L.A. seeking star-caliber point

Updated: December 29, 2004, 1:14 PM ET
By Chad Ford | ESPN Insider

Just a few weeks ago we were praising a 10-6 Clippers team that looked like it might have enough talent to make a run at the eighth playoff seed in the West. Now that same team is 12-13 and beginning to resemble the Clippers of old.

With both Marko Jaric and Shaun Livingston out, the Clippers have been forced to use Rick Brunson at the point. But their problems run even deeper than that, as this bad streak hit before Jaric went down.

As good as Jaric has been at times, the Clippers still need an experienced point guard to lead them down the stretch of winnable games. Livingston eventually might become that guy, but it could still take a while. In the meantime, the team is in danger of losing everything it built this season.

Typically, the Clippers of yore would sit idly by – maybe even trade away a good player or two to seal their fate. This team appears to be different. At head coach Mike Dunleavy's urging, sources claim the Clippers have been proactive about making a blockbuster deal for a star-quality point guard.


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Chad Ford | email

Senior Writer, NBA Insider
  • Senior NBA Writer for ESPN.com
  • ESPN Insider NBA Draft Analyst since 2002
  • Writes ESPN's NBA Draft Top 100 and Lottery Mock Draft

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