Ed Note: I’ll spare you guys the Star Wars comparisons this time. You can hear me Jar Jar Binks the whole thing in the last segment of ClipperBlogLive. It was as awful as it sounds, but hopefully still entertaining. — D.J.
How you view this game largely depends on whether or not you’ve fully adapted to the new Clippers psyche. Let’s break this thing down with the two different viewpoints.
With Chris Paul back in the lineup, the Clippers lost 96-91.
Old Psyche: Sure, Chris Paul was back — but did he do anything? Paul was 2-for-8. He had 4 points. The majority of his assists came on the perimeter, not at the rim. The corpse of Derek Fisher outscored him, so you know he wasn’t himself. If he’s healthy, it’s a completely different story. Really, it’s promising the game was so tight without him playing well.
New Psyche: It doesn’t matter if Chris Paul wasn’t at full strength — he’s a better point guard than Fisher on one leg. It’s inexcusable that with all the talent on the perimeter, Andrew Goudelock put up more points than Paul and Billups combined. Why can’t the Clippers offense consistently create good looks? This is a coaching problem.
The Clippers shot 37-for-87 from the field (42.5 percent) for their 91 points.
OP: Hey, the Clippers are a jump-shooting team. Sometimes they just don’t fall. You know what’s great to take away from this game, though? The Clippers got up 21 more shots than the Lakers. They’re winning the possession battle just about every night because they’re rarely turning the ball over. If the backcourt doesn’t have an outlier of a night shooting the ball (11-for-41 between Paul, Billups, Williams and Foye), they probably win this game by 20.
NP: Relying on jumpers is not a sustainable way to win basketball games. What if they go cold for an entire week during the playoffs? Is that going to be the calling card for a Chris Paul/Blake Griffin led team? 19-foot jumpers? This is a coaching problem.
Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol combined for 42 points on 15-for-24 shooting.
OP: There’s no shame in this. Gasol is one of the most skilled big men in the game, and Andrew Bynum is a load in the paint. Not to worry — we’ve seen this song and dance before. Bryant will go into takeover mode when he doesn’t have to, and Bynum and Gasol will become non-factors. Tonight, they just played like elite talents who were finally properly utilized.
NP: Why have so many other teams figured out how to slow down Pau Gasol, but not the Clippers? He was just coming off an 8-point game against Indiana! Why didn’t they double down off Fisher or Barnes and make those guys beat them? Why was human foul and rebound machine Reggie Evans left on an island to handle Gasol all by himself in the second quarter? It’s a concern that Griffin and Jordan are getting ran over by good frontcourts. This is a coaching problem.
The defensive lapses down the stretch came up again, as the Lakers came from behind and stole the win.
OP: Defensively, the effort was there. Caron Butler made Bryant work and got a hand up on most of his shots. Of course, Bryant getting buckets was inevitable and it’s understandable that Bynum and Metta were going to get away with some things once the game became even more physical. History says that Chris Paul’s team will be better than Kobe Bryant’s team in the game’s final minutes 9 times out of 10. Look — the Lakers were just better tonight.
NP: Nope — that’s too many games in row where the Clippers have yielded open looks when their defense is supposed to be getting tighter. The need for a wing defender is still a glaring one. The crusty old Lakers found a way to get blocked shots and steals towards the end of the game — why couldn’t the Clippers? The defensive rotations are slow and often unpredictable, and the closeouts are half-hearted at best. This Clippers are 23rd in defensive efficiency and can’t cook up ways not to rely so heavily on Billups and Butler to be fresh and active defenders on the perimeter. This is a coaching problem.
It’s crazy to think that we’ve arrived to the point where no loss is acceptable and there are no moral victories, but here we are. Which side do you stand on? Are the Clippers in trouble or not? Is it no longer okay, given all the talent, that the Clippers get outplayed by a championship contender?
Yours in the comments section.
41 Responses
What I wanted to know is why Del Negro managed the minutes the way he did. It’s quite unusual to Griffin to go out of the 1Q after just 8 min and finish the half with only 13 min. The 19 min for the second half was more like normal, was Del Negro too concern about the back-to-back? Butler was the one that logged the highest minutes with 34.
The frontcourt thing just show that they need more biggies and that Griffin can’t be the only one with a post game. If the is the only threat, it gets way easier to defend him on the post. 3 ball from the Clips stopped to fall while the Lakers 3-pt fell.
