directions next season (assuming that Kim Hughes doesn’t return as head coach), it should be interesting to see how Kaman is utilized in the future.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis, 34th overall pick - Schortsanitis never made it to the U.S., but is still playing professionally for Olympiacos.
2004:
Shaun Livingston, 4th overall pick – There’s no telling whether or not Livingston would have put it all together and actualized the star potential that pushed him to the top of his draft class straight out of high school. The Dislocated Knee Cap Heard ‘Round the World not only closed Livingston’s season, but significantly lowered the ceiling on his career.
Lionel Chalmers, 33rd pick – After a short stint in the NBA (two years of salary but only one year with minutes played), Chalmers went across the pond and across another, smaller pond to play in Italy. He’s now a fixture in Russian basketball, where he led his league in scoring last season with 21.4 points per game. He did have some value to the Clips, though: Chalmers was part of the trade (along with Marko Jaric) that brought Sam Cassell to L.A. for the ’06 playoff run.
2005:
Yaroslav Korolev, 12th overall pick – Swingandamiss. The big draft blunder of Dunleavy’s tenure, Korolev was a lottery pick that did anything but pan out. That said, it’s not like MDSr overlooked any obvious stars; the best players still on the board at 12 in the ’05 draft were all hidden gems (Danny Granger, David Lee, Monta Ellis), and while it would have been nice for the Clips to pick up a talent of that caliber, you could say the same for almost every GM in the league.
Daniel Ewing, 32nd overall pick – Two seasons, about a million in salary, and over 120 games in the league. Ewing never made his mark, and now he’s trying to make a buck and a name for himself playing professionally in Poland.
2006:
Paul Davis, 34th overall pick – The Clips didn’t have a first rounder in ’06, which was actually okay considering they finished 47-35 and the pick that would have been theirs fell to number 22 overall. There’s still value at that point in the draft, but it’s not like they surrendered a lottery pick.
Guillermo Diaz, 52nd overall pick - You know the drill. Decided to play overseas, still playing professionally in Italy, and the Clips hold his draft rights. Not that it matters all that much.
2007:
Al Thornton, 12th overall pick – Thornton may not look like a terrific pick now, but he started his career the way you’d expect an older rookie to start it: he made an impact with his NBA-ready body and his experience. The problem has been Thornton’s refusal to make a single significant stride since his rookie season, and though Al occasionally shows flashes of something more, he looks like he’ll end up as a role player. Not a great pick, but not exactly a horrible one, either.
Jared Jordan, 45th overall pick – The Clips eventually traded Jordan to the Knicks for cash, but he’s never made an NBA roster. Jordan bounced around a few summer league teams, but he’s currently playing professionally in Germany.
2008:
Eric Gordon, 7th overall pick – I was way down on Gordon when the 2008 Draft was approaching, but he’s been fantastic. It’s unclear whether or not Gordon will ever be capable of being a team’s top scoring option (I’m leaning no), but he’ll be a stellar supplementary scorer. He’s much more efficient than you think (especially if you’re Matt Moore): he gets to the line with incredible regularity, doesn’t turn the ball over, and combines nice touch from mid and long range with a solid handle and driving ability. Not the best finisher, but so proficient at creating contact that it almost doesn’t matter. He’s not the most versatile cat in the world and the defense is definitely a work in progress, but Gordon can score and he can do it efficiently.
DeAndre Jordan, 35th overall pick – There was a time where Jordan was lauded as a potential lottery pick, but he failed to get off the bench for consistent minutes, much less make a consistent impact during his stint at Texas A&M. He’s come a long way since then. Jordan’s development is a crucial part of what the Clippers will do from this point forward. With Kaman, Jordan, and Blake Griffin, the Clips could actually be pretty stacked at power forward and center. Jordan has shown he’s capable of being a pretty dominant NBA player, but I’m sure those in L.A.’s front office would settle for him simply becoming more consistent. Jordan has nothing but time; he definitely has NBA-level talent and athleticism, and he’s just 21 years old. Great, great value for a second rounder.
2009:
Blake Griffin, 1st overall pick – Bust. And by “bust” I mean “he’s awesome.” And by “awesome” I mean “should be playing right now, if not for some horrible, horrible luck.” I know everyone’s waiting to watch the fireworks in free agency and anxious to see who wins the John Wall sweepstakes, but Griffin is a legitimate reason to want to fast-forward to October.
———-
That’s essentially one blown first rounder in seven years, and even that pick was a late lottery selection in a weak draft class. Mitch Kupchack selected Sasha Vujacic and Brian Cook, albeit with late first round selections. Sam Presti gave away Carl Landry, Rodrigue Beaubois, and Glen Davis. Buford handed over Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic. Pritchard picked Greg Oden over Kevin Durant, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY THE BUSTIEST BUST OF ALL BUST TIME, AM I RIGHT?!?!?!?!
Everyone makes mistakes, and Korolev was Dunleavy’s. MDSr made quite a few more in free agency, in signing or refusing to sign his own players, and in poorly assessing the value of personnel on the Clippers and across the league. But even though he fell well short of deserving the position of power he had been inhabiting, the dark days the Clippers have faced since 2003 weren’t nearly as dark as they could have been. That’s the most solace I can offer a franchise that has seen the playoffs once over that same span, has seen its franchise player walk out the door, and now will try for something completely different beginning with this off-season. With Dunleavy gone, the Clips are on the verge of something. That’s all we can say. Whether that’s some roster turnover with a new coach and renewed hope is up to Donald Sterling.
That’s a scary thought, isn’t it?
