Los Angeles Clippers: What Happens When the Swagger of 'Lob City' Runs Out?

The hype surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers has hit an all-time high. The season is just about to get under way and the Clippers are already being heralded as one of the NBA's best teams, with a high likelihood to make a deep run into the playoffs.

Some analysts have even boldly proclaimed the end of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty and subsequent rule over the Staples Center. Not so fast, everyone. Let's at least wait until one or two regular season games are played until we make those kind of statements.    

I hate to break the news to you, Clippers fans, but at some point in the 2011-12 NBA season the Clippers' "swagger" is going to wear off. There is no possible way that will be able to ride the hype train all the way to a 66-0 season and an NBA championship. It's even going to be very difficult to ride the hype train to a 40-plus win season and a low seed in the NBA playoffs.

I know lob passes, alley-oop dunks and highlight real jams are exciting, but they aren't enough to win basketball games alone. To win basketball games in the NBA you need role players, good shooters and an enormous amount of team chemistry. The Clippers undoubtedly have a majority of those, but the one thing they lack is team chemistry.

I'm not talking about team chemistry when it comes to throwing 30-foot alley-oops or running the fast break. I'm talking about team chemistry in a half-court offense and on the defensive end of the ball. With a hodgepodge team, including first-time Clippers Chris Paul, Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups, the Clippers are going to have a tough time adjusting to life off the hype train once they lose a few games in a row.

Losing multiple games in a row is all but assured, especially with an early January stretch against the Miami Heat, LA Lakers, Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. The games against the Jazz are winnable, with games against the lowly New Jersey Nets in between, but coming off games against the Heat and Lakers back-to-back definitely complicates things.

After the Clippers lose a few games in a row or even drop below .500, the "Lob City" hype train will be derailed and they will be brought back to reality, and that is where they will struggle. Once the swagger is gone from the Clippers' offense they will have to figure out how to truly play as a cohesive unit, and that is where second-year coach Vinny Del Negro comes into the picture. 

In his first year with the team, Del Negro helped the Clippers, who were woefully undermanned, earn a 32-50 overall record. What that proved is that his coaching abilities are subpar at best. I know people will say that he didn't have near the talent he will this year, but still Del Negro proved that even with average talent he can't produce an average team.  

I'm sure Del Negro won't be the reason why the Clippers will struggle once the hype surrounding their season has run out, but he will get a majority of the backlash. I don't think Del Negro is a terrible coach, but his dismissal from the Chicago Bulls after two 41-41 seasons and two straight playoff appearances shows that he doesn't have the leadership or fortitude it takes to be a truly successful coach in the NBA. All right, enough about Del Negro, back to the players themselves.

With a lack of leadership from the coaching staff, it will be interesting to see how the players rally around each other and respond after a few losses.

Early in the season the young Clippers, led by unhappy veteran Chauncey Billups, newcomer Chris Paul and quiet big man Blake Griffin, will struggle to rally around each other, undoubtedly creating drama in the locker room. Remember the drama in the Heat's locker room last year after some early losses? The Clippers' locker room won't be that bad, but they will still struggle to find cohesion amongst their players.

The good news for the Clippers is that they are going to have a much better year this year than last, ending the 2011-12 66-game NBA season with a record of 39-37, sneaking their way into the Western Conference playoffs.  

The bad news for the Clippers is that "Lob City" and the hype that surrounds it is going to run out after the first 20 games of the season, and the Clippers will undoubtedly lose their "swagger" and their winning mentality.

The future is ridiculously bright for the Clippers, but it's going to take a year or two for them to full realize their potential. So get ready Clippers fans this year will be exciting, but after the "swagger" wears off, you'll realize your team isn't as great as the hype made you believe.