Saturday Slam: It's about time the Los Angeles Clippers get their own arena

                                          (Credit: Brad Graverson/The Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Earlier this week, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer purchased the Forum in Inglewood, California for a cool $400M from The Madison Square Garden Company. This purchase helps pave the way for the Clippers to get their own arena in Inglewood. It should be noted that the Forum isn't being torn down and will remain as a concert venue. However, the Clippers' new arena will also be able to serve as a concert venue, making it competition to the Forum. That is, unless the Forum and the Clippers new arena are owned by the same company. So, in case you were wondering why Ballmer needed to purchase the Forum, that's why.

As for the title of this blog post, it really is about time the Clippers finally get their own arena in Los Angeles. I've believed for the longest time that the Clippers should have their own arena and have wondered why they didn't move into the Honda Center (home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks) years ago.

During their entire time in the Staples Center, the Clippers have been second fiddle to the Lakers. At times it's almost been awkward. There was the whole controversy of them putting black drapes over Lakers banners during their home games to get some distance from their more successful co-tenants. But no matter how many drapes they put up in the Staples Center or whatever other moves they make, so long as they play in the Staples Center, the Clippers will always be the B-team in Los Angeles.

But by finally having plans to have an arena all to themselves, the Clippers can finally establish their own identity that is separate from the Lakers. Especially since they'll be in a different part of town. Typically, I'm not a fan of all these teams getting new arenas, but the Clippers are one team that I feel really needs to get a new home that they can truly call their own. It's the principle of the thing.

What also helps is that with Ballmer at the helm, the Clippers are actually putting a competitive product on the floor. These aren't the Clippers of the 1990s and 2000s that were dismal. They're finally a championship contending team and should treat themselves as such by getting their own arena.

As for when the arena is scheduled to be completed, per Wikipedia, construction is supposed to begin in 2021 with a completion date in the fall of 2024. So if you're a Clippers fan that is nostalgic for the Staples Center era, you have at least a few more years to enjoy it. However, I bet that most Clippers fans can hardly contain their excitement for this new arena and are eager to say goodbye to the Staples Center. Saying goodbye is often hard, but in this instance, saying goodbye will be a feeling of sweet relief for the Clippers and their loyal fans.

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Wednesday Windmill: Will new ownership produce a better product on the floor for the Clippers?

Earlier this month, Steve Ballmer officially became the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers which subsequently marked the dawning of a new era of Los Angeles Clippers basketball. While the arrival of Steve Ballmer and the departure of Donald Sterling is exciting for the Clippers, will this change actually produce a better product on the floor?

I don't mean to curb the enthusiasm of Clippers fans, but they need to understand why it is that they are excited before they go insane like Ballmer did at the most recent Clippers rally. If Clippers fans want to say they are excited purely on the grounds that they can finally cheer for their team in good conscience, then they have every reason to be excited. But if they are excited because they think a championship is just around the corner, they may be in for some disappointment. 

                                              (credit: newyorker.com) 

I don't deny that having Steve Ballmer as their new owner is a good thing for the Clippers organization. I think it's a great thing for the organization, but not because I think it will result in the Clippers winning more basketball games. If you look at the team that they have on the floor right now, it isn't clear how much better they can really get. 

They have a top flight coach in Doc Rivers, the best point guard in the NBA in Chris Paul, and one of the top five best power forwards in the game in Blake Griffin. Not only that, but they have quality players around those two guys with DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Hawes, J.J. Redick, and Jamal Crawford. 

The Clippers right now are as good as they ever have been, and ironically, the building of this strong team was under the stewardship of Donald Sterling and not Steve Ballmer. Of course, with all the losing that the Sterling era went through, it stands to reason that Clippers fans can expect to see a more consistently competitive product on the floor, but that doesn't mean the product will be any better than what it presently is. 

If you look at this Clippers team, there really is not way to improve the team other than having Blake Griffin and Chris Paul get better as a duo. Ultimately, that will come down to those two players working on their game and perhaps some of the instruction they get from Doc Rivers. Steve Ballmer has zero control over how much better Chris Paul and Blake Griffin get and he also can't do much to better the roster since I really think the roster they have is as good as it can possibly be. 

At the end of the day, I don't see Steve Ballmer producing a better product on the floor for the Clippers. They may get better and eventually win a championship, but it won't be because Steve Ballmer arrived. His arrival energizes the fan base and gives people in Los Angeles better reason to cheer for the Clippers, which in and of itself makes his arrival a great thing for the Clippers. However,  I think it is important we clarify that and not make the mistake of thinking that the Clippers are suddenly going to win a championship because they got new ownership. 

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord