Anaheim Kings? Anaheim Kings of Los Angeles? Seriously, the Kings could be the Clippers and Lakers neighbor to the south next season. The Sacramento Kings have been asking for a new arena in Sacramento for years now, in attempt to fight the decline of revenue and falling attendance. However, with the continual failures to get a new arena, the Kings will move to Anaheim, barring a last second miracle.
The fervency and attendance of the Kings’ fans was once a point of pride of the NBA. There’s a reason that the TrueHoop Blog is named Cowbell Kingdom. Clangs of cowbells and the cheers of fans used to rattle the arena and provide one of the toughest road environments for opposing road teams. Clearly, the fans exist in large enough numbers to support the team.
But that support has only come when the team has been good enough to compete. This year the Kings are 25th in the league in percentage of maximum home attendance (77 percent), but they’re also second to last in average home attendance (13,494 per game). However, a winning team not only isn’t guaranteed every year, but is impossible. Even elite organizations have had down years. The Lakers and the Celtics both had recent mid decade slumps and they’ve been the winningest franchises in the history of the sport.
Unfortunately, the Kings have struggled to lure free agents to make their team consistently competitive. The biggest free agents they’ve signed have been Vlade Divac in 1998 and Brad Miller in 2003, not exactly elite free agents. True, having a more attractive arena would maybe allow them to get slightly better talent, but they are never going to be able to compete with Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, New York, Dallas and Chicago from both a location and organizational standpoint. Even the Golden State Warriors, another historically bad team, have a better chance at luring free agents.
The reality is that the Kings, like so many other franchises, will probably have to relocate. But there is a bigger issue here, the NBA needs to figure out a way for every team to become financially solvent, whether it be in hard caps and franchise tags or contraction. The NBA can’t reach the point where mid and low level franchises don’t move every ten to twenty years because at some point, even strong franchises like the SuperSonics can fall into that low end and be moved, crushing the fan base. Some can be blamed on the ballooning of the contracts and the whim of the players, but the majority of the blame is towards the owners and the NBA. They begged for cities to build new arenas, allowed the cap, Bird Rights, expansion to all come into play trying to make more and more money and, in turn, have extended themselves to the point where the fans take the hit. Yes, they get entertainment, but they are the only ones that have a financial one way street and the NBA owners and the players need to realize this before they make a habit of burning bridges in cities around the country, even if they can only see the negatives by how it affects their wallets, because the habit of continually moving teams will be bad for business.
Keys to the Game
- Crowd. No it’s not 2001 again, Divac isn’t whipping passes to Webber or a good Bibby, but the Kings face a unique circumstance: relocation to Anaheim. The deadline to announce relocation? March 1st. The Kings fans will show the organization just how much it means to play in their home town and that added effort on their part could easily animate the Kings.
- Shooting Guard. When the Clippers wrecked the Kings at the beginning of the year, star sophomore Tyreke Evans wasn’t in the lineup. The second time the Clippers faced the Kings, Tyreke was in the lineup, scored 32 points and came within a free throw of tying the game in regulation. But Tyreke is laid up again. Instead the Kings will get minutes from the recently acquired Marcus Thornton at the shooting guard position (their team leader in PER). The Clippers are dealing with their own shooting guard absence, as it appears that Eric Gordon won’t play. EJ averaged 29.5 points in the Clippers two wins over the Kings, but with Randy Foye elevating his play (he scored a season high 32 points against the Celtics), the Clips might be able to survive the Kings.
- Rookie Bigs. DeMarcus Cousins has averaged 16.4 points and 10.3 rebounds over the last month, demonstrating his surprisingly refined post game. No one would confuse him or his attitude for Blake Griffin but don’t be surprised if DeMarcus’ length gives Blake problems from time to time, which could be the difference in the game.
Note: The Clippers waived Rasual Butler yesterday, and while it would have been nice to get a pick back for him, at least the Clipper didn’t let their mistake cost Rasual. He’ll be better off in Chicago, because he certainly wasn’t in the future plans for the Clips. Adios, Rasual, best of luck.