But there is one really important thing, the Clippers have been winning the Rebound battle lately, in almost – if not all – the latest games, that’s good.
Oh Matt Barnes, you should stay shut and stop trash talking when you can’t back it up with plays instead of words, it’s just too ridiculous and embarrassing! LOL.
Clips4 Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:10 am
Blake was in foul trouble during the first half.
Renato S. Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 4:37 pm
Not really, as far as I remember he had 1 foul in the 1Q and another in the 2Q, he didn’t have 2 in the 1Q or 3 in the 2Q.
Del Negro never took Griffin out of the 1Q just because he had 1 foul, even more with 4 min left. And it’s was even weirder since he took some time to put him back in the line up in the 2Q, even if it was about foul trouble he would usually put him right away in the 2Q and after that he didn’t let Griffin finish the 2Q either.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 4:02 am
I do not think the clippers are in trouble, but we have two tough games coming up and should we lose those then we’d be at 9-8 record and the FIRE VINNY movement will hit full blown alarm status.
My gut instinct is that this guy cannot coach us to a championship. As you mention D.J., depending on jump shots is NOT an offensive system we can rely on especially come playoff time. We need to hit the block more often with Blake, and even though his shot was falling tonight, I am not convinced yet that it will consistently.
We will not win every game, but the fact that we do not accept moral victories is a positive sign that our collective psyche as Clippers fans is transforming for the better. With this loaded roster, there are no moral victories and we should be able to compete in every single game.
A Few Suggestions:
1. I think you guys should read and answer listener e-mail / tweets on the show. Just make it a segment and chose one or two of the best ones.
2. I also think you should patch in listeners to come on live to the show, **cough cough**, to increase fan participation and keep the momentum of this Clippers Live podcast rolling.
Renato S. Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
G+ Hangout! It would be perfect!
D.J. Foster Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Definitely some good suggestions. We’re working on creating easier ways to patch listeners in so they can call, but for now, you can Skype the name ClipperBlogScreening and we’d love to take your call.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 8:01 am
Griffin shooting a three in the last minute??? Coaching decision???
QD Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 10:24 am
Doubt it, he was open but decided to step back for a three.
Renato S. Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
But if you think about last season and even this one, Griffin hit some buzzer beater 3s…
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 8:05 am
I was pissed in the moments after this loss, but after I gave it some thought, the credit for this goes to Metta.
If I were Vinny, I would let him put up 3′s all night long. The fact that that shot was the back breaker, doesn’t mean it will *ever* happen again.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 8:33 am
When Eric Bledsoe returns, the Clippers should get more penetration. Plus the Clippers really should consider bringing Marqus Blakely. He is a much more athletic Ryan Gomes…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT8lSOKL3yM
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 8:38 am
I watched the game, I’ve reviewed all the numbers, I see no glaring weaknesses. The Lakers, and Clippers both played a good game. I make no excuses, but I do demand accountability for what happened. I think I got that from the responsible parties. C. Paul was not happy with the result, and left the game visibly upset, its important that its not ok. Heres’ the thing. The Clippers played well enough to get the game to the closer. Sure, our set up man (C-Billups) didn’t do that great a job setting the tables, but the game could still have been closed out by our closer, C-Paul. Nothing more than a blown save, these things happen, we can’t win every game. It’ll be nice to beat the Lakes every time out, but nothing we can do now but get ready for the Grizzlies tonight. The Clippers played well enough to win, but our closer let them off the hook.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 8:56 am
it seems like nothing more is ever offered besides fire vinny del negro. if the clipps don’t make it to the second round of the playoffs with a strong push to go further, fine fire him. but it’s just a broken record around w/out much substance. this team had almost no training camp and they are still learning on the fly. at times they look horrible, but so does every team in the nba. they’re still leading their division and have the 4th best record in the west. when was the last time you could say that about the clippers?
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 9:34 am
My biggest problem with our offensive this year has been Blake’s tendency to take 8 to 10 16-23 foot jumpers a game! I don’t understand when he thought stepping out to the perimeter and shooting a shot that he makes around 40% of the time, instead of playing physical, post basketball, where he makes close to 70% of his shots. It’s starting to get incredibly frustrating because what’s the point of CP3 carving up the defense just to dish to Blake 19 feet away from the basket?
