The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers

The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers, a book by Mick Minas, delves into the past of one of the most colorful franchises in sports, let alone the NBA.

Mick Minas never intended to write the history of the LA Clippers. He was just a basketball coach visiting from overseas who happened to catch a Clippers’ home opener. He watched the Clippers lose to the Lakers 117-79 right after Baron Davis, the Clippers’ marquee signing, delivered a speech saying that it was a new era for the troubled franchise.

A few nights later, Mick watched as the Clippers blew a lead to the Carmelo Anthony-less Denver Nuggets. After he arrived back home in Australia, Mick started to read up on the history of the team. He couldn’t believe what he was learning. Eventually, the idea of chronicling it all came to him.

As he started to formulate his ideas for the book, the Clippers’ ascent began.

"That’s what’s really funny to me. What I started writing about as a franchise to the franchise I was writing about when the book was published are kind of two completely different things. The transformation happened just as I was starting to begin the book."

Mick spent five and a half years carefully combing through the team’s checkered past. He contacted former players, coaches and personnel and gained their perspective and insight. (Although, some were less than thrilled to even bring up the memories.)

Buy The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers

Mick managed to not only get the most detailed history of the LA Clippers, but also made misstep after misstep entertaining.

"The Los Angeles Clippers should get on their knees and thank Mick Minas for taking, what appears to be several years, to chronicle their team history. The passion, the detail, the ironies, the insider information are smartly told in what will, no doubt, be the definitive book on this colorful franchise. An MVP effort from a rookie author.-Marshall Terrill, author of Maravich: The Authorized Biography of Pistol Pete"

RELATED STORY: Check out Mick Minas on the Over and Back Podcast

The following excerpt exemplifies how quickly things could (and would) change for the Clippers:

"At the conclusion of the 1983-84 season, Jim Lynam headed back to Philadelphia to stay at his mother’s place. It was a chance to reconnect with his family and unwind after what had been a stressful first season as an NBA head coach. However, rather than completely switch off from basketball, he was already thinking of ways to make his second season in San Diego more successful.Lynam came from a large family and each of his ten siblings loved sports, with the exception of his younger sister Margo. So, when Margo passed on a phone message in early May stating that the Clippers had just moved to Los Angeles, his first thought was that his kid sister had made some sort of mistake. “I just kind of sniggered and said, ‘Margo, they don’t move teams.’” An unperturbed Margo shot a blank look back at her older brother and handed him a slip of paper with a message to call Pete Babcock, who had recently taken over as the Clippers general manager.Lynam was still laughing about Margo’s misunderstanding as he dialed Babcock’s number. “Pete, it’s Jim,” Lynam hollered in his thick Philadelphian accent. Babcock paused for a few seconds on the other end of the line before saying, “You won’t believe this…but they just moved the team.” A shocked Lynam covered the receiver and yelled down the corridor to his younger sister, “Margo, you’re right. They moved the team.”"

As for this season, Mick is hopeful. He acknowledges that the Clippers have a hard road in front of them, as is often the case in the Western Conference. But, with a little luck, they can get past Golden State, especially with uncertainty surrounding the Warriors health. If that were to happen, it becomes hard to pick against the Clippers.

"Houston, San Antonio, Cleveland, maybe Boston. I don’t think any of those teams put a great amount of fear into the Clippers. The difficult thing will be getting past Golden State."

Oh and in his opinion, what’s the craziest part of the team’s history?

Donald Sterling, of course.

The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers can be ordered through Mick’s site or on Amazon.

For more information, visit www.clippercurse.com or reach out to Mick on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.