The latest embarrassing chapter in the history of the Los Angeles Clippers stings so much more than most of the typical Clippers calamities that are woven into the fabric of the NBA.

First and foremost, that's because Clippers fans, for a brief, fleeting moment, were teased with a near future of Baron Davis outside and Elton Brand inside.

Combined with a young core of shooter Eric Gordon, slasher Al Thornton and banger Chris Kaman, the dynamic duo just might have made fans of the red, white and blue begin dreaming of the historic type of turnaround the Boston Celtics just used to capture their 17th NBA championship.

Instead, because of the broken promises of their hulking former cornerstone Brand, the future just may be as bleak as the franchise's barren past.

According to reports, the Baron Davis era began in Los Angeles as part of Brand's contract negotiations.

If coach Mike Dunleavy is to be believed, Brand, via text message, demanded "BD" and "75" to get the deal done.

The Clippers, for once, delivered by signing Baron Davis for a reported $65 million and offering Brand, who missed nearly the entire 2007-08 season with an Achilles injury, $75 million.

The image-conscious Brand, for once, broke his promise, signing instead with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Last year's 23-win season was excused because it was over before it began, sabotaged by the season-ending injuries of a cornerstone like Brand and a talented, young point guard like Shaun Livingston.

It appears now that the Clippers have a built-in, Brand-name excuse for the current season, although they have reportedly been active to repair the damage by attempting to acquire players like Josh Smith, Zach Randolph and Shawn Marion.

Dunleavy has repeatedly blamed Brand's agent, David Falk, for the mess this past week in the media.

"David Falk had an incredible influence on (Brand) to poison him in some way against us," Dunleavy told the L.A. Daily News. "It was uncharacteristic of EB."

Yet the blame squarely falls on Brand's broad shoulders in this affair. Ultimately, he is living his own life, not the life of his agent, and if he went around his agent to negotiate his own terms, he should have lived up to them.

Though they have been stung before, Clippers fans should not forget this particular stinging sensation. The accomplishments of Elton Brand's seven years in Los Angeles have been spoiled.

— Joe Curley can be reached at jcurley@VenturaCountyStar.com.