NBA Rumors: Why Joel Przybilla Is Final Piece for Clippers' Championship Puzzle

The Los Angeles Clippers made all the right moves this offseason in their quest to become a championship contender.

They just have one move left to make.

Don’t laugh, but that one last move is to sign center Joel Przybilla.

According to the L.A. Times, the Clippers are one of a couple teams interested in the free agent Przybilla. The Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks also have expressed interest.

Before discussing what Przybilla’s worth to the Clips would be, let’s take a current look at their roster.

The starting five is obvious: Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. It’s a starting lineup that immediately makes L.A. a playoff team. But in order to be a championship contender, a team needs a good bench.

The Clippers don’t quite have that yet.

Mo Williams is a great sixth man who can play both guard positions, but after that, who is there?

Ryan Gomes, Brian Cook and Randy Foye are the next three off the bench, and that is about as underwhelming of a trio as you can get.

The frontcourt depth in particular is too poor to compete for a championship. Griffin and Jordan are young and can play a lot of minutes, but you need guys who will give you 12-15 solid minutes. Big guys that can play defense and rebound, specifically. Not ones who just sit at the three-point line (ahem, Brian Cook).

The Clippers already went out and grabbed one player who fits that bill in Reggie Evans, who has always been a monster on the glass.

Joel Przybilla is the final piece in shoring up the frontcourt depth. He’s another big body who, when healthy, blocks shots and rebounds the ball at a fairly incredible rate. Like Evans, he won’t score a ton of points, but that’s not his job.

With Evans and Przybilla in the middle, the Clippers second rotation will suddenly be incredibly hard to score on for opposing teams. It will be full of guys who have strength, heart, hustle and aren’t afraid to foul someone hard. It will be an incredibly physical unit.

Evans and Przybilla are the type of underrated players who are key in championship runs. They aren’t sexy names, but you find them on every successful team.

Also worth noting is that adding another able body—anybody—simply lets the starters play a few less minutes and stay fresh throughout the season.

Joel Przybilla isn’t a name that will excite Clippers fans, but he immediately improves a weakness and makes them a better team.

You can’t ask for much more at this point.