Top 10 LA Clippers/ Buffalo Braves

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For a number of years the LA Clippers were the joke of the NBA.  They’ve become respectable in recent years and generally seem to be on an upswing.  The Clippers can trace their existence back to the Buffalo Braves.  The Braves had some pretty good players on their roster and that’s reflected in this list.  The Clippers have also had some high profile guys play for them, but in some case it was for a short period of time or after they were past their prime.  That leaves these ten guys has the cream of the Clippers/Braves crop.

10. DeAndre Jordan:  Remember a couple of seasons ago when Jordan had agreed to play with the Mavericks, but was then held hostage by the Clippers until he resigned with them?  Jordan may or may not have been worth the effort.  His slash line is 9.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  Jordan has spent 10 seasons with the Clipper s and compiled a FG percentage of .670.  He led the NBA in that category for five consecutive seasons, starting with the 2012-13 season.  His high water mark was the 2016-17 season when he shot .714.  He also led the NBA in rebounding two seasons.  Despite his FG percentage, DeAndre isn’t much of a shooter, hitting only .446 from the free throw line.  Ironically, Jordan did eventually sign as a free agent with the Mavericks.

9. Lamar Odom:  Before getting tied up with the Kardashians, Lamar was a versatile, effective ballplayer.  Lamar Averaged 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists during his five seasons with the Clippers.  Odom hit .491 of his shots from the field and .700 from the line.  Lamar also put up 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.  While Lamar put up some decent numbers for the Clippers ot seems like there should have been more.

8. Swen Nater:  How stacked were those UCLA Bruins teams under John Wooden?  Swen Nater was Bill Walton’s backup in college.  Swen was a pretty fair player in his own right.  After spending five seasons in the ABA Swen ultimately found his way to the Buffalo Braves and spent one season in Buffalo before spending five addition seasons with the franchise in San Diego.  Nater was a respectable scorer, averaging 13.5 ppg, but was even more of a force on the boards.  Swen averaged 12 rebounds per game and led the NBA in that category in the 1979-80 season with 15 per game.  Nater was an efficient scorer, shooting .542 from the field and .766 from the free throw stripe.  Swen Nater, another pretty good player who played for the Buffalo Braves.

7. Ron Harper:  Many fans might remember Ron Harper from his days with the Bulls when he was a defensive oriented guard helping MJ to championships.  Before tearing up a knee, Ron was an athletic shooting guard who put up good scoring numbers.  In five seasons with the Clippers Harper scored at a rate of 19.3 ppg.  He also helped out on the boards, pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game and also added 4.8 assists.  Ron wasn’t a three point threat, preferring to take the ball to the hoop.  Harper was one of a number of high profile guys who spent some time with the Clips.

6. Danny Manning:  Manning was like Lamar Odom, only a bit more productive. Manning spent  5+ seasons with the Clippers and amassed a line of 19.1 ppg along with 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists.  Danny even made it to a couple of All Star games as a Clipper.  Manning wasn’t a three point threat, but did hit .518 of his shots.  He was also a pretty good free throw shooter, hitting .741 from the line.  Manning played in 10 playoff games for the Clippers and scored 20.3 ppg.  All in all, not a bad run for Danny Manning with the Clippers.

5. Elton Brand:  My Elton, what big hands you have.  All the better to grab rebounds with.  In seven seasons with the Clippers, Elton was a 20-10 man.  Actually, 20-3 ppg and 10.3 rebounds per game to be exact. The stat that really surprised me was shot blocks.  Brand averaged 2.3 blocks per game.  That’s exceptionally considering Elton wasn’t a great leaper.  Elton hit an outstanding .514 from the field.  He also made .752 of his free throws.  Brand made it to one All Star game as a Clipper.  In 12 playoff games with the Clippers, Brand elevated his scoring to 25.4 ppg.

4. Randy Smith:  Here’s another blast from the past.  Randy was an outstanding guard for the Buffalo Braves.  Actually, Smith spent eight seasons in Buffalo and played one season for the Clippers after they moved to San Diego.  Smith was extremely durable, playing in 82 games in eight of his seasons with the franchise and 76 in his rookie season.  Smith averaged 17.4 ppg, but averaged 20 or more in four of those seasons.  Smith went to two All Star games as a Buffalo Brave.  Randy also averaged 4.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists along with 1.9 steals.  Smith ranked in the top 10 in steals five times.

3. Bob McAdoo:  McAdoo was an early example of a big guy who could shoot from outside.  Bob spent 4+ season in Buffalo, and led the NBA in scoring three times.  From 1973-74 through the 1975-76 season , Bob averaged 30.6- 34.5 – 31.1.  He also led the NBA in FG percentage with a mark of .547 for the 1973-74 season.  McAdoo also averaged 10.3 rebounds per game and even had 2.8 assists.  Bob was an all star three times as a Buffalo Brave.  McAdoo was the 1972-73 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1974-75 MVP.  Bob was a real force in his early days with the Braves.

2. Blake Griffin:  Blake arrived in the NBA in spectacular fashion, being named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2010-11 season.  Griffin spent eight seasons with the Clippers, averaging 22.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.  I was surprised to see he also averaged 4.3 assists.  Griffin was a five-time all star. As good as Blake was with the Clippers, there's a nagging feeling he could have been better.  Injuries were a factor, plus when you start as spectacularly as Blake did, it's easy to raise unrealistic expectations.  I guessing Blake was aslo among the NBA league leaders in Sports Center highlights appearances.

1. Chris Paul:  Chris Paul was everything you could want in a point guard.  Chris could distribute the ball, averaging 9.8 assists per game.  He could also score, averaging 18.8 ppg.  Paul could take the ball to the hoop, as well as shoot from behind the arc.  He also was a ball hawk on defense, averaging 2.2 steals.  He led the NBA three times in his six seasons with the Clipper.  He also led the league in assists two times while in LA.  As could be expected, Paul also hit his free throws, shooting .881.  Paul was a five-time all star.

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