By Patrick Hayes

It seems hard to believe, but the Los Angeles Clippers that were a punchline for the better part of three decades are no more, save for the cartoonishly eccentric, racist owner. But players like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler have the team among the upper echelon in the Western Conference and former University of Detroit and Detroit Cooley star Willie Green couldn’t be happier that he’s been traded to the team. From Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:

“From the outside looking in years ago, we looked at the Clippers as a team that was not really competing for a playoff run,” Green said Friday in a phone interview. “But the last few years, that perception has changed.

“You can see the pieces that they have added, the new practice facility and the investment that they are putting in. They want to win and they want to be a special team.”

Green’s 3-point shooting, particularly his proficiency hitting the corner three, will make him a nice weapon off the bench for Paul to find off the dribble.