In Search of Glee: The Woeful Clippers' Climb To Greatness

[Tim Moungey]

blazertaz13: Yeah, I actually -liked- the D-League for the two years I spent in the other dynasty. Not something Id want to do long-term, but it was fun.

K.J.: Yeah I just couldn't stay interested in the Clippers. No openings on the NBA level, so I'm going to do the always wild ride of D-League life.

[Cleasby]

sounds a lot like your knicks dynasty of old where you went to the d-league only to come back stronger!

[Tim Moungey]

sounds a lot like your knicks dynasty of old where you went to the d-league only to come back stronger!

Well, to be fair, in the Knicks dynasty, I got fired after a season. In this one, I made the playoffs three straight years before realizing I don't care for the Clippers as a team and quitting voluntarily.

[Tim Moungey]

My first business in Erie is to fire the coaching staff. Jeff Capel, constantly hired and fired in the collegiate ranks, lands with us as the head coach, but I feel like he needs one last chance. Phil Ford and Ed Pinckney become 2nd and 3rd assistants. We tried to get Grant Hill as the first assistant, but Bakersfield hires him as the head coach. Dan Dickau and Andre Miller get head coach gigs too, with Idaho and Fort Wayne respectively.

So we settle for Kevin McHale as our 1st assistant to give us three NBA players of the past on our staff.

My favorite player heading into the NBA draft is SG Cliff Broadnax out of Notre Dame. He's picked to go 5th to Notre Dame. He ends up going 6th to Detroit.

The new GM trades Eutor Taffarel to the Utah Jazz for SG Richard Gattison, precisely the same deal they offered me last draft that I turned down posthaste.

Memphis trades Mills Jolly to Cleveland to Chezley Hunter, which surprises me somewhat.

I have to feel sorry for PG Cameron Risinger. Consider the following:

Drafted 18th overall in 2011 by Sacramento
Draft rights traded to Philadelphia for Marreese Speights
Traded to the Hornets during 2012 draft for Tim Hampton
Traded to the Bucks during 2013 draft for Henry Watkins

It's got be frustrating, because he has the potential to be a quality player, maybe even a 5th starter, and yet, he keeps getting shuttled from team to team and can never get into a rhythm or a sense of security.

Free Agency Notes
-Steve Nash gets a one year, $5.9 mil. deal from the defending champion Hornets. Wonder how that'll work with Chris Paul.
-I laugh when I read about Ben Gordon's two year min-sal to go back to the Bulls.
-Really Clippers GM? $6.9 million for one year of a creaky ass Antawn Jamison? Nice to see everything I built getting wrecked in a single offseason.
-Nice contract for Timofey Mozgov - 2 years, $9.57 mil. from Phoenix.
-3 years, $22.6 mil. for Louis Williams from the Pacers? Wow.
-Big time money for Kevin Love - 5 years, $54.2 mil.... from the Pistons.
-Sad to see Nicolas Batum go to Atlanta for 2 years, $11.8 million. About the only thing the Clippers new GM didn't screw up was re-signing Tiago Splitter to a 5 year, $51.8 million deal.
-I really like how the Pistons are getting turned around. Love signed and now 2 year, $7.1 million deal to the grossly underrated Jarrett Jack.

We get two kids sent down to start the year. PG Lee Rawlings, the 76ers' pick at #21 is a shutdown defender, disciplined, and smart. Unfortunately, he doesn't have NBA level PG skills and is a bit small for a SG.

G/SF Marcus Cockram was a 2nd round pick (8th in the second round) by the Cavaliers last year. He spent a year overseas playing for a team called the Reptiles and was pretty bad. Nonetheless, Cleveland saw enough in him to bring him back to the US and play for us.

D-League Draft
We draw #15/#2, which isn't my favorite spot to be in. In fact, it's one of my least favorite, but it is what it is. Funny thing is, Demar Derozan and Willie Warren, who are the top young stars of the Orlando Magic, my biggest rivals, in NLL, and the Miami Heat, my team in NLL, respectively, are the top two scorers left on the board when my first pick comes up.

I'm not going to diss the kid who forms half of my NLL Wonderpaul backcourt along with Chris Paul, so Warren it is.

PG Eric Maynor is my 2nd round selection, because we need a pass-first PG. Derozan goes #5 in the round, Marreese Speights #8 in the round.

