Los Angeles Clippers Preview

Hello All,
So Hurricane Sandy has afforded me the opportunity to pull off the impossible. Finish my NBA Previews by tomorrow nights game. It will be a long tough road, since I have 9 more, but I will try.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Key Additions: Matt Barnes (FA), Grant Hill (FA), Jamal Crawford (FA), Willie Green (FA), Lamar Odom (FA), Ronni Turiaf (FA)

Key Losses: Mo Williams, Randy Foye, Nick Young, Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans

Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Chauncey Billups
SF: Caron Butler
PF: Blake Griffin
C: DeAndre Jordan

Role Players: Hill, Odom, Crawford, Eric Bledsoe, Turiaf, Barnes, Green

Comments: If there was one coach who I could tell you right now will be fired either at some point this season or right after, it is Vinny Del Negro. The offense for the Clippers has the potential to be so potent, but they run approximately two plays: Chris Paul isolation (which is very effective), and Blake Griffin isolation. This makes the Clippers very predictable on offense, and once the Spurs took that away, the Clippers basically keeled over. I also remember how Chris Paul had to ask to come back into Game 1 against the Grizzlies, so that he could lead a comeback (so much for believing in your team). So basically, it comes down to Chris Paul having to play the coach position. It is too much pressure, and this team will continue to underperform unless it gets a quality coach. I personally would love to see what Jerry Sloan would do to this team (with his history of coaching PG's, whoa).

Anyway, lets start with Paul. He is the best PG in the game. He is the best ball distributor, able to get his players the ball in the exact right positions for them to score. Lobs, drive and kicks, pick and roll, he can do it all. Also, he can take over on offense himself if need be, and his defense (especially stealing), is top notch. I would be concerned that he hasn't signed a long term deal yet, but I have a feeling he will eventually. Also, I am interested to see how often Paul gets fined for flopping, because he secretly gets away with a lot of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znAA4mLU0II (this video also has the classic Duncan "I didnt do anything" face). Eric Bledsoe is a very promising backup. He is explosive and can shoot it as well. He was kind of stuck behind Paul, Billups, and Williams last year, but now with Billups injured and Williams gone, he will get a lot of playing time. He is a very dangerous scorer off the bench.

Chauncey Billups had a sad year last year when he broke his achilles. Before that, he was actually doing quite well in the SG position alongside Paul. He is just a savvy veteran who can still drain it from 3 and distribute the ball nicely. Besides Roy Halladay, he is probably the best athlete from Denver. Hopefully he returns from injury soon. Willie Green will probably start in his absence. He is a solid defender and a streaky shooter, who will probably see a lot less time when Billups returns. Jamal Crawford is the real threat at SG. This guy absolutely kills the Nuggets, and his crossover is deadly (why he is named J-crossover). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCqlscrBuQ8&feature=related. You can also see is a lights out shooter, but he is a little streaky. He will have to replace the offense of Williams, Foye, and Young that made their bench so good.

Caron Butler is the SF. He has always been a consistent scorer, but on the Clippers last year it seemed as if he was shooting the ball much more than he should. He takes shots like Kevin Durant, but makes them a lot less. If he is more selective, the Clippers can be much more efficient. If Odom can return to being at least a little bit good (big if), then he will get a lot of the minutes at this spot. Grant Hill is really old, but still a quality defensive player. Barnes is technically another backup, and on the Lakers, I would pray that he would be allowed to shoot. He is one of those guys that prides himself on defense, which in a twisted way in his mind, allows him to shoot as many shots as he wants. No, Barnes, stop shooting, you suck.

Now to Blake Griffin. This guy is clearly a unique talent, but there is something off about his game. Because of his super athleticism, he can dunk from anywhere, and can do alley-oops very well. His rebounding is also well above average, and he runs the fast break extremely well. However, his post game is pretty much limited to one move. He just lowers his shoulder and throws up shit. Here is a good video of that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGPF-sjf8tA. There is just no finesse at all, and you can see how he doesnt demand a double team. As long as you slow him down on the fast break, he won't make outside shots on you, and he is useless (see Boris Diaws defense at the end of the video). His athleticism won't be there forever, so he needs to learn how to harness some of that energy into a more complete offensive game. Ya, he is exciting to watch, but is a relatively bad superstar. Lamar Odom is the backup, and he had just a miserable year. Maybe it was because he was in Dallas and couldn't do his reality show, or maybe he is just old. But the Clippers need his game to pick back up. They lost their muscle and toughness that was so effective in Evans and Martin. Odom won't provide that, but he can give a great offensive effort.

DeAndre Jordan is the center, and he has the job of making Blake Griffin look good on defense by cleaning up his messes. He is a quality shot blocker, and is strong, but does little else. That is why he was benched so much for Evans and Martin in the playoffs. He needs to be a little more of a threat offensively to prevent the defense from collapsing on Paul. Turiaf is the backup, and could provide some of that grit if healthy. He is a player like Reggie Evans who isn't afriad to get a little dirty for some rebounds.

The Clippers need to get rid of Del Negro to make the step toward championship contenders. The reliance on isolation offense will just not work. They can probably secure home court advantage if healthy and some improvement in Griffins post game, but I can't see them winning against the Lakers or Thunder with this coach.

Next Up, Boston Celtics