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Nuggets 106, Clippers 104: Hail Bledsoe

Oct 07, 2012
by Charlie Widdoes




The best part about the NBA preseason is that, unlike in football or baseball, a majority of the players we’ll see in the regular season play. There just aren’t that many “dead” roster spots on an NBA roster, so we all win when we get to see the regulars tune up against each other.

In this one, Chris Paul (thumb) and a few others (including Trey Thompkins, Grant Hill, and Travis Leslie) sat for the Clips and Andre Miller led the inactive list for Denver, but both teams are so deep that it still looked like a regular season NBA game.

We had Bledsoe versus Lawson, Griffin versus Faried, and DeAndre Jordan going against a collection of NBA rotation-caliber Denver bigs.

This is all to say that while every reaction to a preseason game should be kept in perspective, we have no reason not to get excited about Eric Bledsoe being the best player on the floor. Again.

That, and some other takeaways from an incredibly entertaining game:

  • Having seen Eric Bledsoe play even once, the stat line should speak for itself. He led all scorers with 25 points on 12 of 17 shooting, all rebounders with eight boards, and all defenders with five steals. He dished out six assists, showing a particularly encouraging rapport with the new and improved DeAndre Jordan, and he deserves credit for finishing with four fouls after picking up three in the 1st quarter.

    Simply put, last night marked the continuation of a streak in which he has done anything and everything the team could possibly ask of him. Starting in last year’s playoffs, to his brief stint in summer league and through last night, he has been their best defender, their best wing scorer, and even their best facilitator. We can expect that last part to change, one would hope, once Paul returns and puts his performance against the Spurs behind him, but we are officially still waiting for him to show why he shouldn’t be a part of the starting five once the games start to count.
  • DeAndre Jordan, the subject of the most offseason hype coming out of Clippers camp, looked great. Like they had for a stretch of games last season, they went right to him on the first play — in which he cut hard from the left to right block and finished a slick up-and-under move with a monster two-hand slam. From that point on, he was a force down low, showing off improved footwork and touch, and finishing with 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting.

    He looked engaged throughout, trying to dunk whenever possible and contesting shots (three blocks) with consistent energy. It also occurred to me last night that he especially benefits from playing with Bledsoe, who has no problem breaking down defenses and often looks to dump off to the open man. Even if the free throw shooting never improves, games like this support the feeling that he should be able to play more productive minutes this season. Which is great, because…
  • Lamar Odom’s play was pretty consistent with the kind of shape he is in. As we should expect from someone whose body looks so unfit for high-level NBA basketball, his balance was off, his foot speed was nonexistent, his passes lacked zip and his shot was short all night (he finished 1 of 5 from the floor). One one play, he took rail-thin Anthony Randolph off the dribble, but rather than finish strong through the defender, he spun off and wound up falling to he floor. On the other end, he lagged back as Randolph knocked down a free throw line jumper in his face.

    Part of Odom’s value is the ability to grab a rebound and push the ball up the floor, but the push was predictably absent. He is not a threat to create off the dribble right now, so once the season rolls around, teams will crowd him and force him to make plays. Until/if he tones up — and travelling to China can’t be helpful to that end — Vinny Del Negro will have to think long and hard about how effective he can be. All of a sudden, the Clippers’ frontcourt depth has to be a concern.
  • One big positive: the Clippers’ ball movement. Even in his current physical state, Odom has a natural inclination to find the open man. On Saturday, his teammates followed suit. They finished with 21 assists as a team, and you can see that they trust each other enough to share the ball.
  • The two biggest beneficiaries of the unselfish play: Matt Barnes and Caron Butler. Barnes, as D.J. Foster noted, is a very good cutter off the ball, which should be a real asset as a way of keeping defenses from over-committing to strong side action. Last night, he also knocked down 3 of 6 from behind the arc. Butler, another year removed from knee surgery, looked spry, as well. He was 5 for 10 from the floor and, as I wrote this summer, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he’s evolved into a legitimate jump shooter at this stage in his career.
  • Willie Green, the starting 2 and early favorite to do the same when the season starts, did himself no favors in his debut. His shot selection was questionable — what was he thinking on that 1st quarter, airball 3 five seconds into the shot clock? — and he played nothing like a guy who would be counted on to not try to do too much. His plus/minus of -13 was no mistake — he struggled, while others made strong cases for wing minutes.
  • Of Jamal Crawford’s 19 points, 11 came in the 2nd quarter and the rest came in the 4th. He is a gunner who can get hot, as we know, and last night was just more evidence of that.

