Elton Brand (Achilles) is expected to be out until at least 2008, and so will Shaun Livingston (horrific knee injury). Isn’t there an adage that there is opportunity within disaster???

Well, if that’s the case, maybe the upcoming Clippers’ season, which looks like a disaster waiting to happen on paper, can be salvaged if coach Mike Dunleavy shows why the Clippers signed him to a five-year extension worth about $25 million.

Yes, that’s $25 million!!! That’s huge cash. Even by NBA coaching salaries, that’s huge cash. One more time: $25 million!

Ka-ching:

Dunleavy has a chance to show he’s worth that by somehow leading the Clippers to the playoffs. Heck, he’d probably show a lot if he simply got the team to be competitive, considering those injuries.

Let’s see if “The Season of Injury” can become “The Season of Dunleavy.”

It’s probably the Clippers’ only hope.