The season started on such a positive note. The wicked witch (or warlock, in this case) was dead (figuratively speaking, of course), with Donald Sterling cast out of the NBA fraternity. What I thought was the most underrated move was pulled off by coach/general manager Doc Rivers, in acquiring free agent big man Spencer Hawes.
Potential playoff obstacle, the Oklahoma City Thunder, found out that they would be without their two all-stars, point guard Russell Westbrook and small forward Kevin Durant, for a large chunk of the first half of the year. The path to the No. 1 seed was wide open.
While the start was a little rocky, due to a difficult early season schedule (nine of the Clippers’ first 16 games were against teams that made the playoffs last year, plus one more against the Phoenix Suns, who finished one game out in the West) and a horrific shooting slump by Matt Barnes, the team seemed to get its act together when it won 10 games in a row in mid-November.
That streak was highlighted by a hard-won overtime victory against the Phoenix Suns.
Then Came the Implosion
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However, after that winning streak, Los Angeles imploded, going 3-5 in its next eight games against a soft schedule that included six games with Milwaukee (twice), Detroit, Indiana (twice), and Denver.
It is now well after Christmas, the unofficial start of the NBA season. The Clippers sit in sixth place in the Western Conference, at 23-15. The five teams ahead of them are clearly better (Golden State, Portland, Houston, Memphis, and Dallas). What is worse is that of the teams below them, one is the reigning champion in the San Antonio Spurs, fresh off back-to-back Finals appearances.
The idea that San Antonio, racked by injuries will finish seventh or lower is absurd. Every year the Spurs gear up for the playoffs by making a late season run, moving up the standings. The scenario where San Antonio gets healthy and climbs the standings is fairly believable, especially when they are only two games behind the Clippers.
Do Not Forget About the Thunder
Even worse, one of the teams currently in the lottery, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are also destined to do much better in the second half of the year. With Westbrook and Durant back in the lineup, this is a title contending team currently in the lottery.
The Thunder sit six and a half games behind Los Angeles with two more head-to-head matchups. With the way the Clippers have been playing, six and a half games with close to 50 more to play does not seem to be insurmountable.
And do not forget about the Phoenix Suns, either. With their three headed monster at point guard finally working, they are capable of running off a string of victories in the second half, especially given their recent acquisition of Brandan Wright to shore up their front court.
It is a realistic scenario to see the Clippers missing the playoffs entirely. One Chris Paul injury, even for just a couple of weeks, could drop them out of the race in the ridiculously competitive west. It is time for the Clippers to get real.
Look in the mirror and realize that this is not the championship contender everyone thought they were. This team is simply playoff fodder for the eventual champ.
Now that we know, what can we do about it?
Other teams in the West are loading up for the stretch run. The Suns picked up Brandan Wright. The Mavericks grabbed Rajon Rondo, which Doc Rivers knows hurts his team. Memphis acquired Jeff Green. Even the Thunder got in the act by taking a chance on Dion Waiters.
So how do the Clippers react to the arms race in the western conference? Well, reportedly they are trying to acquire Austin Rivers, the son of Doc Rivers.
Really? Austin Rivers?
Sean Highkin of ProBasketballTalk sums up my feelings rather succinctly:
"With how close the Clippers are to the hard cap, they essentially have the flexibility to make one move without giving up any of their major pieces. That they would use it on Rivers, who doesn’t fill a need for their roster, just because he’s the coach’s son, is puzzling."
This is a ridiculous move for the Clippers. Beyond ridiculous, this is pure nepotism in its worst form. Check out the current backup point guard, Jordan Farmar, compared to Rivers:
| Season | Age | FG% | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 28 | .386 | .361 | 0.7 | .909 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 11.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/13/2015.
| Season | Age | FG% | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 22 | .387 | .280 | 3.3 | .746 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 11.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/13/2015.
Without knowing the last name, which of those two players would you rather have on your team? The first is Farmar, the second is Rivers. At worst, you could argue that they are roughly equivalent in terms of value and efficiency. So why would you give up the little bit of flexibility you have in order to make this move?
Clipper fans better hope that Steve Ballmer puts his foot down and prevents this kind of corruption from infiltrating his organization. This is exactly the sort of move bad organizations are criticized for, and Doc Rivers should be excused simply because he has been successful elsewhere.
My colleague, Marcus Bass, wrote recently about how Rivers (the coach) might be destroying this team’s chances at a title.
Are there any good moves to be made?
Given that the rest of west seem to be going all-in on this year’s playoffs, is there anything the Clippers could do? Given the roster construction of Los Angeles, they are limited. However, they do have a huge trade chip in DeAndre Jordan. However at this point there have been little to no rumblings about any Jordan trade.
This is despite the fact that Jordan is making a monster contract run and figures to cash in come July, when the NBA free agent season begins. Most likely, the Clippers will not have the space to match the offers Jordan gets from other teams. Given the fit issues between Jordan and Griffin, that will probably be for the best.
Still, it is strange that the Clippers seem more willing to trade Jamal Crawford, one of the few players capable of creating his own shot, and their best bench player. Why make Crawford available while insisting on keeping Jordan?
Is it because with Crawford gone, the Clippers would have an easier time justifying the acquisition of Austin Rivers, and thus GM Rivers will find a defensible Crawford trade as a way to bring his son on board without facing as harsh of a backlash?
We all know that Doc Rivers is a loyal man, and loyalty to one’s children goes above and beyond loyalty to anything else. There are also the rumors that the Clippers do not like each other. Maybe Crawford is part of the locker room problem. At this point, I want to defend Doc, but it is becoming more and more difficult.