C Jerry Ward is the third round selection, because I"m not drafting anybody from the Nevada Wolfpack or the Minnesota Golden Gophers. PF Josh Boone becomes an Osprey in the 4th. PG Josh Beaudan in the 5th and the undersized F Jon Brockman in the 6th. Normally I'd never take a tweener, but this is as much of a walk down MP memory lane than anything else, it seems.

We need to keep bringing the size, so the 7th round sees us take C Jeff Bryant. Swingman Nick Young's our pick in the 8th, folloowed by Mike Collier, another swingman, in the 9th. PG Dalonte Davenport is our final selection.

Erie Ospreys 2013 Opening Night Lineup
PG Marcus Cockram
SG Willie Warren
SF Nick Young
PF Josh Boone
C Jerry Ward
6th Eric Maynor (PG)
7th Mike Collier (PG/SG/SF)
8th Lee Rawlings (PG/SG)
9th John Bryant (C)
10th Josh Beaudan (PG/SG)
11th Jon Brockman (PF/C)
12th Delonte Davenport (PG/SG)

Yeah, so we're overloaded on guards. I think I like the look of our team, though.

Late November is our first game of the year and we've already got a defection. In fact, Eric Maynor was an NBA Opening Day signing by the Phoenix Suns.

Shocking trades related to the Clippers. They dealt one of their 2014 first round picks to the Raptors, not sure which one, for Renaldo Groves, the Tulane kid I loved so much. Toronto then dealt one of the 2014 1st round picks it held to the Jazz for Eutor Taffarel. Insane.

Clippers are 9-5 on the eve of our first game, by the way.

We sign PG Adrian Crawford, an UDRFA from Villanova, to fill the 12th spot.

Willie "Wonder" Warren scores 24 points in our 104-95 road win over Fort Wayne. Marcus Cockrom surprises me with 12 points and 13 assists, Jerry Ward doubles for 14 points and 12 rebounds, and John Bryant scores 10 bench points.

Austin goes down 97-76 on Josh Boone's 24 points and 12 rebounds and our totally stifling defense.

Great all-around game from Marcus Crockrom with 14 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds in our 107-101 win over Rio Grande. John Bryant and Mike Collier step up from the bench with 13 and 12 points.

Lee Rawlings is recalled by Philadelphia after Jrue Holiday breaks his ankle. I sign PF Nick Collison and the 32 year old instantly becomes our new starter at he 4.

Next game, 103-93 win in Sioux Falls. Nick Young scores 21 and Mike Collison and Jason Beaudan provide the balance with 14 and 12 bench points.

We've yet to play a game at home and so it's not surprising we lose our first game of the year the night after, 119-100 to 4-0, now 5-0 Dakota. Still, it's encouraging to see all of our starters with 11+ points and quality play all around. We just ran out of gas on defense.

Finally our first home game, and it's a 97-80 win over Iowa. All five starters in 10+ point scoring, though the most meaningful individual statistic is Nick Young's 13 bench points.

Sweet 105-83 asskicking of Fort Wayne. All five starters with 12+ points, although our lead scorer was reserve Josh Bryant with 18 points. No surprise to see Mike Collier with 14 bench points - he's been a vital cog in our rotation.

Seeing Willie Warren pop off 22 points makes me happy, but what makes me even happier is sweeping the doubleheader, 95-78 in a two game baseball-esque, back-to-back with Fort Wayne. Jerry Ward puts up 14 points and 12 rebounds, John Bryant leads the second team attack with 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Jason Beaudan matches those 10 points.

Willie Warren does it again with 24 points and Nick Young is stellar off the bench with 21 points as we get a lovely bit of revenge against Dakota, 102-90. The Great Apes have now lost four straight after starting 5-0.

Exhausted we are, and lose 100-96 in Fort Wayne the next evening. I'm so aggravated about giving the Defenders their second win of the year I don't even look at the game report.

Nice break follows, as we have off until December 27th, whereupon we treat the home crowd to a 95-75 de-toothing of the Reno Lions. Ah, Reno. How I despise you. Nick Collison throws down 16 points and 16 rebounds and Nick Young and Mike Collier do up the bench with 16 and 15 points. Now that's what I like to see!

Grant Hill is feeling pretty salty about not signing with us after we overwhelm his Otters 117-84 the next evening. Marcus Crockrom is everywhere with 20 points, 11 assists, and 6 rebounds, and John Bryant, Mike Collier, and Nick Young do their usual standout work from the bench with 17, 10, 10 points.

