Clippers look wise while Lakers look foolish

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/1770712.html

Two press conferences.

Two new players introduced Wednesday afternoon.

Two ways to compare and contrast the Lakers and Clippers.

The Lakers went for basic grunge while the Clippers opted for high-rent
district.

Kwame Brown, the new Laker on the block, was wheeled out in the locker room
of the Kings at the headquarters the two teams share on the east end of El
Segundo.

Cuttino Mobley, the newest Clipper, was welcomed aboard at the Regent
Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills after tea, sandwiches and fruit were
served.

Somewhat more significant is the nature of the two players.

Mobley is the tough guy.

Brown isn't.

In the NHL, Mobley would be respected as a player who would take the body.

In the NBA, Brown brings a reputation as a dilettante who only shows up now
and then.

In summary, the Clippers know they have a player who can make an impact, who
can help push them to the playoffs, while the Lakers hope they have a player
who will provide the same service for them.

Brown came at a price.

"We are going to miss the contributions of Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins,"
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said up front. "To get something good,
you have to give something good."

The price the Clippers paid for Mobley also was steep -- reportedly $42
million spread over five years, making him the highest-paid unrestricted
free agent ever signed by the Clippers. But it's only money.

Only money?

Tell that to Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who has a reputation of not
wanting to part with his loose change.

Since signing on as coach two seasons ago, Mike Dunleavy has insisted
Sterling is receptive to spreading his wealth. This is the proof.

Back to Kupchak. And Brown.

"You have to take risks to get out of the pack," Kupchak said.

The Lakers fell from leaders to deep in the pack last season.

They gambled late in June when they used the 10th pick in the draft on
Andrew Bynum, who is only 17 but stands 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan
and, they believe, has a huge upside.

They gambled again with Brown.

Mobley is a seasoned veteran less than a month short of his 30th birthday.
The seven-year veteran of the NBA wars attended Rhode Island for five years.
His coach as a senior was Jim Harrick, previously of Morningside High,
Pepperdine and UCLA.

Brown went directly from Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Ga., to the Washington
Wizards. Had he gone to college with designs on earning a degree, he would
just be entering the NBA this season at the reasonable age of 23.

Why would Kupchak roll the dice on Brown when the whispers around the league
indicate the young man is not a gamer?

s_knight8 wrote:
> http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/1770712.html

The Clippers will never "look wise".


>
> Two press conferences.
>
> Two new players introduced Wednesday afternoon.
>
> Two ways to compare and contrast the Lakers and Clippers.
>
> The Lakers went for basic grunge while the Clippers opted for high-rent
> district.
>
> Kwame Brown, the new Laker on the block, was wheeled out in the locker room
> of the Kings at the headquarters the two teams share on the east end of El
> Segundo.
>
> Cuttino Mobley, the newest Clipper, was welcomed aboard at the Regent
> Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills after tea, sandwiches and fruit were
> served.
>
> Somewhat more significant is the nature of the two players.
>
> Mobley is the tough guy.
>
> Brown isn't.
>
> In the NHL, Mobley would be respected as a player who would take the body.
>
> In the NBA, Brown brings a reputation as a dilettante who only shows up now
> and then.
>
> In summary, the Clippers know they have a player who can make an impact, who
> can help push them to the playoffs, while the Lakers hope they have a player
> who will provide the same service for them.
>
> Brown came at a price.
>
> "We are going to miss the contributions of Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins,"
> Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said up front. "To get something good,
> you have to give something good."
>
> The price the Clippers paid for Mobley also was steep -- reportedly $42
> million spread over five years, making him the highest-paid unrestricted
> free agent ever signed by the Clippers. But it's only money.
>
> Only money?
>
> Tell that to Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who has a reputation of not
> wanting to part with his loose change.
>
> Since signing on as coach two seasons ago, Mike Dunleavy has insisted
> Sterling is receptive to spreading his wealth. This is the proof.
>
> Back to Kupchak. And Brown.
>
> "You have to take risks to get out of the pack," Kupchak said.
>
> The Lakers fell from leaders to deep in the pack last season.
>
> They gambled late in June when they used the 10th pick in the draft on
> Andrew Bynum, who is only 17 but stands 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan
> and, they believe, has a huge upside.
>
> They gambled again with Brown.
>
> Mobley is a seasoned veteran less than a month short of his 30th birthday.
> The seven-year veteran of the NBA wars attended Rhode Island for five years.
> His coach as a senior was Jim Harrick, previously of Morningside High,
> Pepperdine and UCLA.
>
> Brown went directly from Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Ga., to the Washington
> Wizards. Had he gone to college with designs on earning a degree, he would
> just be entering the NBA this season at the reasonable age of 23.
>
> Why would Kupchak roll the dice on Brown when the whispers around the league
> indicate the young man is not a gamer?