Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Oh the Humanity

Shaun Livingston could still be running point for Duke, saving all of us from being subjected to Greg Paulus. Most people argue that only a handful of players have been ready to go straight from high school to the NBA. Shaun Livingston wasn’t one of those players, but he is the ultimate benefactor from going pro early. Livingston’s gelatin knees failed him again last night, when he suffered a grotesque injury on a fast break. It’s sad to see that a 21 year old kid’s career could actually be over before he ever really got going. Fortunately, he’s got the guaranteed money from being the number four pick in the draft. If Livingston went to college and suffered similar injuries, he could have just taken his braids out, picked out his fro and gone by Cedric Bozeman. Livingston has tantalized us with his great court vision, shifty ball-handling, and the fact that he’s a legitimate 6’7” point guard. I don’t mean to write an obituary for the guy, but it’s pretty hard to imagine he’ll ever be a star in the league, and this is just more bad news for Billy Crystal, Bill Simmons, and both of the other Clippers fans.

Whenever you draft a kid out of high school, it’s always a calculated risk, but when you keep him for a couple of seasons and start to get the distinct impression that he’s never going to be healthy for more than a month at the time, you’re asking for trouble down the road. Livingston was playing well this year, but the Clippers should have been aware of their star-crossed tenure in the NBA. He was the ultimate trade bait, and could have been packaged with Corey Maggette, a draft pick and reeled in a guy like Vince Carter. Instead, they’ll just have a crippled PG who looks like a girl (with a wispy mustache), an overpaid sixth man (with considerable handsomeness), and another draft pick that they will undoubtedly misuse. Donald Sterling, you may begin kicking yourself in the ass at your ready.

5 Comments:

Blogger Leonard Peltier said...

I'm pretty sure Frankie Muniz of "Malcolm in the Middle Fame" is a Clippers fan, too. Guess that leaves one more. Also, I have to admit that I haven't seen the video of the injury yet, but apparently neither has Natty due to the fact that everytime they say "this is not for the squeamish" on SportsCenter, Natty has to turn the channel.

February 28, 2007 at 12:14 AM  
Blogger Jumping Bull said...

If Shaun is gonna let his braids get that long, he's asking for this kind of injury. It should be required that after a certain length a player must turn his rows into dreds (a la Bob Sanders) to cut down on the "looks like an ugly woman" vibe. Take Jared Dudley for example - ugly as a man, but with those hideously overgrown cornrows, an even uglier woman.

By the way, does anyone know if Pat Summitt is a lesbian?

February 28, 2007 at 11:13 AM  
Blogger HAL 9000 said...

The Clips have definitely made a mistake with this whole Livingston debacle. When I first heard Duke had received a commitment from a 6'7" point guard I was upset. I was even more upset when I saw the fro he donned in high school. The bigger injustice here, is that Livingston has failed to pick his fro out for much of the NBA season. Not that it would have helped his situation at all, but we all would have gotten to experience it. Now we may never will.

They really should have traded Livingston and Maggette like Runs mentioned. They could have picked up another point guard in the upcoming draft, maybe Dominic James if he comes out. We all know Sam Cassel obviously isn't aging like us humans, and who knows how many years he has left in the tank. He's a clutch point guard with championship experience and an ugly face.

More about Dominic James: He is a better version of Jameer Nelson. He's better than Nelson was as a senior, now, as a sophomore. Someone is going to get a steal in the draft with him, because they will most likely let him slide to late first round or second round due to his size. There is a lack of point guards in next year's draft, so he may go higher than normal, but it will be a steal no matter what spot he goes. He has a decent shot, though his percentage from 3 is below what it should be, outstanding athletic ability, and a long arm sleeve, which will carry over into the NBA. If Jameer Nelson and Nate Robinson are on opposite poles of 5'11" point guards - skilled and intellegent v. wildly athletic - Dominic James is the median.

February 28, 2007 at 12:08 PM  
Blogger Lunatic Fringe said...

Typical for the Clippers. They could have had Iverson or Carter had they been willing to give up Livingston. I pray every night that they don't end up with Oden or Durant. If the Clips get the 1 or 2 pick, both of those guys should just stay in school.

February 28, 2007 at 2:23 PM  
Blogger the butler said...

As a lifelong Duke fan, I can truly say that when Paulus has the ball I feel about as comfortable as Tim Hardaway in Key West.

Knowing the Clips' propensity to throw games (i.e. last year) I wouldn't be surprised if they tanked the rest of the season and ended up with a hot pick.

March 1, 2007 at 11:44 AM  

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