New Look Los Angeles Clippers Need Another Makeover

A month and a half ago, I wrote that the Clippers were a good sleeper pick this NBA season. I take it back. I was wrong. My reasoning was right, I just failed to factor in that Mike Dunleavy was their head coach.

To be fair, they've been saddled with injuries in the early going. Baron Davis has finger and hip ailments, while Marcus Camby just appeared for the first time this season. It's excusable that they've gone 0-3 in the early going.

What's troubling is that the team looks thin, unorganized, and illogically led.

Behind Baron Davis? Jason Hart/Mike Taylor; one of the worst back-up point guard tandems in the league, and yet one of the most likely to see major playing time due to how injury-prone B-Diddy has always been. Behind Cuttino Mobley? Ricky Davis, a career loser in the NBA. In the frontcourt? Paul Davis, Brian Skinner, Steve Novak, DeAndre Jordan. It's unlikely any of them would start for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The lack of organization can likely be attributed to the fact that their core has hardly played together before. Davis and Al Thornton never seem to be on the same page. Chris Kaman plays every game on an island while battling alone inside. And Davis is given pretty much free reign to do whatever he wants. He's a dynamic super-talent, but that's rarely a recipe for success (see: Stephon Marbury).

And the charge of illogical leadership is evidenced by the fact that Eric Gordon has barely seen the court in the early going, despite dominating in the preseason. On a team sorely outclassed on the wings in all three losses, one would think an intelligent coach would buck convention, see what was happening on the floor, and embrace the rookie for the good of the team. But it seems Dunleavy expects Gordon to somehow earn minutes with his play in garbage time cameos, a terrible environment for one to learn.

At least there will be garbage time aplenty if things don't change in Clipperland.

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An In-Depth Q&A With Clips Nation

Clips Nation is sporting a new slogan: "The New Generic Clippers - All of the Basketball, With None of the Brand. After writing my own take on the Clippers, I approached top blogger ClipperSteve with some questions about them. We touch on Eric Gordon, Baron Davis, and, yes, the lack of Brand in Los Angeles.

Find out what Clippers fans are calling Elton Brand now, then head over to Clips Nation all year for the scoop on my sleeper pick for the NBA playoffs in the West.
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Kornheiser's Cartel: The Clippers had an interesting offseason. They lost Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, one of the 15 best players in the NBA the number 11 scorer in the NBA last season, respectively, and received no compensation for either, yet they enter this season with a bright outlook thanks to a draft pick, free agent signing, and lopsided cap-driven trade.

Personally, the Indiana Hoosiers are the team I hate most, but I think Eric Gordon was the best value in the draft in regards to where he got picked. Coming out of high school and halfway through the season, he had a shot to be one of the first two picks, but a late season injury and shooting slump (related) caused him to fall. His workouts proved him to be the most athletic guard in the draft and also the strongest. He can shoot, he can drive, and he's a lock-down defender when his head's right. But from reading through Clippers forums, I don't sense that they're really excited about Gordon. Was Gordon the right choice? What do you expect out of him this season? Do you see any All Star appearances in his career?

Clips Nation: I love Gordon. I had convinced myself before the draft that he was the best player the Clippers could possibly hope for picking 7th, so I was thrilled that he was available, and I think Mike Dunleavy was also. As you point out, he was rated ahead of OJ Mayo and Derrick Rose midway through the NCAA season, so there was a time when everyone loved him. His stock dropped when he finished his one season at IU poorly, but a wrist injury and the loss of a coach who was a father figure can have that effect on people. Also, there are those that felt he measured up as too small for the NBA when he got measured at the draft combine.

Interestingly, I had the complete opposite take away from the combine. He's built like a tank - anyone can see that. When it turned out he was the best jumper in camp and among the fastest and quickest players there, it just blew me away. I mean, how many players have that combination of size and athleticism? And a textbook shooting stroke? The fact that he may be one inch smaller than the ideal NBA shooting guard is completley beside the point when you consider that he's about 50 pounds heavier and 20 times stronger than the guys he'll be matched up against. So I don't worry about his size. There's a little trepidation around Clips Nation given that he pulled a hamstring in his second Summer League game, and then sprained his ankle the first day of training camp. I don't think landing on a foot makes him injury-prone - but we really want to see this guy on the court.

Still, I think the expectations for him this season are low, mainly because he's only 19. Dunleavy's never been super rookie friendly, so most of us are realists and just don't expect him to get a lot of court time this season. But make no mistake - he's penciled in as the starter at the two for many, many years and he'll be a very good pro in the near future. Will that future involve an ASG? Well, Danny Manning is the only Clipper draft pick in history to make the All Star team as a Clipper - so if you're playing the odds, you gotta say no. But it's not for a lack of big time talent.