New Year's Eve is a cause for celebration when we send the Great Apes to 7-7 on an ironic 94-77 win. The usual defense and balance, led by John Bryant's 12 points and 10 rebounds and Nick Young's 11 bench points.

Unfortunately, Nick Young is questionable for two weeks with an ankle injury. On the bright side, we're 11-2 and leading the Central by 4 games. We're a half game behind 12-2 Tulsa for the top seed in the D-League.

Oh, and as a clear-cut illustration of our scoring balance - We have 7 players averaging 10+ points, and an 8th not far off with 9.3.

[Tim Moungey]

I've got a very bad feeling about the road back to back and we lose 108-89 to the Commodores in the first game, 110-87 the second game. These two game series drive me crazy, especially getting whipped that badly.

Willie Warren scores 23 points with 3 steals and we finally snap the streak, winning 91-80 at home over Fort Wayne. John Bryant is terrific off the bench with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

91-84 win over Iowa the next night, Willie Warren again stepping up in scoring 25 points. Nick Collison scores 20 and we get 10 bench points each from Mike Collier and John Bryant.

A few days later, Iowa's back in day and we win a 122-110 track meet. Marcus Cockrom moves to SG and scores 22 points as part of all five of our starters with 11+ points, and Jason Beaudan and Josh Bryant add in 11 and 10 bench points.

Nick Collison gets signed by the Bulls and Lee Rawlings is recalled to the NBA, so we're shorthanded. Cue the signing of 34 year old Fred Jones, who takes over as the 6th man.

All five starters did 10 or better, including Josh Boone with a team high 16 points and 11 rebounds and Jerry Ward with 10 points and 11 rebounds in our 95-85 win over the Great Apes. Fred Jones debuts with 10 bench points and Mike Collier scores 11.

Couple nights later, back to Dakota and another win, this time to the tune of 114-80. Josh Boone doubles for 14 points, 12 rebounds, Nick Young scores 16 off the bench, followed by Mike Collier and John Bryant with 11 points, and Jon Brockman with 10.

We finally beat the Commodores, 100-92, thanks to Willie Warren's scorching 27 points, Charles Delea's 11 points and 13 assists in his second start at point guard, and 12, 11, and 10 bench points from John Bryant, Fred Jones, and Jon Brockman. Unfortunately, the win costs us Warren, who sprains his wrist for a week and a half.

Losing our leading scorer scares me, but we toughen up on defense for a 91-58 rout of the Alley Cats. Marcus Crockrom just misses the triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, and Mike Collier scores 14 bench points. But now Nick Young is hurt again, hobbled a week with a calf injury. Oh and Adrian Crawford has a concussion and is questionable for a day.

...Which turns out to be relevant because we've a doubleheader with the Alley Cats. And we lose 93-86. **** you, injuries. **** you up the ass with an unmentionable object from Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series.

108-101 OT loss to the Timberjacks. Forget the highlights - I'm too mad.

We gut check our way to a 93-81 win over the Buckaroos the night after, mainly crediting Marcus Crockrom's 18 points and 3 steals and Mike Collier and John Bryant's matching 10 bench points.

91-69 loss to Anaheim. So, so damn ugly.

Hooray! Win #20 of the season in yet another second half doubleheader, 103-89 over Bakersfield. Jerry Ward has his best game ever for us with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Jon Brockman hammers home 12 bench points.

At 20-7, we're a half game behind those asshats from Reno from the top seed in the league and a half-game ahead of Tulsa for the #2 seed. The Commodores, who were a real pain this month, are 3.5 games behind us in the Central division race.

Oh and Mike Collier strained his knee and is iffy for a week and a half. The life of the D-League, constantly fluctuating rosters from assignments, recalls, signings, and injuries, the latter from guys who don't yet have the conditioning to fight through an 82 game season against the world's best basketball stars.

[PointGuard]

and Jon Brockman hammers home 12 bench points.

With all the injuries, I'm surprised you still have a bench.

[Tim Moungey]

With all the injuries, I'm surprised you still have a bench.

No kidding. But we keep on plugging on.

[Myles Nelson]

I just played a season in the D-League, and I swear I see some weird stuff man. Including:

Blake Griffin was MVP after playing 30+ games in the D-League.
Jrue Holiday spent the whole season here.
John Wall played a couple games.
I won the Championship and the owner told me that I didn't live up to expectations.

Weird stuff man.

[Myles Nelson]

Glad that we can read this dynasty again, it was a great one