Injury Report
Eric Gordon: right wrist, day to day (out)
Tyreke Evans: plantar fasciitis, out
Hassan Whiteside: knee, out
Francisco Garcia: calf strain, out
Despite Randy Foye’s 32 points and 7 assists, the Clippers fell to the Boston Celtics. With the game close for the majority of the fourth quarter, looking for the reasons there would be understandable. There were plenty of missteps, Bledsoe turned the ball over repeatedly, the defense allowed consecutive back-breaking threes to Delonte West and a buzzer beater from Paul Pierce, the Clips couldn’t rebound the ball and they allowed the Celtics to shoot far too many free throws (11).
But the truth is that the Clippers lost this one, just like so many others, in the third quarter. According to Hoopsstats.com, the Clippers had won only one game and had lost a frightening 31 games when trailing after three quarters. There was one specific sequence that seemed to be the synecdoche for their failures. With just more than six minutes left in the third quarter, the Clippers had already given up the lead and then some. The Celtics had established a 3 point lead but the Clippers were fighting hard. Paul Pierce took a three that clanked off the rim and the rebound really should have gone to the Celtics, but Kaman touched it out, Bledsoe tipped it as well and then Aminu came down with it, magically. With Blake Griffin leaked out, Aminu flung the ball down the court only to pass it right to Ray Allen. Allen got it to Pierce who drew the foul and made both shots. Then Aminu was iso-ed on the wing, looking to take the ball to the hole and dribbled it out of bounds (without much pressure, mind you) and the Celtics got the ball to Pierce who made another pair of free throws. Bledsoe then brought the ball down, only to have Rondo it from him, drive the length of the court and lob it up for the KG slam. The Clippers played hard, harder than the Celtics, but they didn’t have the mental wherewithal to make a dent. They have so much exuberance and energy but they haven’t figured out how to harness it.
Even Blake Griffin, who we all love, hasn’t completely figured out the game, and he’s a coach’s son. He has developed a lot of individual skills, like rebounding, ball handling but when it comes to defending, he’s still lost. And he’s the best case scenario on the team, because Bledsoe and Aminu are still a ways behind having the individual skills. The lack of awareness is typical for the younger players, so there will be a natural learning curve, but the question will remain if VDN is the type of guy that can not only build up their individual skills but their team skills as well.
Randy Foye started out the game rough, with an awful pass thrown into the bleachers, a slip pass too far out for even Bledsoe to get to it, and bricked a shot. Didn’t seem like a very auspicious start. But then Foye threw a bad lob to Blake, probably 2 feet too far back, and Blake ratcheted back his arm, loaded the ball and smashed it through the hoop. Right after, Randy Foye had a surge in his game, immediately making a long jumper, dishing out two assists and then, from a Baron Davis-esque needle threading bounce pass from Blake Griffin, Foye slammed it home over the outstretched arms of Jeff Green. He scored another 10 points in the second quarter on 4 for 7 shooting and finished with 32 (4 off his career high). Many players can have one good play of their own spark even better play, but there’s something inspiring about Blake Griffin and how the electricity of his jams can stimulate everyone on the team.
I am warming to the idea of DeAndre Jordan as the nominal starter, setting the tone defensively and then having Kaman as the super sub. The Clippers didn’t even think about putting Blake on KG, and DeAndre handled his first minutes very well. He stopped KG twice in succession and then blocked a Paul Pierce layup attempt (And it wasn’t volleyballed, but bounced off Pierce and given to the Clippers). When Kaman came in, he went right to work, scoring 6 points on 3 for 4 shooting and it took Boston a while to snap out of their slump (granted it could have been just a normal Clipper third quarter). Kaman ended up with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Kaman is a much more polished player than DeAndre, it’s that simple. But DeAndre seems to fit better alongside Blake in that first quarter by blocking shots, rebounding and letting Blake get all the touches.
The Celtics had 14 offensive rebounds (tying a season high) and outrebounded the Clippers overall (29 to 26). The Clippers don’t have many advantages, they need to use their rebounding advantage all the time if they are going to beat the elite teams.
