By The Berge / Montreal, Quebec

The bottom of the barrel is getting further and further away for the LA Clipper. Andre Miller is in town, and everyone has accepted that two real teams play in the Staples Center. Last year, the young Clips turned heads in the mighty west. Few teams are more fun to watch. This year, actual respect could kick in. The Miller, Richardson, Odom, Brand, and Olowokandi lineup is one of the most complete starting fives in the league.

Everyone on that five can score, run and pass the ball. Management and the coaches are hoping that Andre Miller will have a Jason Kidd effect. He's one of the top 5 guards in the league. His classic style of controlling the play and passing the ball first will work miracles in balancing the attack of this young and energetic crew. Plus, he plays defense. Very few point guards could manage 10.9 assists on a team devoid of talent like the one he ran in Cleveland.

The bench is still untested, but should be a great energy boost for Gentry. With rookies Chris Wilcox, Melvin Ely, and Marco Jaric, there's a ton of potential. Mix them in with Corey Maggette, Eric Piatkowsky and Keyon Dooling, and the bench is rock solid.

The big question is, how long will this last? Will Donald Sterling pay up and keep these guys in town? We still don't know if the Candy Man will be playing this year, and many of these guys are free agents in the next year or two. Assuming the team is kept together, there should be many years of fun in the Staples Center, even when the Lakers are out of town.