    Really, all you can say about Crawford is that he has been in the league for 12 years, and that there is a reason he is a career 40 percent shooter. He is incredibly agile and has some vicious handle, but he also has no clue what he’s doing on offense. John Krolik put it best when he said that “what makes an NBA player great is not the ability to convert difficult shots, but to create easy ones.” So for every time he goes 7 for 14, like last night, there’s probably a clunker coming down the line that will drive you crazy. Just have to take the good with the bad.
  • Props to Vinny Del Negro for drawing up a play to tie the game with 7.6 seconds left. (And props to Eric Bledsoe for executing it perfectly.) The blog De-Thurmond Analysis put together a nice illustration to show how it worked. As is usually the case, the screener (Ryan Hollins) coming open set the whole thing up.
  • One housekeeping note: The team waived Courtney Fortson and Chris Johnson today, bringing the training camp roster to 18. Now it’s off to China, where they will play the Heat on Thursday morning at 4:30 AM PST.

    • Update: News late today stating Griffin dislocated his right index finger during practice Friday and again during the game Saturday. Maybe that partially contributed to the missed free throws?

    Charlie Widdoes

    Latest posts by Charlie Widdoes (see all)

    • Sleepy

      What you said about Crawford just doesnt seemed to add up with what we saw last night or even what his teammates seem to think as evidenced by the recap where the teammates basically told him he had to shoot and to stop being so passive .

      Crawfords never played with a good PG so what would he know about easy shots when hes had to create his own offense for 12 years ?

      Considering he also had 5 assists last night showed that we shouldnt always judge players by reps but by what they actually do in our uniform .

      • http://www.clipperblog.com Charlie Widdoes

        I see your point. He was effective last night and perhaps I could have emphasized that he, like many of his teammates, did a great job sharing the ball. That said, just because a player makes shots doesn’t mean they are good shots. He very well may become a more efficient scorer this year, but I have to take 12 years of evidence over a hope that playing with Paul/Bledsoe will make that much of a difference.

        • Eh!

          I think he will do alright. He has to keep the second unit within striking distance not get this team over the top (we got some guy called Chris Paul for that).

        • Sleepy

          The fact that he can do what he has done for 12 years pretty much should be self explanatory . You cant be a selfish gunner who supposedly takes bad shots and doesnt share the ball for 12 years and still be as respected as Crawford has been by his teammates and players who know him .

          People need to get off the hes not efficient so that means hes a gunner or selfish kick. The better question is what is his team asking him to do ? Over 12 years in the league and no team has asked him to shoot 50% from the field but what theyve done is ask him to manufacturer points for himself because the teams hes been on struggled to do so .

          Efficiency numbers dont tell the entire story if they did we couldve just signed some of there other guys who would give us 8-10 ppg efficiently, But we have the most efficient guard in the league in CP3 and another great one in Billups we were looking for another impact guard not just a effeicient one

      • http://laclippernation@blogspot.com josh

        If the Clippers get healthy and stay healthy there will have a great chance to win the Pacific Division for the first time in franchise history. They are a deep team and will be able to use their bench throughout the season.

    • Matt Fish

      Eric Bledsoe needs to be on the court 30 + mins a night this year. Don’t care how healthy Billups becomes; don’t care about acquiring Crawford. Bledsoe showed in the playoffs last year and last night he is a game-changer. We already know athletically he is an elite talent, and it appears the basketball skills are starting to catch up. When on the court w/ Paul last season ( small sample yes ), The +/- was ridiculous, in a good way. He is our X-factor this year, and I hope Vinny gives him the chance. Start him at the 2 I say, and enjoy the ride.

      • Patrick

        I don’t know about starting Bledsoe, niether Green or Crawford can play point gaurd, but I think he should be the first sub in on every night. But he should get the most minutes of the guards not named Chris Paul.

        • JaySee

          We don’t need a point guard off the bench. We have 2 point forwards in Grant Hill and, once he’s in shape, Lamar Odom. Once Billups comes back from injury, we’ll have a point guard off the bench. Bledsoe makes the most sense as the starting 2. Bledsoe can still play point when CP3 rests and when both are off the floor, you have the options of Billups, Hill, Odom.

          • Patrick

            Idk if you play Odom at point guard you have no back up bigs, and grant hill at point guard is also a very slippery slope. A lot of players are able to play at better levels coming off the bench and still get the minutes they should play in a game.(e.g., Manu Ginobli, James Harden) It really matters on what team your playing though.

            • JaySee

              When did I ever say those 2 would EVER play PG? I said they’ll play point forward. There would still be 2 other guards on the floor.

            • Patrick

              You want willie green and crawford on the floor at the same time? For some reason that seems like that will have some very poor results…

            • JaySee

              That’s not necessary and it’s also not necessarily bad. Green is supposed to be a 3 and D. Crawford is distributing in his 1 preseason game and can also benefit from the play making abilities of Hill, Odom, and even BG. Even if you think having them both on at the same time is bad, there’s Matt Barnes and Travis Leslie. You’re totally forgetting how freakin’ deep and flexible this team is.