Atypical of the Celtics normal behavior, there weren’t too many scuffles, just the one when DeAndre Jordan fouled Ray Allen and Big Baby got in his face. What I like is that DeAndre didn’t back down, he needs to be more aggressive. Not that chicken songs aren’t great, but there is a time for being serious.
Without Baron, Blake was introduced to the fans last. It just seems right. Before I thought it was understandable because Baron was the star vet, but it always felt forced. Now the Clippers don’t have to worry about it anymore, just let Blake go last (and Gordon will probably be first).
Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Washington, and Charlotte.
Those aren’t the most imposing teams, and that’s the point. The Boston Celtics have lost 5 of their fifteen games to low end teams. Despite the Clippers season of giant slaying, they’re one of those low end teams, too.
The question remaining is if the Clippers can regain the momentum that they during that 9-4 January. The 2-9 road trip has done enough emotionally to the team that it would have been hard to right themselves even the continuity of the team remained. Such is not the case. Baron was the team’s best distributor and so the flow of the offense will have re-calibrate on the fly. Eric Gordon and Mo Williams won’t return to action until, most likely, Monday, so the Clips will have to lean on Bledsoe and hope for his return to his early season form if they want to beat the Celtics tonight.
Remember, amongst the big wins, the Clippers beat the Thunder and the Hornets without Baron and the Spurs with Baron as a super sub. A Bledsoe run team can still beat the elite.
Keys to the Game
- Boston’s defense. The Celtic’s have a comically good defense, and the stats back it up. Their first in points allowed, assists allowed, defensive rebounds allowed, three pointers allowed, field goals allowed and, not surprisingly, defensive efficiency. But watching them is even better, they have elite defenders at the point and power forward position (Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo) and their communication leads to the best rotations in the league. They play the bully a lot (at least they don’t have Perkins anymore), but if you’re trying to defend anything, doesn’t that make sense to be a little mean about it? The Celtic defense will be difficult to break down, and with the load of second rate bench bigs, the odds of Garnett going after one is pretty high (I’m hoping it’s the Rhino, he won’t take that). Clips need to not only stand their ground, but attack the basket with authority.
- Blake Griffin and Kevin Garnett. Everything is relative, but Blake has struggled against long defenders like Kevin Garnett (or Pau Gasol last night). But Garnett’s defense isn’t the only problem, he’s a handful on the offensive end as well. He’s averaging 17.2 points per game, a 21.2 PER and while he’s not the central offensive cog on the Celtics, he is one of the central cogs. He works great in the pick and roll, has that un-guardable turnaround fadeaway jumper and he’s still good around the rim. Blake has all the athleticism necessary and then more to handle Kevin Garnett, but KG’s heady intelligence and awareness is what Blake lacks.
- Rajon Rondo. If a more unique point guard plays in this league, I don’t know who it is. He’s an elite defender at the point, has impeccable feel and court vision, can rebound and is an impressively bad shooter. According to HoopData.com, once outside of close range, where he shoots 66.7 percent, Rondo’s shooting percentage drops precipitously. He shoots 34.1 percent inside 10 feet, 27.8 percent from 10-15 feet, 41 percent from 16-23 (more on this) and 32.3 percent from three (in only 31 attempts on the year). With his inability to shoot, teams lay off him, daring him to do that. For an elite perimeter player, the amount of wide open 18 footers he has is astounding (and the reason for that decent 41 percent from 16-23 feet). But what that space also allows him to do is take his time, get his players the ball when and where they want it. It’s a huge reason why the Celtics have the game’s highest eFG and FG percentage. They just get the best looks. With his speed and ability to finish around the rim, guards can’t play him close or he’ll blow right by them (sometimes with the help of a KG screen). The best is to hope that the Rondo’s defender can create havoc jumping in passing lanes and double teaming. Bledsoe has the athleticism and the aggression to do that.
