Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers

7:30 p.m. PT

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KFWB 980 AM

1. Fact or Fiction: Getting Chauncey Billups back will be a real help. 

Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog: Fact. Despite his shenanigans against the Warriors, Billups may very well be the Clippers’ top perimeter defender. They’ll need his on-court leadership, 3-point shooting, defense and added depth to defeat a tough Rockets team.

Charlie Widdoes, ClipperBlog:  Fact.  The Rockets feature no fewer than seven wings that play 13 or more minutes per game.  Chauncey’s ability to stretch the floor helps the first unit, but also gives the reserves more ammunition to counter Houston’s deep perimeter attack.

Nick Flynt, ClipperBlog: Fact. Chauncey might have struggled against Ginobili and forced some shots, but he’s better on both ends than Randy Foye.

2. Fact or Fiction: The Clippers’ defensive improvements on Sunday will carry forward.

Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog: Fact. I think (or hope) the Portland game was a turning point for the Clippers — it was their only impressive defensive effort of the season. The addition of getting Billups back, adding depth and defense in the second unit in Solomon Jones and a confidence boost from the Blazers win should do the trick.

Charlie Widdoes, ClipperBlog: Fiction.  The Rockets are 9th in the league in eFG% and don’t figure to miss many of the open looks that Portland did.  Like LaMarcus Aldridge, Luis Scola is extremely skilled and figures to give the Clippers’ frontline fits and I don’t see a defender that matches up well with Kevin Martin and Houston’s bevy of shooters.

Nick Flynt, ClipperBlog: Fiction. Assuming Kevin Martin doesn’t have another terrible
shooting night, the Clippers are going to be going up against one of the (so far) best offensive teams in the NBA in Houston. Between crafty post-scorer Scola and a focus on 3-point shooting, the Clippers could be in trouble against Houston’s offense.

3. Fact or Fiction: The Clippers will have a winning record on Thursday morning.

Jovan Buha, ClipperBlog: Fact. I say this with hesitation, as I can see how the Rockets could wreak havoc and give the Clips a lot of problems. However, I don’t see them having an answer defensively for Paul or Griffin, and with an improved defensive effort, L.A. wins.

Charlie Widdoes, ClipperBlog: Fact.  The Clippers rank last in the league in Rebound Rate, but the Rockets aren’t much better at 23rd.  For all its depth on the perimeter, Houston should have its hands full with Blake and DeAndre.  Unless one or both get into foul trouble, I expect a breakout on the glass and a Clipper win.

Nick Flynt, ClipperBlog:  Fact. In the end, this game is going to come down to if the
Clippers can limit Kevin Martin/Kyle Lowry, and if Houston can limit Blake Griffin. Chuck Hayes is no longer a Rocket, and Kevin Martin has struggled enough recently for the Clips to get away with even a decent Kyle Lowry game. If Chris Paul does a decent job on Lowry and Blake does good work on whoever guards him, I say the Clippers come out with a win.

Twitter: @JovanBuha, @charliewiddoes, @ClipperBlogNick

Howard Samuel Thompkins III, better know as “Trey” (a nickname given to Thompkins as the third Howard in his family’s lineage), is one of the most versatile, talented and polished offensive big men in the 2011 NBA Draft Class.

Thompkins has good footwork in the post, the canny ability to score on either block (highlighted by his nearly indefensible turnaround jumper), above average ball-handling skills for a post-player, a high basketball IQ, college 3-point shooting range, slightly above average shot-blocking skills, and surprising effectiveness in transition.  More...

For second-round draft picks there are no guarantees.

No guaranteed money. No guarantees you’ll ever find yourself on an opening night roster. No guarantees you’ll ever see a minute of NBA playing time.

For a second-rounder to defy the odds and stick with the club that selected him, he must have an NBA-ready skill or a special glimmer of potential, etc.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Clippers have decided to take calculated risks in the second round. DeAndre Jordan, the 35th selection in 2008, was a potential lottery pick who tumbled down the draft board because of motivational issues. Three years later he’s due to become the Clippers’ center for the foreseeable future. Willie Warren, the 54th pick in 2010, faced similar criticism and took a free-fall in 2010, but was still the same kid who was projected as a lottery talent in 2009.

Jordan and Warren personify the Clippers’ recent philosophy, which has been to opt for raw talent in the second round, even if the promise is packaged with red flags. Thus far, Jordan has developed into an NBA-caliber center, while Warren has yet to produce, though still potentially might.