KC: The signing of Baron Davis made an LA vs. LA Western Conference Finals seem likely until Elton Brand bolted to Philadelphia. You gonna grow a beard in honor of Davis? Do you see B Diddy flourishing five more years at his breakneck pace? Do Clips fans hate Elton Brand?

CN: I already have the goatee; don't really want to do the full beard thing - too scratchy... too much gray. But I love Baron Davis as a Clipper. The Clipper's history at the point guard is abysmal, even by their low standards. Look at it this way - Rick Brunson, Jason Hart and Brevin Knight have been the starter for significant portions of three of the last four seasons. Sam Cassell had one good year, but for the most part the point has been a train wreck for the Clippers for a quarter century. Baron changes all of that immediately.

And it matters. Point guard is the most important position in the NBA in my humble opinion, and also the hardest to fill. A good point guard makes everyone else on the team better. So while the loss of Elton Brand stings (I won't get into that whole thing, but if you want to know how I really feel you can click here), I believe that Baron Davis is, if not a better player, a more important player. If for no other reason, Baron's ability to make big shots is a huge upgrade. Search for Baron Davis game-winner on YouTube and you get 34 results. Search for Elton Brand game-winner and you get five results - only one of which happens to be an actual Elton Brand game winner. Who would you rather give the ball to on the final possession?

Do Clipper fans hate Elton Brand now? In a word, yes. A lot. On my blog he's now universally known as FElton. I don't suppose I have to explain the derivation.


KC: The Marcus Camby trade was a bold move by the Clippers, but they certainly needed frontcourt help. They don't seem compatible at first glance, but the more I think about it the more I like the pairing. They were number one and three in the league in blocks last season, so they'll deflect a lot of shots and finishing at the hoop a risky proposition for penetrators. Baron Davis was already third in the league in steals last season can take more chances knowing he has cover behind him. The move sort of turns them into the Pistons from a few years ago essentially. Davis is the powerful lead guard in the mold of Chauncey Billups, Gordon and Cuttino Mobley are shooters like Rip Hamilton, Al Thornton is the long small forward, and Kaman and Camby will combine for more points than Detroit was getting from Rasheed and Ben Wallace. Did you think the trade was worth the effort? Can Kaman and Camby co-exist, or am I EFF'n nuts for comparing the 2008-09 Clippers to (a poor-man's version of) the 2004 Pistons?

CN: The Camby 'trade' (and I use the term loosely - it was closer to a straight free agent signing than a trade) was an absolute no-brainer as far as I'm concerned. And I'll tell you why - 2010. Look, the Clippers were going to spend that money - they weren't going to go into the season below the cap. And it's very much to their credit that they didn't sit around and pout when FElton screwed them. Camby is, in my opinion, a better fit than Josh Smith or Emeka Okafor (neither of whom were likely to wind up here anyway) and a signficantly better fit than Zach Randolph. But the real story is that Camby only has two years left on his contract. So from the team's standpoint, there's very little downside. If he plays well, great. If not, they'll have a trading chip next season, and a gob of cap space in 2010.

But on the basketball side, I think it's great. How many teams can have a top five shot-blocker on the floor at all times? And when they're on the floor together, I think they'll be great. You failed to mention that they were both top three in rebounding last season. On offense, they don't really do the same things. Camby hovers at 17 feet, Kaman works on the low block. On defense, they Clippers will have both sides of the rim covered. Basically, the lane will be a 'no fly zone'. Baron and the perimeter defenders have carte blanche to gamble for steals, knowing full well that Kam-Cam has their back. Not to mention that the wings can release pretty much the second a shot goes up, because Kam-Cam is going to get the rebound. Coach Dunleavy says he's going to run this season, and the two-headed monster he's got blocking shots and grabbing rebounds is a great way to start the fast break. Is there some concern that a smaller, quicker four will cause a matchup problem away from the basket? Well, Camby is really more of a four anyway, despite the fact that he played center in Denver. And although people see Kaman, the doofusy looking white guy and assume he is slow and plodding, but the simple fact is that he has great lateral quickness for a guy his size - he's actually very athletic. I don't see a problem playing them together at all.