Injury Report
Eric Gordon: right wrist, day to day
Shaquille O’Neal: back, out
Jermaine O’Neal: left knee, out
Are some potential debuts on the horizon? Mo Williams and Jamario Moon are most likely going to suit up Monday against Sacramento, but they may be available against Boston. The Celtics should welcome Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to their rotation for the first time as well.
Update: No Mo Williams, no Jamario. The trade still hasn’t been finalized.
It’s hard to get too upset by this one. The Clippers were waxed the Lakers last night at the Staples Center, 108 – 95, in a game that couldn’t have felt less like the last Battle of Staples Center. That game, although only a little over a month ago, now seems like something from another era. Eric Gordon was healthy. The Clippers were in the middle of winning 10 of 14 games. Baron Davis was defending Blake Griffin against the shoving of Lamar Odom in the final moments of a hard fought and deeply earned Clipper victory. Clipper fans were starting to whisper about the playoffs.
Tonight’s game was played in one of those lulls between moments. The past is on its way to Cleveland, while the back court of the future, Mo Williams and Eric Gordon, sat together behind the Clipper bench, watching in their suits. There was a disjointed quality to this game. The first two Clipper-Laker games this season really felt like rivalry games, intense and passionate, but the fragmented squad the Clippers ran out there tonight just couldn’t compete. Even the Lakers seemed a little confused.
At the end of the first half the Clippers were only down two points, 52-50, but there were some pretty obvious reasons to doubt the sustainability of the Clips’ efforts. They shot the lights out, particularly in the first quarter, where they made 11 of 21 shots, including 5 threes. Randy Foye was red hot. He had 17 at the break and was 4-5 from downtown. DeAndre Jordan – in what might have been the season’s unlikeliest play – closed the half with a coast to coast drive punctuated with a delicate finger roll. It was exciting stuff… but not the kind of stuff that’s easy to replicate in the second half.
Kobe had a particularly quiet first half, scoring only 6 points, and heading into the locker room early after he appeared to tweak his wrist trying to defend a Randy Foye jumper. Kobe came out in the second half wearing one of those AI sleeves, only this was purple and endowed, evidently, with magical healing powers. He went off in the third quarter, scoring 18 points on 11 shots – one more point, by the way, than the Clippers managed the entire quarter. It was one of those five minute stretches where – no matter what advanced statistics tell us – your eyes refuse to believe that Kobe isn’t still the deadliest scorer in the league. The Lakers put him on the move, and most of the baskets came on deep catch and shoots late in the clock – in other words, the kind of baskets where each one feels like a mini punch in the stomach. By the time he was done, the Lakers led by nearly 20, the game was in hand, and Kobe went back to the bench and didn’t play at all in a 4th quarter of extended garbage time.
Anyway. My expectations are pretty low for the Celtics game tonight. Until Mo Williams and Eric Gordon get on the court together, it’s impossible to assess the team — and probably also impossible to beat the Celtics.
A few individual notes:
Neil Olshey on the Clipper pregame on 980: “We don’t want to just make the playoffs next year. We want to be a factor.” Big words, and I wonder about their implication. If I had to read tea leaves here, I would say that Olshey’s unapologetic ambition for next year implies that the Clippers will try to move, say, Kaman and the T-Wolves pick for one more major piece, probably scoring from the 3 or a gunner off the bench. Otherwise I think he would take more of a Sam Presti line, and talk about developing the young talent at a reasonable pace, etc. etc.
Blake Griffin had a good game that could have been great. He had 10 rebounds to go along with 22 points on 7-18 shooting, but it was kind of a Bizarro night for Blake. There aren’t many nights that Blake looks more comfortable stroking his jumper than he does finishing at the rim. Tonight his moves at the rim looked a little discombobulated. Some of this came from the Lakers defense, which, predictably, chose to double and triple team Blake on practically every possession, daring Rasual Butler and Eric Bledsoe to hit shots. Still, you don’t often see Blake miss two alley-oop finishes, one of them so convincingly that Ralph was in the middle of calling it “a thunderous slam” before he realized the ball had skipped off the rim and out of bounds. And Pau Gasol, not usually known for his defensive enthusiasm, was all over Blake, harrying him at the rim and stuffing him twice.
