Los Angeles Clippers: 5 Bold Predictions for Paul and the Clips in 2011-12

I know I'm in the vast minority with this belief, but i still think the Clippers made a big mistake by giving up so much for point guard Chris Paul.

The Clippers gave up a veteran leader in Chris Kaman and one of their most explosive players in Eric Gordon. Getting Chris Paul is definitely a huge addition for the Clippers, but giving up what they did will undoubtedly impact the team. It would be irresponsible to think otherwise.

The majority of the growing pains with Chris Paul will be felt in this upcoming 2011-12 season, with it taking the entire year to truly find their offensive flow and establish playoff-caliber chemistry. Once the Clippers establish team chemistry and put a few role players around Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, there will be no limit to where that talent can take them. 

Until that point though, especially this current season, the Clippers will not be able to live up to the hype surrounding their team. Here are five bold predictions for what the 2011-12 season has in store for the Clippers. 

Chris Paul Will Miss at Least 15 Games

While Chris Paul can't really be defined as "injury prone," he did suffer from a semi-serious torn MCL in 2009-10 that sidelined him for nearly eight weeks. Paul responded nicely last year by only missing two games the entire year, but it was clear that he hadn't returned to truly elite form even by the end of the season. 

There is no doubt that Chris Paul will be a nice acquisition in the long run for the Clippers, but I think his 2009 knee injury will sneak back and derail his 2011-12 season. The amount of pressure being placed on Chris Paul in Los Angeles without him even stepping foot on a court yet is astounding and will force him to try and do too much.  

Trying to do too much will result in Paul not being able to stay healthy for the entirety of the season, missing as many as 15 games which is a huge amount in a 66-game season. 

Blake Griffin Won't Average Another Double-Double This Year

This prediction has nothing to do with the actual acquisition of Chris Paul, but it has everything to do with who the Clippers gave up to get him. Giving up Chris Kaman in and of itself isn't terrible, but the impact it is going to have on Kaman's frontcourt partner Blake Griffin, is. 

Griffin averaged an astonishing 22.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, earning him the 2011 Rookie of the Year honor. While that production was in large part due to his freakish athleticism, it also was due to the fact that defenses had to account for Kaman's 7'0'' 265-pound body. Kaman is not a dominant center by any stretch of the imagination, but his size alone forced defenses to key on him. 

Without another above-average center or big man on the court, defenders will be able to double down on Griffin, easily slowing down his athletic ability to get to the rim. I think Griffin will still have a solid year, but it won't be double-double solid. Griffin will only average 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. 

Clippers' Playoff Drought Won't End in 2011-12

The Los Angeles Clippers will undoubtedly start off the season slow, much like the Miami Heat did last year.  The only problem is, there won't be enough time in the shortened 66-game season for the Clippers to make up for their slow and arduous start.

When I think of the teams destined for the Western Conference playoffs, the teams that come to mind are the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns.

Why is that? Well because all of those teams have established chemistry and aren't relying on one single player to save their franchise. Those teams also won't need a few weeks to figure out how to fit into the offense together like the Clippers will.   

The Clippers will be extremely close to making the playoffs, only missing the postseason by two or three games, but that won't be enough to satisfy Clippers fans who want Griffin and Paul to take the Clippers to the promise land immediately.  

Clippers Won't Win More Than 35 Games

The Clippers will improve in 2011-12 by ending the season with more wins than losses for the first time since the 2005-06 season when they won 47 games. The only problem here is that 35 wins isn't going to be enough to get them into the first round of the NBA playoffs. 

The Clippers don't play the most difficult schedule in the NBA but they do open the month of January with some difficult games against Golden State, San Antonio, Chicago, Miami, LA Lakers and Dallas.  

After starting the year off slow, earning a record of only 3-8 in their first 11 games, the Clippers will have a difficult time getting back on track. After any "easy" stretch of their season, playing teams like Charlotte, Philly, Washington and Cleveland, they are met with big conference matchups with the "elite" of the West. 

The Clippers' schedule isn't set up in a way that truly benefits them, with long stretches against tough competition that will prove too much for them to handle early on in the season. The Clippers will end the season 35-31, which won't be enough to get them into the 2011-12 playoffs. 

The Clippers Will End 2011-12 Still in the Shadow of the Los Angeles Lakers

There is a lot of talk circulating around the NBA that by simply adding Chris Paul the Clippers have taken over the city of Los Angeles. Don't tell Kobe Bryant and the Lakers that because I'm pretty sure they won't appreciate it.

The Clippers have done nothing but trade away a majority of their young roster for a single player, albeit an elite talent. What the Clipper's haven't done is prove anything on the court yet, and until that happens they won't be able to step out of the Lakers' large shadow.  

Sure adding Chris Paul will sell more tickets and more jerseys for the Clippers, but it doesn't mean that all of a sudden the Lakers aren't going to be the dominant team that they've been for the past few years.

The Clippers, their fans and the media need to remember that all that matters in the NBA is what happens on the court, nothing else. The Lakers will prove that they aren't ready to step out of the spotlight just yet, winning 14 more games than the Clippers and being the only Los Angeles team in the 2011-12 NBA playoffs.