With their acquisition Wednesday of Chris Paul, the Los Angeles Clippers should be able to elbow their way into the NBA playoffs, a feat they've accomplished just once in the past 15 years. But in relinquishing Eric Gordon as part of a multiplayer trade with the New Orleans Hornets, they will have to wait at least another year to be considered a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. The Clippers' initial blueprint of bringing together the best point guard in the game with super soph Blake Griffin and a rising star in the slick-shooting Gordon would have transformed the franchise to heights not imaginable since it bolted blustery Buffalo for balmy San Diego in 1978. But because the NBA is bankrolling the Hornets franchise until a suitable buyer can be found, commissioner David Stern would have none of it. Instead of approving a deal that would have kept Gordon in L.A. and … [Read more...]