After pulling off the trade for Andre Miller from Cleveland, looks like the Clippers have become geniuses real fast! That team is looking REAL good! Look at their starting five: C - Olowokandi PF - Brand SF - Odom SG - Maggette PG - Miller Bench: SG/SF - Q. Richardson(could supplant Maggette at some point) PF - Wilcox(R) PF - Ely(R) SG - Piatkowski PG - Kenyon Dooling *Who else am I missing?(I don't follow this team, I just admire what they've done so far) They just look so strong going into next season! If Donald Sterling continues to "be smart", they're going to have one hell of a team. What do you all think?
I believe they will be a very strong team. The only problem is chemistry and experience. This may prevent them from doing well. Also a long term problem is the have a possible 4 max-players team. Miller, Brand, Kandi and even Odom could all get the max. Although Odom and probably Kandi don't deserve it, they could get it. This may tear up the team.
I don't think they will be as good as people think. Was Miller a good acquisition? Of course. They will get compared a lot to the Kings because of their starting 5 and depth and how Miller came in a ripoff deal just like Bibby. However, they do not have a defensive stopper like Doug Christie on the team nor a real go to guy helping brand. The lack of a 2nd true go to guy is what will really hurt this team. Not to mention immaturity and inexperience. The Kings on the other hand boast 3 really elite players: Webber, Peja, Bibby, with Divac beating Kandi good and Christie as a defensive stopper and a nice bench with Bojax and Turkoglu. I think the Clippers are improved but so are the Rockets and while many will say they will be better, I don't see it. Not if we have an improved Griffin, healthy Cuttino and Steve, rejuvanted and healthy MoT plus a player wanting to prove he still has it in Rice and a good young sf in Nachbar.
That's a lot of "if"s there. In any case, on paper at least, the Clippers are the deepest of the West teams and one of the better ones overall - better than the Rockets. Kandi is at least close to Divac's equal, although Divac does have a lot of experience on him. Brand and Webber are close, as are Odom and Peja. Christie may be a good defensive stopper, but that's what the Clipeprs are grooming Maggette for; he did a pretty good job on Kobe and others in flashes last year. Miller has the potential, with that lineup, to be better than Bibby was in the playoffs last season. They are terribly young and inexperienced and must learn to play together; with three rookies on the bench in Jaric, Ely, and Wilcox, they will be hurting for depth to start the year. But with the outside shooting of Piatkowski and Richardson, the slashing ability of Maggette, plus the ability to pound it in to Kandi and Brand, the Clippers are a well balanced team. They could use another scorer, but besides experience - that's about it. They won't be as good as they can be on paper this year, but they will be a team to be dealt with for many years - IF Sterling keeps the core together.
I realize that mfclark. On paper, LAC should beat us. But that's why they play the games. Basically, I was more concerned comparing them to a similar talent team and explaining why I don't think they will be nearly as good. In a nutshell, if cheap pants Sterling keeps them together in 2 or 3 years they will be really tough, but you will see a lot of growing pains right now in my opinion. They will be good, but need time to reach their full potential.
Although I'd like to keep viewing the lowly Clippers in the same light of contempt, I must admit they are emerging on the horizon as a tough rival. They still won't be as good as the Rockets.
The Clips will not keep that team beyond this season. Kandiman wants more and is a RFA this year. Brand wants max next year and Miller needs a new contract as well. Q and Maggette will be seeking larger contracts soon as well. The Clips have a history of being rather frugal with players salaries. With the current lineup the Clips have a good chance to make a run in the playoffs, but may lose due to inexperience not necessarily talent.
I'm just trying to figure out who's going to score on this team. Does anyone have a good outside shot besides Q and Piatowski? Olowokandi's offensive game just plain sucks. He's a center who has never been able to shoot better than 43% from the field. That's pathetic. Brand's offensive game is good. Nothing spectacular, but he can get putbacks and has a limited number of effective post moves. Odom will still shoot like a maniac eventhough he can't. But, he is a good slasher. Magette still isn't anything more than a player with potential. He's not going to contribute a great deal. Miller is a great playmaker, but I think he had better outside shooters on the Cavs that could help him rack up easy assists than he does on the Clippers. And now for my point. DEFENSE!!! This team's D does not really intimidate me. And since they don't have the offensive scoring power of the Mavs and the Kings, they just simply aren't going to be able to score as many points as they give up, which is why I think it will be the same ole Clippers.
on paper the clips should have won more than39 games LAST year. They will improve this year then be broken up by Sterling and his incompetence, like they always are.
Kandi had a break out month at end of last season, avg nearly 20 points per game. Brand shoots very high percentage, go check out his FG, and he has the second most double double, first place is Tim duncan. Q was very close to win the 6th man of the year last season..he should be the starter this season..with the addition of Miller, I see Clippers improved a lot.
