Mar 27, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward
Blake Griffin(32) relaxing on the bench during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Clippers won 119-98. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
What you see ahead is the finish line.
So far, in our chronicle through the best of the best in Clippers history (reminder: the timeframe for acceptance beings in 1984, the year Donald Sterling moved the franchise from San Diego to Los Angeles), we’ve covered the best point guards (no.1 was Chris Paul), shooting guards (no.1 was Ron Harper), and small forwards (no.1 was Corey Maggette). Now we’re on the power forwards.
As with the previous three top five’s, this took some digging, because the Clippers… well, aren’t the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics, meaning it’s much more difficult to run off the franchise’s best players at particular positions than it would be for a more historical franchise — I think the average NBA fan could easily run off 12 to 20 of the best Lakers ever, from Kobe Bryant to Elgin Baylor.
For best power forwards, the obvious mention is Blake Griffin, as he represents the now, which stands as the best years i.e. success for the franchise, despite not reaching beyond the Western Conference semi-finals. But after that, you’ve an interesting cast of forwards who’ve made an impact on the franchise, lasting or not — because the Clippers kind of sucked in the past, only Griffin’s impact may qualify as lasting.
Without further ado, let’s get this thing started, kicking things off with no.5 — a versatile forward whose had his fair share of troubles.
Next: No.5: Lamar Odom