Those characters come to mind because, well, it’s obvious. There are great expectations for these Clippers. I don’t think there has ever been a season in which so much was expected for this franchise. Will they improve upon last season???

I am not a soothsayer and have learned not to try to be one. If there is an over/under on their wins I’d place it at 48, but who knows? The one thing I’m most interested in seeing is how Corey Maggette responds, injury-free, and what his role will be, injury-free. If he is healthy, will it mean the team will be even better than last season? We’ll see.

Just got confirmation that Chris Kaman agreed to his contract extension with a tweaked contract, a little more than five years for $50 million. This should be one of those moves in which both sides are extremely happy. The Clippers had an off day on Saturday, but they’ll be having a news conference on Sunday…

Although they officially have until Oct. 31 to decide, the Clippers already have decided not to pick up the option on Yaroslav Korolev for next season. They have not given up on Korolev and plan on re-signing him at a rate lower than what the 12th overall pick is earmarked to make as a third-year player.

This is a smart, cost-cutting move. For his production, Korolev has been overpaid the past two seasons and should accept the paycut because the franchise, especially Mike Dunleavy, is on his side. Another way to think of it is that it would be bizarre if they picked up his option because they should be in no risk of losing him…

I talked to Chris Kaman last night, and his five-year, $50 million deal is still on the table. His agent is trying to iimprove the deal, but there is no guarantee that the Clippers will budge from that.

At first, I thought the offer was lower than Kaman’s market value, and maybe it is, considering Tyson Chandler and Samuel Dalembert’s similar deals. However, I believe only five teams will be under the cap next summer and in position to offer him more than that. Is it worth taking a risk that one of those teams will step up and offer him more? That’s a big business decision, but I do know that Kaman would love to stay with the Clippers…

I understand, through my sources, that the world of Clipperland has missed this blog. I also am interested in linking this blog to other blogs to be a ”blog agent” of sorts, so if you know of such blogs, please send my the url….

What I do have to say is this: So much has remained stable within the Clippers this offseason that it freaks me out. I’m not used to this stability. How can anyone?

It looks as if the franchise is doing everything right to keep together a contender. A handful of stories have been about possible contract extensions to Chris Kaman and Mike Dunleavy. While it probably would be smart for the organization to lock up those guys, a pressing need is hardly there this offseason, especially with Kaman who is a RESTRICTED free agent next offseason. The Clippers would be outlandishly foolish to let him go, and I think they know this…

What do you think?