Los Angeles Clippers

One bright spot in otherwise disappointing season for Los Angeles was that forward Bobby Simmons won the 2004-05 NBA Most Improved Player award, after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. None yet. The Clippers, while also missing the playoffs, ended with a better record than the Lakers (the first time since 1993) and have great hope for the future, with young rising stars such as Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Shaun Livingston. Hubie Brown (Retired: Induction in 2005). The Lakers, because of the trade of O'Neal to the Miami Heat, ended the season with a losing record and missed the playoffs. The Grizzlies, however, were once again swept in 4 games in the first round; this time by the Phoenix Suns. The 2004-2005 season, though, was the turning point for the relations between the two franchises. The Grizzlies improved and advanced to the postseason for the second consecutive season.

With new head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr., the Clippers finished at 28-54, a lot due to inexperience and injuries. At the time the Grizzlies had a losing record and West brought in TNT analyst and former coach, Mike Fratello as Hubie's replacement. They, along with Richardson, made of one of the NBA best high-scoring trios, with a combined 58 points per game. In the 2004-05 season Hubie Brown stepped down as head coach citing health reasons. In the 2003-04 season, Los Angeles four key players to free agency (Miller, Odom, Olowokandi, and forward Eric Piatkowski--one of the longest-tenured players in Clippers history), while opting to retain Brand and Maggette with long-term contracts. The Grizzlies made the NBA playoffs for the first time in team history in the spring of 2004 as the sixth seed in the West, but lost in 4 games to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Head coach Alvin Gentry was replaced by Dennis Johnson midway through the 2002-03 season. During the 2002-03 season Hubie Brown was named coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, and won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in the next season.

However, with poor team chemistry and injuries (several players missed a combined 293 games), the Clippers finished with a very disappointing 27-55 record. West received the 2003-2004 NBA Executive of the Year Award. The 2002 offseason brought more changes, as popular star Miles was traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for point guard Andre Miller, who led the NBA in assists in 2001-02 with 11 per game. Suddenly, with the good point guard they finally needed, along with another playmaking player at small forward with Lamar Odom, one of the league's best power forwards in Elton Brand, an emering center with Michael Olowokandi, and a very good supporting cast off the bench, the Clippers could actually make a serious run for the playoffs. The team named Jerry West as general manager of the team in 2002. The Clippers were virtually in the Western Conference playoff race, but a 3-10 finish in the final 13 games caused the Clippers to finish out of the playoffs once again, this time with a 39-43 record, finishing 5 games out of the final playoff position. The team relocated to Memphis for the 2001-2002 season. Brand's hard work and accomplishments earned him a spot on the 2002 NBA Western Conference All-Star team, although he was a last-minute replacement for center Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers. The fact that he was an American from suburban Chicago always fueled those suspicions.

At this point of his career, Brand had career averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds per games in just two seasons. Many people believe that Michael Heisley had purchased the team with the sole intent to move the franchise. To improve upon the previous season, the Clippers acquired high-scoring and rebounding power forward Elton Brand from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Los Angeles-area native and high-schooler Tyson Chandler. In 2001, despite earlier promises from owner Michael Heisley to remain in Vancouver, he moved the franchise to Memphis, ending Vancouver's six-year experiment with professional basketball. The team became popular among fans with their high-flying style of basketball, and the Clippers did improve a bit with a 31-51 record and led the NBA in bench scoring with 37 points per game. The fact that the Grizzlies were not competitive didn't help matters. Louis with the 3rd overall pick and Quentin Richardson, a guard/forward from DePaul University was taken at the 18th overall spot. Ownership of the team was transferred a few times, but nothing could stem the tide.

Making more moves, the Clippers two draft picks were childhood friends from Illinois, as they took high schooler Darius Miles from East St. After the NBA lockout, the attendance numbers at Grizzlies games began to drop, and the team began losing money. Reserve forward Derek Strong, along with other players and cash were sent to the Orlando Magic in exchange for second-year forward Corey Maggette and the draft rights to guard Keyon Dooling from the University of Missouri. In the lockout-shortened season, the Grizzlies would only win 8 games. The 2000-01 brought changes (as is the recurring theme with the Clippers), however these would be for the better. However the 1998-1999 season would bring the Grizzlies back to last place, despite drafting guard Mike Bibby with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft during the offseason. Abdul-Jabbar lasted only lasted about one season on the job. In 1997, the Grizzlies drafted Antonio Daniels with the 4th pick who was largely seen as a bust but the team saw some improvement as it finished in 6th place.

