To get us through the late-Summer doldrums of the NBA, we’re reviewing teams from around the league and how their offseasons went.
Los Angeles Clippers
Key Additions:
Kris Dunn
Mo Bamba
Derrick Jones Jr
Nic Batum
Kevin Porter Jr
Key Losses:
Paul George
Russell Westbrook
Mason Plumlee
Daniel Theis
Offseason Review and 2024-25 Season Outlook:
I can understand why the Clippers didn’t want to simply run back last year’s team. Despite some solid early returns after the James Harden acquisition, last year was yet another disappointing season for the Clippers. Despite Kawhi Leonard playing in 68 games, the most regular season games he’s playing in since he was Spur, Kawhi was still hurt at the end of the season, and miss four of LA’s six playoff games en route to a first round exit. The Kawhi/PG13/Harden trio was just as disappointing as every other iteration of the Clippers since Kawhi and George moved to LA. And yet, despite understanding the need for change, I’m stunned by how poorly the Clippers executed this summer. Losing Paul George for nothing is a major blunder. Re-signing 35 year old James Harden to another big money deal is questionable. Attempting to Moneyball your way into replacing George with DJJ and Nic Batum is…not great. And signing Kevin Porter Jr to an NBA contract is horrendous.
Replacing Russell Westbrook with Kris Dunn is likely a solid move. Replacing Mason Plumlee with Mo Bamba is probably fine as well. And I do actually like the extension the Clippers gave Ivica Zubac. But those fringe moves aren’t enough, and it’s hard to see the upside for the Clippers future. They’ll continue to win at a decent clip when Kawhi plays, he’s still that good when healthy, but his health is always going to be unpredictable. I won’t be shocked if the Clips are still a playoff team, but I also won’t be shocked if they’re a lottery team.
Why We Hate Them:
I could talk about how much I hate watching James Harden play basketball, because I really do, but it pales in comparison to the other moves the Clippers front office has done in the last year. Last season the Clippers decided they would be the organization to give Josh Primo another chance. Now they are giving Kevin Porter Jr another NBA opportunity after he took a plea-deal to avoid jail time for his despicable domestic assault case. The Clippers are blatantly clinging to whatever minimal success they can still wring out of Kawhi Leonard’s knees, with no regard for the character of their roster, and I find it gross.
got worse. If KL goes down, they will fight the Blazers for last in the entire west.
can play for about half a game and then talent win out and they fade
Terry Taylor- like DeAndre Burdon or Burton or whatever- long arms but can’t shoot. a 6-5 PF. Training camp guy. Kings need a player or 2 still and sorry TT not you.
Steve Ballmer invested a
boat ship cruiseroil tanker full of samoloans on the wonderful appearing Intuit Dome – it’s got one thousand bathrooms, a jersey from every Claifornia high school, an outside hoops homage, and the inside with it’s Halo screen – which has both inner and outer screens which encircle the upper level and is a technologic marvel. There are even T-shirt canons in the rafter facing unit to make sure that folks in the upper levels can get some Clipper swag too. And they have that Clipper ship new logo as well.On the basketball front, the mission,
especially for this inaugural season in their new digs, is to be better than those Crypto.com playing Lakers. And unfortunately, I don’t see that happening.
Paul George was their backbone, IMO. The ghost of Harden does Harden things some of the time, and Kawhi can come in and just make you shake your head (he’s so good) as he scores and defends as the best two way player in the West – some of the time – but Paul George bridged their gaps. They will miss him. Nic Batum is still quietly awesome, and Derrick Jones, Jr. will have the opportunity to be what they wanted Robert Covington to be, but never quite was.
On paper, Rox, GSW and LAC (and possibly the mystery of Memphis) will clamor for the play-in spots. Predicting this Western Conf is just so much shrugging.
Who gets the “go all in on flawed stars for a title chase” award?
Brooklyn with KD, Kyrie, and Harden/Simmons or Clips with the Kawhi, PG13, and Harden?
Notice Harden is in there twice? That’s not by coincidence.
Both teams leveraged their future by banking on market and appeal. Brooklyn gets the head start and a rebuild award for a fire sale, but the Clips are like visiting the Great Moments of Lincoln in Disneyland while completely ignoring Galaxy’s Edge because youth is for the woke.
Harden is the franchise until he decides he is his own franchise.
From face of the franchise to feces of the franchise.
Badge Legend