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Interactive News by Email Hoopchat Frequently Asked Questions NBA: Clippers not sweet enough for Kandi
Mark Woods
For someone who was handed a new contract worth £2.4 million last month,
Michael Olowokandi isn't entirely happy. The Londoner has embarked on
his third season across the Atlantic in the NBA but not even an astronomical pay packet, nor a beach front house in sunny California, is enough to satisfy his personal desire.
That is because Olowokandi, a seven-foot centre, plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, the NBA's equivalent of Manchester City, a team of constant under-achievers who live in the shadow of their more glamorous neighbours, the LA Lakers.
Their wealthy owner Donald Sterling is charged with a lack of ambition, having allowed a series of potential superstars to leave rather than pay them the going rate.
Maurice Taylor and Derek Anderson both bolted for pastures new during the off-season, teenage recruits Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson not yet ready to fill those shoes.
At only 25, Olowokandi is a comparative veteran on the NBA's second youngest team. His best days are still to come but on a side which won only 15 times last term, he admits that the constant pain of defeat has worn thin.
"I'll see what the coach (Alvin Gentry) is going to do. I'm not saying I'm as experienced as the coach but I do know what it's like to succeed or to fail. And I know what leads to failure.
"If I see a situation this season where they really aren't trying to win and it's all about saving money, I'll still do my best to help the team win. But I will, at the same time, definitely look out for myself," he warns.
"It's just bad timing. If I'd come out of college a year before, I'd be looking at my last year at the Clippers and looking to leave. In my case, the new agreement means I have to put in four years.
"After this season, I'll become a restricted free agent and I can shop the market. Hopefully, I'll have a great year and receive the kind of offer the Clippers can't match. Chances are though, I'll be there another two years. And I can weigh up my options and leave."
"The Kandi Man" is no spoilt prima donna. He returned only for a brief stay back home this summer, choosing to put in the off-season practice which he hopes will enable him to compete with the likes of the Lakers' giant Shaquille O'Neal.
Having been the top choice in the 1998 NBA college draft, some have criticised him for not already developing into a dominant basketballer.
He acknowledges that he has yet to achieve the kind of consistency which
would elevate him into the superstar category. The tutelage of NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a major help last term and although the former Laker was another summer departee from the Clips, his effect may linger on."Going into last season, we had new rules where you could hardly tough anybody without calling a foul. I was getting into foul trouble quickly. Kareem pointed those little things out to help me to stay in a game and that was definitely huge.
"I was using my body and my legs more. He taught me a lot. He's won six champs and numerous MVP awards and I could not learn enough from Kareem."
But he adds that there is one factor which, he believes, will eventually take him to that elite group.
"Plain experience," Olowokandi argues. "How you prepare. You can't just be done in April and report to training camp in October and think you'll be at a high level.
"Hopefully this time around, the team will make steps in the right direction and the owner will back us up. I'm always optimistic."
Will things change ? Not anytime soon it seems. On Sunday night, the Lakers held off the Clippers 108-103. O'Neal had 39 points and 14 rebounds. Olowokandi? Just eight and two.
NBA returns on ITV2 on Tuesday November 7
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