Let’s start with a modest consolation if you’re someone who believes that this season is largely about the maturation and long-term assessments of the team’s talent:
How much do the Clippers miss Eric Gordon when he’s not suited up?
The answer to that question gives you just as strong an approximation of Eric’s value as the advanced stats we’ve been examining the last day or so that show Eric to be indispensable.
Although Eric’s absence is evident, the Clippers first lose control of the game in the first quarter when they give up seven bombs from beyond the arc to the Hornets.
What happens? Slow rotations? Bad defensive coverage in transition? Let’s take a look:
- [1st, 9:25] Devin Brown/Right Corner: How much command does Chris Paul have over a defense? This will give you an idea. Paul pushes the ball up the left side, getting a quick screen from Emeka Okafor to his right that he passes up. He doesn’t need it because he leaves Baron in his tracks off the dribble, bursting into the paint in an instant. All five Clippers essentially collapse on him — including Rasual Butler who started at the help line (the edge of the right paint) and slid over upon Paul’s arrival. On the fly, Paul dishes to Devin Brown. 3PM.
- [1st, 8:14] Devin Brown/Right Corner: The Hornets earn this one in transition. They get out ahead on a missed Baron Davis layup. Paul races it up the right side, and Brown beelines to his spot in the right corner. Where’s Butler? As the first non-big back, he has to pick up Paul on the ball. Paul dishes it over to Brown. Both Butler and Al Thornton are late to close.
- [1st, 7:37] Peja Stojackovic/Left Side: The very next possession, the Hornets run a flex set. It doesn’t take much for Peja Stojakovic to lose Thornton. Al seems a little surprised by how quickly Stojakovic is on the move. Peja rubs Thornton off David West as he crosses along the baseline from the near side to the far side. For good measure, Peja curls around Brown on the left side before landing behind the line. Paul kicks the ball over to Peja, who catches and shoots in stride.
- [1st, 6:46] Peja Stojakovic/Left Side: After Thornton tumbles beneath the Clippers’ basket lurching for a rebound, the Hornets collect the ball and sprint up the court with numbers. The other four Clippers do a decent job of picking up their respective guy in transition. But Peja is the unaccounted for guy. He dashes to the left corner to receive the feed from Paul and drains the shot.
- [1st, 6:09] Devin Brown/Left Corner: Another easy three points in transition. With Okafor ahead of the field headed straight for the front of the rim and Butler the only body back, Butler gets between Okafor and the basket — only that leaves Brown to zip over to the left corner unaccounted for. Paul slings a skip pass from the right sideline to the left corner. Bingo.
- [1st, 4:16] Chris Paul/Left Wing: Three more in transition. This time Brown pushes the ball up. Again, the majority of the Clippers are quick on the backpedal. Baron is too, only he’s drifting back down the center of the court, not really accounting for Paul’s whereabouts. Paul pulls up beyond the arc and waits there, where he receives the kickout from a driving Brown. 3PM.
- [1st, 3:13] Devin Brown/Top Right: The Hornets generate this look out of a timeout in the half-court. With David West holding it up top on the left side, Stojakovic breaks from the right side, using a rub in the middle of the lane from Devin Brown. The Clippers respond to it well and switch. Butler now has Stojakovic while Ricky Davis, who was on Peja initially, stays with Brown … at least momentarily. Brown backs out to the area beyond hte arc. Meanwhile Ricky drifts low and left. Why? I have no idea. Peja is faced up against Butler on the left side. Even if Peja puts it on the deck and drives right, Marcus Camby is there. Theoretically, I suppose Ricky could help, but wouldn’t he rather stay home on the guy who’s already hit three 3-pointers? Ricky does neither. The funny thing is that Peja actually does what we wouldn’t expect him to do — he opts for the dribble-drive. But even though that’s what Ricky was presumably readying himself for, he’s actually late. Peja kicks it to Brown, who’s now all alone. Hornets by 10.
The Clips never make it a game, despite narrowing the lead to seven points. Once the defense adjusts, the offense begins to sputter. And it’s here where Gordon’s absence is truly missed.
Without Eric, the defense sags and the post guys never get the one-on-one matchups they want. Coming out of the half, the Hornets are particularly vicious collapsing on Kaman in the paint, at one point even doubling him off the ball down low. When entry passes go into Chris, he struggles to get the space he’s been able to procure for that jumper over the first seven games. New Orleans is simply all over him.
Both Baron and Chris need two shooters on the wing to perform at their full potential. Gordon and Butler stretch the defense, which allows both Baron and Chris to operate in the paint. Sometimes Baron posts his guy; sometimes it’s Chris starting in the post with the ball; sometimes they use the pick-and-roll together; sometimes Baron penetrates wtih a strong dribble-drive. Whatever the case, the defense can’t leave the wings, lest they risk giving Gordon or Butler an open look, provided Baron (almost always) or Chris (getting better) can make the kickout.
