Final Offseason Grades for the LA Clippers

It sure has been an interesting offseason for the Los Angeles Clippers. Gone are Eric Bledsoe, a fan favorite, and Caron Butler. In come J.J. Redick’s sweet stroke, Jared Dudley and his all-around play and Darren Collison’s rim attacks.

However, the most important change was letting Vinny Del Negro leave and upgrading the sidelines with Doc Rivers. Acquiring Rivers may have cost the Clippers an unprotected first-round pick, but the goal was to keep Chris Paul and hire Rivers.

That is exactly what management accomplished.

With the roster seemingly upgraded, player development this summer was crucial. The Memphis Grizzlies thrashed the Clippers after the first two games of the conference quarterfinals, winning four-straight and the series. Blake Griffin needs to return to a 20-and-10 forward and DeAndre Jordan must live up to the defensive responsibilities Rivers is placing on him.

There was plenty of change, but change is good when weaknesses are exposed then addressed. The team locked up its star players in consecutive offseasons, and the future contains lofty expectations. So just how successful was the Clippers offseason?

Draft

Armed with one pick for the 2013 draft, the Clippers wanted to bring in a player who filled a need and could be groomed to fit into the rotation. Their target was Reggie Bullock, from the University of North Carolina.

Bullock was expected to provide solid defense and good shooting from the perimeter. His performance in the Las Vegas Summer League did not exactly fulfill those expectations.

Bullock’s play was intriguing, as he averaged 18.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. During his career at North Carolina, Bullock shot 38.7 percent from three. However, during the Summer League, he shot an ugly 28.2 percent from deep. The shooting slump was likely due to being the primary scoring option and the fact that the NBA three-point line is further out than that found in college ball.

Unfortunately, Bullock was able to play in only two preseason games due to a right-knee injury. The setbacks in training camp and preseason will make it difficult for the rookie to break into the rotation early in the season.

Still, Bullock provides depth at both shooting guard and small forward. He is expected to be able to defend both positions and should fit into the offense thanks to his shooting ability. Should someone go down with an injury or even end up being traded, Bullock could play a prominent role off the bench.

Grade: B

 

Offseason Acquisitions

The Clippers certainly revamped their roster. Bringing in two new starters, Eric Bledsoe’s replacement and some additions to the frontcourt, the Clippers were consistently praised for the acquisitions. Inopportunely, a few of those additions struggled, while another barely played due to injury.

The headliner of the offseason acquisitions, J.J. Redick, played in only two games. Dealing with a bruised quad, Redick was limited in the preseason. When he finally got on the floor, he scored 24 points and shot 6-of-18 from the field. His limited minutes were primarily to get him ready for opening night.

While Redick missed five games, Darren Collison wowed with his aggressiveness and hot shooting. Collison finished second on the team in points, scoring 16.4 per game. However, it was his 46.7 percent shooting from deep that caught everyone’s attention. Collison looked exactly like the player the Clippers need to run their second unit.

Jared Dudley, who was acquired to log heavy minutes at small forward, looked rusty. Dudley scored a mere 5.3 points per game but did shoot 36.4 percent from three. Although he struggled to find his game, Dudley still looks like a solid swingman and the team’s starting small forward.

Finally, after their shooting performances, Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens definitely need some work. Jamison shot 31.4 percent from the field. The Clippers need him to be able to stretch the floor, and his efforts in the preseason probably did not score any points with the coaching staff. Meanwhile, Mullens needs to work on his shot selection. Although he hit 34.0 percent from downtown, he also jacked up a team-high 47 threes.

Overall, the additions look good on paper, but the offseason grade is incomplete based on the preseason performances. Collison looked stellar, Redick missed five games and Dudley looked out of sorts. Still, the skills and tendencies from each of the acquisitions should bode well once they have enough time to settle.

Had the Clippers picked up someone who can score on the block, the grade would have been higher.

Grade: B+

 

Preseason Performance

The Clippers probably could have finished better than their 5-3 record, but Doc Rivers needed these eight games to form his rotations and provide an opportunity for some guys to compete for a roster spot.

True to his past, Chris Paul looked like the best player on the roster...and on the floor for that matter. Paul scored 18.4 points per game, grabbed 5.7 rebounds and dished out 7.3 assists. He also shot 49.4 percent from the floor and 45.0 percent behind the arc. Paul also exploded for 40 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists against the Denver Nuggets. He looks primed for a huge season.

With Blake Griffin playing limited minutes, the spotlight was on DeAndre Jordan. The athletic center responded by scoring 11.0 points per game on an astonishing 70.2 percent shooting from the field. Additionally, Jordan was fantastic protecting the rim, averaging 3.43 blocks.

The real questions about what the Clippers will look like with a healthy lineup remains. Other than Darren Collison’s fantastic play and Jordan buying into Rivers’ defensive system, not much else was discovered. Perhaps Rivers wants it that way.

Make no mistake; it will take some time for the Clippers to gel, considering they brought three new guys into the rotation and have two more players battling for minutes. Chris Paul will drive the team early. Expect him to be pushed by Rivers and Alvin Gentry to carry more of the scoring load early in the season.

The Clippers will be fun to watch and a terror to play against. The defense, shooting and scoring from every position is scary to think about. Paul will make sure the team is focused, while Rivers will instill the confidence and toughness the team lacked the past two seasons.

Grade: B-