The Clippers were originally scheduled to face the Nets tonight in Brooklyn. With games on hold for now, we take a look at how both teams match up when it comes to recent news from around the NBA.
Steve Ballmer forms CAPSS LLC, buys The Forum
This is a huge win for the Clippers as the move clears the way for the team to begin work on their new Inglewood stadium. Building the new home for the Clippers was previously on-hold because of the presence of The Forum, formerly owned by The Madison Square Garden Company (and James Dolan). The Clippers will move out of the Staples Center, which they currently share with the Lakers, and into their new home in 2024. A major win for the team in establishing their identity and securing their own unique fanbase in the basketball-loving city of Los Angeles.
Kyrie Irving Donates $323K
Nets star Kyrie Irving became the latest in a recent string of NBA players to use their fame and fortune to help others during the Coronavirus pandemic, donating $323,000 to Feeding America and partnering with City Harvest to donate 250,000 meals in New York. He put out the call, via his Instagram account for his “fans, friends, family and partners to join me in helping our communities by donating.” Irving’s generous donation and advocacy is a bright beacon of hope during these times, and can be chalked up as a win for the Nets in the news.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hopes NBA can return in mid-May
While no decisions have been made, or even hinted at by the league, Dallas Mavericks owner Marc Cuban told Dallas television station WFAA that based on “people I’ve talked to at the CDC and other places” he’s hopeful that NBA action can return in May. Cuban’s projection is more optimistic than reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the NBA was prepared for a much later mid-to-late-June restart. If Cuban is correct, the earlier return would be more favorable for the Clippers, as a later return-date would give the Nets the chance at a potential return from injury from superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, giving them much higher hopes at a playoff run.
Joel Embiid, public pressure force 76ers to rethink cutting wages
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers were giving members of their coaching staff and front office the option of taking a “voluntary” pay cut of 20% during the league shut-down. Shortly after that news broke, Sixers centerpiece Joel Embiid announced that he’d be putting up $500,000 of his own money to coronavirus relief for Sixers workers accepting the temporary pay cut. The Sixers, and billionaire owner Josh Harris, quickly decided to change course, announcing they’d no longer be asking employees to give up any pay. It was a bit of a Public Relations nightmare for the Sixers, who caught backlash from many, and certainly caused some other franchises to avoid considering similar money-saving techniques. A bad-look for the Sixers is a win for the division rival Nets here.
Paul Pierce reveals that he wanted to be drafted by the Clippers
In an appearance on Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s All the Smoke podcast, Pierce revealed he was hoping to convince the Clippers to select him first overall in the 1998 NBA Draft. Things didn’t go Pierce’s way on draft day, when he slipped to Boston who held the tenth overall pick. It all worked out in the end for Pierce, who went on to have one of the greatest careers in Celtics history. Not so much for the Clippers, who selected Michael Olowokandi with the first overall pick, missing out on a handful of superstars in order to select the big man. Draft day what ifs will drive you crazy if you dwell on them too long, and for that reason, the Clippers take a loss here.
Overall Winner: Even though the Nets took three out of five wins here, we’re going with quality over quantity. The purchase of The Forum by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is the big story, and biggest win of the day for either one of these teams and for that reason the Clippers are named winner of today’s matchup.
Up Next: The Clippers were scheduled to play the Detroit Pistons on Friday, March 27. We’ll be back with another round-up of recent stories from around the NBA, and how they effect each team then.