NBA Draft 2011: Why Blake Griffin's LA Clippers Will Make the Playoffs
Thursday night couldn't have begun worse for the LA Clippers, as they watched the Cleveland Cavaliers use what should've been their first overall pick to take a future All-Star point guard in Kyrie Irving. The Clippers did not dwell on their misfortune though, as they went on to have a phenomenal draft even without a first-round pick.
Trey Thompkins, who was a projected late first-round pick, somehow fell to them at 37th overall.
At 6'10", 239 pounds, he has the size to be an upgrade to the Clippers bench right away along with the skill set. He can score at the rim and all the way out to the three-point line. Thompkins can also defend and rebound well.
Ten picks later they added Thompkins' Georgia teammate, the dynamite Travis Leslie.
Leslie is the best athlete in the 2011 draft class. With that comes potential that is through the roof. His shooting needs a lot of work, but even if he doesn't fix his jumper, he can still turn into a very quality designated defender/dunker.
Los Angeles adds those two players to a roster already filled with big names.
Blake Griffin is already one of the best power forwards in the league. Eric Gordon is arguably the NBA's most underrated scorer, averaging 22.3 points per game this past season. By the way, those two players are only 22 years old.
DeAndre Jordan is also 22 and is coming off the best year of his career. With his dramatic improvement from "bust" to "future starter" in just one season, you'd have to imagine he could end up being a top-10 center in the NBA with his superb athleticism. Mo Williams isn't that young, but he's a legit third scoring option and brings a very valuable veteran presence to the point guard position.
Twenty-one-year-old Eric Bledsoe and 20-year-old Al-Farouq Aminu are also two very promising developing players who should be able to play a big role for Los Angeles off the bench. Speaking of the bench, Ryan Gomes and Randy Foye are solid role players, but they shouldn't be starting on a playoff-caliber team. With that being said, the small forward position must be addressed, but they should have no problem doing that.
LA has been openly shopping All-Star center Chris Kaman. Get the best wing possible out of a deal, and then boom: The Clippers look scary good on paper. For the Clippers, though, "on paper" hasn't meant much in the past.
Los Angeles has made the playoffs one time since 1998, and it's been out of the first round just once since 1977. 2011 could be the Clippers' year, though, as they may just be too talented overall to miss the playoffs again. They could've possibly contended for a spot last season if they weren't so plagued by injuries.
Foye missed 19 games in 2010, Gordon missed 26 and Kaman missed 50. They have to dodge the injury bug if they want to make the postseason, but that's something that is impossible to predict.
In terms of making the playoffs, here's what the Clippers are up against.
First off, you can just assume San Antonio, Dallas, Oklahoma City and the Lakers are all locks for the postseason, so there go four spots. The Portland Trail Blazers just traded for Raymond Felton and are more talented than ever, so you can bet they'll be back. Memphis almost got to the conference finals without Rudy Gay, so with him or whoever they trade him for, they're a lock as well.
All of a sudden, there are only two spots left. Wow, is the West stacked. The Clippers will have to battle Denver, Houston, Phoenix, New Orleans, Golden State and Utah for one of the two remaining seeds.
Chris Paul will be gone by midseason in New Orleans, so check the Hornets off the list. Golden State won't make the postseason until it breaks up its miniature backcourt of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, so it won't make it. The Jazz just aren't a well put together team right now, and they'll take another year at least to get back to where they were before the Deron Williams trade.
The Houston Rockets aren't going to make the playoffs with a 6'6" center, period. Off their last-season high from the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets will most likely take a step back if they can't sign J.R. Smith or Arron Afflalo, who are free agents. They are also rail-thin at power forward and center.
That leaves two teams and two spots, and the Clippers are in.
Let's finish with this stat: LA was 9-32 on the road last season, even though it had a winning record at home. That will get much better with another whole year of experience.
Los Angeles has the talent without a doubt. As long as the Clippers can dodge injuries along the way, they'll be playoff bound in 2012.
David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow him on Twitter.
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