Defensively, I just don’t understand why there’s no sense of urgency to close out by the wings. Billups and Butler are CONSTANTLY caught jogging to rotate to the open man. It’s why Rubio got the wide open look on Friday night, it’s why MWP was SO wide open for his 3-pointer (I don’t care who is taking the shot, no one should be left that wide open with no effort to contest the shot). There are plenty of other weaknesses on D, but the lack of young athletic wings that are defensive stoppers is going to kill us when it really counts this year.
I understand that we are only 4 weeks into the season, and 6 weeks from the day “Training Camps” (if you can even call it that) opened. The Heat started out last year 9-8 and that was with summer league, a full training camp, and no lockout to deal with. They went on to win 21 of the next 22, ended up with the second best record in the East, and made the finals, with a top 5 rated offense and defense. There’s absolutely no reason the Clippers can’t right the ship because honestly, the Clippers have all the pieces that Miami had, and then some. VDN needs to step it up and show that he is capable of being a Captain and commanding his troops to give 110% for 48 minutes, and not this half-assed ball we’ve been witnessing during stretches of games. If VDN can’t figure out a way to do that sooner rather than later, maybe he isn’t the right guy for the job.
Tim Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 10:46 am
Blake is being left alone for the most part for wide open looks, beyond 10 feet. Blake can elevate, and has the form to be deadly from 10 to 20 feet from the hoop. Once he develops that shot, and is deadly consistent with it, he will be unguardable. He already is if you think about it. Pau tried to guard Blake out there, and he blew right by him, and Blake coming full speed at the hoop? There was nothing Bynum could do but get posterized on the double-clutch dunk. No, we need Blake to take and make that shot. He has to develop that in this system. Like it or not, it’s the Blake show, he does the heavy lifting, he’s going to get the lions share of our points, and Paul is going to close, Caron, and Billups will get theres, but I’m ok with Blake being the #1 option, but when the game is close and its crunch time, CP3 has to be able to close it for us.
Alex Ross Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:08 am
I didn’t say he shouldn’t be taking shots from 16-23 feet, but he’s a 6-10 power forward who has an inconsistent at best midrange jumper. Until he’s automatic like Dirk is or like Karl Malone was, then 10 shots from 16-23 feet is absolutely horrid and will kill any offensive momentum the team has. We have CP3, Butler, Billups, and Williams who should be taking those shots, not Blake. I don’t mind Blake taking 4 or 5 shots MAX from out there, but when Blake is as efficient as he is from the post, it does a number of things for the offense. First he gets points from the block. Second, if he’s hot from down low, teams HAVE to double team him, which typically leaves Williams or Butler (who play the weakside, opposite of Blake), and they can rain away from 15 to 26 feet. Third, when Blake is getting points from down low, his confidence goes up, meaning when he sees the paint being jam packed, he can step out for a 15 footer.
Instead, Blake settles for spending about half of his time on the offensive end sitting in the high post, near the perimeter. You don’t develop an outside jump shot by missing 60% of your shots in the game. All its going to do is make Blake get down on himself and get into the mindset of “I know I can make these shots, so I’ll keep shooting them until I do”, instead of the right mindset of “I’m gonna pound the crap out of their front court, make them foul me, out rebound me, and then when they think I’m only gonna gonna play within 6 feet of the basket, I’ll step out and rain on them”.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 9:52 am
My biggest problem is the 2nd unit, I would like to see Billups as the PG in the 2nd unit. It would calm the 2nd unit and give us a second scorer w/ Mo in the unit.
JoeLuis323 Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:06 am
Not time to panic yet. We lost a tough game Vs an elite team that played to their full potential. I except that this is going to happen, Ima go on a limb and say 7 out of 10 times we’ll beat this same lakers team esp once out pieces glue better.
The positives is that Blake was good in shooting from the perimeter and seems to have added a few more postup moves. He was taking less ball touches but being efficient. He was playing with some fire and he was able to adjust to the lakers physical and lenghty forwards. Blake couldn’t be stopped by the two Bigs! (yes he got blocked but then he adjusted) he’s added a few more weapons to his arsenal and if he plays like this he wont be denied of his basket.
