LOS ANGELES-When you watch the Los Angeles Clippers take the floor this season, one of the first things come to mind is that the team has a lot of potential to make some real noise in the NBA’s Western Conference. That seemed to be the theory last season when the Clipper made it all the way to the second round of the playoffs before the San Antonio Spurs’ endless depth wore and eventually bounced them out of the postseason.
Last year, in the strike-shortened season, the noise the Clippers made largely came from their marquee players-Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Even though they posted an impressive 40-26 record last season, the Clippers were mostly the Paul and Griffin Show. When Chauncey Billups went down for the season with an unfortunate leg injury, the Clippers’ Big Three turned into the Magnificent Two.
The bench play was decent but nothing to really sing to mama about. What the Clippers probably learned from their playoff run is that going two-on-five, even three-on-five when center DeAndre Jordan became engaged, is not exactly the recipe needed to go deep into the postseason.
After a blistering first round series win over the rugged Memphis Grizzlies, it was clear the Clippers ran into the invisible wall of fatigue against the Spurs. The Clippers shouldn’t run into that problem this season, not with all the player personnel moves the team made during the offseason.
The Clippers are loaded with former NBA All-Stars, two players who have won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year honor, a defensive stalwart and one of the prolific scorers in the game. In short, the Clippers’ second unit would be starters for some other teams around the league.
This is a different year, and coach Vinny Del Negro is hoping for different results this time around. Those results are going to be based on how Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford, Ryan Hollins and Grant Hill play. What the Clippers have done from the end of last season to this season is quietly present a team that can not only lineup and play against the Los Angeles Lakers or a Miami Heat or an Oklahoma City Thunder, but a squad that can beat them.
The old, soft Clippers have officially dissipated in the last several years. Expectations were high for the Clippers when Paul, Billups and Caron Butler teamed up with Griffin and Jordan to give the league one of the most exciting teams around. The Clippers don’t have to worry about this season. They have the bodies.
They went out and got pedigree in Hill, a seven-time NBA All-Star. The Clippers picked up versatility in signing Odom, the Kia NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2011. Hollins gives the size and is a perfect complement to back up Jordan at center. Jamal Crawford is simply a popcorn scoring machine, and is one of just active players in the league who have scored 50 points at least three times.
The winner of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2010, Crawford once dropped 52 points on the Heat. So you know Crawford can light it up with the best of them. Barnes is nothing short of a great utility player: he’s going to lay it all on the court. All of this adds up to being a prolific roster upgrade from a year ago for the Clippers. It also raises the expectations of the team.
While the Lakers seemed to have made the big splash with center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash signing up to play for the Purple and Gold, the Clippers went about their business below the radar screen. The Lakers may have the bigger names, but the Clippers have the better bench. So while their down the hall rivals enjoy the fruits of Hollywood, the Clippers will try to get to the postseason by way of their blue-collar work ethic.
In preseason games against the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors at Staples Center, the Clippers’ bench players were given some prime time and showed the stage isn’t too big for them to shine. Crawford illustrated his scoring bluster, pouring in 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Clippers to a 96-94 win against Utah.
Even though the starters made their night easier by jumping out ahead of Golden States early, Hollins and backup power forward Ronny Turiaf combined for 12 points, 10 rebounds and three block shots through the first three quarters of play. This is the kind of play by role players that may slip through the cracks. It is this kind of effort that will put the Clippers in the hunt for an NBA title this season.
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com
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