There wasn’t a lot to take away from the Clippers’ 91-88 win Friday night over a Hornets team playing without both Chris Paul and Emeka Okafor. The Clips had a better night on the glass and were more careful with the ball, but despite playing hard, the game had a very preambulatory feel to it. The Clippers — players and coaches alike — are ready for the regular season to begin. Before they do, they might want to consider a few red flags that reared themselves last night:
- Sebastian Telfair will be a boon to the Clippers second unit and should enable the team’s freakish athletes like DeAndre Jordan, Al Thornton and Blake Griffin to find great opportunities on the break or in early offensive sets. That said, there’s no good reason that any Clipper possession should result in a 17-foot Telfair jumper — to say nothing of his four 3-point attempts. Whether it’s because he never had to shoot from distance as a ballhandling prodigy who could get to the rack at will or his stroke is fundamentally unsteady, Telfair’s outside shot is a fast-break elixir for opponents. When your team rebounding is as troubling as the Clippers, there’s no reason to be running Telfair around screens to launch from 20 [1st, 0:45].
- Rasual Butler is an effective tool to spread the floor in the halfcourt — and not a bad passer from the perimeter [1st, 10:00; 1st, 8:23] — but he’s not the guy you want creating from nothing when the shot clock is winding down. That’s simply not his game.
- You don’t want to put too much of a evidentiary premium on Friday night because a team’s 8th preseason game is essentially 48 minutes of garbage time, but Baron Davis’ shot selection conjured up last season’s nightmares. Watching Baron fire up bad shots in a meaningless game reminded me of something Dan Rosenheck wrote about the 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks. That season, the D-backs had a very good W-L record despite the fact that they’d been outscored over the course of the season. How come? One of the primary reasons was their propensity for using their mop-up guys in blowouts (i.e. garbage time), while reserving their better relievers for tight games. To the extent that Baron Davis needs…must…can’t help but launch low-percentage shots off the dribble, can he confine that compulsion to garbage possessions? That’s probably a lot to ask, but we can hope.
- Blake Griffin is so incredibly active on the defensive end, which couldn’t be a more pleasant contrast to Zach Randolph. But movement in the defensive halfcourt also demands anticipation and rotation from everyone else. There’s little doubt that Griffin’s mobility, balance and instincts are going to make the Clippers a much better defensive team, but there will be instances when he might be better served to stay home on his man, particularly when he’s guarding someone as dangerous and multifaceted as David West. If that means letting Hilton Armstrong have a shot one-on-one against DeAndre Jordan, then so be it.
Probably not something you want to see on a regular basis.
As Kevin Pelton asked in his twitter feed last night, at what point does DeAndre Jordan’s rapid development force the Clippers’ hand and trigger a transaction that gets DJ the minutes he needs to sustain that growth? It’s uncanny to watch DJ prowl the paint on the offensive end and, even more remarkably, defend the pick-and-roll proficiently. Is Jordan ready to play 35 minutes a night on a potential postseason contender? Maybe, maybe not. But if the Clippers want to maximize their assets — and they’ve demonstrated that they do — investing in DeAndre Jordan has to be a priority.
Al Thornton’s effort this month warrants praise. The third-year forward was told in no uncertain terms that his starting job was up for grabs, and he’s responded with fierce activity on the boards, and dogged defensive intensity. Thornton still might not be the appropriate starter for this Clippers’ squad, but whether he’s on the floor for the opening jump this season or comes off the bench, Thornton has proven that while he might not be a paragon of efficiency, he’s a model of professionalism.
25 Responses
I think it’s time to trade Kaman for a real 3. We have Camby, Jordon and Griffin and we’ll never get more for Chris than now. I think Jordon’s upside is greater and Camby will be the perfect mentor. TRADE KAMAN NOW AND LETS WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP.
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get serious Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:05 am
If our goal is to WIN, then make a decisive and cold blooded move to trade Baron. Kaman and Camby.
As long as these 3 are in the mix, we’ll continue to end up beaten no matter how hard Griffin, Gordon & Co. play.
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Oh, and I think the Clips should look at opening night against the Lakers as if it were game 7 of NBA finals. Gasol and Bynam might be out and it’s the kind of win that could really set the table for an amazing season. If we lose I’m afraid the air gets sucked out before we even take flight.
