Dear Elgin Baylor,

Let me start off by letting you know that I’m very sorry to hear about your season ending loss Elton Brand. I’ve heard that a return by February, where you guys will surely be several games under five-hundred by then, is pushing optimism. I hope you have some trick up your 72 year old sleeves, which brings me to the reason I’m writing you.

You’re going into your 22nd season as the General Manager of the Clippers and your teams have a measly three playoff appearances, and only one series victory. I’m worried about your legacy to this generation of basketball fans, my generation.

Guys my age will remember you as the old Clippers GM that couldn’t put a team together. I know it wasn’t entirely your fault, I know Donald Sterling doesn’t like to spend money, but you have to be as worried as I am with your age and all.

I don’t know too many guys my age that know all of your accomplishments on the court, hell, I probably know a guy or two that don’t even know that you ever threw on a Lakers uniform and averaged 27 points for your career with multiple seasons scoring over 30 points per game. Your career average of a double-double is going to be over shadowed by the two plus decades you spent as the general manager of Los Angeles’ red headed step child. I don’t know anyone in this generation that knows you went into the Boston Garden in the post season and put up 61 on those Celtics, or becoming the first player in NBA history to finish a season in the top five of four statistical categories, scoring, rebounding, assists and free-throw percentage. 11 straight years as an all-star and 10 straight years on the All-NBA team playing on a team where everything that glittered was gold will be forgotten, well not even known about because this generation of fans could care less about the history of the sport so many of us love.

Not all of us have fathers with tapes, DVDs, and endless memories about the association, so what you did on the court means nothing to everyone twenty-something or younger. You have to make some moves, and soon. You have to do what you have to do to get a group of talented young guys in Los Angeles who can play together.

You just can’t make any moves though, they have to be bold, they have to scream “Elgin Baylor made this move and improved the Clippers, a traditionally bad basketball franchise.” You were almost there at the end of the 05-06 season. Won your first playoff series, but then you went out and gave Tim Thomas too much money, money you could have used to draft like you did in the late nineties and early millennium less Michael Olowokandi- back when you had Brand, Richardson, Maggette, Odom, and Miles, that was a good Clippers team, just at the wrong time; the West was stacked back then, more than it is now- and build a respectable franchise.

Now, you’re back at ground zero, Brand and Livingston are hurt, Sam Cassell is getting as old as you are, and Cuttino Mobley’s numbers have dropped dramatically since he’s been in the City of Angels. Tim Thomas looks like he’s going to be your power forward and the youngster out of Florida State, Al Thorton, is probably going to average pretty close 30 minutes a night.

All I’m saying is, you don’t have much time left to turn things around and you really don’t have anyone youtub-ing your highlights (not one clip reached 100,000 views). Your legacy as a basketball icon is at stake. Guys like my father who remember details about your career are few, and younger guys like me that appreciate the history of the game are even fewer. It’s up to you, because if it were up to me, everyone would forget these 21 years of your life and bask in the memory of your playing years.

Sincerely,
Phillip Barnett, Talkhoops.net

Donald Sterling Photo courtesy of hoopedia.nba.com