Los Angeles Clippers: Will Doc Rivers Be Coach Of The Year?
By Shane Young
The Los Angeles Clippers responded to their recent playoff disappointment by letting coach Vinny Del Negro walk and not offering him a new deal. Instead, the team was looking ahead and bigger and better ideas while negotiating with the Boston Celtics. This offseason, Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers was shipped to Los Angeles to take over the coaching position for the Clippers. With the Clippers making tremendous offseason moves, will Rivers have a shot at winning the Coach of the Year award?
Having the chance to coach yet another elite point guard, Doc Rivers will prefer what Chris Paul brings to the table over Rajon Rondo. (Flickr.com photo by Keith Allison)
One key ingredient to winning this award is having the opportunity to coach a superstar in the NBA. With a perennial All-Star in Chris Paul, Rivers’ job is just that much easier. Maybe “easy” isn’t the word to throw around when discussing coaching, but Paul’s ability to lead the team on the court and perform at the level we have seen for the last few seasons will ultimately help Rivers have a better record to show than he did in his final seasons with Boston. The chances of re-signing Chris Paul wasn’t something that the Clippers left up to a coin flip. The move to bring in one of the three best coaches in the league was guaranteed to entice Paul to stay. Both parties needed each other in order to succeed and now we will see the experiment thrive.
Other than Paul’s promising 19 to 20 points and 10 assist per game average that we are expected to see, more factors will go into Rivers earning the Coach of the Year honors. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are going to have their first real chance of playing in a well-structured system. Before, the offense was strictly predicated on perimeter shooting and quick transition looks (yes, including the record number of lobs).
If DeAndre Jordan can be known for more than dunking on point guards, this Clippers team may have a bright future. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
Nothing is truly wrong with that style of play, however, it is not the only type of game that Griffin and Jordan need to be using at this point in their careers. From Rivers’ days in Boston from 2008-10, he was able to utilize a frontcourt that included Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Garnett, obviously a veteran, didn’t need development at that time. Nevertheless, Rivers made Perkins relevant in the post, and put together the perfect combination of post scoring and perimeter threats on a nightly basis.
That is what he will bring to this loaded offense, one that truly lacks depth up front. The more plays run for the two athletic powerhouses in the paint, the better the results will be as the season progresses. Rivers knows that the team may lose their share of games in the early weeks of the season, but the reward that their offensive balance and overall play in January thru April will provide is much sweeter. A No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is in their near future with Rivers taking the time to better his players.
Chris Paul winning the MVP award next season will only help Rivers’ chances of winning Coach of the Year. (Flickr.com photo by Nikk_LA)
Will it take achieving the best record in the conference to get Rivers this award? The answer to that rests in what the Oklahoma City Thunder are able to do. Finishing atop the West with one of the weakest benches in the NBA will make Thundercoach Scott Brooks and his two superstars look absolutely incredible.
Breaking down the fact that this newly improved Clippers team is entering their first year with new role players, a new coaching staff (including assistant coach Alvin Gentry) and a whole different system, it seems probable that Doc Rivers receives the Coach of the Year Award if he leads this team to 60 or more wins. Having one early favorite for the Most Valuable Player award certainly doesn’t lower his chances, either.