Goudeluk putting more points than CP3 and Billups combined! This is pathetic and that alone lost us the game. I bet it wont happen that often. (hence my 7out of 10 prognostic).
VDN will only matter during the last minute of a close game, and in playoff time. We got veterans that can serve as coach/mentors and essentially they can make their own calls.
FYI Laker fans get thunder sticks and we clips don’t WTF – can anybody pass this memo to The Donald! (might’ve been why Billups missed a few free throws)
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 10:25 am
I think the only reason we hear “Fire Vinny!” is because it has to be done. If the plays we ran late in the game are the plays Vinny is drawing up than he is just awful. I know our expectations are extremely high, but they should be.
I was yelling at my tv last night about his substitutions, I truly think there is no rhyme or reason. Vinny is a nice guy, but as a coach? He might be the worst in the league. Remember, he left Chicago and they became a significantly better defensive team. I think most of the blame is going to fall on our coach and I think he deserves it.
Alex Ross Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:13 am
To be fair, Thibs is by far the best defensive coach in the league, and there’s a reason why Boston won the Championship in 2008 behind Thibs incredible defensive schemes. Once you put that defense in place, it makes your offense even more dangerous. Remember, EVERYTHING starts with good defense.
VDN took a very unpolished Derrick Rose and a bunch of nobody’s to a 82-82 record over two years, and two playoff appearances. For a first time Head Coach, that’s not a bad track record. And our offensive has actually gotten significantly more fluid as the season has gone on, which is why we are Top 5 in offensive efficiency (I think we still are at least), but it’s up to the players to execute the offense down the stretch and when things aren’t going well. No matter how poorly they are shooting, these veteran guys should know how to find ways to make things work, instead of just forcing jumper after jumper, ESPECIALLY when the shots just aren’t falling.
Clips4 Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:14 am
When will we get to see a twin tower combo of DJ and Solomon Jones in to spell Blake?
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 10:42 am
I can understand why everyone wants to “fire vinny” but who would you bring in? Is it viable? Do we start from scratch again?? When does vinny’s contract run out?
Clips4 Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:15 am
VDN’s contract is up this year with a team option for next year. Flip Saunders is on the market and Flip would be salivating at the chance to coach the Clippers.
bongstradamus Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Flip sucks.
JVG or Sloan please.
JoeLuis323 Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:22 am
Mike D’ antoni will be available soon. LMAO!.
Im sure we can allure phill jackson, but only if Donald Sterling has a young hot daughter. (the dude has everything else!)
Do i hear the name Bryan shaw and his triangle? LMAO I’d rather take Mark Jackson or avery johnson b4 Shaw.. but they’re taken.
Jerry Sloan would b our best option but his game has aged. and he hasnt been able to keep up.
I’d say keep VDN during this season and see where it leads us just because of his motivational speaking skills and bcause there’s not much outhere. I mean this guy came out of popovich’s schooling didnt he? something must’ve rubbed on. (I may change my mind during mid-season) if we get D12 we might want Van gundy to come along (pipedreaming here)
Clips4 Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
the triangle would murder cp3
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 11:06 am
I still can’t believe we hired him over Dwayne Casey…
RL Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 11:39 am
Ya me too… Just look at what he’s doing with the Raptors… they’ve become world beaters with Casey as their coach.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 11:09 am
Look, I hate to make excuses, but we all here know that a healthy Chris Paul who hadn’t sat for 10 days without playing, would have won that game, and no one would be crying fire the coach, or questioning shot seletion. Everyone did their part, but our closer didn’t get it done. We win and lose as a team. There were enough good things that happened last night, like out rebounding the twin towers again, that you can’t blame the coach. We didn’t get production from someone who is good for 18 every night, and way more vs the top teams. The rust will wear off, the wins will start flowing, we held another team below 100 pts again. We just didn’t close it out. The coach, the players, and roster is fine, no changes. E-Gor a free agent? Nah, just kidding, Olshey pls do not go there.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 11:28 am
Too early for the Fire Vinny calls. One plus the Clippers have over Chicago is that Paul and Billups are veterans that can take over. I’d rather have a different coach though.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 11:40 am
Great article. That OLD PSYCHE has always driven me crazy. If we can’t move on from that kind of “Mike Smith” type psyche, this franchise is going nowhere. There is only room for the NEW PSYCHE from now on.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 11:46 am
Agree with Tim. Del Negro not perfect,but the offense bogged down at the end because everyone left it to Chris to take over as he usually does & he was not ready to do it after not having played in 5 games However,it was clear pretty early on that he wasn’t himself & it might have been better to have Mo in the game when it was apparent they were having difficulty scoring after he went out. He’s like Jason Terry who’s always in the game at crunch time. The Clippers are fortunate to have 3 terrific veteran guards who can usually make the right decisions when it counts. The only other one they’ve had in the last 20 years who could do that was Sam Cassell.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
What I saw that apparently nobody else saw: Blake is STILL not ROLLING on the PNR. I was screaming at the TV “Damn it Blake! ROLL!” This is definitely a coaching problem. Whether he’s being told not to roll, or feels intimidated… WHATEVER! VDN needs to make Blake roll and stop hanging out in no man’s land after the pick.
