NBA Rumors: The LA Clippers built a championship roster that doesn't have much of a chance to win a championship.
When the LA Clippers completed the acquisition of James Harden at the start of the regular season, the belief was that this team would merge as one of the favorites to win it all in the Western Conference. And despite a somewhat shaky start to the James Harden experience, the Clippers managed to right the ship and began to look like a well-oiled machine that could potentially be a dark horse threat to win the NBA championship.
That remained to be the case up to roughly the middle of February, or the NBA All-Star break. At that point, there were signs that the Clippers were falling into some bad habits. However, the hope was that the NBA All-Star break was exactly what this veteran team needed to get back on the right track. But with just a couple of weeks remaining before the end of the regular season and the start of the NBA playoffs, that simply hasn't been the case.
Instead of being refreshed by the NBA All-Star break and falling back into the good habits that got them toward the top of the Western Conference standings for the majority of the season, the Clippers continued a downward spiral in the opposite direction. So much so that as the NBA playoffs quickly draw near, you can't help but wonder if the Clippers will play any type of factor in the West bracket.
The LA Clippers aren't championship contenders
Even though the Clippers have one of the most talented rosters on paper, this isn't a team that is playing championship-level basketball on any level. They've taken significant steps back defensively and haven't looked like the well-oiled machine on the offensive end of the floor that they look like during December and January.
If something doesn't change quickly, the Clippers are going to be subjected to an early playoff exit. And if that does end up transpiring, it could lead to some potential big decisions to make this summer. The big problem for the Clippers is that they assembled a championship roster and right now, this is not a championship contender.
As Paul George prepares to potentially test free agency and the uncertainty that revolves around James Harden's future with the team, you can't help but wonder if this summer could provide the Clippers with a great opportunity to pivot towards a potential retooling or rebuilding of the roster.
It's not something that has been talked about much recently, especially considering that many had penciled in the Clippers as a potential championship contender. But at this point, you can't help but wonder if that might not be the best path forward for the team. If the Clippers aren't able to make a deep playoff run this season with this core, it may never happen.
They've been relatively healthy all season long and if that remains to be the case heading into the postseason, there are no excuses for this team. If the Clippers aren't able to make a deep run this season, it's probably never happening.
And that's something the Clippers might have to come to grips with this summer. What that leads them to do after that happens remains to be seen. At this point, though, you can't count out the Clippers as a potential dark horse to rebuild their roster this offseason.