Building a winner is slow process
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Monday, April 26
Updated: April 26
12:06 PM ET
In a span of 96 seconds, Michael Olowokandi picked up a technical foul and two personals in a game that his Minnesota Timberwolves would eventually lose, 107-86, in a series in which he has totaled only 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists to go along with 10 fouls in three games.
It could be worse, though. He could still be a Clipper.
Michael Olowokandi
Center
Minnesota Timberwolves
"That's as tough as it can get," Olowokandi said in the Minneapilis Star Tribune. "Nothing went my way. I picked up three quick fouls. Then, in the second half, they gave me two more quick ones. Nothing went well as a team, and nothing went well individually . . . The only answer is to come back Tuesday and do what we have to take their aggressiveness away."
The same could be said for Lamar Odom, who went 5-for-18 in his last playoff game against the Hornets with seven turnovers in a loss. Or Lorenzen Wright, who committed more fouls, five, than scored points, four, Sunday night as his Memphis Grizzlies were swept out of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.
Or Maurice Taylor and Eric Piatkowski of the Houston Rockets, who combined for six points off the bench in an overtime loss at home to the Lakers to fall within one game of elimination. Or even Andre Miller, who is averaging a paltry 3.6 assists per game for the Nuggets in the first playoff series of his professional career.
They could all still be Clippers and have no idea what this whole playoff thing is about.
"This team will be remembered forever," Memphis head coach Hubie Brown said in the Commercial Appeal after his team had been eliminated in four straight games. "It was a great, great year."
They lost the first game by 14, the second game by 17 and, after making the third contest close, they dropped the fourth and final game by 13.
"What you have seen is a city grow up and mature as an NBA franchise," Brown said. "They'll never forget what the people just did out there."
Forget that they just lost four playoffs games. The important things is that they played four playoff games. It just so happened to be the first four playoff games in franchise history following a season in which they won 50 games after winning only 28 last year. And the year before that, they won only 23, which matched the entire win total of the year before that. It was only 22 wins the year before that, eight wins in the 50-game season before that, 19 wins before that and 14 wins before that.
Lorenzen Wright
Center
Memphis Grizzlies
Lorenzen Wright knows. He's been with the Grizzlies for three full seasons now, averaging 10.8 points per game and 7.7 rebounds. He started off his career, though, with the Clippers, averaging 7.7 points and 7.4 rebounds over three seasons after being lottery drafted by the team in 1996 and then traded for two draft picks in 1999.
Do you see the problem there?
One draft pick after another has come and gone from the Clippers as the team went from winning 39 games in 2002 to 28 games this year. In the time that it took the Grizzlies to go from eight wins in 1999 to 50 wins this season, the Clippers went from nine wins that same season to having the absolute worst record in the entire Western Conference this season.
But this isn't a story about Clipper deficiencies. Nor is it about whether the Clippers should have hung on to players like Wright, Olowokandi or Odom.
This is a story about the Lakers signing Shaquille O'Neal and trading for Kobe Bryant in 1996 and not winning their first championship until 2000. This is about Michael Jordan scoring 16,596 regular season points before making his first title run in the playoffs in 1991. Remember, he scored a total of 32,292 points in his career, meaning that more than half of them came before he was ever an NBA champion. This is about David Robinson becoming an NBA player in 1990, winning his first ring in 1999, his second in 2003 and retiring one day after that.
This is a story about an NBA title not being built in a day.
The Celtics begat the Lakers who begat the Pistons who begat the Bulls.
First, you get to the playoffs. Then you get past the first round. Then you get past your rival and, if you've still got time, you start collecting jewelry.
In the last 23 years of the NBA, only seven franchises have won the championship. In that same amount of time, Major League Baseball has crowned 13 different World Series Champs and the NFL has had 13 different Super Bowl Champs.
We can talk all we want about the Timberwolves never getting out of the first round, but that's how it goes in this sport. A draft pick or free agent signing may get you into the playoffs, but it isn't going to get you an NBA title. It takes draft picks and free-agent signings. But most important, it takes keeping those draft picks and free agents to stay around for a long time.
Back to those 23 years and we see that Magic Johnson never played for another team other than the Lakers. Larry Bird began and ended his career as a Celtic. Jordan played with the Bulls for 13 seasons. Hakeem Olajuwon was with the Rockets for 17 seasons. Isiah Thomas played only for Detroit.
Then we can look at the Clipper roster and see that there isn't a single player who has been with that team for more than four seasons.
Then we can look at Olowokandi in Minnesota. Right next to him is Kevin Garnett, who has been with the team for, can you believe it, nine seasons now and is signed through 2009.
A lineup of Andre Miller, Eric Piatkowski, Lamar Odom, Maurice Taylor and Michael Olowokandi with Lorenzen Wright off the bench may not have ever won an NBA title. And neither may the Grizzlies' current lineup of Jason Williams, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Lorenzen Wright and Pau Gasol. But they have gotten to the playoffs, and that's a step in the right direction.
Even if you have to get swept to get to the next round.
