– Last season: 41-41, 4th; lost 3-2 to Houston in first round.
– Coach: Bob Weiss (1st season with Clippers; 183-227 overall).
– Probable starters: Stanley Roberts, Loy Vaught, Danny Manning, Ron Harper, Mark Jackson.
– Added: G Terry Dehere (13), F Henry James, F Tom Tolbert, F Mark Aguirre (free agents). Lost: F Ken Norman (free agent).
– Strengths: A balance of young and veteran players makes the Clippers an up-and-coming franchise. Jackson (14.4 ppg, 8.8 apg) loves L.A., and Manning (22.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) emerged as an all-around player. Vaught (9.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg) provides toughness and Harper (18.0 ppg, 177 steals) can still electrify at either end.
– Weaknesses: In Roberts (11.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and John Williams (now on the suspended list), the Clippers possess the two most talent-wasting players in the NBA. Manning’s unhappiness is disruptive. Norman (15.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg) will be missed, especially in crunch time.
– Outlook: The Clippers would be a playoff favorite, if not for Roberts’ and Williams’ waistlines.
![Claudia Perez’s children could count on one hand the number of times they had seen their father cry. The day their mother left was one of them. Perez had worked her whole life for a dream that did not come true: Save enough money to take her family back to Mexico and live together in the town where they were all born. Instead, on a cold February day, she stepped onto a bus in Brighton Park and said goodbye, making the difficult choice between her loved ones in Mexico and her family in Chicago. “Don’t leave my love. No te […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-VHR5442_183545767.jpg?w=525 "Claudia Perez’s children could count on one hand the number of times they had seen their father cry. The day their mother left was one of them. Perez had worked her whole life for a dream that did not come true: Save enough money to take her family back to Mexico and live together in the town where they were all born. Instead, on a cold February day, she stepped onto a bus in Brighton Park and said goodbye, making the difficult choice between her loved ones in Mexico and her family in Chicago. “Don’t leave my love. No te […]")
