The release of Mark Madsen is just another move in what has been an unpredictably busy offseason for the Clippers. Madsen was scheduled to make 2.8 million dollars this year, but his release will save the Clippers an unspecified amount off that figure. This move was not made for monetary reasons however, regardless of the actual dollar amount that the Clippers saved. The motivation behind releasing Madsen is that it creates another open roster space, bringing the Clippers roster down to 12 players. That leaves 2 open spots for Dunleavy, who typically enters the season with a 14 man roster.  More...

The Clippers extended Steve Novak a qualifying offer Tuesday, which makes him a restricted free agent. The Clippers will have the opportunity to match any contract offer made to Novak by another team. Novak’s number is $1,030,189. Given the reasonable price tag and the fact that there are only a handful of players in the league with true shooting percentages greater than 60%, it’s very likely Novak will get a bite from a team in need of some perimeter shooting.  More...

Posting an 87.7 offensive efficiency number against the league’s most porous defense requires a special level of bad execution and indifference.  The best illustration of this comes at the conclusion of the first quarter, when the Clippers watch a one-point lead evaporate, leaving them with a nine-point deficit at the quarter break.  They fail to score on 10 straight possessions. Sacramento establishes a double-digit lead fewer than three minutes into the second quarter and never relinquishes it. The loss is particularly dispiriting because the Clippers, by their standards, have been playing fairly well since Zach Randolph rejoined the team after serving a two-game suspension.  The victories against Golden State and Boston weren’t complete efforts, but the Clippers got the job done against a team that plays a style of ball that tests the Clippers’ strengths, and one that plays a style that’s generally fluent to the point of flawlessness.  More...

There are back-to-back possessions early in the game that offer a glimpse of the Clippers’ prolific offensive night:

• [1st, 8:56]  With Jeff Green starting at PF for Oklahoma City and Brian Skinner suffering flu-like symptoms, Mike Dunleavy has inserted Ricky Davis into the starting lineup, shifting Al Thornton to the 4.  Eric Gordon inbounds the ball on the far sideline to Ricky Davis up top.  Al Thornton and Mardy Collins occupy the respective blocks.  Collins sets a little baseline cross-screen for Thornton, who moves to the low right block.  One of the benefits of having Al at the 4 — and I’m not sure there are all that many — is that he generally receives the ball closer to the basket, which diminishes the possibility that he’s going to fire a contested 19-footer.  Ricky Davis delivers a bullet bounce pass that hits Thornton perfectly as he swings around the screen.  Jeff Green trails him.  Thornton takes a single dribble, then forcefully carves out some room for himself with an assertive turn of his right shoulder.  Maintaining full control of his body, Thornton elevates — keeping the ball low — then fires a strong fadeaway jumper over Green from 12 feet.
• [1st, 8;23] A Kevin Durant missed shot pinballs beneath the hoop before landing in the hands of DeAndre Jordan.  Eric Gordon is the recipient of the outlet pass. He’s defended by Kyle Weaver from the very outset of the play, so what follows is not a case of Gordon having plenty of free space in the open court.  Weaver stays with EJ the whole way.  Eric races the ball upcourt in transition.  About seven feet beyond midcourt, Eric slows up to a stationary dribble in what looks to be evolving into a deliberate halfcourt set.  Weaver stops short, then turns around to set himself defensively opposite EJ.  As he does, Eric crosses over from his right. Then, with his left hand, EJ explodes right with a burst of speed.  He finishes with that acrobatic scoop layup that’s becoming familiar — where he’s facing the court, shoulders parallel to the baseline, as he kisses the ball off the glass.

The Clippers’ two primary scorers both operate efficiently tonight.   Gordon racks up a career-high 41 points, more than any NBA rookie has scored in a game this season.  His line is impressive: 41 points, 12-19 FGs [5-7 3PA], 12-14 FTAs on 81.5% TS.  The last bucket:

• [4th, 1:01] The Clippers lead by three with about a minute remaining in regulation.  Fred Jones brings the ball up slowly as Gordon runs down the right side of the court.   Steve Novak sets a baseline screen.  EJ runs around the screen with Russell Westbrook trailing, then pops out to the left wing where he gets the ball from Jones.   Westbrook can chase with the best of them, and he catches up to Gordon and coolly settles himself defensively.   Gordon feeds Al in the post against Jeff Green.  It’s a decent entry pass, but Thornton fumbles the ball before eventually getting hold of it — a tense moment in a crucial possession.  Al manages to kick the ball back to Gordon out on the arc.  Westbrook gambles for an instant, which gives Eric a slight opening to split the defenders.   Gordon finds daylight, but then is met by Nick Collison, the weak side help.  Collison elevates straight up to contest Gordon at the rim.  Eric avoids Collison by sustaining himself mid-air, while he whirls a scoop shot that he kisses off the glass for a layup.