Johnson lasted with the Clippers until the 2002-03 season, when he took over as head coach in the middle of that season. Despite his solid play, the Grizzlies continued to struggle, again having the worst record in the NBA. The team also hired Hall of Famer and former Laker great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as an assistant coach, to help tutor second-year center Michael Olowokandi, who was the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. In 1996, the Grizzlies would draft Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the 3rd overall pick. To help their young players out with their growing games, the team hired former All-Star (and Los Angeles native) Dennis Johnson, won three NBA championships with Seattle (1979) and Boston (1984 and 1986) as an assistant coach. The first season for the Grizzlies was typical for an expansion team, and they finished with the worst record in the NBA that year. The Clippers finished with a very dismal 15-67 record. The Grizzlies were initially composed of players taken from other teams via an expansion draft, and were joined by the Grizzlies first draft pick: Bryant Reeves.

It also in that first season at Staples Center that the Clippers drafted highly-touted, but oft-troubled, star forward Lamar Odom from the University of Rhode Island. Both teams were symbols of the NBA's growth, and were the first NBA teams to play in Canada, since 1946-47's Toronto Huskies. Meanwhile, the Clippers struggled, consistently ending with losing records which were significantly worse than the Lakers' record. The Vancouver Grizzlies inaugurated in the NBA in 1995 alongside the Toronto Raptors. In the following years, the Lakers dominated the NBA with the combination of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, winning three championships. The President of Basketball Operations is former Los Angeles Laker and Hall of Famer Jerry West. That season, the Clippers were outshone by their in-city rivals, the Lakers, who won the NBA Championship. The current head coach is Mike Fratello, replacing Hubie Brown (who resigned in November 2004); the team is owned by Michael Heisley.

However, in 1999, the Clippers and Lakers both started to play in the Staples Center. The Memphis Grizzlies are a National Basketball Association team based in Memphis, Tennessee. From 1994 - 1999, the Clippers played selected home games in the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, sharing the venue with a plethora of other water-themed teams including the Mighty Ducks (ice hockey) and the Splash (soccer). Lorenzen Wright. In typical Clippers fashion, that team made the playoffs with a losing record (36-46) and were summarily swept in the first round by the eventual Western Conference Champion Utah Jazz, 3 games to none. Shane Battier. The Clippers continued to make frequent roster and coaching changes throughout the next several years, and making their last playoff appearance in 1997. Mike Miller.

That 1993-94 season proved to one of the worst seasons in Los Angeles NBA history, whereas both the Clippers and Lakers went a combined 60-104 in the regular season, and missed the playoffs entirely. James Posey. Brown left the Clippers to join the Indiana Pacers as their head coach, and Bob Weiss was brought in to replace him. Jason Williams. The Clippers returned to the playoffs again in the 1992-93 season (with a 41-41 regular season record), and again lost in five games in the first round, this time to the Houston Rockets. Bonzi Wells. Due to the Los Angeles riots that took place in late April 1992, game 4 of their series was moved to the Anaheim Convention Center, and the Clippers won that game. Pau Gasol.

The Clippers were in eliminated in the first round of the playoff by the Utah Jazz, 3 games to 2. Michael Dickerson. He replaced head coach Mike Schuler, who at the point of his dismissal, posted a 22-25 record. Brown finished the season with a 23-12 mark, and the overall record for Los Angeles was 45-37. Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. Midway through the 1991-92 season, the Clippers made yet another coaching change, but this one worked out in their favor. Larry Brown, who was fired by the Spurs weeks before, was hired as the team's head coach in late January 1992. Hubie Brown (former coach). That move, along with the 1987 draft of Ken Norman from the University of Illinois, the 1988 draftings of Kansas University forward Danny Manning and Charles Smith from the University of Pittsburgh, and the 1990 draft of Loy Vaught from the University of Michigan (currently still the franchise's all-time rebound leader), those players formed a nucleus that led the Clipper franchise to a playoff appearance in 1992, the first since 1976, when the team was still in Buffalo. Mike Bibby.

In the 1989-90 season, Baylor made a trade with the Cavaliers that brought in Ron Harper, a rising star guard, in exchange for forward Danny Ferry (who refused to play for the Clippers) and guard Reggie Williams. Shareef Abdur-Rahim. That season also brought in Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor as the team's vice president and general manager of basketball operations, a post he currently holds to this day. (The Worst? The Philadelphia 76ers went 9-73 in 1973) That particular season was filled with injuries to both Marques Johnson and guard Norm Nixon, who missed most, if not, the whole entire season. The next seven seasons (1985-92), the Clippers were mired in futility, including a 12-70 record in the 1986-87 season, the third-worst single-season record in NBA history.

The Clippers, under head coach Jim Lynam (and later Don Chaney), and new acquistions Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, and Harvey Catchings (all acquired via trade from the Milwaukee Bucks), finished with a disappointing 31-51 record in the first season in the City of Angels. The Clippers were completely out-shadowed by their crosstown counterparts, who were in the midst of the championship run with future Hall of Famers, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. In 1984, the Clippers moved to Los Angeles, California, playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena while the Lakers, with a better reputation, continued to play at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, a few miles south. The Clippers' poor play in their final years in San Diego resulted in poor attendance, in which the team would average nearly 4,500 fans per game, and Sterling lobbied the NBA to relocated the team to his native Los Angeles.