Al Farouq Aminu continues to show tantalizing glimpses. What’s cool to me is that you can tell from the way he is playing that he’s getting good advice from his coaches, who must be encouraging him to focus on the process right now rather than on the results. Even when he was hitting 45% of his 3s it always seemed like fools gold to me, because his athleticism (in particular the way he can drive from the 3 point line to the basket with 3 giant steps) is far too good to just consign him to the corner and tell him to shoot threes. Aminu has been much more aggressive attacking the basket the last 10 games or so, and while it still hasn’t paid dividends in the box score, he already looks much more comfortable and integrated int he offense. Keep it up Chief.
There’s so much to like about Eric Bledsoe: his speed, his hustle, his length, a knack for finding offensive rebounds that can’t be taught. But his jumper is truly an ugly looking thing, almost a push shot, where he dips his right hand low to the waist and then heaves the ball. It’s a shooting style you see more often at the YMCA than in the NBA. Can a shot that looks like that ever be consistent? Someone call David Thorpe.
A few stray thoughts on Baron that I couldn’t manage to squeeze into my Baron column:
Could he fail his physical in Cleveland? How do physicals of injured players work? I assume there’s medical full disclosure and a trade can only be voided if some new injury is unearthed – like a heart problem, say – but I don’t really know.
That Kia Optima commercial that shows the Kia Dunk in slow mo is now officially the world’s saddest/most ironic commercial. Just look at Baron popping out of the sun roof. Look at how ecstatic he is as he watches Blake rise over him, briefly eclipsing him, and then slam the ball home. Who knew that the Dunk Contest, of all places, would be the Final Good Time for Baron in L.A?
I don’t know what I expected the broadcast to do for Baron – a highlight reel tribute? some final thoughts from Milph? – but the quickness and enthusiasm with which everyone endorsed the deal was surprising, considering how much Milph always seemed to enjoy Baron. Early in the game Dain Blanton, of all people, voiced unequivocal support for the move, not stopping at pointing out Mo Williams strategic strengths (consistent outside scoring, a good fit with Eric Gordon as a combo guard) but going on to say that “everyone in the locker room” was excited that the team now truly belong to Blake and EJ. I’d like to know who “everyone” in the locker was.
Am I the only one who yells “There’s some really good energy in here right now” every time Rasual makes a shot?
Chris Kaman is starting to look like Chris Kaman again. This must especially please the Clippers because according to the L.A. Times’ Lisa Dillman, the plan is to try and move Kaman this summer. The more he plays like he did tonight – grabbing nine boards and scoring 10 points in 19 minutes – the more the Clippers can get for him. He’s starting to look very smooth again on that little 10 foot baseline shot, a shot that has always been his bread and butter when he’s playing well.
Good to see Willie Warren get a little run. He took some off balance shots, but basically you have to like what you see. Like Olshey’s other picks, Aminu and Bledsoe, Warren uses his energy and athleticism to fill up a box score, passing out 4 assists and grabbing 4 boards in only 9 minutes. It would be nice to see a little more of him before he’s inevitably sent back down to The Jam.
Call me a cynic, but Kobe Bryant winces more than any other athlete I’ve ever seen.
Today’s preview will be a bit different, as Brian Kamenetzky of the Land O’Lakers Blog talks Clips-Lakers with me. First, I ask BK.
BM: With Derek Fisher aging but the Andrew Bynum back in the lineup, how have the Lakers done against quick point guards like Bledsoe? How good is Derek at funneling opposing pgs to desired areas? Has the shot blocking of Bynum and Gasol been an effective deterrent?
BK: I tend to see the whole talking point of the Lakers being unable to guard quick PG’s to be a little overdone. Yes, Derek Fisher on an island is going to get beat off the dribble by every other point in the league, but that’s true of virtually anyone. I once aked Aaron Brooks, about as quick as they come, if he could guard Aaron Brooks. He said no. The bigger question is how the unit works together, defending the pick and roll, switching and recovering, and so on. And things like directing penetration to the places the Lakers want it to go.
