NBA: L.A. Clippers Are Among 5 Young Teams That Could Win a Championship Soon
With the NBA All-Star game going on this weekend, the NBA is officially in the second half of the season and teams are gearing up for a final playoff push.
The top three teams at this point are the San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. The average age of these rosters are 28, 28.1, and 29.8 respectively. Now that's not too old for this earth by no means but in terms of basketball shelf life all three teams have aging rosters.
Seeing how this is a nation caught up in Bieber Fever, why don't we take a look at some fresh faced teams who have youthful rosters that are ready to make a run at the Larry O'Brien trophy in the up-coming decade.
The following list will highlight 5 young teams that are under the radar now, but could ascend to the ranks of contenders within a short period of time.
Golden State Warriors
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The Warriors have a roster with an average age of 26. They are currently 26-29 in Western Conference, 4 games out of the last playoff spot, but still have a chance to make a run. Lets talk future potential though because that's more fun.
The Warriors have arguably the most exciting back court tandem in the league with Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis who are 22 and 25 respectively.
With these two at the helm the Warriors already average 102.9 PPG, and 22.8 APG, which is good for 7th and 8th in the NBA. As these two players enter their prime those numbers should only increase.
Adding David Lee was huge for the Warriors this past summer. With 16.0 PPG and 9.5 RPG he provides an inside scoring presence this team had been lacking for years.
The Warriors have always been known as a team lacking on the defensive end, but the potential emergence of Ekpe Udoh could change that.
Udoh was a swat machine while at Baylor University, and if he could develop into the rebounding and shot blocking terror the Warriors hope for, he can more than make up for the lack of size at the 1 and 2 position.
One area of concern is the lack of depth behind Curry and Ellis. If the Warriors can form a serviceable bench without having to give up crucial assets, then they could limit the wear and tear on their back court studs.
Indiana Pacers
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The Pacers have a roster with an average age of 26.1. They are currently 24-30 and currently 8th in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Interim coach Frank Vogel has infused a swagger and confidence in this team that he calls "smash mouth basketball."
Roy Hibbert seems to be playing with confidence these days after getting being punked publicly by former coach Jim O'Brien, and admitting that he would consult a sports psychologist.
These Pacers have all the building blocks of a solid playoff team for years to come. They have a quick, play making point guard in Darren Collison, who they traded for in the off-season.
In his second season in the NBA Collison is averaging 13.7 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.0 RPG.
They also have a franchise center in Roy Hibbert, who at 7'2" and 278lbs could become an imposing force in a league lacking quality big men. Hibbert has seen his numbers and productivity increase dramtically this year.
Couple those two players with the All-Star caliber forward Danny Granger and you can see why Larry Bird and company were forced to fire O'Brien after a disappointing start to the season.
Granger, who is averaging 20.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.7 APG would be an all-star if it wasn't for Chris "VelociRaptor" Bosh(seriously, you're telling me you can't see Bosh chasing those kids around Jurassic Park).
With the young talent they have in Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George, and Brandon Rush these Pacers could challenge the Bulls for Central division dominance for years to come.
Philadelphia 76ers
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The 76ers have a roster with an average age of 26.1. They are currently 27-29, and 7th in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers are lead in scoring and rebounding by Elton Brand, who is finally playing like the player the team traded for a couple years back.
They have a go-to crunch time player in Andre Iguodala, who now at age 27, is in his prime. They also have a Top 20 point guard in Jrue Holiday, who averages 6.2 APG. Holiday is only 20-years-old.
There are two play makers off the bench in Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young, who are capable of exploding for 20 points or more on any given night.
If Evan Turner, the No. 2 overall pick in last years can begin to play like the dominant player he was at Ohio State University than this team should have the dominant 2-guard Philly has been waiting for since the Answer left town.
The players have bought into Doug Collins system and he seems to have groomed them to be a tough 1st-round out in this years playoffs and a perennial playoff contender in the East.
Memphis Grizzlies
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The Grizzlies have an average age of 25.1. They are currently 31-26 and tied with the Utah Jazz for the 8th spot in the Western Conference.
With the Jazz struggling to stay afloat sans Jerry Sloan, and the combustible Denver Nuggets embroiled in constant drama the Grizzlies have a good chance of making the playoffs this year, but the injury to Rudy Gay could prove fatal.
Looking past this season the Grizzlies appear to be in great shape. The only player on the roster over the age of 30 is the recently acquired Jason Williams. This roster is full of confident and hungry players who want to make a name for themselves.
Zach Randolph is having another monster season averaging 20.1 PPG and 13.2 RPG. Rudy Gay is a superstar in the making, who has demonstrated the ability to make big-time shots in big-time games.
Even Mike Conley has taken his game to another level this year averaging 13.7 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 3.1 RPG.
The recent emergence of second year player Sam Young has made the temperamental O.J. Mayo expendable and one has to wonder if his exit could be the catalyst for the unbuntu type cohesion found in championship caliber teams.
The Grizzlies have to find a way to not lose Marc Gasol to free-agency this summer. If they can keep Gasol, along with the other players mentioned the Grizzlies could become a force in a Southwestern division where the Spurs and Mavericks are aging at key spots, and the Hornets face a possibility of contraction.
Los Angeles Clippers
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We all knew it was coming. You can't go a day without seeing a Blake Griffin throw-down anymore. These Clippers are more than just Shawn Kemp 2.0 though(minus the 40 kids and ever-growing waist line). The roster is oozing with talent under the age of 25.
The average age on the Clippers roster is 25.4. Everyone already knows about Griffin and Eric Gordon, ages 21 and 22 respectively, but what about Eric Bledsoe, 21, DeAndre Jordan, 22, or even Al-Farouq Aminu, who is only 20.
There is a nucleus here that can overwhelm the NBA with its length and athleticism. If Aminu can develop into the silky-smooth scorer he shows flashes of watch out, because this team could be an offensive juggernaut.
In saying all that I don't want to get carried away with myself because these are still the Clippers; the same team that flashed potential in 2000-2001 with names like Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, Quentin Richardson, and Darius Miles(remember him).
Hopefully the Clippers notoriously frugal owner, Donald Sterling, doesn't get frustrated with this group of youngsters and blow-up the roster.
With a stud power forward in Griffin, averaging 22.7 PPG and 12.7 RPG, along with a guard in Gordon who contributes 24.1 PPG, maybe Sterling will see that in the long-run this group can reward his patience with some championship banners of their own in the Staples Center.