The purchase price was $20 million. Sterling. The 1981-82 season brought more changes to the Clipper franchise as Irv Levin sold the team to Los Angeles-area real estate developer and attorney, Donald T. Free was to traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Phil Smith.

Walton missed the entire season, once again due to chronic foot injuries. Paul Silas replaced Shue the following season, finished with a 36-46 records, once again missing the postseason. Free continued his great scoring, again finising second in league scoring, with a 30.2 PPG (Points Per Game). San Diego finished with a 37-45 season, despite the fact that many of their key players missed games due to injuries.

Walton wasn't much of an impact unfortunately, due to missing 68 games because of foot injuries, which he also suffered in his final years in Portland. The 1979-80 season wasn't much better, as the Clippers began to struggle, but not before they brought in San Diego native, center Bill Walton, who was two years removed from a NBA world championship with the Trail Blazers. Free finished second overall in NBA scoring average, with 28.8 per game, while George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs had a 29.6 average. Free, who was acquired in the offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Randy Smith had another solid season, averaging 20.5 points per game, finishing second behind World B. It was also in that first season in Southern California that long time announcer Ralph Lawler began his association with the club. However, that record wasn't good enough to advance them to the playoffs, finishing only a few games out of the final playoff spot. In the team's first season in San Diego, the Clippers posted a winning record, going 43-39, under new head coach Gene Shue.

They moved to San Diego, California after the 1977-78 season, and became the San Diego Clippers. Following what would be the final season in western New York, the NBA owners voted 21-1 to let the Braves relocate. The deal was brokered by David Stern, an attorney for the NBA, who of course, later became the league's commissioner in 1984. Levin was a California businessman, and wanted to own a NBA team in his native state.

Because of the team's poor play in their final two years (30-52 in 1976-77 and 27-55 in 1977-78), along with rumors of the franchise relocating, John Y. Brown met with the then-owner of the Celtics, Irv Levin and negotiated a deal in which the owners would swap franchises, in which Brown would take control of the Celtics and Levin would get the Braves. Brown renegotiated his lease on Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, to include a clause which if the Braves do not sell at least 4,500 season tickets, the Braves can be let go of their lease and be free to move to another city. A big example of this was when the Braves sent McAdoo to the New York Knicks for players and cash midway through the 1976-77 season. However, a provision in the transaction stipulated that if Brown sold a contract of any Braves players, then the money would go to Synder and the price of purchase would be reduced.

Brown, in turn, sold a percentage of the team to another businessman, Harry Mangurian, who later went to own a portion of the Boston Celtics in the 1980s. Brown later acquired the remaining portion from Synder sometime in the 1976-77 season. Brown, Jr., who had previously owned the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. In the summer of 1976, the team's founding owner Paul Synder intitally sold 50 percent of the franchise to businessman John Y.

The Braves made two more trips to the playoffs in the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons, which would be their last in Buffalo. The team finally made their first playoff appearance in 1973-74, where they faced the Boston Celtics and lost in six games in the first round. The Braves' big move of that season was the drafting for forward/center Bob McAdoo, from the University of North Carolina. Jack Ramsay.

The team didn't do much better in the 1972-73 season, as they went 21-61 under new head coach, Dr. Schayes was replaced one game into the season with John McCarty as the team's head coach. Buffalo drafted center Elmore Smith from Kentucky State University, and local favorite Randy Smith, from Buffalo State University. The Braves repeated their 22-60 season in the following 1971-72 season, but did make good acquistions that would make the club better.

Kauffman, who averaged 4.3 points per game the previous year with the Chicago Bulls, led Buffalo in scoring with 20.4 points per game and earned a spot on the 1971 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team. As typical of first-year expansion teams, the Braves finished with a 22-60 record, five games ahead of expansion-mate Cleveland, who finished their season at 15-67. The team's first head coach was Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, the franchise's first star players were Bob Kauffman and Don May, who were acquired in the expansion draft. The Braves, in their eight seasons in Buffalo, played their home games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, sharing the arena with another new franchise, the Sabres of the National Hockey League, who also debuted in 1970.

. They were one of three franchises that joined the NBA in the 1970-71 season, the others were the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Buffalo Braves played their first NBA season in 1970. The Los Angeles Clippers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California.

Norm Nixon. Mel Proctor. Lee Kline. Michael Smith.

Ralph Lawler. Marko Jaric. Chris Wilcox. Bobby Simmons.

Corey Maggette. Shaun Livingston. Kerry Kittles. Chris Kaman.

Elton Brand. Dominique Wilkins. Loy Vaught. Malik Sealy.

Quentin Richardson. Eric Piatkowski. Bo Outlaw. Lamar Odom.

Norm Nixon. Danny Manning. Mark Jackson. Ron Harper.

Free. World B. Randy Smith. Bill Walton.

Bob McAdoo.