Welcome to the NBA, Shaun: with a trade between Charlotte and the
Clippers, Shaun
Livingston looks to be stuck for at least three years in the NBA's most
ridiculous franchise, unless you think George Shinn's Hornets are worse.
He'll have some Duke company in Elton Brand, who could function as a big
brother of sorts, and Corey Maggette, who of course stopped off briefly in
Durham before beginning his NBA career.
If this pans out - and who knows, it might not, though the Clippers need a
point guard - we feel badly for Shaun. There's a chance that the Clippers could
be competitive - they have some real talent, and Mike Dunleavy is a good coach -
but Donald Sterling is an absolute miser as an owner, and has never (at least
until he retained Brand and Maggette, both of whom wanted to get the hell out)
been willing to spend money. Not just on players - on really basic things.
We are probably going to get this story wrong, but there was an article a while
back that had him trying to get out of having showers at the practice
facility. Or maybe it was towels. But you get the drift: he's not
exactly a guy committed to excellence.
We remember Danny Manning greeting a new player when he was a Clipper with
"welcome to hell."
Charlotte, had they taken him, might not have been a great place, but from
all appearances, the Bobcats seem determined to run their franchise with a high
degree of professionalism and with real basketball people. They will now
take either Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor, whichever is not drafted by
Orlando. Both players are known for their solid character, and for
Charlotte fans, that's probably reassuring.
Tough break for the kid. Here's hoping he makes the best of it, if
that's where he ends up until he's 21.
Just as a side note, Mike
DeCourcey has a nice article about the strength of the college game. Our
opinion? College will outlast the NBA, because the fan base is innate and
replenishes annually, and because colleges almost never move and leave their
fans behind.