Los Angeles Clippers Complete 2011-2012 Season Preview and Primer

The Los Angeles Clippers are on the brink of the biggest season in franchise history.

The Clippers shifted aggressively into "win now" mode after trading four quality assets—including rising star Eric Gordon—for Chris Paul. Now, for the first time ever, one of the five best players in basketball is a Clipper.

Paul's presence brings heightened expectations to a team not used to having any expectations at all. Put him next to Blake Griffin, Chauncey Billups and DeAndre Jordan and you have the makings of the most entertaining teams in the league. The Clippers have already generated more buzz about the upcoming season than any previous campaign in the team's history. The eyes of all in the hoops world will be fixated on Lob City this year.

Here's a look at what we can expect from Chris Paul and Co. in 2012.

Expected Starting Lineup

PG: Chris Paul

SG: Chauncey Billups

SF: Caron Butler

PF: Blake Griffin

C: DeAndre Jordan

On paper, that's a helluva starting five, particularly on offense. The Clippers will have no problems scoring this season, that's for sure. An easy 114 points against the Lakers in their first preseason game is evidence of that.

There aren't too many holes in a lineup that features four current or former All-Stars, two veteran floor generals, three reliable outside shooters, two fantastic finishers and two of the 15 best players in the league.

You won't find a more fun starting unit to watch in the NBA this season, but the key to this crew's overall success will be their willingness to get after it on defense.

For predictions of every starter's projected stats for this season, check this out.

Key Reserves

The Clippers gave up most of their depth in acquiring Chris Paul. Here are some players who need to step up coming off the bench.

Mo Williams

Up until about a week ago, Williams was expected to start at point guard for the Clippers, a position he filled adequately at the end of last season. Now, all of a sudden, he's fighting for minutes as the third-best point guard on the roster. That's a rare statement to make about a former All-Star in his prime.

With his deadly jumper and one-on-one scoring ability, Williams will be able to back up both guard spots, and he has the pedigree to step right into the starting lineup should the need arise. It's almost a waste for Williams to play such a diminished role on this team. That's why I fully expect him to be traded at some point this season to increase depth at another position.

Ryan Gomes

Gomes is another former Clippers starter who has been displaced by a splashy acquisition, ceding the starting small forward role to Caron Butler. Gomes is a decent rotation player who has the size and rebounding ability to spot some minutes at power forward as well. With the Clippers roster being real thin up front, Gomes will see ample playing time backing up both forward spots.

Reggie Evans

In a move that grabbed far fewer headlines than the Paul acquisition, the Clippers signed veteran big-man Reggie Evans today. With no depth on the front line, the Evans signing is a necessary move that gives the Clippers a banger to clog the paint and give Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan a blow. Evans doesn't bring much to the table offensively, but he is a prolific rebounder. Last season, no player grabbed a higher percentage of rebounds available to him than Evans did. Good thing Chris Kaman is gone; otherwise there would have been some seriously awkward tension in the locker room.

Player with the Most Pressure

No doubt, it has to be Chris Paul.

Paul brings the weight of expectation with him to the Clippers. Any time you give up a package as promising as the Clippers did to acquire one piece, that piece will be intensely scrutinized.

Luckily for L.A., that piece is a transcendent MVP-caliber megastud who's cooler than the other side of the pillow under pressure. 

That said, if Paul fails to live up to the hype being heaped onto his new team, the Clippers Curse will carry on.

Head coach Vinny Del Negro will be under the microscope as well. The front office has furnished Del Negro with a potential title contender. If the team doesn't succeed, the inexperienced coach may become the fall guy.

Expectations for the Season

For the first time in franchise history, the season will be considered a catastrophic failure if the Clippers fall short of the playoffs. Unless injuries ravage the team's stars, I don't see that scenario playing out.

Perhaps more important for the organization is the growing expectation that the Clippers will supplant the Lakers as L.A.'s marquee basketball team.

