LA Clippers: 5 Things To Do To Make Blake Griffin and Co. NBA Champions
LA has all the talent they need to win the championship this year and will most likely be holding up that trophy come June.
Of course, I'm referring to a certain purple and gold LA team and not the seemingly stuck in turmoil and losing constantly LA Clippers.
The Clippers have been the laughing stock of the NBA for years. They have zero championships, a handful (a small hand) of playoff appearances, and have been labeled with a knack for taking some of the most talented rosters and finding a way of screwing them up completely. With their #1 pick from last year in Blake Griffin finally healthy, and a team of talented young players mostly under the age of 23, one would tag the Clippers as one of the top teams of the future.
Unfortunately, this is the Clippers, and we've seen this act before. In 2003, the Clippers possessed one of the most talented young rosters in the NBA. With young guns like Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Corey Maggette, and Andre Miller, the Clippers had all the potential in the world to be a contender for years to come. And yet, somehow, it all went so wrong.
The Clippers failed to make the playoffs, Miller was sent packing to Denver, Lamar traded a year later to Miami eventually returning home to that other LA team, and Olowokandi was shipped to Minnesota once it was apparent that he would never fulfill his potential as a #1 pick, but this should have been obvious since the Clippers rarely fulfill the potential of any of their bajillion #1 picks. After winning the best of the worst teams award for a few more years, Elton Brand and Corey Maggette eventually left Clipperland as well.
Right now, the team has one of the worst records in the league, but this is to be expected with a starting five, none of whom are over the age of 22. But having been here before, the time is now to not let history repeat itself. Unlike talented Clippers teams of the past, this team needs to fulfill its potential for all of us suffering Clipper fans.
This team, led by Blake Griffin, has to be the one to make it, but there are 5 things that must change in order for that to happen.
Find Yoda: Teach Blake Griffin Well
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Blake Griffin is the key to Clipper success. Any idiot can tell you that.
He is talented in almost every facet of the game. 1on1 moves? Got it.
Pick n roll and off the ball movement? Check.
Good shooting mechanics that can eventually turn into consistent perimeter shotmaking. Yup.
He's even shown a knack for playmaking and passing, and this is aside from averaging 12 rebounds a game, all as a rookie. And unlike many Clipper rooks of the past, he doesn't seem to be a talented player with no work ethic, partying it up every chance he gets (Here's looking at you Darius Miles).
Yes, Blake Griffin definitely holds the keys to Clipper success. But be weary Clipper fans. The constant losing, the inept management, the distractions of LA and big brother Lakers. These are the ways of the dark side. Many a Clipper hopefuls have been tainted and manipulated by these factors.
It's important, not only to keep Griffin's head on his shoulders in the midst of all this losing, but to not let him fall victim to believing that losing is not going to change. Someone, be it a personal coach, a therapist, Phil Jackson next year (A man can dream can't he?) must teach him to keep his head up and make him believe that he can be the one to change the culture in Clipperland.
Also teaching him not to go after every ball with reckless abandonment might help too. The effort is admirable, but he needs to understand that we need him less for the battles and more for the war, and sacrificing his body with the way he jumps is just tempting fate and injury.
We just got you back Blake Griffin. Stay with us awhile won't you?
Addition By Subtraction: The Bench and Trades
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As it stands now, the Clipper starting five (assuming Baron Davis will eventually start again) is composed of Davis, Gordon, Aminu, Griffin, and Kaman (when he gets healthy). That's five guys who can put the ball in the basket.
Unfortunately, there's only one basketball, and as we've seen with teams in the past, having a bunch of scorers doesn't always equal success although I'm sure it's a problem that most teams would love to have. It reminds me of the Lakers in 1998 when they had Shaq, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, and Kobe. A ton o talent sure, but it wasn't until they traded away Jones and Van Exel for key role players that they were able to get over the hump.
Luckily, with the Clipper's two biggest contracts in Davis and Kaman, two positions they have solid starter's potential backups for in Bledsoe and Jordan, the Clips have two good players at the two most important positions in the game to dangle in potential trades.
While trading Kaman has its pluses and minuses, trading Davis is a no brainer. He's shown little enthusiasm since his arrival two years ago, and at 31, doesn't really fit the young nucleus around him. However, he is still a PG with allstar talent, and would garner interest from a contender or a team badly in need of a point.
