No, probably not. Even coach Bill Fitch realizes that these Clippers will have a more difficult time making the playoffs than they did in '96-97. "We're well aware that David Robinson being out in San Antonio [the injured Admiral missed 71 games] left a spot open, and we went after it," Fitch says. "This year, even though we may have momentum, it'll be tougher to get back there."

Definitely not back are five players from last season's club—guards Terry Dehere and Malik Sealy, centers Kevin Duckworth and Stanley Roberts, and forward Charles (Bo) Outlaw—but with the exception of Outlaw, they will not be missed. The Clippers added free-agent guard James Robinson and much-traveled center Stojko Vrankovic, plus forward Maurice Taylor, their first-round draft pick. "I like the potential of this team," Fitch says. "Not necessarily this year, but down the line, if we can keep them together."

With Sealy gone, third-year guard Brent Barry steps into a starting job at the 2-spot. A superb passer, Barry missed the first 14 games of '96-97 with a right thumb injury, then came on strong in the final two months of the season, earning the confidence of his coach. "I like putting the ball in Brent's hands," Fitch says.

Nor does Fitch mind putting it in point guard Darrick Martin's hands. Martin is a journeyman, with the emphasis on journey—he played two seasons with Magic Johnson's touring team—but last season he emerged to secure the starting point job, in the process putting up some huge scoring numbers, including three games of 30-plus points. Even so, Martin may be challenged for the job this season by the more defense-minded Robinson. Entering his fifth season, Robinson, the former Trail Blazer and Timberwolf, signed a five-year, $10.5 million deal with L.A. "James is a very tough and aggressive defender who can put pressure defense on his man from one end of the floor to the other," says general manager Elgin Baylor.

Vrankovic came over from the Timberwolves in a trade for the oft-injured and always overweight Roberts. The 7'2" 33-year-old from Croatia hardly put up numbers to shout about last season, but if he can fill the bill in the middle, it would allow 6'11" second-year man Lorenzen Wright to shift back to his more natural power-forward spot.

Additional inside depth could come from Keith Closs, a 7'3" lefthander who averaged an NCAA Division I-record 5.87 blocks per game in two seasons at Central Connecticut State. After playing last year for the Norwich Neptunes of the Atlantic Basketball Association, he entered the 1997 draft but never heard his name called. Closs auditioned with several NBA teams' summer league squads and signed with the Clippers as a free agent in August.

The September loss of Outlaw, who accepted a two-year, $2.15 million free-agent offer from Orlando, was something of a surprise in L.A. "I still can't figure out why he's there," Fitch said after the deal was announced. "Our offer was a lot longer than two years. Bo was one of my favorites, and we lose one of our most versatile players." Outlaw had played all three frontcourt positions, and his departure pushes the 6'9", 260-pound Taylor into a more important role than the Clippers had planned when they chose him with the 14th pick in the '97 draft.

The starting forwards—Loy Vaught at the 4-spot and Rodney Rogers at the 3—are established though unsung talents. Vaught is one of the league's hardest workers, and Rogers is coming off a breakthrough year. Three-point threat Eric Piatkowksi is also making a name for himself. He provides instant offense off the bench, and with his range he won't mind the line's move back out to 23'9", its original NBA distance.

"We have something to build on—a solid year," Martin says. "But we can't get complacent. We have to raise our play to be in the playoff hunt year in and year out. The difference in experience level against Utah in the first round was frustrating, but once you get a taste of the playoffs, it helps."

When you're a perennially hungry outfit like the Clippers, every little nibble is savored.

—Dana Gelin