Are the Clippers the real deal?
Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers warms up during the season opener at Oracle Arena on December 25.
Lob city. That’s what the NBA’s newest superstar Blake Griffin dubbed it when he learned four-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul was joining him at the Los Angeles Clippers. But the mouthwatering tandem not only has the potential to thrill crowds with their remarkable skills – the word “championship” is being bandied about. Some pundits say the acquisition of Paul from the Hornets – easily the biggest move of the offseason – could even mark the beginning of a changing of the guard in LA, saying Kobe Bryant’s Lakers are aging and on the decline.
But how realistic is it to say the Clippers – $17 with Sportingbet – are serious title contenders? Even with the extraordinary Griffin – the No.1 pick in the 2009 draft – averaging 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds a game last year, the team went 32-50 to be third from bottom in the West. Paul, though, dragged a less than stellar Hornets team into the playoffs.
With their two megastars, the Clippers will be in the postseason, you can be sure of that. But their two stars won’t be enough to knock over the likes of the Heat ($2.75), Lakers ($9) and Bulls ($7). There just isn’t enough ability in the rest of the roster. With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Miami are outright and deserved favourites but are lugged with huge expectations combined with being the most hated team in the league. The Lakers can no longer rely on the 33-year-old Bryant, but have All-Star Pau Gasol and the hugely talented Andrew Bynum to fall back on. The Bulls, with reigning MVP Derrick Rose leading the way, could be anything. And don’t count out Oklahoma City ($7), with scoring phenomenon Kevin Durant and All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.
As for last year’s champions the Dallas Mavericks ($13), well they seem to have aged 10 years in one offseason and the chances of them repeating are slim at best. Last season’s finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki put it perfectly when he said this week: “We look old, slow and out of shape … the young teams, the athletic teams, look better right now then we do.” Who is your pick for the late-starting NBA season and why?
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The Clippers have improved exponentially by adding CPIII, but they still need to figure out the supporting pieces outside of Paul, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Next year, if they can re-sign Paul, they might approach the top teams – Thunder, Mavericks, Lakers. Clippers are still Clippers and with Donald Sterling as the owner and Vinnie Del Negro as the coach they will screw up again.
The Thunder are only getting stronger and stronger, while in the east Heat and Bulls will duke it out.
Watch out for Pacers and Timberwolves to evolve into contenders as well, but maybe not putting it all together and threatening this year.