Without Gordon, the entire scheme changes.
This isn’t to pick on Thornton, but he just doesn’t demand attention at 23 feet. As Al’s defender, you can take side trips, so long as you know you can pick Al up at 15 feet if he gets the ball and slashes your way. Until that time, you can offer help on anyone who ventures into the paint with the ball. That makes life more difficult for Baron and Chris.
Prior to tipoff, both Gordon and Dunleavy expressed resignation that this groin issue might keep Eric out of action more time than they’d like. There’s a danger with this kind of nagging injury of coming back too early, before the body is fully healed. Even though the Clippers are eager to build some momentum, the feeling is that the best long-term course of action would be to keep Gordon sidelined until the groin is 100 percent.
You can’t fault that reasoning, but it doesn’t make the situation any less frustrating.
45 Responses
wow no one has commented …everyone is probably as pissed as i am….
it really annoys me when bums like devon brown have career nights against us where they dont miss (because normally we never hear from these guys ever again *see anthony morrow)
i bet the hornets dont have another game like this in a while
…just against us its like playing against the “Clippers” gives teams an extra motivation….
and we need to do something about that…
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 1:32 am
This game was just awful to watch. The Clippers started off playing well in the first quarter, but the Hornets were even better. It just got way too ugly from the start of the 2nd quarter until the end. No effort. Just inexcusable the way the Clippers played tonight. I know that missing EJ was a big blow, but we still have enough talent in this team to compete, especially at home to a struggling Hornets team. I just don’t know what to say about this game. I’m just glad it’s over and we can put this behind us. Time to get ready for the Thunder on Wednesday, who I think are better than the Hornets. It’s time to start to new winning streak.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 1:45 am
I’ve seen a lot of bad BAD Clipper basketball in my lifetime. Tonite was one of the most pathetic displays of basketball in recent years.
How these guys dare to (not) show up like this on their homecourt is simply beyond the pale.
The effort on D was atrocious without Eric – 9 NOLA 3s in the first half?! R U kidding me?! And most of them by an utter scrub, Devin something, who like so many other scrubs looks like an all-star vs. the Clippers. How many times have we seen this already?
And while the team deserves blame collectively I really need to point the finger at our esteemed leader, Baron Davis.
WTF was THAT?!
This guy does his best to ignore EGor when he is on the court because his ego will not allow for him to defer to our best player. Now that Eric is hurt and he doesn’t have to defer to him and can run the Baron Davis Show unimpeded – what happens?
NOTHING. 8 dimes. 8 points.
Wow, are you trying to outsuck Elton Brand, Baron?! Coz it sure looks like it.
I can’t believe Sterling has to pay you 13 mio. dollars for this garbage. 6 games in you’ve sucked in at least 4 of them. Your main stats are even WORSE than last year! Meanwhile old man Nash drops 20 dimes and 21 points on like 9 shots. Watch that tape – that’s how YOU are supposed to play, bitch!
Man, and we thought we had depth this year. The only depth I’m seeing is deep shit. And all it took was for EJ to miss a game for this club to get exposed mercilessly. Butler. Thornton. Bricky. Rush. 4 x garbage. No of them could defend a traffic cone of their lives depended on it. Hitting a shot seems like pure luck at this point.
Why the hell does Novak not get PT until the game is out of reach when none of these guys can’t hit? if we’re not gonna D up then at least put our best shooter out there to stretch the D for Kaman.
Thanks for nothing, Clippers.
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tons of fun Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 7:41 am
you want some cheese with that whine?
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Seth Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 11:02 am
This dude is a Baron Davis hater. He’s focused on trashing Baron instead of giving him props for any of his good contributions (and there are many). It’s funny, everyone and their momma is giving Baron good reviews, except for this dude. Stian, do us all a favor and jump on the Laker bandwagon. Your Clipper knowledge is useless.
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tons of fun Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
for real. baron has his flaws, but he’s not responsible for last night. i say it’s coaching. as a coach, you have to rally your team to make a comeback, which didn’t happen, and hardly ever happens. if so many players have tuned dunleavy out, then there must be something wrong with him.
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Stian Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
“everyone and their momma is giving Baron good reviews”
Smoking crack is bad for your health, Seth.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 2:47 am
Anyone read T.J. Simers’ column today? He really knows how to kick someone when they’re down. What a dick.
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Chris. Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Here’s the article link:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers10-2009nov10,0,2815603.column
It’s obviously a personal attack from somebody who admittedly doesn’t even watch Clipper games. He’s a loser who apparently doesn’t believe in 2nd chances.
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Q.D. Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 9:51 am
TJ has never had anything important to write. If some athlete saves a bunch kids from a burning bus, he’ll find a way to attack that player. He’s just full of nonsense.