    • http://www.clipperblog.com Andrew Han

      Updated bullets with link mentioning Blake Griffin dislocated his finger. Griffin said it shouldn’t be an issue.

    • mattnespoli

      It’s obvious to me that the weakness of this team will be the lack of rebounding (the rebounding from their 2’s and 3’s is atrocious), and a lack of knock-down three point shooters.

      • Eh!

        we should be better at rebounding then last season at the 2 and 3 . Barnes, Hill and a whole season of Bledsoe is far better then Randy Foye, Mo Williams and Bobby Simmons on that account.

      • WammyGiveaway

        I think that will be remedied once Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups come back from injury. They space the floor so well, it allows his players to make 3-point shots much easier.

        I’m so in love with Bledsoe. A point guard with special abilities of Energizer Bunny (brings the team excitement and focus up) and Street Rat (enhanced steals). He is going to make more wishes come true than Disney’s Aladdin.

    • Robert Lehrer

      As encouraging as the news about DeAndre Jordon and Eric Bledsoe appears, the reports of Lamar Odom disappoint. Of all years to report to camp in tip-top shape, wouldn’t it be this one? He was a shell of his former self last year and I’d hope that his emotional issues were resolved. He’s either unmotivated or washed-up. What a shame.

    • http://barmapla.com FD

      Odom in bad shape is still better than DeAndre. I’m not buying all this hype. In this interview I watched from hoopshype, he just talked about how he worked on his offense and shot. Nothing about his defense. Are we supposed to believe that Blake Griffin and DeAndre’s previous coaches going back to highschool all ignored them and never helped them develop their shot? One summer some coach is going to come in and change what they’ve been doing their whole lives and make them so much better?

      Demote’s point is that DeAndre will never develop because he’s not a true basketball player, he just got tall and can jump high. It’s the same reasoning why football players who later try to become boxers always fail. I think Tim Duncan said most centers in the NBA are forced to play the sport because they’re tall. That’s why he’s so good because he actually likes the game.

      I personally think he can learn to be a better defensive player. If he just focused on rebounds instead of blocks all would be good.

      • griffin

        Fd u have been sipping on the demote koolaid. Be optimistic about dj. He does show confidence in himself. Nothing is set in stone of how hes gonna play. You and demote are just writing him off and says he sucks. Well guess what he is the starting center for two more seasons and nothing is gonna change that so its better to hope for the best from dj and earn his paychecks

        • http://barmapla.com FD

          I’ve always said he could be an energy guy off the bench like the Birdman used to be. He was a great pickup in the 2nd round. I’m guessing he will be better than last year, but that’s not saying much. If he’s improved as much as people are hyping it, the Clippers are in the finals.

          • griffin

            Well he would be the differwnce maker that would help us go to the finals. I have even read on espn thay if dj has a break out ueat or blake has a midrange we are bound for a finals bout with the champs

    • joeluis323

      This will be E-bled’s best season! I am very excited about it! It’s not just about pure physical ability anymore! he’s being called Lil-Lebron! because of his speed and the way he finishes, he just pushes peeps off! ha!.

      On DJ. He showed some clever moves but i dont think its enough, I just think he’ll choke vs tougher opposition. I am still all ‘Pro’ on keeping him while working his development. He has the potential that’s for sure. + bigs are just known for taking time developing. In 2 years we’ll get our investment.

      On crawford.. We’ll live by the crawford, and die as well… He’s just too unpredictable.

      Did anyone see E-Bled and Barnes teaming up for a nice offensive bucket! That’s what
      I expected from these two together!!

      We have depth which is our cure for all of those old bones we got (looking at hill and billups lol). On that note…the Lakers did not just turned a2nd qtr 6pt lead and had the warriors go on a 26+ to 0 run by the end of 3rd, when their bench was playing? Just wow! their bench sucks!! HA!

      • Patrick

        I don’t see how this preseason game showed that about Crawford. He had 5 assists and for the most part took good shots. He didn’t seem to be a black hole and I think its because he acknowledges that the rest of his team can score and he doesn’t have to create and score all by himself to win. Willie Green on the other hand took some weird shots….

        Also with Dj last year he had no post moves so teams barely had to defend him. Now they can’t just ignore him,sure he could score if he was wide open, which will really open it up for other players, mainly Griffin.

        • http://barmapla.com FD

          DeAndre had post moves last year too. 2 problems though, no one would pass to him unless it was a alley-oop and VDN would bench him if he tried it. If DeAndre could hit a medium range jumper his post moves would be great, but he doesn’t.

