Despite bringing the band back together for another season, the Los Angeles Clippers are a team on the verge of an epic teardown
Some may not realize it, but the Los Angeles Clippers are approaching an inevitable stage in the process of building a championship level team in the NBA.
With superstar Kevin Durant joining the Warriors and making them heavy title favorites, the Spurs still the second best team in the West with the addition of Pau Gasol and Cleveland still the reigning NBA champions, the Clippers should no longer be viewed as a top-tier contender for the NBA championship in the foreseeable future.
This has put the Clippers in a precarious situation. There are two options and two options only for the Clippers at this point. Either continue to be a first or second round exit for the next few years or…
Tear. It. Down.
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In the 2017 offseason, both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will be unrestricted free agents in a league that will see the salary cap rise once again.
Although Blake might stay, Chris Paul is a strong chance to leave if the Clippers don’t go past the second round in this coming season’s playoffs. Paul is 31 and has never reached the Conference Finals.
With a superteam in the way out West, what future would Paul see to stay in L.A. and try and get his first ring? Aside from DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick and the aforementioned Blake Griffin, Los Angeles’ roster is not very impressive.
Jamal Crawford may have just won Sixth Man of the Year for the third time in his career but that doesn’t represent how frequently inefficient he was throughout last season. Crawford is already 36 and just signed a three year, $42 million deal to stay with the Clippers.
That means that in the 2018-19 season, the Los Angeles Clippers will be paying a 39 year-old Crawford $14 million.
Even with the new cap, that is a terrible value.
Although Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson were retained on more reasonable contracts, they are by no means world beaters and it is unlikely that the young Rivers ever develops into something more than a solid starter or sixth man.
Paul Pierce is coming off an awful season and he will be turning 39 before the season begins.
Also, the Clippers have no backup center and have no space to sign a good one either.
All things considered, is this really somewhere that Chris Paul will consider a viable destination for a chance to make the NBA Finals, let alone win them? Is it even somewhere Blake Griffin would like to spend his prime years at?
Doc Rivers signals a play to his player during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center. The Clippers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports” width=”300″ height=”353″ /> Mar 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers signals a play to his player during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center. The Clippers won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
These are the questions that President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the Clippers, Doc Rivers, must answer before CP3 and Blake leave for nothing and the team is left with a core of DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick, Austin Rivers and a 37-year-old Jamal Crawford.
Rivers has been hesitant to entertain trade talks for his star players but this is the last season the Clippers can get something in return for their stars if they believe they will leave.
If we are being realistic, there is no way that the Clippers can surpass the Warriors and maybe even the Spurs this season without significant injuries to the other teams and exceptional play by all team members on the Clippers.
It is up to Rivers to decide what is best for the organisation and whether or not he thinks Paul and Griffin will re-sign with the team. If not, he has to act fast and get the best available package in return.
These last few years have been the first time in the franchise’s history that they have been contenders and, maybe also as importantly, the best team residing in L.A. If they decide to tear it down, they will lose that competitive team status and with the Lakers possessing lots of young talent in Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, they could be losing the battle for best team in L.A. soon, too.
But if they decide to keep the gang together (and that’s if the gang wants to stay together in the first place), then they will maintain their status as a playoff team but will not compete for a championship nor have a clear direction for the future.
Here’s a telling statistic about the Clippers – according to Real GM, the average age of their players for the 2016-17 season will be 29.8. This number is topped only by the San Antonio Spurs at 30.4, who’ve had older players continue to produce in their system for years (a la Tim Duncan) and possess a superstar younger than any of the Clippers big 3 in Kawhi Leonard, who finished 2nd in MVP voting in 2015-16.
It is hard not to believe that this ensemble has already peaked
So the Clippers are older than 28 teams in the NBA yet this “experience” and “veteran leadership” haven’t translated into any Conference Finals appearances despite multiple 50 win seasons.
I appreciate the fact that the Clippers have been one of the best teams in basketball since Chris Paul arrived and created Lob City.
Yet it is hard not to believe that this ensemble has already peaked.
I truly believe Chris Paul will be gone after this season and that there is a 50/50 chance that Blake Griffin is gone, too. If those players truly have title aspirations, the Clippers are no longer a destination for that goal.
They could prove me wrong this season. They could snag a two or three seed and, with the help of a few injuries (injuries that have usually haunted the Clippers instead of their foes), they could maybe find a way to win a title.
But what is the true possibility of that happening?
That is a extreme best-case scenario, something that happens only once in a blue moon and if Doc Rivers is to believe in that slight sliver of hope, then so be it. But he better be prepared to lose two of the game’s brightest stars if it doesn’t happen, which should be the logical approach to this dilemma.
Enes Kanter (34) shoots the ball against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports” width=”300″ height=”451″ /> Mar 28, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (34) shoots the ball against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoma City Thunder faced a similar situation this offseason but fortunately, their stars hit free agency in different offseasons (Durant in 2016, Westbrook in 2017). So, once Durant left, they now still have the option to trade Westbrook if they believe he won’t stick around.
This is a luxury the Clippers don’t possess with Griffin and Paul hitting the market at the same time. If one doesn’t see the other re-sign, neither are likely to.
The Thunder are also stacked with much younger talent. Their average age is only 26.8 and they have Enes Kanter, Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, Cameron Payne, Domantas Sabonis, Andre Roberson, Mitch McGary, Josh Huestis and potentially Dion Waiters (RFA) all of whom are under 25.
The Clippers players under 25 years of age? Austin Rivers, CJ Wilcox, Brice Johnson, Branden Dawson, Diamond Stone and David Michineau.
You tell me which young nucleus you would rather have.
Whether Clippers fan want to accept it or not, the Clippers are a team on the verge of an epic teardown or painfully boring mediocrity.
If CP3 and Blake Griffin stay, the Clippers will be relegated to being a 45 win team every year, losing in the first round and occasionally the second.
If one or both of them leave, the Clippers will be left with an unimpressive team and not many young assets.
It’s all up to Doc Rivers to judge whether his players will leave and whether he actually wants them to stay or leave for the sake of the franchise’s future title aspirations.
Coach Rivers often blocks any good moves GM Rivers should make with his unwavering respect for his own stars but if GM Rivers doesn’t make the trades Coach Rivers hesitates to make, the Clippers will be left with no stars and no players to replace them with.
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For the sake of the Los Angeles Clippers not becoming the laughingstock of the NBA once again, Doc Rivers must trust his own judgement and trade Blake and CP3 before they leave for nothing.