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Curtis Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
In all honesty, I thought Ricky Davis played real well last night despite the crappy game.
Simers is a real d-bag and a complete ass-hole. If anything, in his attempt to tarnish and bash Ricky Davis’ reputation by repeatedly calling him a druggie, just had the opposite affect in my opinion.
Here is a no name reporter trying to attack a sensitive subject about a player who doesn’t have an outstanding impact on a less than marginal team for reasons completely unknown. I guess anything to evoke a reaction out of people.
The reporter is a running cliche; he highlights zero examples and has no evidence. Just cause the guy made a bad choice last year automatically labels him as druggie for the rest of his life?
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D.J. Foster Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
It was odd timing on the article – Ricky was playing hard in garbage time last night, even stepping in and taking a charge when the team was down 25.
Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 8:03 am
I’m going back and forth with Mr. Simers this morning via email..here is what we have so far (I deleted my last name):
Fritz
to Simers, T.J.
show details 9:30 AM (0 minutes ago)
So he “went stupid” and you responded by calling him a “druggie” three times…and made him a centerpiece of your column…a player who is marginal to the team’s rotation. So, you immediately lowered yourself to his level, and showed just how little dignity, class, perspective, and professionalism you have.
“the team continues to stink”…worn-out, cliched thinking. The Clippers have an inglorious history, no doubt…but even non-sports fans know that from watching the Tonight Show. Your column brings nothing new, interesting, or insightful to the narrative, not surprisingly, given your poor journalistic abilities. If you want to read how a good journalist covers the Clippers, read Bill Simmons.
- Hide quoted text -
On Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 9:06 AM, Simers, T.J. wrote:
Just the facts__he went stupid and team continues to stink
From: Fritz
To: Simers, T.J.
Sent: Tue Nov 10 07:01:51 2009
Subject: leave the Clippers alone
Hey T.J., why don’t you pretend that the Clippers don’t exist, and we Clipper fans will return the favor. Airing your personal vendetta against Ricky Davis just shows what a clueless hack you are…don’t you think it sounds a little stupid to call a marijuana user a “druggie” when you report for a newspaper in Los Angeles, a city where mary jane is for all intents and purposes legal?
Fritz
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Q.D. Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Just like his articles, he has nothing to offer in his response.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Gordon needs to come back pronto. I’m not a Clippers fan, but watching ‘em last night bummed me out. I’d been looking forward excitedly to the Griffin-Gordon combo in the off-season. No doubt, that will still be effing great – you guys just have to wait a little while.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Wow what a stupid article. If you want to pick on a “druggie” on the Clippers maybe you should start with Lucus. Not that it matters. I love reporters who don’t do their homework. Can’t you just google Rickey Davis and see how many minutes he’s played? And didn’t the NBA and 60 minutes do some big story… on the Birdman during the playoffs last year. And this is all over a little pot.
Well that’s what the LA Times has become. They’re doing anything to sell news papers cus they’re going bankrupt. They’re coming up with tons of BS stories to get a rise out of people (Not just in the sports section). It’s only a matter of time before the LA times is bankrupt and T.J. Simers is out of a job.
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Q.D. Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I’m glad that TJ doesn’t have a radio show anymore. His articles are bad, but his radio show was worse.
He would go on these rants that go no where. He would pick on Nate Robinson for being short, we all know he was short.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Al Thornton sucks
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 9:27 am
could telfair be more effective than davis
he defntly plays with more will
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Q.D. Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Telfair plays harder but is not a threat on the offensive end unless they are running.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 9:33 am
A tenth of the season done; 3 – 5… From what I’ve seen so far 31 – 51 seems about right… We’d better hope that Griffin comes back and makes a big impact, because we are far from much improved… We’re a bit better than last year and that’s it.
Baron looks better only when compared to the fat, unmotivated Baron of last year. Compared to the Baron of two years ago, he’s a bust. He’s a 5-7 million a year complimentary player earning double that… He’s now a decent, prematurely aging player, but not a star. This needs to become the Griffin, Gordon, Kaman team… And we’re not going to do well with only one of them on the court.
I wouldn’t mind moving anyone over 30… Because our vets aren’t getting it done.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I think you’ll find that Simers does an equally thorough job of kicking teams when they’re up, for what it’s worth. Regardless, the problem with this team isn’t a few jabs by a local humor column writer; it’s a lack of effort and an unwillingness to play team defense.
While Gordon’s out, how about we start Novak instead of Thornton so Kaman can have someone to kick it out to when the double comes. It’s not like Novak’s any less of a defensive presence than Thornton (which would be impossible). Really, there’s no way for the D to get worse–trying to find worse defense than we’ve seen these first few weeks of the season is like trying to predict phenomena past the event horizon of a black hole; to do so would incur a sudden rupture in the fabric of spacetime, and risk terminating existence as we know it.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 9:45 am
why don’t we trade ricky d and thornton for someone who can play defense?