    • http://clipperblog Tim

      Gentlemen, it was the 1st pre-season game, and we’re at mid-season form, from a critique standpoint. Look at the positives, and understand, that this team will not be at full strength until sometime between mid-December and the New Year, and won’t really start clicking until around MLK-day, in mid January. By that time, Chauncey should be up to speed, Lamar should be in better shape, and the bench should have its rotation set. Barring any injuries or block-buster deals with new big-time player acclimation issues, then we can start to expect the big pay-back in the 2nd half and down the stretch, from all the success we had during the past summer with all these great acquistitions. I’m liking CP, Green, Caron, Blake, and DJ to start, with E-Bled, Crawford, Barnes, LO, and Turiaf, off the bench, and run Hollins and Hill out there if someone gets in foul trouble. Also, once Chauncey gets back, then Green goes from starter to zero minutes. Just like how life was for Randy last year, either start or DNP. Bledsoe, and Crawford are the back-ups in the back court from day 1, get these guys adjusted to their role, and their minutes. At full strength, I like Hill, Hollins, Green, Trey Tom, and Leslie in the reserve role. Its going to be nice to start the season with an entire team (minus Chauncey) unlike last year, where we had pieces signing through out the season and what not. Relax, for once, time is on the Clippers side.

      • Patrick

        The only thing I disagree with is playing barnes over hill. I think hill could still contribute quite a bit. Hopefully Vinny will manage it so Hill plays the very minimum and Barnes gets some of his time.

        But I definitely agree with having crawford and bledsoe come off the bench. The only other possibility I see is having hill or barnes start in place of green, if green continues to play poorly. But I think green is better than how he played in that preseason game.

        • Cassellmania

          I agree- Hill should be in the nightly rotation with limited mins (20min per game?) He is still a top wing defender even at his age, and a legit midrange shooter. So far Barnes has earned PT more than WIllie Green, i’d rather give most backcourt minutes to Bled, Craw and CP until Billups returns, play Hill at backup SG/SF along with Barnes, and Odom and Turiaf backing up Blake and DJ. Thats a great rotation to start things off.

      • JaySee

        Gotta disagree with your lineups.

        Bledsoe should start at 2, period. He’s earned it and is the best player on the team for that spot. Billups should be the PG off the bench when he’s healthy. The only thing Billups has on EB is height and MAYBE a better 3 point shot. We don’t know how much EB has improved on his 3s yet.

        Hill gets time before Barnes unless he’s injured. Hill has more tools in his game and more IQ. Barnes is too volatile and can destroy momentum in games. Barnes should only play to guard big 2s or if either Butler and Hill are tired/injured.

        Green is just backup for injuries and will probably get DNPs as long as CP3, EB, and Billups aren’t injured.

        • griffin

          Barnes will see pt time becuz im sure hill will take rest days like he did with phoenix where he doesnt play he just watches im sure vinny will do that with hill so barnes will get his chance. Like ralph lawler said if u dont do ur job right u will get replaced and willie green did himself no favors and if he doesnt contribute im sure someone esle on the roster will

    • http://clipperblog Tim

      Charlie W, man, stop hating on Jamal. Give the man this sample size on this squad! BTW, Mendenhall and Harrison were Beast vs the Eagles, so this season is still on! Go Clips, plus Black and Gold!

    • mikelipert

      Does anyone wonder if DJ just plays better when bledsoe is on the floor vs when Cp3 is? If so you think we could start Blake at center and odom at the 4?

    • MikeV

      Here is what I’ve seen from the scrimmage and this 1st preseason game…Jamal will be a big asset and will more often than not, will be a reason why we get W’s. He can penetrate, break down the defense, has good vision off the penetration, can heat up, and make his man play him.

      DJ “looks” better, but I won’t be sold unitl mid-season when he is close to 10pt/10r/2.5blks a game. How he gets the 10pts doesnt matter. He is the 5th option as a starter to score. As long as his help D is improved, learns how to tip block shots to control them and keep it in play to start a break, and he keeps rebounding

      Caron looks more active, Willie Green looks like a 9th man (come back ASAP Chauncey), Matt Barnes looks like he is ready to go, and Blake is Blake….and then there is LO…

      Lamar looks lethargic, interested at times, and like a space cadet at others….so in other words he needs more Skittles or Gummi Bears or whatever candy he likes. Because when he grabs a board and pushes upcourt he is a wonderful player…Lets hope for some weight loss and motivation in his near future.

    • extra

      boy willie green looked bad as a shooter needs 2 be on point, lamar odom is definitely not in shape what is going on with him he should of come into camp in better condition than last year he already looks like a bust shame on him he had a chance 2 redeem himself boy blake better stay on court more mins and produce more on defense offense and rebounding because it looks like odom just want 2 collect a pay check shame shame shame eric bledsoe is doing his thing suprise was center deandre jordan hope he continue 2 improve especially on defense


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