Eric Gordon doesn’t complicate matters.  On most possessions, he’s either getting a nice look at a 3PA, or he’s exploding to the hoop — looking for either a finish, contact, or both.  Tonight, he rarely settles for anything less.

Al Thornton plays one of his more measured games of the season.  Unofficially, Thornton finishes 5-11 from beyond 17 feet [2-2 3PA], which means he takes almost two-thirds of his 29 shot attempts from inside 17 — a very good distribution for Al.

The team needs an offensive facilitator after Collins leaves with a strained right calf four minutes into the game.  They get one in, of all people, Ricky Davis.  Despite a woeful shooting night, Davis stabilizes the Clippers at point through much of the game, and dishes out 11 dimes in 30 minutes.  He makes a fantastic pass out of a baseline trap that finds Eric Gordon open along the arc for a 3PA [2nd, 2:35].  He also runs a nice set on a high S/R with Jordan, where Fred Jones fills space on the perimeter behind the screen.  Davis hits him with a good pass and Jones drains the 3PA [3rd, 7:58].  A few minutes later, Davis finds Jones again, this time on a perfectly orchestrated alley-oop [3rd, 2:30]. Jones and Davis each finish with a team-best +8.  There’s a bit of irony that on a night when the Clippers lose their pseudo-PG, they finish with only seven turnovers, tying a season-low.

When a guy is struggling with open looks,  the question becomes:  Will he compromise the team with his poor shot, or will he find something useful to do in the offense?  Tonight, Davis helps the Clippers immensely by moving the ball around in the halfcourt.

DeAndre Jordan has a rough night, and never re-enters the game after he leaves at [3rd, 6:58].  He gets discombobulated a few minutes earlier, during a strange sequence at the 9:28 mark.   Jordan tries to wrestle a rebound away from Al Thornton underneath the Thunder basket.  The ball squirts out, and ends up in the hands of Jeff Green, who scores on a putback.  The play clearly eats at Jordan, who shuffles slowly upcourt.  Ricky Davis yells an encouraging, “Come on, D!” before calling 3-Down, which prompts Gordon to cut underneath and pop.  The ball eventually goes into Jordan on a beautiful bounce pass from Ricky Davis, but Jordan drops the ball on his way up for the layup. He’s now really, really discouraged.  A minute later during a dead ball, Fred Jones goes over to console him.

When asked about it after the game,  Jones says, “I’ve been in his shoes.  I’ve been a rookie in this league.  One day you’re a superstar, the next you’re having a tough night.  I understand that.  I was able to be raised in this league by great vets like Reggie Miller and different guys like that who always told me to keep on an even keel.  The way they spoke to me when I was a rookie, I felt like I should do the same thing.”

When Mike Dunleavy was asked prior to Saturday night’s game whether he had plans to use Steve Novak more, he smiled at the room of reporters. “If you can help me figure out how to get him more shots, I’m on board.”  Dunleavy’s wry response speaks to the difficulty of his challenge.  Steve Novak is one of the most preternaturally gifted outside shooters on the planet, but like many of the “180 Shooters” we highlighted last week, Novak doesn’t have the athleticism to get himself open looks at the basket without some help.

If you place a shooter like Novak on the floor with a superstar or two, the riddle is much easier to solve because the shooter can play off the double-teams.  If Michael Jordan attacks the lane from the perimeter, the defense will collapse on him, which means a shooter [Steve Kerr] will likely be open along the arc.  Same thing if the superstar operates in the post.  One of the reasons the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs are #1 and #3 in the league respectively in three-point shooting has a lot to do with Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan — the two most efficient post players in the league. But Novak isn’t playing with any superstars.  These days, when Novak checks in for the Clippers, he’s probably the second-best offensive option on the floor.  The are no double-teams out there for Novak to play off, and for that very reason, he’s likely to attract more attention from the defense than at any time in his pro career.

Despite the Clippers’ limited offensive arsenal, Novak was able to get off 11 shots in yesterday’s loss to Minnesota — good for 18 points on 79.5% TS.   How were the Clippers able to manufacture these shots for Novak?  How did the team distract the Minnesota defense?  Solid screens?  Luck?  Transition opportunities?  Let’s take a look:

• [1st, 1:39]  On his first shot attempt of the day, Novak is the beneficiary of a poor defensive decision by Craig Smith.  The Clippers are four-out-one-in.  Collins has the ball on the right side, with Novak at the top of the arc.  For whatever reason – and I can’t think of any — Smith decides to slide over to help Bassy Telfair on Collins 18 feet from the rim.  Collins sees Novak open and quickly passes him the ball.   Silky smooth stroke.  [1-1 FGA, 2 points]
• [1st, 1:04]  Ironically, Novak misses his easiest attempt of the afternoon.  Collins penetrates in transition, while Ricky Davis and Novak both spot up on the left side — Davis in the corner and Novak to his right.  When the Wolves collapse, Collins kicks the ball out to Davis, who darts it over to the wide open Novak.  [1-2 FGA, 0-1 3PA, 2 points]
• [1st, 0:40]  This is a second-chance bucket for Novak.  The moment Mardy Collins rebounds Davis’ missed jumper, Novak scampers to the arc.  Collins finds him instantly, and Novak fires the long 2.  We generally think of second chance opportunities in terms of big men crashing the glass.  But a smart shooter like Novak can generate a high-percentage second look for the offense by running to his spot on the perimeter, where the rebounder can find him.  [2-3 FGA, 0-1 3PA, 4 points]
• [2nd, 10:19]  Even in transition, a spot-up shooter will need a little help.  Here, Novak gets it from Ricky Davis.  As Novak runs to his spot on the break, Davis pins Mike Miller, which gives Novak the space he needs to launch the 3PA.  Randy Foye comes into the play late and swipes Novak, who sinks all 3 FTAs. [2-3 FGA, 0-1 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 7 points]
• [2nd, 5:57] Horns set, with Novak and Skinner at the elbows.  Novak cuts parallel to the foul line with the help of a Skinner screen, and fades out to the perimeter on the right side.   He gets the space he needs to drain the 3PA.   Simple, yet effective.  [3-4 FGA, 1-2 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 10 points]
• [2nd, 5:38]  Here, the Clippers run a high S/R with Fred Jones and Novak out on the arc.  Novak’s brush isn’t terribly effective, and Kevin Love — who is assigned to Novak — manages to shoot the gap.  The good news is that Brian Skinner is waiting for Love with a second screen.  Very well-designed set by the Clippers.  Unfortunately, Novak hurries the shot just a bit.  [3-5 FGA, 1-3 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 10 points]
• [2nd, 4:41] Another ball screen up top — this time it’s Collins/Novak.  Love runs underneath, leaving Novak with just enough time and room to launch another long two-point FG.  Novak’s release is lightning quick. [4-6 FGA, 1-3 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 12 points]
• [2nd, 2:41] The Clippers set a pair of high screens for Novak at the elbows to get him from the left wing to the right side of the arc — the first by Gordon, then a more effective one by Skinner.  Ryan Gomes fights through both screens very effectively and chases Novak to the far side.  Gomes closes so quickly that Novak offers up a ball-fake to buy himself a better look.  Gomes bites, Novak dribbles about five feet to his left and tries again.  Novak is never totally balanced and the shot misses.  [4-7 FGA, 1-3 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 12 points]
• [3rd, 2:16]  Again, Skinner and Novak set up at the respective elbows and — again — Novak frees himself from Kevin Love around the Skinner screen.  Novak meets Jones at the top of the arc, gets the ball, turns and drains the 3PA.  Another screen-assist from Skinner.  [5-8 FGA, 2-4 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 15 points]
• [4th, 8:44]  Here’s another one of those second-chance 3PAs.  When DeAndre Jordan collects the Jones miss, Novak spots up along the arc, where Jordan finds him for the uncontested 3PA. [6-9, FGA, 3-5 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 18 points]
• [4th, 7:48]  Yet another second-chance 3PA for Novak.  When Thornton’s miss bumps off the rim into a scrum of potential rebounders in the paint, Novak sprints to the left corner.  He calls for the ball, and Jones delivers it to him.  Novak fires the 3PA, but you can tell from his landing that it isn’t his purest shot of the day — his right leg kicks out from under him.  [6-10 FGA, 3-6 3PA, 3-3 FTA, 18 points]

Novak’s 18 points are a career high.

As we can see from the sets, it’s not easy to generate wide open looks for Novak.  It requires precision and execution — from the ballhandler, from the screeners [sometimes two], and from Novak.  Novak also needs a little luck.  He gets his first bucket of the game simply because Craig Smith falls asleep.  Novak gets a bunch of attempts because nobody on the Wolves accounts for his whereabouts on the offensive glass, which allows Novak to run to an open spot on the arc, where he gets a kickout from the offensive rebounder.

Novak’s task of getting open shots is made easier by playing the 4.  So why doesn’t Dunleavy just start Novak at power forward until Randolph returns?  I suspect that if Minnesota had started Kevin Love, Dunleavy would have.  Novak simply can’t defend skilled big men on the low block, which is the primary reason he hasn’t seen more minutes in the league, despite having one of the sweetest strokes in the game.  But when smallball opportunities arise, we should expect to see a lot more of Steve Novak.