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Tell us how you really feel, Robert.
Former Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs star Robert Horry isn’t quite sold on this current Los Angeles Clippers squad, calling the team “cursed” on ESPN’s The Jump Monday. Horry also implored the Clips to break the curse by getting their own stadium already.
Co-host Matt Barnes, who spent 14 seasons in the league, four with the Clippers, did not disagree, although he did have a more positive outlook about the Clippers’ current chances to win their first-ever NBA championship heading into the playoffs. “I think this is a great place for the Clippers to be. I’ll speak as a former Clipper — we’re not used to talking about winning a championship,” Barnes said. “Paul George has been on a mission. (Rajon) Rondo is the security blanket that’s going to make the difference for this team.”
But according to Horry, none of it will matter unless the Clippers make some significant changes.
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Horry: Clippers Are Cursed
Horry, a seven-time NBA champ, thinks the Clippers franchise may need a bit of a reboot, and he thinks he knows what that may entail. “My whole thing is — if you haven’t won a championship, you should always have a chip (on your shoulder). This whole team should have a chip except for Kawhi, because he got his one,” Horry said, before referring to the team’s highly problematic former owner Donald Sterling, who was banned from the NBA for life in 2014 after private recordings of him making racist comments were made public.
“For me, the Clippers are cursed,” Horry said: “It’s the Donald Sterling curse. You think about it, you go all the way back to the years of Danny Manning. They get these guys who all the sudden realize: ‘Oh. We’re with the Clippers. We don’t have our own arena. We’re playing over here (in) Compton, we’re playing over here, now we’re in the Staples Center.’ Get your own arena and maybe the curse will lift.”
Co-host Rachel Nichols pointed out the Clips were doing just that, with construction of a new arena, which is currently slated to break ground in 2024, but Horry wasn’t alone in his sentiments.
Barnes: Clippers New New Venue, Name Change
Not only did Barnes agree with Horry about the new arena, but he also took things a step further. “I agree with that Sterling curse,” Barnes said, before upping the ante. “I think they need to change their team name when they go to the new arena. What have the Clippers ever done? Leave the Clipper garbage behind.”
Noting new owner Steve Ballmer has been leaps and bounds above the likes of Sterling, Barnes does think there is plenty of room for optimism for Clipper Nation, however.
“I loved playing for them,” Barnes added. “I had a great time trying to prove our point getting (to the championship), but I think they need to just flush everything to do with Donald Sterling, including the name. New arena, new name.”
You can watch the full clip from The Jump below:
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