There is no doubt that the Clippers are the more exciting team as presently constructed, but the Lakers have a strong foundation built upon a winning tradition that has spanned six decades. It will take time to turn fans—even fans as trendy as those in Los Angeles—away from one of the NBA's signature franchises.

Whatever the long-term outcome of the Clippers' revolution, this team will draw in a new generation of So Cal basketball fans with their electric play. At least for the foreseeable future, the Staples Center will be rocking at full capacity for two NBA franchises.

Player to Watch

Forget the team—if there's one player in the entire league that I would pay to see, it's Blake Griffin.

Words cannot describe the excitement and anticipation that this young man brings to the court. His athleticism is obscene and he makes otherworldly dunks look routine. Most of his missed dunk attempts are more mesmerizing to watch than any other player's best highlights.

Here is a sample of what you may witness if you watch Griffin just once all season.

If that video evidence is not convincing enough, there's this—there is no more fascinating thing to watch in basketball than a future superstar just beginning to figure it out. The sudden, intense flashes of pure skill and ability that ooze out of Griffin have me salivating at the thought of what this kid's game will eventually blossom into.

When Blake is hoisting an MVP trophy in a few years, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you saw it coming all along.

Holes to Fill

After trading away several core pieces, the Clippers definitely have some gaps in their roster.

For instance, the Clippers have five point guards on the squad with no true shooting guard. While guys like Chauncey Billups and Randy Foye can play off the ball, the Clips have no guard taller than 6'4" (and even that is a generous height to list Foye at) on the roster. That may pose a problem when the team has to guard rangy scorers at the 2-guard spot like Kobe Bryant or Kevin Martin.

Speaking of lack of size, the Clippers are in desperate need of frontcourt depth. Even after the Reggie Evans pickup, the team is woefully thin up front. The way it's looking right now, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will have to log heavy minutes to get the team to where it wants to go. In a season where the schedule is brutally dense, wearing down their young bigs may come back to haunt the Clips.

The Clippers will go into the season over the salary cap, so the probability of a high-impact signing is unlikely. The most logical move would be for the team to trade someone from their glut of guards (Mo Williams appears to be the most likely candidate) in order to increase their depth at the 2, 4, or 5.

Fantasy Sleeper

The entire Clippers starting lineup is draftable in a standard 10-team fantasy league (When was the last time you could say that? Oh yeah, never), but the real sleeper of the bunch is center DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan is a great player to nab in the latter stages of the draft. He is a great source of boards and blocks and will boost your team's field goal percentage. Just make sure you make up for his free-throw deficiencies elsewhere in your draft.

Last season, Jordan had the highest field-goal percentage of any player in the league with more than five field goal attempts per game. He was also in the top 10 in blocked shots and top 20 in total rebound rate for players who played at least 25 minutes a game for at least 40 games.

I expect low double-double numbers from Jordan (say 11 points, 10 rebounds) with an ample number of blocked shots (in the neighborhood of 2.5 a game) and a field-goal percentage north of 60. In essence, you're getting Washington Wizards' JaVale McGee's production at a fraction of the cost.

Jordan's stock is rapidly rising, so pull the trigger on him a round or two early if need be. You'll have a cheap anchor for boards/blocks/FG percentage for the entire season.

Final Season Predictions

Here's a snapshot of the Clippers' 2011-2012 season:

Record: 44-22

Standings: 1st in Pacific Division, 4th in Western Conference

Offense: 104.7 PPG (5th in NBA)

Defense: 101.2 PPG (17th in NBA)

Playoffs: Lose to Thunder in seven games in conference semifinals

All-Star Selections: Chris Paul (starter), Blake Griffin (reserve)

All-Defensive Selections: Chris Paul (2nd Team)

All-NBA Selections: Chris Paul (1st Team), Blake Griffin (2nd Team)

And in a category you can't measure: The Clippers will be the No. 1 most entertaining team to watch in the entire league. Sit back and enjoy the show put on nightly in Lob City.