But rather than go after players of equal talent or potential, the Clips would be best suited to pursue players who could bolster their very average bench. Much like the Lakers did this past summer with Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, and a new and improved Shannon Brown, the Clippers could get multiple bench players who are used to flourishing in a limited role. This would keep Bledsoe in the starting line up, and allow them to make their bench just as impressive as their starting five.
Should they get two or three quality role players, and perhaps one or two veterans via free agency (LA is an attractive city and winning changes everything: if you build it they will come), your bench is solidified with a good mix of quality role players which is vital for success.
Another possibility, should they decide to keep Kaman, would be putting the rookie Al, back on the bench, giving them a scorer who can grow in limited minutes and a more balanced starting five with Ryan Gomes as a starter (even though I don't particularly like him. He's one of those non-factor players in that he won't help you or hurt you).
Gregg Popovich knew the importance of balance, which is why he had Manu Ginobili coming off the bench for years and look how that turned out.
Go For Broke: The Homerun Trade
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Another route the Clips can take, albeit a more risky one, would be trading for a big name on the market. This would most likely require a combination of Baron Davis and either Chris Kaman or other young players with potential. It would also assume you're going after a player that plays the position of something you're giving up.
Although superstars like Carmelo Anthony, Yao Ming, or even crosstown center Andrew Bynum might be available, one player in particular could single handedly change the fortunes of the Clippers and Clipperland. Chris Paul has long been rumored to be on the trading block, no matter what the Hornets GM says, and with Davis, Kaman, and several young players with an abundance of talent available, it's possible to imagine quite a few trade package combinations that could entice New Orleans to make such a trade.
Odds are, they'd wouldn't want Davis in such a deal, and would prefer a package of Kaman, Gordon, Bledsoe, and maybe Al-Farique (which I still might do assuming you could later deal Davis for players who could make up for the loss the latter three), but in any case it's a huge risk that would gut your team of several young and talented players on rookie contracts.
While the thought of Griffin and Paul, basically forming the new Nash/Amare combo is tantalizing to say the least, there's also a part of me that wants to see these five guys play together and grow together organically, ala the OKC Thunder.
With chips like Davis and possibly Kaman in play, the Clips can keep their young core together while providing a much needed bench or veteran presence.
Run Clippers Run!: The Ultimate Fastbreak
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With the current starting five of Bledsoe, Gordon, Al-Farique, Griffin, and Jordan, the Clips have themselves quite possibly the best running personel in the league.
With the ever improving Bledsoe manning the point, Griffin rebounding and sprinting like a madman like he does, Jordan outrunning the opposing center, and Gordon and Al capable of spotting up, making a play, or finishing the alley oop as well, the Clips could potentially have 5 guys running the floor at all times, each with speed and athleticism. It only makes sense to take a Phoenix Sun approach and get out there and run.
The only difference would be they have the size to go with their ability to run whereas the Suns sacrificed their size to do it. Should Baron be kept or unable to be traded, he too would flourish in such a system. Kaman could come off the bench, giving them a valuable scoring threat and a different look as an anchor off the bench.
You saw what the Thunder (another athletic running team) did to the defending champs last year in the playoffs. Gave them quite a scare making them look old at times.
This team is even more athletic across the board and bigger down low. A 7 game LA playoff series. Now wouldn't that be something?
Move Out Of The House: A Change Of Scenery
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Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery to make things right.
The Clips of have played the little brother to big brother Lakers for some time and it's obvious to everyone but Donald "cheap ass" Sterling that the Clips need their own identity. A move down south to the Honda Center Anaheim Pond would be the perfect fit and a place where these young Clippers could forge their own mark in their own city without being in the shadow of the Lakers and their constant spotlight.
Orange County fans have the time and the money to make for a great fanbase and would be a fitting change for the Clips and their new era. Only 30 minutes from LA, it would not deter free agents from coming there and might actually provide more options for players with families who might not want to live in a big city like LA, but still have access to it.
The Clippers are primed and ready to start a new era of fun, exciting, and most importantly winning basketball. As a fan since the mid 90s, this Clipperfan is pulling for this new breed of Clippers to break free of Clipper ineptitude and bring a long awaited Championship to the Clippernation. GO CLIPS!
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