A glaring need is not only a wing defender, but a slasher. Chauncy’s a step slow and not getting the calls driving in with his old tricks. We need a Maggette-esque slasher to drive in, attack the rim, and draw fouls. It’s obvious our glaring hole is a tall, long, athletic 2.
Clips4 Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Well, a Maggette type who actually plays defense. I cannot ever recall Maggette actually playing any defense.
JaySee Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Yeah, defender 1st, slasher 2nd. EB can be a slasher even though he’s short.
Tim Reply:
January 26th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
A maggette type that could stay healthy, we could have used that guy vs Phoenix when we made our little mini-deep run in the playoffs way back when.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
DJ-
I dont always agree with you. However, today, you are spot on. The Clippers must fire VDN immediately. He is holding this team back, and if they don’t finish in at least the top 4, kiss CP3 goodbye. CP3 leaves, Blake leaves. Blake leaves, the fans leave, and its right back to the same old.
If the owner really wants to make some money, he’ll suck up VDNs contract, eat it, and shell out 10 million to hire Van Gundy
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Sorry to use baseball terms here. A good manager knows as does My Cousin Vinny, if your closer has a pulse, he’s gotta be on the mound in the bottom of the ninth in a close game. The minute you run the middle reliever out there in that situation, that’s when you start having problems. Guys know their roles, CP is the closer. You lose with your closer on the mound even to the detriment of your team. Mo could probably have done a better job last night at the end, but you don’t want that guy starting to think that that’s his role, when he’s the middle relief guy. Chauncey is the set up guy, and last night it didn’t work out that well. It happens, but its gotta not work that well way more times than that, before we start looking for Mo to step in, and upset the apple cart. Like? What I got from Blake, Mo-Will, Caron, Jones, and Evans, was Ok with what we got from CP3, and DJ, didn’t like what I got from C-Bill, Foye, and Gomes. Those 3 could have stepped up at some point during the game to make more of an impact. Still, we have a closer, something we didn’t have last year, and now, we gotta get out of the way, and let the guy take the money shots, and make the money plays. Last night, it didn’t happen, can’t blame the coach for putting the closer on the mound.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Forget new psyche vs. old psyche, I wanna know how DJ doesn’t know what STORMtroopers are. Love the Empire Strikes Back reference though.
On April 4th, if CP3 is healthy…return of the Jedi….
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
If Hubie Brown can announce, he can coach. Our next investment should be putting together a crack team of nutritionists and health trainers/consultants so that Hubie can put together a 3 year run as the Clipper Skipper.
That said. All blame does not reside with VDN. I don’t see the urgency, resiliance and hunger in the eyes of the team. They are up and down with their focus. Ealrly leeds following a display of dominance are almost always given away with little resistance. We don’t GET TOUGH when the game is close. We GET TOUGH if a few things go wrong and we fall behind. …. that is a piece of the OLD PSYCHE that needs to be jettisoned.
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Me and my friend are 16 and from Brownsburg, IN and we read this blog everyday. We love it so much we couldn’t help but start our own, so we made one that isn’t team specific but just focuses on the league as a whole. We have a live updated scoreboard, updated standings and stats, a weekly poll and weekly awards. Also, we have a page called This Day In Basketball History that we update daily. Check it out sometime! One of our latest posts: “The KI-AI Comparison” which is a look at how similar Kyrie Irving is to Allen Iverson with statistics to back it up
http://hebankeditin.blogspot.com
Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
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