Revenge of the dregs

Are pigs flying? The Los Angeles Clippers are in first place. And it's not just a fluke of a weak division.
The Clippers enter Tuesday with an 8-2 record, the franchise's best ever after 10 games.
Forgettables like Terry Dehere and Joe Wolf used to roam here. Now, the roster is laden with young talent and recognizable names. Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley bring veteran stability to a roster that includes young stars Corey Maggette and Elton Brand and developing center Chris Kaman.
Suddenly, beating the Clippers isn't just a notch in your walking stick. It might take some work.
As Mike Kahn of FoxSports.com points out, the Clips might lack the depth to sustain this pace all season. But for the first time in a long time, they have a roster capable of making the playoffs, maybe even reaching 50 wins.
As the Clippers run off to a fast start, the "real" team in Los Angeles remains dazed and confused.
Kobe Bryant leads the league in scoring at 33 points per game, but the Lakers are a lackluster 4-6 throught 10 games. It means either the Lakers' supporting cast is simply awful (remember, they traded Caron Butler to Washington for Kwame Brown, who is really a fatter, less talented version of Darius Miles) or Kobe is up to his old, ball-hogging tricks again.
Whatever the case, the Zen-master status of Phil Jackson is losing its luster without the presence of Shaq. And Kobe is being exposed as the glorified sidekick he is, capable of stuffing a stat sheet but incapable of lifting his team to greatness.
Meanwhile, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, who professes to be a master of no religion or Eastern philosophy, is plugging in the right players and watching the wins pile up.
The audio-visual club geek is beating out the captain of the football team for homecoming king. It's good to see, for once.