Therefore, it didn’t come as much surprise when the Clippers selected Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie with the 37th and 47th respectively. Choosing among a draft pool nearly unanimously tagged as weak, the Clippers did a more than adequate job of abiding by their strategy of finding guys with high ceilings. Unfortunately — for the draftees — there is not a high probability that both will make the opening day roster.

Thompkins is in good company, though, as players recently selected in the No. 37 spot include DeJuan Blair (2009), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (2008), Ronny Turiaf (2004) and Mehmet Okur (2001). That said, expectations must be tempered — there’s usually a reason a player lands in the second round.

The 6-foot-10, 239 -pound Thompkins has the desirable height and size to play the power forward position, with the possibly of moving over to play center in certain small-ball lineups. He is a jump-shooting and scoring big man in the mold of Channing Frye who can also post up smaller defenders. In many ways, he is similar to current Clipper forward Brian Cook, although Thompkins’ skill level and potential are unquestionably much higher than the present-day Cook. Jay Bilas characterized Thompkins as a first-round talent and smart second-round value who just needs to coalesce his skills and get in better shape.

With Thompkins, the Clippers have gone away from their traditional big man that simply plays down low (Griffin, Kaman, Jordan, Smith, Diogu) and are taking a more modern approach with a perimeter-oriented big. This approach will give the Clips the kind of positional flexibility they’ve never really had, though have gotten a taste of with Al-Farouq Aminu.

Consequently, the likelihood of the Clippers returning Craig Smith or Ike Diogu has dwindled a bit. With Griffin, Jordan, Kaman (presumably), Cook (who’ll likely exercise his player option), and Thompkins (who’ll command a much cheaper salary than Smith/Diogu), there isn’t much room in the frontcourt for the return of Smith or Diogu, especially when neither player can really tread water from at 5, in the event the Clippers move Kaman.

Despite his notable strengths, Thompkins is far from a finished product. He is noticeably out-of-shape (15.5 percent body fat is a little excessive), not very athletic (only a 30.5 inch vertical), and lacks the agility and quickness to guard faster and more athletic big men. Additionally, Thompkins’ conditioning and work ethic have been brought into question. When you’re a second-round pick, there’s not a lot of tolerance for listlessness.

Falling considerably compared to his draft projections, Leslie is an uber-athletic guard that Vice President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey called a “6-foot-4 DeAndre Jordan” and a slightly smaller version of Jason Richardson. Leslie is widely considered one of the top two or three athletes in the draft (40.5 inch vertical, 6-foot-10 wingspan), capable of finishing in transition and posterizing an opponent. Olshey suggested that Leslie could make immediate contributions defensively with his athleticism.

On the other hand, there are major concerns about whether Leslie’s game translates to the NBA. He has almost no outside or 3-point range — he shot only 30.2 percent from beyond the arc his junior season (0.4 makes out of 1.3 attempts per game), tends to think too much instead of reacting to a play, has little to no dribbling skills, and seems too content with taking a background or complementary role on the floor.

His NBA comparison is a poor man’s Kelenna Azubuike, which means his chance at making the NBA is marginal. With Gordon, Bledsoe, Williams and Foye under contract, Leslie is a long shot to make the team, though his athleticism alone might tempt the Clippers to take a flyer.

Once again, the Clippers swung big in the second round. Despite taking Thompkins and passing on Jeremy Tyler and Chandler (two other potential first round draft picks) at No. 37, the Clippers chose upside by snagging the rawest and most talented players available.

If neither player pans out for the Clippers in the long haul, they’ll return to the uncertain depths of free agency. That’s the ugly truth of being a second-round pick, there are no guarantees.

Two second round picks in a draft projected to be the weakest draft since 2000 make Draft Day unusually insignificant for the Clippers. Most years, the Clippers have a high pick, with hopes that whomever they select will provide an answer for the team’s future. Although, considering the Clippers draft history, maybe it’s better that we’re not hoping for a savior to rush out of the Green Room, shake David Stern’s hand and put on a Clipper hat.  More...

Heading into the draft, the Clippers’ main need is, shocker, small forward. They probably don’t need another guard with Gordon, Williams, Bledsoe, Warren and Foye under contract. At this point, much is out of the Clippers’ control (as far as who drops to 37th and 47th), and all they can do is strategize and maximize their draft potential.  More...