LA Clippers’ Thanksgiving: Jerry West
The LA Clippers are going through their lulls but they still have reasons to be thankful! As with everyone I am very thankful for the Clippers but the person I am most thankful for is Mr. Jerry West!
Jerry West, the man who likes to stay out of the view of everyone is the Clipper I am most thankful for during this holiday! One might ask, “Really, Jerry West?” Yup! Most of the time no one mentions a consultant, but I think its time to share thanks because his voice is important. It gives another view to help make better choices on basketball decisions, and he brings nine rings as a player and executive.
West does not need the final say, but I do believe that many respect his views and consider them at least. Steve Ballmer added staff in the offseason to the front office that had been bare the last couple of seasons. The Laker legend enters as an advisor to the front office to help with the construction of a world championship team.
The Clippers know all to well the pains of defeat. They do not even know what it feels like to get to the big show, but they know playoff exits and they know many years of no playoffs at all. They have been the laughing-stock of the league, but now they have an owner in Steve Ballmer, (more money than some countries…seriously) Jerry West consulting, Lawrence Frank in the front office, and a championship winning coach in Doc Rivers.
West is probably at his last stop in his tremendous career, but for someone who has been at the top, it’s good to remember how many times he lost in the Finals: eight times. He won a finals MVP on a losing team, (only person in NBA History to do that as well) so he knows heartbreak. What a better team to come to that’s never known anything other than heartbreak, right? Sigh.
Why I am thankful
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Jerry West is just a man, but he is a man who has literally been to the peaks as a player and in a front office role, but he has also been through some tough losses that makes Lebron’s final record (3-8) not so bad.
As a player, he went 1-8 in the finals and even though he won a championship, losing another seven in a career has to break a person’s spirit at some point.
My favorite player, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, might not have ever lost in the Finals to know this type of pain, but I do feel the let downs have also helped shape Jerry West as an executive in the front office. He has won six rings with the Lakers and two with the Warriors as an executive.
He helped assemble a Warrior team that looks to dominate for the next half decade, so while the Clippers are hoping they found lightning in a bottle with West, time will tell how their teams shake out.
Thank You Mr. West!
Thank you Jerry West for coming to the Clippers. Clipper Nation is thankful because of the winning pedigree and he knows what it takes to build a championship team.
West does not like attention or admiration, but fans know he comes with rings as a player and brings even more from his front office roles.
Organization success doesn’t lie with one person, but if there was anyone person who could help by becoming the architect, it’s Jerry West. He is one of the few men you want coming in to help construct a winning culture. Mr. West could have retired or even went back to the Warriors, but decided on a new challenge and this one might be the hardest of his career. He came to the Clippers to help get them to the promised land.
Thank you Mr. West for giving the organization and it’s fans hope.