Bold Predictions for Chris Paul's First Season with the Los Angeles Clippers

With the acquisition of Chris Paul in exchange for giving up Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and a conditional first-round pick, the Los Angeles Clippers have immediately propelled themselves to the top of the Pacific Division and near the top of the Western Conference.

Unlike in New Orleans where the talent was greatly limited, Paul now has a team around him that is capable of producing. There's no Peja Stojakovic, Bonzi Wells or Morris Peterson to look to; instead he'll have Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Caron Butler as his main running mates.

If Paul was able to have so much success with a roster as inept as the one the Hornets put out on a yearly basis, it's pretty much a guarantee that Paul is going to thrive with the Clippers and that they have the potential to cause some serious damage in the coming years.

In an aged Western Conference where older teams like the Spurs, Mavericks and Lakers have reigned supreme, it's now the athletic teams like the Clippers, Thunder and Grizzlies that are set to usurp the throne and create a new order at the top of the conference standings.

Now that they have CP3, we can begin to see some success in the Clippers organization, so let's take a look at five bold predictions that should occur this upcoming 2011-12 season.

Leads Team to the Postseason

There has been so much failure associated with the Los Angeles Clippers franchise that you need a statistician to keep track on just how bad they've been since being introduced into the NBA in 1970.

Their postseason appearances are just one example of many describing the overall ineptitude of this franchise. The team has made it to the playoffs only once in the past decade and that came in 2007 when they finished 47-35 and second in the Pacific Division on account of the Los Angeles Lakers' struggles in the post-Shaq era.

Prior to that postseason appearance, the Clippers didn't make it since 1997 when they finished 36-46 and somehow made it in as an eighth seed that would get swept in the first round. The 1990s were possibly the most prosperous years for the Clippers in terms of making the postseason as they made it three times, including making it back-to-back in 1992 and 1993.

They even managed to give some quality teams a scare by pushing the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz to the brink. Still, it's not saying much if you don't end up with the series win. In fact, that first-round series win in 2007 that they had over Denver was the first time that they made it to the semifinals since 1976 when they were still known as the Buffalo Braves.

In over 40 years, the Clippers have seven postseason appearances. Teams like Dallas and San Antonio have made it to at least 10 consecutive playoffs just to put it into perspective.

Blake Griffin got this train started last year and Chris Paul now brings it up to full speed as the team will look to take advantage of an aged Western Conference by utilizing their athleticism and superior point guard play to make it to the postseason for the first time since '07.

Wins the Pacific Division

Let's take a look at another Clippers failure that's soon to be erased thanks to the addition of Chris Paul.

The Clippers have come a long way since being known as the Buffalo Braves, but disappointment has remained a consistent part of this club. Aside from the lack of postseason appearances, the Clippers are even more deficient in the area of winning their division as they have yet to win one single division title in over four decades.

Since moving to the Pacific Division in 1978 and thus becoming a part of the L.A. Lakers' division, the Clippers have never won the division and their closest finish came in 2007 when they finished second. Aside from the momentary prosperity, the Clippers are usually finding themselves at the bottom of the division and that includes last season when they finished fourth after compiling a 30-52 record.

The Clippers made sure to obtain Paul at the right time. With frustration settling in between Kobe Bryant and the Lakers organization as well as the outlook of the Lakers' overall roster, the Clippers have an extremely strong chance of taking advantage of their rival's woes and therefore winning the division for the first time in franchise history.

With their only other competition in the division being developing teams like Golden State and Sacramento, the Clippers may just wrap up their first-ever division title this season.

Chris Paul Leads the League in Triple-Doubles

In six years, Chris Paul has compiled 11 triple-doubles which is good enough for seventh amongst active players.

While 11 triple-doubles doesn't seem like too much, nearly every single player that's listed ahead of him has played at least double the seasons he's been in the NBA with the exception being LeBron James who has played eight years.

You would think to expect more out of a player like CP3 when considering how large of a role he played with the New Orleans Hornets, but it's actually the other way around as his teammates actually hinder his ability to obtain triple-doubles.

When you consider that his teammates can barely cause little positivity on the offensive side of the ball without him having to set them up right near the basket, it makes it tough when you're constantly dishing out to open teammates and they can't seem to the hit the open shot. Rebounding was also a concern as Paul has usually been gifted with quality rebounders in Tyson Chandler, David West and Emeka Okafor.

Now with the Clippers, Paul is going to have teammates that are completely capable of knocking down shots from the perimeter (Mo Williams), the mid-range (Caron Butler) and inside (Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan). Paul is going to have a field day with these players, as Griffin even proclaims it to be "lob city."

Win Their Season Series Against the Lakers

When Kobe Bryant is thinking about demanding a trade, the Los Angeles Lakers have officially hit rock bottom.

The last time Bryant requested a trade was in 2007 when the Lakers truly were in trouble after struggling for three consecutive seasons following the departure of Shaquille O'Neal. With Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm representing his top-tier teammates, Bryant wanted out and nearly got his wish to go to the Chicago Bulls if not for the trade hitting a late snag.

Bryant has yet to demand the trade, but Stephen A. Smith reports that Kobe has been feeling the same way that he felt in 2007.

Los Angeles has always been known as Laker Land. A countless number of purple and gold banners hang in the rafters as well as an unbelievable amount of retired jerseys thanks to the legends that walked through the hallowed halls of the Staples Center. There's so much history about the Lakers in that stadium that you almost forget the Clippers play there as well.

Without Lamar Odom and without a solid bench, the Lakers have no consistency outside of Bryant and that includes Gasol, who is coming off a dismal showing in the postseason. The Clippers don't have Kobe Bryant, but their starting lineup is far more well-rounded and their bench is also worlds better than what the Lakers feature.

The Lakers are set to struggle and the Clippers' time to pounce is now. With four games listed against the Lakers and their first meeting on January 14th, the Clippers will win at least three of the games and take the season series against their rivals, while also possibly making the home crowd pro-Clippers for once.

Make It to the Conference Finals

Let's take a look back to the stats of failure, disappointment and embarrassment, shall we?

Sorry Clipper fans, but we need the history to compare those abysmal years to what is sure to be a bright future from here on out. The acquisition of Chris Paul to play alongside athletic types like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, while also adding Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups has given the Clippers the best roster we have ever seen the team possess and we may see the best team the franchise has ever put out.

With that being said, I hope the Clippers faithful that have endured criticism and heartache over the past few decades are finally ready to see success with a deep postseason run.

The Clippers have been around since 1970 and have two second-round appearances to show for it. Their record in those series is 0-2 with a six-game loss to the Boston Celtics in '76 and a seven-game loss to the Phoenix Suns in '07. That means the Clippers have never been to the conference finals in the history of their franchise.

Over 40 years have passed and the Clippers have never even come close to possibly contending for a title. That all changes this season as Paul is set to lead the team to the conference finals to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in what is sure to be an entertaining series that pits two of the most athletic teams in the NBA against each other.

For the skeptics out there, take note of the teams that Paul has dealt with. His best roster was in 2008 when he led the Hornets to a franchise-best 56 wins to go along with a division title. His three best players were David West, Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler. That's not too bad until you see the drop-off in talent following those three, which includes Bonzi Wells, Jannero Pargo and Morris Peterson.

If Paul is leading a team where Bonzi Wells is the fifth-leading scorer, then we can only begin to imagine what he is going to end up doing with a Clippers team that actually has consistent talent outside of its No. 2 player.