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Let’s judge DeAndre after a month in the regular season. He’s made huge strides, but there is a laundry list of players throughout NBA history who have had amazing pre-seasons and disappeared once the games actually started. There is a lot at play regarding the bigs and too many pieces to trade Camby or Kaman away now. First off, last night’s game notwithstanding, Kaman is the only big on the Clips who can make a consistent jumper. You cannot be a winning team with a trio of bigs who can’t make an outside shot. You just won’t win. It’s a fundamental need for a balanced team. Realistically, I don’t see the Clips trading Kaman away until after the season unless (A) Griffin’s jumper magically and consistently appears before the trading deadline and/or (B) someone offer’s up a 2/3 that’s just too hard to say no too (Caron Butler, Deng, Johnson, G. Wallace). I just think especially with DeAndre, when you hopefully have those tight games with the premier teams on ESPN or TNT the lights are BRIGHT and someone like Camby or Kaman are much more attune to them then he is…at the moment.
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john Reply:
October 24th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
good point…dj still has a lot to prove.
Camby has a decent midrange jumpshot, and the way blake works on his it’s gotta come around eventually…maybe not this year though.
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I’m all for trading Kaman………. down the line.
DeAndre is extremely promising and his potential is thru the roof but he needs at least one more year of seasoning before he is truly ready. And the way Kaman has played in pre-season (except for last night) he is clearly an asset to this team.
Let’s not jump the gun here and declare DeAndre the next Dwight Howard just yet. Let’s savor the front court depth we have which is second to none in the NBA right now.
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RL Reply:
October 24th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
lol wow.. and I thought I was the only one who thought DJ is reminiscent of Dwight Howard.
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I’m glad the hating on Al Thornton is diminishing. Those statistics that rate him as as the least efficient player in the league are completely biased against players who clocked a lot of minutes and points on teams that had a lot of losses. Notice very few Lakers or players from winning teams on that list. The list is filled with productive and reliable players on bad teams. The idea of points being “winning points” versus points being “losing points” is ridiculous. Points are points. The outcome of a game is a team level variable. If AT scores 30 in 40 minutes and the team loses by 1 point because another player doesn’t hit his free throws, or your primadonna point guard tosses up bad shots all game, that shouldn’t detract from the individual performance of another player on that losing team. Had the free throws by the other player been made, or the shot selection was better earlier in the game, or a turnover was not made here or there, those 30 “losing points” would be 30 “winning points”. SO, all statistics based on team variables should be factored out of individual level player statistics, unless a multi-level model is used — e.g. a hierarchical linear model that adjusts for differences in both team-level and individual-level variables. All those composites are really just conjecture, in terms of the weights used for team and player statistics.
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Kevin Reply:
October 24th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
You do realize that a truly successful basketball player does more than just score points, right?
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
First four games are going to be tough this season. If we can weather that, it’ll say a lot about how much our team has improved.
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jgroove Reply:
October 24th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Yep, 2-2 would be nice. 0-4 is not a good sign. I’m guessing 1-3.
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
No no no, you can’t even talk about trading Kaman or anyone else. The season hasn’t started yet guys. Here’s what we do, we see what this team can do and support them, not look for shortcuts to an eighth seed first round sweep by the hand of the Lakers. This team is capable of being better that, IF EVERYONE IS ABOARD. If the Clips stay healthy and continue to grow, theres no way you can tell me that we cant be where Portland was last year. Although they may be a bit better than us from top to bottom.
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Posted on October 24th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
So I noticed kfwb 980 didn’t broadcast the game like they are supposed to..
I’m in Thailand for 3 months and need my clippa fix…
who is carrying the games on radio?
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Chris. Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 12:48 am
u should get nba league pass broadband version if u have computer access, u can watch the games anytime, live or next day. i just moved to nyc and i’m getting it for tv. that or try espn radio, i think something on the nba.com website said something about that if u want a free option.
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Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 12:17 am
I agree with some of you on here, enough with the hating or wanting to trade Kaman. In case y’all haven’t forgotten, Camby may be gone next year & he’s old. Plus, Kaman’s value is not as good as it should be right now so it’s just plain dumb to suggest trading him. I like Deandre but the guy is young and green and he needs more time as the #2 C on the team eventually and not be thrust into the #1 spot right away. Between Camby & Kaman’s health risks he should get more PT this year which is a good thing and just right. Besides, trading a lottery pick sometimes top 5 center in the league for a 2nd round draft choice not named Gilbert Arenas sounds crazy.
Also, good props to Thorton, he was the only player who tried 100% & was worth watching 2 years ago when we sucked and he was a rookie. God forbid Gordon takes the usually sophomore slump back and y’all turn your back on him too.
