AP 2010-12-08

“You must be a FAKERS fan!”

Yes, that is an insult I have seen on some Clippers boards/blogs/etc.  Which amazes me because calling someone a fan of one of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA is considered insulting.  Like yeah there is the part about calling them a fake fan but seriously?  Someone says something you don’t like and you respond by calling them a Lakers fan?

This is coming from one of the biggest fans of the Clippers.  No, I do not feel the need to tell you people how long I’ve been a fan or answer a bunch of trivial questions over some unimportant Clippers facts that only a “true” fan would know.  I love the Clippers and is a big enough fan to want to have a blog solely dedicated to them.

And I do not usually defend the Lakers or Lakers fans because coming from Los Angeles, I know a lot of these fake fans.  The ones that only like them when they win.  The “fans” who only know who Kobe is and maybe Ron Artest and Pau Gasol.  The people who only know Lamar Odom as Khloe Kardashian’s husband and not the 6 feet 10 inches power forward who was the 1st round draft pick, 4th overall for the Los Angeles Clippers back in 1999.  I hate these types of fans.  And there are a lot of these bandwagon hoppers around, especially in LA.  They make me angry when they say something about the Lakers and have no clue what they’re talking about.  It is mostly people who do not really follow basketball but call themselves Laker fans just to be part of the crowd and feel that sense of belonging with the best of LA.  Some of these faker fans also seem to be completely idiotic and jackasses (see evidence).

Which is why using calling someone a faker fan over the internet may seem insulting but in reality, it does not really work.  And this is something I see on a lot of different sports blogs, not just the Clippers blogs.  First of all, I believe that these faker fans would not even spend the time of day reading about their favorite team over the internet.  It’s obvious Lakers are not anywhere near the top of their interest list and that participating in an open forum about the team requires people to actually care.  Also, I doubt a faker fan would be on any other team blogs other than the Lakers.  If they do not care about the Lakers that much, I doubt they would care about any other team.

So what does a person accomplish by calling someone a faker fan?  Nothing really, you just called them something they know they are definitely not.  Yeah at first, it may seem insulting because as a fan of sports, you just got called one of the worst kind.  And using that “slur” in a forum other than the Lakers?  That’s pretty idiotic too.  Most non Lakers fans already dislike the Lakers so why bring it up.  My advice would be, if someone is pissing you off in an NBA team discussion that does not include the Lakers, do not call them a faker fan, just call them a dumbshit motherfucker or something.  At least they won’t get the puzzled face of “why on earth did you just call me something so stupid and irrelevant to this conversation?”

If you’re a person who feels the need to call someone a faker fan, go do it on a Lakers blog where it belongs.  That way you can get 20 bouts of bitching about Kobe’s stats, Lakers winning record, how many championships they’ve won, and how much they dream about giving Kobe and Fisher simultaneous fellatio.  But please keep the other blogs civilized and less of a battle of random meaningless insults that brings more confusion than anger.

And for all those wondering, no I have never been called a “fakers” fan.  This is just something I noticed the other day that I felt should be commented on.

Also, stay warm and drive safe cause this rain is a bitch.

Cook previously played for 3 teams, most recently the Rockets, where he saw action in just 15 games last season.

I haven’t seen the contract to know whether or not the second year is guaranteed, but it seems odd to give a guy who hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season but twice in a 7 year career a two year deal, even at the inexpensive cap number the Clippers signed him for.

When healthy, Cook has shown an ability to hit the three-point shot with some consistency, as evidenced by his nearly 40% career shooting percentage from beyond the arc. He’s not much of a rebounder even when given substantial minutes, something that might add to his value with the Clippers when he’s paired in the front court with Chris Kaman and Craig Smith, if Cook’s ability to hit the three can draw post defenders away from Kaman and Smith. But he’s not going to be able to be paired well with Blake Griffin, as Griffin will need room to move with and without the ball in his hands. All his detriments and matchup problems fade if he shows he can still be a dead-eye shooter from beyond the arc, but for a guy who’s played less than 50 games combined the past two seasons, I’m not exactly optimistic his stroke will return.

Aside from the cap-friendly aspect of Cook’s contract, this isn’t a great signing for the Clippers. I understand they have to fill out their roster and Cook is a veteran with playoff experience, but if he can’t shake off the rust that has come from not playing regular minutes the past two seasons and consistently hit the three-pointer this season, he will likely spend a lot of time in street clothes on the team’s inactive list.

While the contract value makes Cook’s addition something with increased value, especially for such a bottom-line focused team such as the Clippers, it’s not a signing that is going to inspire anyone.