As for your 2004 Pistons analogy, you really caught me off guard with that one. It's a pretty interesting analogy. It breaks down in a couple of places. The Pistons wings of Hamilton and Prince were (are) simply better than Mobley and Thornton. (Maybe in a couple seasons Gordon and Thornton could be on that level.) One of the big differences on the wing is defense; a difference that extends to the on-ball defense of Sheed and Ben. The Clippers hope to be a very good defensive team, but as of now all we can expect is a very good shot-blocking team, which is a nice start, but not the same thing. Thornton is, at this stage of his career, a poor defender, though I expect him to improve. Camby has never been a great on ball defender, and in fact the Nuggets went to great lengths to keep him on the weak side to let him roam and block shots. (On the other hand, Camby is an infinitely better offensive player than Ben Wallace.) And Kaman is adequate, but not great as an on ball defender. So I think that 2004 Pistons team is more than a bit ambitious for this Clippers squad. I see where you're going, and maybe that's a good goal if absolutely everything goes right. But defense is the key to getting to that level.

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The Los Angeles Clippers: Will They Sink or Float in 2008-09?

"Yes no... maybe. I don't know. Can you repeat the question?"

Ahem, sure, I was just asking how lil' Frankie Muniz is doing as owner of the LA Clippers. I remember hearing Malcolm was a diehard Clips fan dead set on owning his favorite team.

What's that? He... didn't make enough money to buy the team?

No, that can't be right. Not Mr. Cody Banks, not the star of Miracle in Lane 2! He boasted affirmatively on MTV's Diary that he was going to buy the Clippers when he grew up.

No, he really didn't, huh? Well that explains everything! Malcolm would've tricked Elton Brand into staying and hilarity would've ensued.

Despite Brand bolting, though, and Muniz betraying the people of Los Angeles, the Clippers will be a lot better this season than people are anticipating. And they are set up well for the future.

In 2007-08, the Clippers averaged 93.8 points per game, shot 43.8% from the field, and shot 32.4% from three-point range, each second-worst in the NBA, on their way to a vintage Clippers 23-59 record. Their record with Brand: 1-7.

Still, their quick coup of Baron Davis at the start of free agency seemed to bode well. Teaming B Diddy up with stud rookie Eric Gordon, elite rebounding big man Chris Kaman, playmaking youngster Al Thornton and Brand made the Clips look like a dark horse NBA Championship contender.

Then Brand went all Carlos Boozer on LA, Corey Maggette filled the void left by Davis at Golden State, and all the positivity built up by the Davis signing went for naught.

What's left, position-by-position, and how does the team look compared to in 2007-08?

PG: The horrid quartet of Sam Cassell, Brevin Knight, Smush Parker, Dan Dickau has been dismantled in favor of 35+ minutes of Baron Davis, with Jason Williams getting the rest of the PT. Huge Upgrade

SG: Cuttino Mobley and Quinton Ross completed what may have been the worst backcourt in the NBA EVER. Adding the explosive Eric Gordon to the mix will ideally relegate Mobley to the bench where he's belonged the last five years. Ricky Davis basically sucks, but even he is an improvement over Ross off the bench. Upgrade, Potentially Huge Depending on Gordon

SF: Al Thornton and Corey Maggette each played big minutes last season, and both operate best at small forward. Maggette's leaving hurts a bit, but, if Thornton improves as expected, there shouldn't be much of a drop-off. Tim Thomas will be a solid rotation guy in support of Thornton. Slight Drop-off

PF: What should have been a position of strength was a huge hole last season with Elton Brand out. Chris Kaman will likely slide to power forward as a result of the acquisition of Marcus Camby. He'll need to play big minutes, because there is little behind him at the position (Steve Novak, Paul Davis, Brian Skinner...). Definite Improvement

C: A guy who will certainly be counted on to improve the Clippers defensive percentages, how well Camby meshes with Kaman offensively will determine whether the Clippers can improve. The selection of DeAndre Jordan in the second round of the NBA Draft could pay huge dividends down the road and shouldn't be ignored. Improvement

When examining the Clippers roster compared to what was on the floor last season, they've essentially lost one palpable asset in Maggette and replaced him with three potential All-Star types in Davis, Gordon, and Camby.

This is being overlooked and could be enough to turn the Clippers into playoff contenders this season.

Looking down the road, the contracts of Camby, Mobley, and Thomas will all have expired in time for the 2010 offseason freeing up more than $25 million for the free agent frenzy.

By that time, the Clippers core of Davis, Gordon, Thornton, and Kaman could potentially rise up and surprise the league. The addition of stud, young free agent power forward Carl Landry for the mid-level exception in the meantime would ensure that LA is an attractive landing spot in that free agent window.

No matter what, this writer believes the Clippers will be the surprise team of the NBA this year and make the playoffs... and I can envision B Diddy running up to Muniz in the stands after advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2011 and shouting, "You're not the boss of me now."

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