While Fisher certainly struggles to keep players in front of him, he’s still their best guard at busting through a screen, and definitely has the best understanding of how to direct an opposing player towards help. To say he’s a brilliant defender would be, at best, disingenuous, I just tend to think his shortcomings are overblown. It’s as if the elite PGs in the NBA build their stats only by playing the Lakers, and everyone else shuts them down. Last year, the Lakers eliminated Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, and Rajon Rondo.
Clearly they, from Fisher on down, can’t be that bad.
As for the deterrent, Bynum is certainly capable of making an impact, as he did Tuesday against the Hawks, when he blocked three shots and altered countless others. Gasol is, when his legs are under him, an underrated defender. So much of it is based on getting the defense set, which means avoiding turnovers and bad shots at the other end. When the Lakers get teams into half court sets, they’re pretty effective. Sometimes dominant.
BM: A rare road win in Portland, another team like the Clippers that likes to throw a lot of alley-oops. How aware were the Lakers in stopping the oop? Do they do anything differently on defense?
BK: There was a first half mid-post P and R where LaMarcus Aldridge slipped off the screen, behind the defense, and threw down a lob from Andre Miller… but that’s the only one ringing a bell. The Lakers certainly can be victimized by a solid back door cut, whether because their attention periodically wanders on that end or they feel compelled to overplay penetration.
But I don’t think they’re any more prone to the oop than any other team. At least in the halfcourt. In transition, the floor tends to open up a little more, particularly when the Lakers are feeling generous with turnovers.
BM: After losing to the Cavs on the road, rumors with Melo, what do you think of the Lakers inactivity around the deadline?
BK: It would have been nice to use the trade exception earned in the Sasha Vujacic deal, worth about $5.5 mil, to acquire a little more depth. Perhaps a wing capable of creating his own shot (an O.J. Mayo type), or some help with the point. In the end, though, improving themselves significantly through a trade would have required someone deciding to do the Lakers a favor- not generally the reflex of G.M.’s across the league- because the Lakers just don’t have many assets to offer appealing to other organizations outside core players on the team (meaning a trade of Andrew Bynum). Nobody, for example, was beating down Mitch Kupchak’s door to take on Ron Artest’s contract.
At some point, the Lakers will likely have to find another big to take the “Break In Case of Emergency” backup center role currently occupied by the still-injured Theo Ratliff, who may miss the rest of the year, but that’s a move truly on the margins they can address when the need arises. With in an extremely high payroll making it tough to add more salary, and it’s easy to see why they didn’t make a move. Even more fundamentally, though, looking at three straight Finals appearances and consecutive titles, the Lakers simply aren’t interested in busting up the team.
Nor should they be, really. Sure, the Lakers haven’t met expectations, but they’re still at the center of any legitimate championship conversation. A third straight Larry O is still viable.
Brian turns the questions to me now.
BK: What impact does moving Baron have for the Clippers, on the floor and off? How does Mo Williams fit in?
You asked me to keep this short, and then asked a question that I could write 30,000 words on. Is this some sort of torture?
Moving Baron really was all about the future of the franchise. After all, the Clippers aren’t making the playoffs this year. The Clippers saw that Baron’s contract was preventing them from pursuing free agents this year and the following year. By bringing in Mo Williams they save at least $8.5 million and more likely $12.5 million and even more if you count the salary of the draft pick that they gave up to get rid of Baron.
There is one sneaky tenet that this trade assumes though, that players will want to come to the Clippers to play. I know there is Blake and Eric Gordon, even the other rooks Aminu, Bledsoe (and maybe Willie Warren) have potential. But there still is the fact that Donald Sterling owns the franchise. Not only a poor historical precedent from a effectiveness standpoint, but also not someone famous for being a good guy, you know?
