Clippers wanted out of Lakers’ shadow; now they’re buried in scandal

Let’s begin with the uncomfortable part: The Clippers should feel insecure about the Lakers.

One franchise owns Los Angeles basketball. It has the championships, banners, stars, generations of fans and a name recognized around the world. The Lakers have been dysfunctional at times and still managed to own the room.

The Clippers have Steve Ballmer, a magnificent new arena and a decades-long identity crisis.

Clippers beat writer Joey Linn said the quiet part out loud during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

“This is an organization, whether they want to admit it or not, [that has] operated as if they are trying to get out of the Lakers’ shadow,” Linn said.

He pointed to the “L.A. Our Way” advertising campaign that followed the additions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers weren’t merely building a contender. They were announcing that they mattered, too.

Nothing wrong with that. Ambition is good. Insecurity can even be useful when it creates urgency.

It becomes a problem when it starts driving the car.

Linn suggested the Clippers’ attempts to control their narrative have sometimes extended beyond what is typical for a professional sports organization. That assessment carries considerably more weight now.

The NBA determined the Clippers circumvented the salary cap by arranging outside income opportunities for Leonard. The punishment included a $30 million fine, five forfeited first-round picks and a one-year suspension for Ballmer. Federal prosecutors have since opened a separate investigation, though that inquiry is in its early stages and does not mean criminal charges will follow.

The Clippers deny wrongdoing and intend to challenge the NBA’s findings. Perhaps they’ll get some penalties reduced. Perhaps the federal investigation will produce nothing.

Ballmer’s reputation has been stained regardless. Fairly or otherwise, every aggressive Clippers maneuver will now be viewed through this lens.

That’s the great irony. Ballmer spent billions trying to make the Clippers look like something more than the Lakers’ little brother.

Instead, the Clippers have created the sort of scandal that makes their effort to escape that shadow more obvious than ever.