'A Tribe Called Bench'

[Sħãlïq™]

'A Tribe Called Bench' is born

 

http://i47.tinypic.com/2z6b0gl.png

 

LOS ANGELES -- Nicknames are a funny thing. People can’t really nickname themselves. Well, at least not if they want to be taken seriously anyway. And getting a nickname to stick and catch on isn’t always easy, either. You kind of need the stars to align just right and everyone to be on the same page for it to hit … and it finally has for the Los Angeles Clippers’ second unit, which from this point forth will simply be known as “A Tribe Called Bench”.

 

I first asked Jamal Crawford, an early favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, last month if he had a preference for a nickname for the Clippers' second unit that was slowly beginning to dominate games. He didn't at that time, but shortly afterward other writers asked fans and followers on Twitter what they thought the bench should be called. We all had our own lame ideas. I threw out “Lob Deep”, but was immediately shot down. Dan Woike of the Orange County Register threw out “Mob Deep”, but he found out the New York Knicks had used that nickname last year. Woike then got a tweet from a San Francisco Bay Area follower with the handle @squidwai and “A Tribe Called Bench” was born.

 

Over the past three games, the Clippers have started to play highlights of the second unit to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” and the #ATribeCalledBench hashtag has started trending on Twitter in L.A. during Clippers games. It’s no surprise that the nickname has caught on over the past three games. During that stretch no Clippers starter has seen the court in the fourth quarter (except for Caron Butler being forced to play the final 1:36 during Sunday's 102-83 win over the Toronto Raptors after Matt Barnes was ejected). In fact, in four of the past five games, the Clippers haven’t needed to turn to their starters in the final stanza once.

 

“Our starters do a great job of wearing teams out, and then we try to bring in the knockout blow. That’s why this team was built this way. Seeing Chris, Blake, DeAndre, Caron and Chauncey play heavy minutes and getting beat up last season, by the time the playoffs were here everybody was either injured or tired." Crawford said.

'A Tribe Called Bench' is born

 

Love this nickname!! #ATribeCalledBench

Edited December 18, 2012 by Sħãlïq

[Sħãlïq™]

Chris Paul ‏@CP3

 

RT @HaberBen: I wonder what @TheRyanHollins, @JCrossover, @Matt_Barnes22, @RealLamarOdom think about the #ATribeCalledBench shirts?

http://m.tmi.me/CKsKn

 

http://i48.tinypic.com/9zww11.png

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A-M_SinCAAAXruX.jpg

https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/280137189583618048/photo/1

 

^ Epitome of dope-ness!!!

Edited December 18, 2012 by Sħãlïq

[NomarFachix]

Awful, awful nickname. I want it to go away. Bad.

[Sħãlïq™]

I like it more than the nickname the Knicks used last year. And as a fan of hip-hop I appreciate the nickname.

 

Over the past few games, the Clippers have started to play highlights of the second unit to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” and the #ATribeCalledBench hashtag has started trending on Twitter in Los Angeles during Clippers games.

 

So give credit to @squidwai about the new nickname. If you’re a hip-hop aficionado (okay, I’m really not but work with me here), this was a play off the hip-hop group that was making waves in the 90s, A Tribe Called Quest.

Source

 

...Here are 10 things we’ve learned about the Clippers during their 10-game winning streak.

 

1. A Tribe Called Bench

 

Get used to the nickname, corny or not. It’s not going anywhere, and neither is the Clippers’ bench. (...)

Source

 

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1339461/atribecalledbench_medium.jpg

Image by Erik O

Edited December 22, 2012 by Sħãlïq

[NomarFachix]

It's always fun when a basketball team's bench takes on an identity of its own. Getting to watch a group of guys who are not quite good enough to be starters gel into a cohesive unit of their own adds another layer of excitement to the game, and so it's no surprise people often want to give cool nicknames to such bench units. The Bulls' "Bench Mob" from last season is a perfect example.

 

But now the Los Angeles Clippers have gone and ruined the whole practice of nicknaming bench units, because their group of talented subs is now known as "A Tribe Called Bench."

 

That is the dumbest nickname of all time. The worst. It's awful. It's just the name of a popular rap group with the word "bench" inserted into it. It could just as easily be "Cash Bench Millionaires" or "The Beastie Bench." Actually, I kind of like "The Beastie Bench." The Clips should use that instead.

 

Mobb Deep was awesome, you guys tried to use it yourselves this year

[Sħãlïq™]

Mobb Deep was awesome, you guys tried to use it yourselves this year

Actually it was so unpopular that it couldn't reach the West Coast. The guys from OC hadn't even heard about it:

 

(...) Dan Woike of the Orange County Register threw out “Mob Deep”, but he found out the New York Knicks had used that nickname last year. (...)

ESPN L.A.

 

Terribly lame nickname. Glad someone else had already used it so it didn't stick. ~phew!~

Edited December 18, 2012 by Sħãlïq

[NomarFachix]

Phew

[Sħãlïq™]

A list of A Tribe Called Quest nicknames for the Clippers’ bench

 

http://blogimages.thescore.com/tbj/files/2012/12/a-tribe-called-bench.jpg

 

(...) I’d vote “A Bench Called Quest", since it doesn’t make a whole bunch of sense to have two collective terms in the same nickname for one unit — but at least someone is trying something other than Bench Mob. I appreciate the ingenuity of reaching for a classic rap group to describe one of the most exciting 5-man squads in the league.

And because it’ll be fun to call Eric Bledsoe “The 5-Foot Assassin” or Lamar Odom “The Ummah”, let’s try to figure out an actually great nickname based upon A Tribe Called Quest’s works. Together we can do this.

• Midquarter Marauders
  
• The Paths of Rhythm
  
• The Love Movement
  
• Vibes and Stuffs
  
• Layups to Go
  
• The Clips, Part II
  
• The Skypagers
  
• The Funky Diabetics
  
• Industry Rule No. 4080
  
• Butter Babies
  
• The Award Tour
  
• RRRRRROAW RRRRRRROAW, the Dunkin’ Dragons
  
• Native Dunks
  
• Ballevard Status
  
• The Low End of the Bench Theory
  

Maybe you are thinking that none of these are good nicknames, and maybe you are right. But that’s where you come in — leave your best ATCQ-themed nickname for the Clippers’ bench in the comments below. Winner gets the satisfaction of being great at the internet.

The Basketball Jones

 

“A Bench Called Quest" is not bad at all.

[NomarFachix]

@DukeHoopBlog

Worst nickname or WORST nickname? RT @ArashMarkazi RT @espn "A Tribe Called Bench" is born. http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/clippers/post/_/id/3162/a-tribe-called-bench-is-

[YugoRocketsFan]

^its definitely a horrible nickname.

[Sħãlïq™]

I tweeted a link to this thread to the self-proclaimed "creator of the A Tribe Called Bench movement". I'm curious to see his thoughts on the acceptance (or I should say, lack of such).

[Sħãlïq™]

Wow, "A Tribe Called Bench" is still alive. Had forgotten about it:

 

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