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Monday, April 26
Updated: April 26
12:06 PM ET
In a span of 96 seconds, Michael Olowokandi picked up a technical foul and two personals in a game that his Minnesota Timberwolves would eventually lose, 107-86, in a series in which he has totaled only 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists to go along with 10 fouls in three games.
It could be worse, though. He could still be a Clipper.
Michael Olowokandi
Center
Minnesota Timberwolves
"That's as tough as it can get," Olowokandi said in the Minneapilis Star Tribune. "Nothing went my way. I picked up three quick fouls. Then, in the second half, they gave me two more quick ones. Nothing went well as a team, and nothing went well individually . . . The only answer is to come back Tuesday and do what we have to take their aggressiveness away."
The same could be said for Lamar Odom, who went 5-for-18 in his last playoff game against the Hornets with seven turnovers in a loss. Or Lorenzen Wright, who committed more fouls, five, than scored points, four, Sunday night as his Memphis Grizzlies were swept out of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.
Or Maurice Taylor and Eric Piatkowski of the Houston Rockets, who combined for six points off the bench in an overtime loss at home to the Lakers to fall within one game of elimination. Or even Andre Miller, who is averaging a paltry 3.6 assists per game for the Nuggets in the first playoff series of his professional career.
They could all still be Clippers and have no idea what this whole playoff thing is about.
"This team will be remembered forever," Memphis head coach Hubie Brown said in the Commercial Appeal after his team had been eliminated in four straight games. "It was a great, great year."
They lost the first game by 14, the second game by 17 and, after making the third contest close, they dropped the fourth and final game by 13.
"What you have seen is a city grow up and mature as an NBA franchise," Brown said. "They'll never forget what the people just did out there."
Forget that they just lost four playoffs games. The important things is that they played four playoff games. It just so happened to be the first four playoff games in franchise history following a season in which they won 50 games after winning only 28 last year. And the year before that, they won only 23, which matched the entire win total of the year before that. It was only 22 wins the year before that, eight wins in the 50-game season before that, 19 wins before that and 14 wins before that.
Lorenzen Wright
Center
Memphis Grizzlies
Lorenzen Wright knows. He's been with the Grizzlies for three full seasons now, averaging 10.8 points per game and 7.7 rebounds. He started off his career, though, with the Clippers, averaging 7.7 points and 7.4 rebounds over three seasons after being lottery drafted by the team in 1996 and then traded for two draft picks in 1999.
Do you see the problem there?
One draft pick after another has come and gone from the Clippers as the team went from winning 39 games in 2002 to 28 games this year. In the time that it took the Grizzlies to go from eight wins in 1999 to 50 wins this season, the Clippers went from nine wins that same season to having the absolute worst record in the entire Western Conference this season.
But this isn't a story about Clipper deficiencies. Nor is it about whether the Clippers should have hung on to players like Wright, Olowokandi or Odom.
This is a story about the Lakers signing Shaquille O'Neal and trading for Kobe Bryant in 1996 and not winning their first championship until 2000. This is about Michael Jordan scoring 16,596 regular season points before making his first title run in the playoffs in 1991. Remember, he scored a total of 32,292 points in his career, meaning that more than half of them came before he was ever an NBA champion. This is about David Robinson becoming an NBA player in 1990, winning his first ring in 1999, his second in 2003 and retiring one day after that.
This is a story about an NBA title not being built in a day.
The Celtics begat the Lakers who begat the Pistons who begat the Bulls.
First, you get to the playoffs. Then you get past the first round. Then you get past your rival and, if you've still got time, you start collecting jewelry.
In the last 23 years of the NBA, only seven franchises have won the championship. In that same amount of time, Major League Baseball has crowned 13 different World Series Champs and the NFL has had 13 different Super Bowl Champs.
We can talk all we want about the Timberwolves never getting out of the first round, but that's how it goes in this sport. A draft pick or free agent signing may get you into the playoffs, but it isn't going to get you an NBA title. It takes draft picks and free-agent signings. But most important, it takes keeping those draft picks and free agents to stay around for a long time.
Back to those 23 years and we see that Magic Johnson never played for another team other than the Lakers. Larry Bird began and ended his career as a Celtic. Jordan played with the Bulls for 13 seasons. Hakeem Olajuwon was with the Rockets for 17 seasons. Isiah Thomas played only for Detroit.
Then we can look at the Clipper roster and see that there isn't a single player who has been with that team for more than four seasons.
Then we can look at Olowokandi in Minnesota. Right next to him is Kevin Garnett, who has been with the team for, can you believe it, nine seasons now and is signed through 2009.
A lineup of Andre Miller, Eric Piatkowski, Lamar Odom, Maurice Taylor and Michael Olowokandi with Lorenzen Wright off the bench may not have ever won an NBA title. And neither may the Grizzlies' current lineup of Jason Williams, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Lorenzen Wright and Pau Gasol. But they have gotten to the playoffs, and that's a step in the right direction.
Even if you have to get swept to get to the next round.