Don’t confuse this with a pure salary dump. Baron Davis has great vision and has been playing his best as a Clipper in the last few months, but he’s not what he used to be. Sure, he hasn’t been launching long threes, but his shot still isn’t good. He’s really only a threat when he’s going to the basket or on the break and the Clippers need more space around the bucket, they’re not standing around the perimeter like the Magic. DeAndre doesn’t take shots outside of 5 feet, Aminu has lost his touch from deep, Bledsoe hasn’t quite found it yet, Eric Gordon is still injured. This team needs some outside shooting, especially from the guard position. Mo Williams fills that role. Additionally, after a few years playing alongside LeBron he’s accustomed to playing off the ball, which will be of help considering that Bledsoe will need experience running the point.
Williams is much younger and this trade, as Olshey said, was contingent on Mo waiving his first player option (after this year). If Mo stays the length of his contract, which seems likely, he’ll be 30 when it ends.
BK: What do you think the Clippers did effectively in the first two games against the Lakers to keep the games so close, and can they replicate it Friday night?
BM: The biggest influence on the game hasn’t been so much what the Clippers have been doing, but how the Lakers guard Blake Griffin. When Lamar covers Blake Griffin, BG has no problem getting good looks, he only really struggles when he has Artest or Gasol on him. In the first matchup, Artest took over at the end and led to some timely steals. In the second game, the Lakers went away from Gasol covering Blake half even though Blake went 1 for 9 in the first half and the switch resulted in a Clipper victory. But with Bynum back, the Lakers don’t have to worry about Gasol as much, so I’m hesitant to believe that Blake and the Clippers will fare as well.
BK: One of Neil Olshey’s big selling points on Vinny Del Negro was that his Bulls teams always were stronger in the second half of the season than the first. Has he had that sort of impact on the Clips? In what ways have they improved this year as group?
BM: I do think it’s admirable that the VDN Bulls played their best basketball in March and April, but I’m wondering how much of the VDN Bulls’ improving records had to do with the timing of the teams’ road trips. Bulls have the Circus Trip in November and Lakers fans understand the annual February Grammy’s trip that the Clippers have to endure. But the timing of road trips, both for those Bulls teams and the Clippers this year, could be a partially masking factor for improvement in the case of the Bulls or regression in the case of the Clippers.
Young teams struggle on the road and the Clippers are no different, their woes exacerbated over the course of this last road trip. It’s true that they were really improving during their home heavy stretch in January, but the Clippers have reverted to their early season problems. They turn the ball over, they have terrible third quarters, and they look lost on defense.
The Clippers lost Eric Gordon, who is almost as integral to the team’s identity as Blake Griffin, so the regression is due to his absence as well, but the last two weeks have been frustrating. Randy Foye has taken over EJ’s role, playing off the same flare screens and used as a ball handling guard on occasions when Baron was on the bench, but he has no where near the consistency that Eric does, which is evident when he’s throwing up 3 for 13-ish stinkers like he has two of every three games on this road trip, Then, overcoming the obstacles for the rest of the team is near impossible.
The Clippers don’t have the same margin of error that better teams do, and minor improvements can’t make up for huge absences when there isn’t a system capable of filling in for the injured players. I have no idea what the Clippers would do if they lost Blake.
4) Now that Kaman is back in the lineup, what are the Clippers getting out of their frontcourt combinations?
Evaluating the front court combos is difficult at this juncture because Kaman has been slowly added back to the rotation. He played 10, 18 and then 25 minutes in the last three games, his last game being his most effective on the offensive end. He scored 14 points on 6 for 11 shooting. Blake Griffin is still getting his points (26 points on 56 percent shooting), which is a nice change for Blake and Kaman from the beginning of the season. There are still times when Blake, because he’s such a good passer, will throw Kaman an entry pass into the post, but Blake’s not used to dealing with that kind of offense and he doesn’t seem to cut or space out enough, limiting Kaman’s effective space. Something that can be worked out in time though, and because of Kaman’s injury, they haven’t had that yet.
However, DeAndre only played 16 minutes in the last game and 22 minutes the game before and hasn’t been as productive in either game. To be fair, DeAndre hasn’t been as good lately, but it’ll be interesting to see how this will affect his development.
Thanks to Brian for the questions, much appreciated. Check out their site.
