Letters: What’s next? A statue of Doc Rivers in front of Staples Center?

Recent developments have proven beyond question that the Lakers have morphed into the old Clippers. As a longtime Clippers fan who suffered through all those dysfunctional years I have a great deal of sympathy for their plight. Hopefully it’ll take them less than the 20-25 years it took the Clippers to get themselves together . I’m sure loyal Laker fans won’t mind waiting. Maybe It might be best for the Busses to move the franchise to Buffalo where the Clippers started.

Alvin S. Michaelson

Marina del Rey

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Much has been made of the Lakers’ inability to reach the playoffs for a team-record sixth consecutive year. But the team has now set another unfortunate record.

The Lakers had a seven-year drought without playing in the NBA Finals from 1973 until 1980. Then they went nine years between Finals appearances from 1991 to 2000. And we know that next season will mark a full 10 years away from the NBA Finals spotlight, as the team last played for the title in 2010. That’s the sad new team record that most Lakers fans really care about.

Jim Bendat

Los Angeles

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Maybe Lonzo Ball should have stayed longer at UCLA and learned how to do a Google search so he would have known that his money manager was a convicted con man. And why does he need a money manager, financial planner, manager and agent? With that much overhead he will be lucky to have anything left when he exits the NBA.

John Unger

Santa Clarita

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Arash Markazi is right. The suckers who spent $500 on BBB shoes shouldn’t have to throw them away. Instead, these people should toss themselves in the garbage.

Casey Smith

Westlake Village

For openers

On opening day, Joc Pederson proved the Dodgers’ hiring of the firm of Bates, Brown and Scoyoc — batting specialists and analysts — was an expensive but needed boost. When asked about his two home runs, Pederson replied, “I just saw it and swung at it.” Finally, some sound hitting advice not based on math and physics that took three wise men to come up with.

Allan Kandel

Los Angeles

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So “Greedy Greinke” gets shelled in his latest return to Dodger Stadium. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy!

William Winkler

Burbank

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Dodgers fans have a lot in common with Russell Martin. We also can recall what it was like to be “unceremoniously dumped,” and while Martin’s career has come full circle, the 70% of us who can no longer watch the Dodgers are simply circling the drain.

Bill Waxman

Simi Valley

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HR to BB to K

That’s the Dodger way to play

Move a man over? No way!

Two-strike approach? Not today!

Just HR to BB to K

Big numbers will soar

Big swings even more

Old-time baseball’s a bore

My agent wants more

HR to BB to K

But, can they compete

Against someone elite?

Will they survive the big dance?

Ask Tinkers, ask Evers…no Chance.

John Thompson

Downey

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What’s up with all the Dodger preseason injuries? Million-dollar athletes at the peak of their careers —Kershaw, Hill, Buehler, Seager, Urias and others — can’t play because of knee strains, shoulder inflammations, back spasms, surgeries, and other undisclosed

ailments.

I hope these guys have Medicare since they seem to go down faster than my retirement account.

Roy Reel

Culver City

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I have read the platitudes written about Mike Trout’s astronomical new salary, but little has been said about the reality of this kind of number. At my current salary as an attorney with 38 years of experience, I would have to work 2,840 years, or have started to work in 821 B.C., to equal his prospective payout. But as my partner pointed out to me, I can’t hit a curveball.

Kevin H. Park

Westlake Village

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Between a poor spring training showing and an opening day shutout, is Mr. Moreno wondering about this year’s choice of manager? Face it, friends. Mike Scioscia he ain’t.

Barry Cohon

Los Angeles

Time out!

Is it just me or does anyone else wonder why Chris Webber is employed as color analyst on NCAA tournament telecasts?

Webber, the one time Michigan All-American, was discovered to have borrowed a total of $70,000 from Ed Martin a Michigan booster. During the investigation, Webber claimed not to have had any financial relationship with Martin, but eventually confessed to taking loans from Martin. He was both fined in the legal system and briefly suspended by the NBA after performing public service.

What’s next? Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman grading SAT Tests?

Scott Grieve

Carpinteria

Unfairer sex

Elizabet Tursynbaeva lands the first women’s quadruple jump in figure skating history and gets one line in “The Day in Sports.” Mikaela Shiffrin breaks World Cup records and she gets one line in “The Day in Sports.” Katie Ledecky breaks world records in swimming and gets one line in “The Day in Sports.” Lonzo Ball gets a half page for cutting ties with his marketing company. Bryce Harper has had pages written about his new contract. Plenty of ink for Federer and Nadal on a match that never happened.

Come on, L.A. Times, I know you can do better and TIMES UP, get with it!

Wendy Bonvechio

Ojai

No clue at all

Maybe it would help if we called the NCAA by its real name: National Collegiate Athletic Apartheid.

Craig Rosen

Los Angeles

Check under the hood

Why are NFL referees even on the field any more? Put each one in front of their own monitor from a camera recording their specific responsibilities, and have someone on each sideline throw a flag when their shock collar buzzes when any of them sees an infraction.　

Dave Eng　

Thousand Oaks

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