NBA 2010-2011 Season: Five Reasons the LA Clippers Will Overachieve

The Los Angeles Clippers have been a bad team for a long time. The Lakers have cast a shadow over the Clippers, as they have proven to be the elite team out of LA.

I’m certainly not going to try to convince you the Clippers are ready to dethrone the Lakers, but I think the Clippers are ready to get out of the NBA’s cellar.

With a new coach and plenty of young talent, the Clippers look stronger than they have in a long time heading in to the 2010-2011 season.

The expectations for the Clippers are not very high. I can’t remember the last time someone told me the Clippers had a shot at the playoffs, but this year it is a possibility. I would say a top-10 finish in the west would be a huge victory for the Clippers and with the players on their roster, I can see that happening.

There are five main reasons why I believe the Clippers will overachieve. 

The Morale

5. Morale

When you are on a bad team, it can be hard to stay positive. Baron Davis, the teams starting point guard is a perfect example, as he has been known to turn it on and off. He can be good when he wants to, but other times he just gives up.

Morale can be an important factor when you look at the W column, especially on a young team. Someone with little experience dealing with adversity may have more trouble dealing with a losing record or poor performance. The Clippers are primarily a young team, and may have three starters under the age of 23.

When you look at the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, you see what every young team is trying to do. They were an exciting team to watch. The Thunder developed great chemistry, and the players as well as the fans became excited about the team’s future.

Even if the Clippers fail to make the play-offs, the season could still easily be viewed as a success. If they can successfully expand their fan base, help their young players develop, and improve team morale I would say that counts as overachieving.

Over the years, the Clippers have been unsuccessful in all of these categories and if they can turn that around, their record isn’t the most important thing.

Depth

4. Depth

The Clippers go two deep at every position. When I say Clippers, I’m sure depth is not the first thing that comes to your mind, but if you look at their roster it’s true.

At point guard they have Baron Davis starting and Eric Bledsoe backing him up. Bledsoe may not be ready for the NBA immediately, but under Baron Davis he should learn quickly.

At shooting guard they have Eric Gordon, who last season proved that he could be a legitimate scoring threat in the NBA. If he can develop other parts of his game, he will be a great starter in the NBA.

Randy Foye was signed in free agency this season and is a great addition at shooting guard. He is an ideal backup. Rasual Butler could also log minutes at shooting guard, and Eric Bledsoe has experience playing off the ball as well.

At small forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Rasual Butler will battle for minutes, while Ryan Gomes will be good off the bench. There will be a lot of competition for minutes at small forward this year.

At power forward Blake Griffin will probably start with Craig Smith backing him up, Aminu should play minutes at power forward as well. I would say Aminu will probably end up coming off the bench, but if he gets playing time at both forward positions he should get starters minutes.

At center the Clippers have the always-reliable Chris Kaman. Kaman nearly averaged a 20 and 10 last season, and may reach it this season. He is a solid NBA center.

DeAndre Jordan is still raw, but he is a capable backup for now. Kaman will get most of the minutes anyways. 

Coaching

3. Coaching

The Clippers have finally got out of the Mike Dunleavy Sr. era, and I must say it’s a huge relief.

The last seven years have been nothing but losing, and frustration. Vinny Del Negro isn’t the next Phil Jackson, but he is definitely an improvement. Clippers fans finally have something to be excited about.

Change is good. Vinny Del Negro is a solid coach that did a good job at Chicago. He did a great job of handling Derrick Rose, and Rose made it known that he was unhappy about the Bulls’ decision to fire him. With such a young team, Del Negro is the perfect man for the job.

Al-Farouq Aminu, Blake Griffin, Eric Bledsoe, Eric Gordon, and DeAndre Jordan could be the starting five of the future in Los Angeles. When you have such a talented group, you have to make sure that you work with that talent and try to develop what you have and Del Negro is the perfect person for that task.

He may not be the best coach in the NBA, but the Clippers have made the right move.

Talent

2. Talent

The Clippers have talent, but what’s better is that it’s young talent. Let me tell you, the Clippers aren’t in as much trouble as you think.

Let’s start with Chris Kaman. Kaman made his first all-star team last season, and is entering his prime. He is the pride and joy of the Clippers. Like I said before, he nearly averaged 20 and 10 last season.

Next we look at Baron Davis. Davis is 31 years old and he doesn’t have very many years left, but hopefully Eric Bledsoe can learn from Davis as he has been a great point guard for a long time.

Eric Bledsoe is an excellent combo guard who eventually could be a great point guard with time. He may not be ready right away, but he doesn’t have to.

If you look at the Clippers two oldest starters, Kaman and Davis they have two young, raw backups behind them in DeAndre Jordan and Eric Bledsoe who will probably start to slowly take over a good chunk of the minutes.

Next the Clippers have Eric Gordon. Like I said before, Gordon can score.

If Gordon can become more of an all around player the Clippers will be in for a pleasant surprise. Backing him up will be Randy Foye, who showed promise in Minnesota before being traded to Washington mid season. He should be a great backup.

The Clippers have a dilemma at small forward. It’s not that they don’t have enough players, it’s that they have too many. Thank God.

Rasual Butler started 64 games for the Clips last year and played 33 minutes a game. Ryan Gomes started also started 64 games last season with the Timberwolves. He played 29 minutes a game. Add in top-10 draft pick Al-Farouq Aminu, and the Clippers don’t have enough minutes.

Hopefully Aminu can play minutes at both forward positions otherwise, someone is going to sacrifice serious minutes.

Finally, at power forward they have last years first overall pick Blake Griffin.

Clippers fans have been waiting for Griffin to finally play in an NBA game, and they will get their wish this season.

Griffin is a great talent and if he plays like he did before his injury he could dominate. Craig Smith is a competent back up, and Aminu could back him up as well. Another big body in the front-court wouldn’t hurt, but they would be ok without one.

The Fans

1. The Fans

The Clippers have been in the news this off-season more than any other off-season that I can remember. If people in Los Angeles get excited about the Clippers, fan support would improve.

I live in Minnesota, and if I were to go to a Timberwolves game (I wouldn’t) there would be no one there. If you try to watch one of their games on TV, (it’s painful) you would see that there is no one sitting in the upper levels. There is probably one person every 15 seats in the lower levels, and I can’t imagine how that feels for a player.

Imagine going to Cleveland or Chicago last season; the top two in average attendance, and then going back to your home floor. I can’t imagine getting excited for a game when no one is there.

The Clippers have two new first round draft picks (three if you count Blake Griffin) and multiple free agents coming in along with a new coach.

People are talking about the Clippers right now, and that works to their advantage. If they can put more people in the seats, it would do wonders for the team.

My Prediction

In the end I believe the Clippers will be 40-42 which is obviously not good enough to make the playoffs, but the Clippers will take what they can get. In the future, I think the Clippers will have a good chance to be competitive. 

Keep in mind the Timberwolves (basically) owe the Clippers an unprotected first round pick in 2012.

In four years, I think the Clippers could be in position to win at least 46 games, and potentially more.

Remember I'm not saying they are a great team, but I am saying they will surpass expectations for the upcoming season.

In Conclusion....

The Los Angeles Clippers have just been rotten over the past few years, but I think they may be ready to finally come out of their slump. The Clippers have made the play-offs once in the last 13 seasons and need to find a more consistent system.

I know you may be skeptical, but it is a better time than ever to jump on the Clippers bandwagon.

Additionally, I welcome comments, but just to clear things up I'm not saying the Clippers are better than (insert your favorite team here). So please, just keep that in mind.