Clippers need to find what they lost

These being the slow and syrupy days that inspire reflection upon old friends and fond memories, this is a story about both.

It is about a great team that inexplicably vanished.

It is about inspirational players who strangely walked away.

It is about a phenomenon that was once trumpeted on our street corners every day but whose name is now little more than a mutter.

It is a wistful where-are-they-now story about a long-lost piece of our wacky Los Angeles culture.

It is about the Clippers.

*

Seriously, where did they go?

The last we saw them, they were sneaking out of town with their jerseys pulled over their heads and hands stuck in our wallets.

It was last spring, and they quit during a stretch-run game against the sorry Sacramento Kings, trailing by 23 points in the first half and eventually losing the game and their pride.

“I guess some guys wanted to go fishing and do other things,” Elton Brand said afterward.

If they had beaten the Kings, then won their final two winnable games, they would have made the playoffs. Instead, they lost the final spot to the Golden State Warriors, who also stole their charm.

Today, the Warriors have become the lovable Clippers.

Today, the Clippers are in danger of again becoming the desolate Warriors.

Their fans’ blind faith has been eroded by the spring letdown. The packed houses have been threatened by higher ticket prices. And the front page has been stolen, again and again, by the Lakers.

It is a summer that has shown the difficulties constantly faced by teams that have overcome years of bad management and cheap stereotypes.

It might have been hard for them to grab L.A.’s heart, but it’s going to be even harder to keep it.

The Clippers’ charmed 2005-06 season bought them only a one-year perception pass.

That pass has expired.

Folks are on the verge of again saying, “Same old Clippers.”

Elgin Baylor knows it, and came to the phone last week to challenge his team to knock the words out of their mouths.

“The way things are with our organization now, there can be no more excuses,” he said.

He’s right.

This summer of the disappearing Clipper is, in fact, the most important summer in franchise history.

Donald Sterling has paid the money. Baylor has accumulated the talent. The long-awaited practice facility should be completed by midseason.

They have one of the highest-paid coaches in the league in Mike Dunleavy. They have one of the best leaders in sports in Brand. They have one of the best pure scorers in basketball in Corey Maggette. They have a guy who should be one of the game’s best centers in Chris Kaman.

How does a collection like that just disappear?

The answer is, it shouldn’t. And if does, even by Clippers standards, things will get ugly.

“This next year is the biggest test of how far we’ve grown as a basketball team,” Baylor said. “The players have to redeem themselves. And they know it.”

It starts with Dunleavy. At about $5.5 million a year, he reportedly is making less than only Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich.

It says here he can coach with any of them. But now he has to prove it. He has to bury any lingering issues with Maggette and figure out how to keep his team interested for 82 games.

“I’m sure he feels like a player who has signed a big contract,” Baylor said. “Certain things are now expected, and I’m sure he feels that way.”

Then there’s Brand, who was physically and emotionally drained last season after a distracting summer. He needs to return in October more rested, intent on producing wins that garner as much praise as his movies.

“He’s started working out again, but he took some time off, and that’s good,” Dunleavy said.

Kaman is the opposite. He needs to return this October in better physical and mental shape. He was slowed last summer by injuries, then last fall by contract talks, and never came close to his potential. He’s trying to find it again in the summer league.

“The contract thing was a distraction for him, and he needs to know that he has to focus 100% in this league,” Baylor said. “They all need to realize there are certain things you have to play through.”

Don’t forget Maggette. Talk about a lack of excuses. He has the ability to opt out of his contract at the end of next season, so he will be playing for a new deal, and the Clippers are going to give him every chance to earn one.

He and Dunleavy have long clashed about Maggette’s defense. Dunleavy has decided to swallow his tongue and leave him in the starting lineup anyway. It’s up to Maggette to reward him by becoming a more complete player.

“He will be a starter, for sure,” Dunleavy said. “We’re fine. Things ended up well for us.”

As for Baylor’s role in the summer fun, he vows to find a point guard to share time with aging Sam Cassell, with sources saying it could be veteran Steve Francis.

“Yes, we have to get a point guard, that is our main goal,” Baylor said.

If it sounds as if nobody wants to mince words around this organization anymore, well, they don’t.

Sterling deserves better. Baylor deserves better. The loopy fans who never gave up deserve better.

In the past, ignoring the Clippers was a summer ritual. Now it’s a summer shame.

--

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.