Even with the theft acquiring of Chris Paul from New Orleans, the Los Angeles Clippers are not a better team than the Lakers yet. I repeat, the Clippers are still the sideshow; the Lake Show remains the main attraction.
Now that the dust is clear from the Chris Paul trade, it’s clear that the notions of the Clippers being the team to beat in California is based purely on emotion and not facts. Take Blake Griffin’s catch phrase “lob city” for example. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are guaranteed to connect on at least 100 lob passes this season.
Unfortunately the glitz of the alley-oops don’t suddenly transform the Clippers into a contender. The punch line, along with the Clippers style of play, will sell shirts, tickets and attract bandwagon fans, but that’s about it. The Clippers are certainly a more attractive product, but not necessarily a better one.
Even Kobe himself admits the Clippers are going to be must see TV this year. “Blake has a 60 inch vertical and Chris is vastly entertaining,” Bryant said. “I’d for sure check them out. I’m not concerned. I’d rather look at jewelery. I like winning.”
But to even suggest the Clippers have a chance of being better than the Lakers is ludicrous. The Lakers have won the championship 10 times, and made the playoffs 28 times under the ownership of Dr. Jerry Buss. In comparison, the last time the Clippers even made the playoffs was when Kobe was still wearing number eight. Kobe Bryant as an individual has had more success in the NBA than the Clippers have had as a franchise.
The Clippers greatest achievement in the past decade has been Elton Brand leading a team of misfits and an alien to the second round of the playoffs. When the Lakers were bounced out of the second round this past May, everyone in the organization from the fans to the players considered it a flat out failure.
The buzz in the city has seemingly shifted instantly to the Clippers. However, let’s not start counting their eggs before they hatch. These are the Clippers, remember?
Taking a closer look at the Chris Paul trade, David Stern and New Orleans’ general manager Dell Demps really did a great job of squeezing every ounce of talent from the Clippers team besides Blake Griffin. The Clippers gave up Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected pick next year which could very well end up being another potential All-Star.
Compare this Chris Paul trade to the two superstars who were traded last season: Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams.
The Nuggets received: Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, a first-round pick in 2014 and two-second round picks.
In return for Williams the Jazz received: Devin Harris, two first-round draft picks and $3 million from the Nets.
Both of those deals pale in comparison to the package the Hornets received. I guess that’s what happens when the league’s executives are doing the negotiating for you. But let’s not go there, I’ll save that for another article.
Next Page: Giving Up Too Much?
The Clippers were following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s blueprint to success to a tee until this trade came along. They got lucky in the draft with Gordon and Griffin, their own version of Westbrook and Durant, and continued drafting well (Aminu, Eric Bledsoe) while spending economically on veteran leadership. Before the trade the Clippers starting lineup on December 26th would’ve looked like this: Chauncey Billups, Gordon, Caron Butler, Blake, Kaman with DeAndre Jordan, Ryan Gomes, Aminu and Mo Williams coming off their bench. Solid team right?
After the trade here’s how they’ll look: Chris Paul, Billups, Butler, Blake, Jordan with Gomes, Randy Foye and Bledsoe as their sixth-eighth best players. See what happened there? The Clippers went from a team that had the potential to be 10 deep to a team that’s suddenly a Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan injury away from handing Marcus Hubbard major minutes.
That last tidbit reminds me, Blake Griffin has had one outstanding NBA season. Just one. He sat out the year he was drafted because he hurt himself in a pre-season game against the same Hornets they stole Chris Paul from two years later. People give Greg Oden slack for being injury prone; let’s not forget Blake has only played in 50 percent of the games he’s been eligible to play in.
Now, what about the two other players who are critical to the Clippers’ success who also have a history in the trainer’s room? The newly signed Caron Butler, who wasn’t missed at all by the Dallas Mavericks when he was injured for their entire championship run. And Chris Paul, who also recently had knee injury to repair a torn meniscus.
Injuries have plagued the Clippers in recent years dating all the back to 1998. Their number one draft pick, Michael Olowokandi, never lived up to the hype due to injury and a lack of conditioning. Their superstar before Blake, Elton Brand, continuously got hurt and just never was able to sustain consistent play. Paul, Butler and Blake are all great players, but success is fragile in the NBA. Let’s hope that injuries won’t continue to haunt the Los Angeles Blakers. As Kobe said, “it’s good for L.A. to have two competitive teams.”
Mo Williams guaranteed that the Clippers would make the playoffs even before Paul came to town. I don’t doubt that. Now that they have Paul, I’d put my mortgage on the Clippers making the playoffs. If Paul was able to drag Emeka Okafor and Aaron Grey to the playoffs, just imagine what he can do with a legitimate supporting cast.
What the Clippers have done here is admirable, ballsy and risky simultaneously. They sacrificed a couple of the young prospects they’ve been stocking up on, along with a former All-Star center for a player who might not even remain with the franchise after next season.
When you’ve only reached the playoffs four times since immigrating to the city 27 years ago, a risky move is better than no move at all. (Did I also mention the Clippers have won fewer than 20 games six times in L.A.?)
Yes, the Lakers questionably gave away Lamar Odom last week for next to nothing. Considering he’s the only remaining player the Lakers got back for Shaquille O’Neal, it hurts even more.
But look on the bright side. Kobe is fresh and ready to go after a long off-season. His partner in crime, Pau Gasol remains a top three center in the league. Metta World Peace can still be an animal defensively when he’s locked in. Steve Blake is due for a comeback season after struggling to learn the triangle offense. The additions of Jason Kapono and Josh McRoberts address some but not all of the Lakers’ issues. And Mitch Kupchak still has over a week to follow through on his promise of a “big move.”
So before Los Angeles falls head over heels for the Clippers, the Lakers first need to relinquish the crown as the kings of the city.