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Curtis Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Agreed, there’s no way Kaman is going anywhere, and considering there aren’t too many solid center players out there, we’re lucky to have Big C.
As Chris mentioned, Camby’s in his final year, and unless he’s willing to take a significant pay cut and a short term deal, it’s likely we won’t see Marcus after this season, especially if DJ continues to make huge strides and Kaman being in our long term vision.
On the brighter side, come next season, we’re going to have a solid core and a ton of money to get a super star in the free agency. I may be biased when I say this, but if Lebron James doesn’t get a ring this season, I’d say his best chances of reaching that goal is either staying in Cleveland or coming to the Clippers. I know that’s a long shot, but hey, anything can happen.
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Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 12:56 am
why does everyone want Kaman gone? he can shoot the mid range and is versatile in the paint.. i notice Griffin is always hanging out with him. Chris is helping Blake yo
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humbleathletics Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
-the guy is as smart as a bag of hammers.
-he has no concept of how to pass out of a double team.
-he is injury prone and hasnt played close to a full season in the last 4 years.
-he is overpaid and takes up too much cap room.
-he has multiple mental breakdowns every game that have cost the team wins.
-he has amazing footwork and is ambidextrous but has never finished consistently.
-he is a below average on ball defender.
……….need i go on?
with all of this being said, i still would like to keep him on the team because of the positives he brings. most nights he controlls the boards. he is a presence in helpside D. he does command a double team and is our best option in the post. if he ever can finish and hit that jumper with consistency, he should be an 18/12 guy. problem is, he has never been consistent whether due to injury (mostly), focus, roster changes, switching medication, etc…
i am hoping he can come out focused and healthy this year and prove his worth to the team and value in the league. that way we can better evaluate the entire roster at midseason while having options to move and shake if necessary.
kaman plays better when he is loose and the team is having fun. i see a better blend of personalities and characters in the locker room this year and feel it will translate into better play on the floor from the team and specifically kaman.
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bongstradamus Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
It’s really hard to like Kaman when he gets paid $10m a season.
Stephen Jackson makes less than Kaman. Antawn Jamison makes less than Kaman. EmOkafor makes nearly the same. Comparing his salary to other people in the same range just shows how really far off the mark he is.
I mean, for what we pay him, he needs to show up. Hes either injured, or scatterbrained, or he surprises the heck out of you. If he was just more consistent or could really focus while playing I wouldnt have to much animosity towards him but more often than not he seems more like a liability than an asset, even during the games he seems to put it all together you can count on him turning the ball over at least twice.
Then to see offseason videos of submachine guns and pyrotechnics…I mean, you just want to roll your eyes. He seems more serious about blowing things up than being successful with his career.
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Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 8:52 am
This team can do well without Baron, Camby & Kaman. Try this-
Starting line-up
Griffin
DeAndre
Telfair
Gordon
Butler
BENCH
Craig Smith
Skinner/ new Center(after trade)
Thornton
Collins/ new PG(after trade)
K.Rush
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humbleathletics Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
what is your distorted interpretation of the meaning of “do well”?
i think this team could “do well” in a couple of years.
i guess it all depends on who we would receive in the trades, assuming it would not be expiring contracts.
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get serious Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
“do well” or we can say “play well” together. That’s what I meant. Baron brings some emotional baggage. His team-mates might not “feel” right with Baron for several reasons. He thinks lowly about Clippers just like everybody else in the league. You can see it on his expressions. Staying with the Clippers is just a business as usual for him.
Then there’s KAMAN. His team-mates know why he’s here. They know he doesn’t value basketball anymore. He’s enough money to take care himself. His loved ones told him not to bang his body and warned against getting injured. It’s not worth it. They’re just Clippers. If you want to play hard, join Lakers. That’s what Derek Fisher did. He went to Warriors for money. But did take pride in playing hard for them like did for Lakers. Beware of DEREK FISHER type of players. There are few of them in this league. KAMAN is one of them.
Oh, Camby. He’s still here. Nothing personal. He’s a great guy. I like him. But he should not think, he can continue to play when he never feels ready for practice sessions. IVERSON felt the same way.
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Euthanize Kaman Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Yes. Most teams that start a rookie and two second year players end up with great records…
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get serious Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Atleast no one will expect miracles from Clippers.
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Chris. Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 10:04 am
oh, so let’s put out a team just so “no one will expect miracles from Clippers?” That makes no sense whatsoever. We are better with Davis & Camby & Kaman, bottom line, expectations or not.
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Posted on October 25th, 2009 at 9:37 am
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