Clippers are poised to take big leap forward as Lakers fade The next thing you know, Jack Nicholson will be sitting courtside to watch the most captivating NBA team in town. That would be the Clippers, who upstaged their Staples Center brethren once again by reaching a deal Sunday to lure Doc Rivers away from the Boston Celtics for a first-round draft pick who may or may not amount to anything. The NBA had yet to approve the deal, but it was expected to go through. Rivers would give the Clippers one of the league's finest coaches to go with its best point guard and one of its top rosters. What can the Lakers offer by comparison? A flaky center who's not even sure he wants to be a Laker? A superstar whose brilliance may be dimmed considerably by a tricky Achilles' injury? A coach who needed months to realize his system didn't fit his players? The Clippers are the picked-on little brother who is on his way to running a multinational corporation. The Lakers are the once-proud sibling living off old science-fair ribbons, their championship trophies a gleaming reminder of their present failures. Every bit of the Clippers' recent luck has only reinforced the Lakers' stunning misfortune. It started with the acquisition of Chris Paul, the All-Star point guard whom the Lakers all but sized up for a jersey before NBA Commissioner David Stern famously quashed the proposed trade with New Orleans 18 months ago. Six days later, Paul was a Clipper. In his first season with the team, Paul led the Clippers to the Western Conference semifinals, which also happened to be as far as the Lakers made it. In his second season, Paul helped the Clippers attain a better regular-season record than the Lakers for only the third time in the last 20 years, including a 4-0 sweep in head-to-head meetings. He even overshadowed Kobe Bryant on the national stage, becoming the Clippers' first most valuable player in the All-Star game. The Clippers would probably get to enjoy plenty more of Paul thanks to Rivers, whose presence should guarantee the point guard will sign a maximum five-year contract extension next month. A former point guard himself, Rivers is the perfect mentor for Paul. He's smart, personable and, unlike his predecessor, won't just hand the ball to Paul and have him run the offense. Rivers might just try to run it himself, lest you forget the way he sprinted onto the court at Staples Center during the 2010 NBA Finals to call a timeout that saved his Celtics from a backcourt violation. Even if Boston's Kevin Garnett doesn't join Rivers - because of the forbidden package deal the teams previously tried to put together involving a coach and players - the Clippers would again be the preeminent team in L.A. next season. They will have the best point guard and power forward in town, and they might just have the top small forward if onetime Inglewood High star Paul Pierce has the final season of his contract bought out by the Celtics, leaving him free to sign with his hometown Clippers. Rivers would do more than give the Clippers one of only four active coaches to win an NBA title. He could help develop the team's wayward young center, DeAndre Jordan, while extinguishing any lingering locker room immaturity with his galvanizing presence. Rivers would simultaneously challenge and inspire, just what the Clippers need to take a giant leap forward after so many years of stutter steps. Meanwhile, the Lakers are facing another uphill slog even if the wishy-washy Dwight Howard decides to come back. The Howard-Bryant-Steve Nash core that was supposed to form a super team last season proved to be super bad, the Lakers struggling just to make the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. There are few reasons for optimism going forward, barring a transformative trade. Howard needs to work on his post moves and his free throws, which seems absurd given he will be entering his 10th NBA season. Nash needs to get on Bryant's vino regimen of improving with age. And Bryant just needs to come back from a devastating injury that could not only sideline him well past the season opener but also rob him of the greatness he exhibited on a nightly basis last season at age 34. Things will have taken such a cruel turn for the Lakers should their most hated rival suddenly fortify their hallway rival. The Clippers would have Rivers, a Celtics legend. The Lakers have prospects for next season that could be described as a shamrock mockery.