Baron Davis knows the Lakers are still the main act in L.A.
Noah Graham/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES – The 42,500 square-foot building that sits at 6951 South Centinela Avenue in Playa Vista, a small neighborhood in southwestern Los Angeles, should seriously be considered one of the great Wonders of the World. Not because of its sleek architectural design, state-of-the-art digital video facilities or snazzy security system at the door that requires your thumb print to enter.

No, it has everything to do with the name resting atop the building.

Los Angeles Clippers

For the first time in its 38-year history, including the past 25 years in Los Angeles, the Clippers have a home. A place where their players can go practice, work-out, watch game tape, get treatment, stow their belongings in a locker and take a shower.

If these are simple luxuries that you figured were afforded to most players on a professional sports team, you would be correct except for the fact that we're talking about the Clippers here, the only NBA team that shares an arena with another NBA team. The Clippers weren't even scheduled to be tenants of the Staples Center until after plans for the arena had already been drawn up. This may explain why the Lakers' locker room and players' lounge covers 4,900 square feet while the Clippers' is only 3,600 square feet -- after a redesign wedged them in next to the arena football team's locker room.

While most NBA teams have long trained in their own state-of-the-art facilities, the Clippers, prior to the opening of their brand new training center this week, practiced at the Spectrum Club, a health club open to the public in the South Bay. In previous seasons they practiced at Los Angeles Southwest College.

When Corey Maggette was asked at Warriors' media day this week what the biggest difference between the Clippers and the Warriors was, he quickly mentioned the gym difference. "At the Clippers we played at a fitness center until 1:00 pm, then we had to sign up and play (with other people)," he told the Press Democrat. "I was dominating all those years, had some 40-year-olds and 50-year-olds. This is going to be a big transition year for Baron Davis. Yes, yes, I think he's in for a rude awakening. I wish him the best."

Unless Davis decides to sign-up for a membership at the Spectrum, which doesn't seem necessary now that he's dropped 20 pounds thanks to Jenny Craig, it probably won't be as big of a rude awakening. But as Davis walked around the facility, showing off his new home, he knew how fortunate he was after talking to some of his older teammates, such as Cuttino Mobley.

"They told me that they used to practice at a health club, some local sports club," he said. "You could be working out and somebody right next to you would be talking your ear off about the game or asking for tickets. There was really no privacy and it's hard to build team camaraderie when you can only work out on the bike for 20 minutes and your teammates are split up amongst [health club members]. Nothing against the health clubs out here, but it's nice to have a home."

Davis, however, isn't holding his breath on getting his own arena anytime soon. He knows which NBA team runs both the town and the arena he'll be playing in for the foreseeable future.

"The Lakers own the Staples Center, we're just renting," he said. "It is what it is. We have a lot of ground to make up but we know who we have to chase down to be respected in this city and in this league."