The Miller trade makes the Clippers better, but I think that people are overlooking the loss of Darius Miles. While the Cav's wanted him for the future, Miles was almost a double-figures scorer this last season. If it comes down to the Rockets and Clips battling for the last playoff spot, it will probably go down to the wire. Neither team is just that much better than the other. The Clippers have the edge in talent, but the Rockets aren't exactly lacking either. I think that it will probably come down to three players:Lamar Odom, Eddie Griffin, and Yao Ming. Odom missed most of last season, and a lot of the team's success is riding on his shoulders. Eddie Griffin and Yao Ming are being handed burdens(By the fans, at least) that they may not be able to handle.
I'll believe it about Kandi when I see him score for a whole season. From here, the increased scoring just looks like he was shooting more so he could increase his stock when he becomes a free agent this offseason. Like I already said, 43% FG% is absolutely terrible for an NBA center. I know Brand is a solid player, but he's not exactly a creative offenisve player...especially in the western conference...and he's just a mediocre defender. And I also realize that Q was close to winning sixth man of the year. Still, I see no indication that the Clippers will be able to score as many points as they're going to give up.
It doesn't matter b/c after this year the team is gonna get disbanded. Free Agents after this year: Brand - Already told by Sterling he won't get the MAX Kandi - Already told by Sterling he won't get the MAX Odom - Pissed b/c he was almost traded to Cleveland Miller - Not likely to get a MAX contract out of Sterling either Magetter - Not as expensive as the rest but may leave to be starter elsewhere (if passed over for Q) Richardson has 2 yrs remaining but is pissed that his best friend got traded (Miles). Add it all together, fast foward to the yr. 2004 and what do you have? A team that won't make the playoffs and will be "rebuilding" again.
The Clips have a nice looking roster, but they lack true role players. They have too many similar guys. Piatkowski is their only 3 pt shooter. Who is their defensive stopper?
the clips are a good team. they're young, talented , they got it all. i think they will make it to the playoffs. if rockets aren't in it then im going for the clips. but i think it was a bad idea to trade d miles. i would never trade him.
The Clips are tremendously overrated. 1. People get over-excited about Olowakandi being a true 1. I don't give a **** if he's a true 1. That matters, oh, about 8 games during the year. He's still a mediocre, at best, player. 2. Andre Miller's team was utterly terrible every year he played for them. He's not a real difference maker. 3. Odom's crazy. 4. Brand is good without being spectacular. He can't really dominate. There isn't one real star on that team, and the person most likely to be it is a headcase. They have a deep team, with lots of nice palyers, without anyone to give it to in the last 5 minutes. EDIT: I meant true "5," of course *sheepish*
Elton Brand is a career 20-10 player, an all star as well. Andre Miller is the second best pure point guard next to Jason Kidd who avaraged 16 points and 11 assists(on the crappiest team!!!) last year. He is the real deal and another all star caliber player. Lamar Odom is no less than Shawn Marion or Reshard Lewis when he plays. Magette, Q-Richardson, Kandi, Dooling and Piatcowski are all solid role palyers who can make strides when needed. This team can be dangerous if they get the time to gel and mature. With that being said, they still won't be as good as the Rockets.
Darius Miles, a number one guy? If and only if he ever develops a jump shot. He's freakishly athletic, sure, but that's about all he has going for him. He's a bad jump-shooter, a bad free throw shooter, and not exactly the one you want bringing the ball up the court. As for Haven's points.... 1. It matters more than you'd think. There are a lot of teams with crap at the center position, matchups the Clippers can take advantage of. Against stronger teams, Kandi can hold his own, as he's demonstrated against Shaq. 2. It's not his fault they were a terrible team, it's management's fault. Do you think any point guard could take a starting 5 of PG, Wesley Person, Lamond Murray, PF flavor of the week, and a 65% Ilguaskas and win much more than 22 games? Heck, if anything, Miller allowed that team to win as many as they did - and no, it's not based on his assist numbers alone. 3. He may be crazy, but he's one heck of a basketball player. 4. Funny, that's what they said about Brand when the Bulls drafted him, then when they traded him away, and now when he's almost eligible for an extension. At every stop along the road, he's proven his doubters wrong and dominated in the post. If the Clippers refuse to give him the max, then there are about 5 other teams ready with max offers to make him the star of their frontcourt. As for not having anyone to give it to in the last five minutes - the Kings were like that until they added Bibby, and even Bibby was an unknown quantity in that arena. Given experience, a player will emerge from the depth that the Clippers have to be that player, because there are many certainly skilled enough to do so. kidrock8 - they are grooming Maggette to be their defensive stopper. He's learning on the job, but he has the potential to become a Doug Christie-like player with more athleticism in a year or two. Richardson can also shoot well from outside, and Odom and Miller are no slouches either from behind the arc. Personally, I think they are a well-balanced team of players who know and accept their roles; otherwise, do you think Piatkowski would still be in the starting lineup with Q and Maggette accustomed to and happy in their roles off the bench? If the Clippers stay together - admittedly, a very big if - they could be a force in a year or two. I don't think they'll dominate this year, but they could make waves in the lower half of the playoffs. Down the road, if they can keep nearly everyone and add some veterans to take the place of the players they lose, they'll be a team to be reckoned with.
