Are the Los Angeles Clippers Quietly Improving More Than Any Team in the NBA?
Ray Allen. Chauncey Billups. Jamal Crawford. What do these three free-agent NBA veterans have in common?
Well, aside from their apparent affinity for shiny, bald heads, they might all be cashing checks from the Los Angeles Clippers this fall and, perhaps, competing for a title in the spring alongside Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
The Clippers have been among the most active teams in attempting to reshape their roster this offseason. This, despite a vacancy at general manager in the wake Neil Olshey's sudden decision to join the Portland Trail Blazers' front office. They've already sent Mo Williams packing in a three-team deal that landed Lamar Odom back in LA and are still armed with a modicum of cap space and an exception (depending on how much they spend) with which to upgrade the rest of the roster.
At present, the Clips are most pressed for shooters and backup big men. According to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, they're prepared to offer Crawford a three-year deal at $5 million per season and Billups a one-year pact that could earn him up to $4.3 million after incentives. Both players saw their respective market values decline considerably last season—Crawford, as he slogged through a tumultuous season in Portland, and Billups, after rupturing his Achilles tendon fairly early on.
Allen, meanwhile, is slated to pay a visit to the Clips on Friday, per Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. LA might not be able to match Boston's two-year, $12 million offer, though, frankly, the Celtics might have to change their tune a bit with Jason Terry reportedly assuming their mid-level exception.
But, unlike Allen's other suitors (i.e., the C's, the Miami Heat, perhaps even the Memphis Grizzlies), the Clips can practically guarantee the future Hall-of-Famer a spot in their starting five. LA spent most of last season with neither a true shooting guard nor a reliable sharpshooter, both of which just so happen to be roles that Allen has filled better than all but a handful of players in NBA history.
Billups (a.k.a. Mr. Big Shot) proved to be a fairly efficient marksman during his brief stint in a Clippers uniform, just as he has throughout his career. Crawford is capable of hitting from deep on occasion, but is best suited to slashing and creating shots off the dribble, particularly off the bench.
The very same bench, mind you, that could also be home to either Odom or Caron Butler, depending on how much-maligned head coach Vinny Del Negro decides to set up his rotation. Should Crawford sign on and Tuff Juice get the starting nod from VDN, the Clips would feature two former Sixth Man of the Year award winners in their second unit.
If Jesus Shuttlesworth and Mr. Big Shot follow suit, they'd also boast the all-time three-point specialist in the starting lineup and a former NBA Finals MVP coming off the bench.
Not to mention a promising young guard in Eric Bledsoe, another dude who's arguably the best point guard on the planet and a 23-year-old man-child who does stuff like this all the time:
And then there's DeAndre Jordan, who's not particularly useful outside of a five-foot radius from the basket on either end of the floor. In that regard, the Clippers would still have some work to do as far as adding depth to their front court is concerned. Hence, the reports of the Clips' interest in UCLA alum and Pasadena native Ryan Hollins (again, per Broderick Turner of The LA Times). Not that Hollins is a particularly satisfactory solution to the problem, though he'd at least be another big, athletic body for VDN to throw out onto the floor.
To be sure, there's no guarantee that such a rosy, red-white-and-blue picture will emerge at the Staples Center this summer. Allen may well choose money and loyalty in Boston or the chance to join those who beat him in Miami over the opportunity to play for Donald Sterling, perhaps the worst owner in professional sports. Crawford apparently has the Clips atop his list, but could just as easily seek a different deal elsewhere. Billups, too, is attracting interest from other suitors.
And even if any (or all) of these three join L.O. as LA's latest arrivals, there's no telling how they'll fare next season. Allen just had bone spurs removed from his ankle, Billups' Achilles is still on the mend and both Crawford and Odom are coming off their worst seasons in years. All four have surpassed the age of 32, meaning that any injury or decline on the court is that much tougher (if not nearly impossible) to reverse.
Doom and gloom aside, though, the potential addition of these three free agents, along with Odom's return to the team that drafted him, would give the Clips an intriguing blend of youth (Griffin, Jordan and Bledsoe), veteran productivity (Crawford, Butler and Ryan Gomes) and championship experience (Odom, Allen and Billups) with which to surround CP3 in an attempt to both compete for a title and convince their superstar point guard to set down more permanent roots in southern California.
There may be no big splash as of yet coming out of the Clippers' facility in Playa Vista, what with Dwight Howard and Deron Williams still dominating the headlines.
But if/when LA's "other" team strikes—and whoever in the front office is in charge of said striking—the rest of the NBA will have no choice but to take notice.