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I only caught the first half, but it didn’t look like a bad half for the clippers. Baron was looking pretty electric, butler was hitting some 3s, and Kaman was racking up points much quicker than I noticed.
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tons of fun Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 10:10 am
yeah, i think it just got out of hand, and they just lost hope. when you’re used to losing (like last year), it’s easier to do. somebody (dunleavy) needs to get their hopes up.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Don’t know if anyone caught the post game show. There was about 20 of us yelling Fire Dunleavy in the background.
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ghost_ride Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Yeah, you had a field day yesterday. Even MacLean indirectly mentioned you guys.
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Joey D Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
FSN Prime Ticket is flat out dumb for shooting post game show outside where any jackass can be on camera (and now audio too).
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Joey D Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
For the record, I think Dunleavy needs to go too. But just because we agree on that point doesn’t mean you didn’t act like a complete douche bag last night while they were trying to do a show.
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
That’s your opinion. I think it’s very effective and puts further embarassment on Dunleavy and the organization. When you only give paying fans 1 and 1/2 quarters of basketball, I think it’s justified. I only got to watch Chris Paul play 24 minutes.
I guess Prime Ticket put the show outside cus they want fans yelling and screaming. Maybe they’ll rethink it for Clipper games.
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kibs Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
and in my opinion FD you are a F**kwit, and genuine supporters have to put up with your childish crap.
FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Yeah, I bet they’ll go back inside on Wednesday.
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SamMays Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Yeah, you should be very proud.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 10:27 am
i’m gonna throw this one out and move on to the next.
okc will be no picnic, but it’s a winable game with some max effort.
if they flat out lay an egg again…i dunno……fkn eh.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 10:32 am
OKC is a must win hopefully Camby can redeem himself and Dunleavy doesn’t choke on the rotation.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I do not know why TJ does not nickname L. Odom as druggie, he has been suspended twice for taking drugs.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Have to respectfully disagree with KA’s diagnosis. There will always be injuries and x factor’s and good coaches know how to adjust personnel and game plan changes to benefit their teams. Effort was flat last night, defense was abominable. Woeful game. Fire Dunleavy Now.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 11:48 am
yeah, i’m starting to think that the reason we’re not playing up to our potential is because of coaching. houston is playing well without yao and tmac, phoenix is killing even though they have a short bench. we have a lot of talent, and a deep bench. but we’re seeing the same struggles as we have been for the past few years.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Well, I for one enjoyed the game because I called my bookie and bet 500 bingers on N.O. I could see this smack down comin’ a mile away. When I saw the line was N.O. – 2, well, I was already counting my money. And I’ll probably double down on the Thunder if the line is even close. These are the Clippers gang. 3 wins over crappy teams. I’m going to clean up on these early season lines before Vegas realizes exactly how bad these guys are. Actually, they’d be better off firing Dunleavy and letting T.J. Simer coach the team. Al Thorton, Ricky Davis and Baron are going to help finance my new car because betting against losers like them is like taking candy from a baby. I can hardly wait until the next tip off!
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D.J. Foster Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
And this, friends, is how you get bad gamblers karma.
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TNT57 Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 11:58 am
500 dollars worth of bad karma…friends. Bring it on. At least somebody should win right?
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
We were playing okay in the 1st but NO’s 3 point barrage was really deflating.
Yes, the defense wasn’t very good but, even so, a team usually isn’t that lucky with their shooting.
Bottom line is this team, as they are currently coached, don’t have the talent to win consistently without Gordon and Griffin.
A guy like Adelman, who gets his team to actually move the ball and play defense can get results but if you have an ISO/matchup based offense and only have 1 guy who can create 1v1 consistently (Kaman) you aren’t going to accomplish much.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Not convinced John Lucas has head-coaching talent. He didn’t do much in San Antonio, but it’s unfair to base his resume on PHI and the pre-LeBron Cavaliers, no one could win with that “talent”. But I for one would jump for joy if MDSr. kicked himself upstairs and let Lucas coach. C’mon dude, enough is enough!
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FireDunleavy .com Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
If MDSr would go upstairs, he’d force the new head coach to use his playbook. It’d almost be like an Al Davis situation.
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Why not get a guy like Mark Jackson? No experience but he’s young and he’d be a players coach. I think there’s a generational gap here with these young ballers and these 50 and 60 year old men who have nothing in common with their players. Dunleavy is the epitome of a white, middle-aged man and there is no communication here at all. I say bring in some young blood to help create some chemistry. And I agree with Simers that you don’t want guys like Ricky Davis around these young guys. Not because he used pot, but because he isn’t an effort guy. He’s selfish and tired and that’sc2 things you don’t want rubbing off on the kids.
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Posted on November 11th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
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