10 Players the Clippers held onto for way too long
By Oliver Fox
7. Bob Kauffman (1970-1974)
Oh, you thought San Diego was the furthest we would go from LA proper? Let me introduce you to Big Bob Kauffman, the towering 6’ 8” behemoth for the Buffalo Braves, the former-former name of the LA Clippers.
The reason for his inclusion on this list is nothing revolutionary. He was a great player who hovered around 20-10 stat lines until he fell off harder than a penny thrown off the Eiffel Tower at terminal velocity.
Between 1973 and 1974, Kauffman’s minutes were cut in half and his scoring was trisected. He became a bench player on a much more talented roster captained by Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo. But that’s not what matters.
What matters is that on November 13th, 1971, the 6’8” Kauffman put 44 points directly on the head of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, going 19-27 from the field and willing his crack squad of teammates to lose… by only 21 points.
Maybe Kauffman didn’t become a household name, but dropping 44 on one of the greatest players in NBA history is something no one can ever take away from him.