CLIPPERS FUN TO WATCH.

Byline: JIM CLEAMONS 

Above all else, I'm a fan of basketball, so it's always exciting for me to see rivalries that fans can be enthusiastic about. Clearly, there could be one developing between the Clippers and Lakers.

That's good for the game, and certainly for the city of Los Angeles.

Over the years the Lakers have held the advantage in this matchup, but when you look at the Clippers now, it's obvious they could be on the verge of a bright future.

It starts with their outstanding young talent. You look at a guy like Lamar Odom, a lefty with size and versatility who can hurt you in so many ways. He's so skillful. If he continues to mature and grow as a basketball player there's no doubt he can have a wonderful career.

You put Lamar alongside a Darius Miles, who at 6-foot-9 can do so many things, whether it's play inside or outside, run the floor, rebound, defend. He's another guy who, if he does what it takes to learn and get better, can have a terrific career.

Odom and Miles are just two of a group of exciting young players the Clippers are developing. The key, of course, is cultivating all that talent and molding it into a solid team. But it's also keeping the group together, which depends on what management's long-range plans are.

Do they want this particular group to stay intact, or will they use one or two of their pieces to get a different piece they feel they need more? Will they have patience as these players learn what the NBA is all about? That's always a concern because we operate in such a success driven, immediate-gratification industry sometimes it's difficult to show the type of patience it needs to see something like this all the way through.

Of course, these are questions Clippers management will find answers for over time. They'll evaluate what they have, what they feel does or doesn't fit, what they think they need to subtract or add and who they feel will help them win ballgames. That's the process they're currently involved in, and it will be interesting to see what they do.

Of course, the players have some responsibility, too. We're talking about some very young, extremely talented players who are discovering what life in the NBA is all about. They'll learn what they have to do to be successful and how they fit into the puzzle.

The concern about the players is the same concern every team has in this situation. What's going to happen if the Clippers have success? How will that change the players' attitudes, and what's going to drive these guys when it comes time to talk about contracts? Who will stay and who will bolt for more money?

The Clippers have a few years before money becomes an issue. The new collective-bargaining agreement stipulates that rookies are under contract to their teams for five years. But at some point those contracts will run out, then we will see how it all plays out.

Sometimes it's easy to be naive in these situations. We always hope guys are in it for the right reasons, that success is foremost on their minds and that's what drives them.

But it's a different time now, and money is such a huge factor, We've seen examples of that over and over and over again. Like I said, you hope that guys want to be a part of something special, and maybe that will be the case in this situation.

For the time being, though, it's interesting to see how these young players develop.