Los Angeles Clippers Team Preview 2010-2011
Key additions: Randy Foye (2 years $8.5 million), Ryan Gomes (3 years $12 million), Brian Cook
Key departures: Drew Gooden (Bucks), Steve Blake (Lakers), Travis Outlaw (Nets), Brian Skinner, Steve Novak
The Los Angeles Clippers have always been an afterthought in Tinsel town, not surprising given that they play in the same city as arguably the best run basketball franchise in the world the Los Angeles Lakers. To make matters worse, the Clippers not only share the same city but also play in the same Staples Center arena and while it has some witnessed legendary and historic basketball moments none of them have been provided by the Clippers. While the Lakers are the better team for the past and present, the Clippers have the better young core of talent and may be the team to fear in the future.
Baron Davis and Eric GordonThe Clippers are currently led by veterans Baron Davis and Chris Kaman. Both have been considered among the best at their positions, but neither would be considered an elite go to player going into the 2010 season. Baron Davis, at the age of 31, can no longer be relied as he once was. Since his departure from Golden State where he stared in the playoffs and showcased his skills on the big stage, he has had a less than stellar career for the Clippers. He has been marred by injuries and conflicts with former coach Mike Dunleavy. In his three seasons of training camp with the Clippers (this being his 3rd) he has yet to show up in elite playing shape, instead choosing the approach of getting his body in shape during camp. In the past he has had both knee and back injuries, which not respond well when you are pulling an extra 15-30 pounds on your body. Currently he has been sitting out camp with a bad hamstring, an injury often related to bad knees or a bad back. This is disheartening as Baron, when motivated, is one of the most physical and toughest players to guard in the NBA. But he does not have a reputation of taking good care of his body and players over 30 who do not take the training aspect as seriously as playing basketball tend to lose their skills at a rapid pace. With all that said, Davis should not be considered a big part of the Clippers future.
Chris Kaman, on the other hand, is a solid, throwback type of player as he is a big man who can score in the post. Against some second tier teams such as the Golden State Warriors, he may even demand a double team in the post, but by no means is he a player you can count on for creating his own play or shot. While he may have an all star game appearance or two left in him, this is due more to the dire state of post players in the Western Conference than his offensive dominance. At his height, however, he is a great piece to have and will be of some use once the young core develops.
Entering the off-season with over $20 million in cap room, the Clippers, the worst run team in sports, could have easily squandered tens of millions on some journeyman, but they didn't. Rather, they scored two of the most sensible, economical signings of the summer in combo guard Randy Foye (2 years/$8.5 million) and forward Ryan Gomes (3 years/$12 million). Foye will be an excellent fit in the backcourt coming off the bench, a nice foil to the Davis-Gordon tandem, while Gomes helps to shore up the swingman spot.
The Clippers have been awful for the last couple of seasons permitting them to acquire young talent through the draft. Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin headline this core group. Eric Gordon, an elite shooter, was part of the Gold Medal winning USA team in the recent World Championships in Turkey. While he may never be the elite player at his position he has demonstrated that he can be an elite scorer and that the Joe Dumars comparisons prior to him being drafted seem accurate. Other than Baron Davis, he was the only player on last season’s Clippers roster with the ability to create his own shot. He is at his best as a number two option, not as a go to guy, due to the fact that he is a true combo guard, does not have the mentality of a point guard nor the height of an ideal two guard, and partly because he is an ideal player in receiving the ball from a drive and kick. Gordon will definitely play a key role in the future of this franchise.
Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin was the number one overall pick of the 2009 draft for a reason. He was picked over Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, and Brandon Jennings to name a few. While he was unable to play last season due to injury, his preseason performances have shown flashes of why he was so highly regarded by NBADraft.net’s and the Clippers talent evaluators. He is a front runner for rookie of the year and only injuries can derail his ascent to stardom. He has strength and quickness and when talent evaluators watch him play they often compare him to some great power forwards (Karl Malone and a pre injury Larry Johnson, to name a few). Other than injuries, his biggest flaw is his free throw shooting. Like a young Karl Malone, he is a poor free throw shooter, which is something he needs to develop as he will see a lot of time at the foul line finishing three point plays. Griffin will probably take a secondary role in the post to Kaman this season, but there is no question that the Clippers will peak only when he develops and gets the confidence from Coach Vinnie Del Negro to be their go to player come crunch time.
Other notable young players on this team include center DeAndre Jordan. Had Jordan stayed all four years in college, this would be his rookie season. Instead at the age of 22 he is entering his 3rd season in the NBA and while he has been far from dominant he has shown flashes of vast potential and will be the first center off the bench when Kaman needs a breather. The three players in this year’s draft all have the potential of being part of the Clippers long term future. [player: Al-Farouq Aminu], a lottery pick who some compare to a Marvin Williams should get some minutes off the bench, while Eric Bledsoe and Willie Warren should compete for playing time as guards while honing their point guard skills. There is hope within the organization that one of the two will eventually become the heir to Davis.
The Clippers of the present are not half bad should they change the culture of losing that exists within the organization and stay healthy. Given the fact that the point guard-center tandem of Baron and Kaman is undoubtedly top four in the West, it would come to no surprise if they made the playoffs this upcoming season. Davis could stay healthy and Gordon and Griffin could develop more quickly than anticipated, but it is more realistic to be excited about this team for its future talent: Gordon, Griffin, Aminu, Bledsoe, Warren, and 2010 NCAA Dunk Contest winner, Marqus Blakely enter the season 22 years age or younger. With the potential of having half of its active roster under the age to legally drink and having their best player rarely healthy, Clipper fans can expect their team having a roller coaster type of a season, at times beating championship caliber teams and other times losing to some of the NBA's bottom dwellers.
Predicted Record: 38-44
2010-11 Roster
NUM PLAYER POS HT WT FROM
3 Al-Farouq Aminu F 6-9 Wake Forest R
22 Marqus Blakely F 6-5 Vermont R
12 Eric Bledsoe G 6-1 Kentucky R
45 Rasual Butler G-F 6-7 La Salle
31 Jarron Collins C 6-11 Stanford
34 Brian Cook F 6-9 Illinois
5 Baron Davis G 6-3 UCLA
14 Stephen Dennis G 6-6 Kutztown R
4 Randy Foye G 6-4 Villanova
15 Ryan Gomes F 6-7 Providence
10 Eric Gordon G 6-3 Indiana
32 Blake Griffin F 6-10 Oklahoma R
9 DeAndre Jordan C 6-11 Texas A&M
35 Chris Kaman C 7-0 Central Michigan
7 Jon Scheyer G 6-5 Duke R
1 Craig Smith F 6-7 Boston College
43 Jake Voskuhl C 6-11 Connecticut
