The Nuggets swept the season series with the Clippers a season ago, as did five other teams in the Western Conference. Why? Because the Clippers weren’t good at basketball. But as the upcoming NBA season peeks its head around the corner, may I make a potentially preposterous proclamation? The Clips could crack the playoffs this year.
In each of the past three seasons, a fresh-faced team has extended its season — Utah, New Orleans and Portland — and it’s very possible that with Houston’s Yao-sized troubles, Los Angeles could host Los Angeles in a 1-8 opening-round matchup.
Now, the optimism flowing from my fingertips is due to, in part, Blake Griffin, the NBA-ready No. 1 pick whose game’s as polished as a Buckingham Palace armoire.
Griffin is ready to be a factor yesterday. He’s 20-10 without the Zach Randolph extracurriculars and excess flab (L.A. traded Randolph this summer). Really, he’s everything that fellow No. 1 Michael Olowokandi was not, and that’s got to be uplifting for Clippers Nation (which, since the 2006 playoffs against Denver, is apparently back in the woodworks.)
His backcourt counterpart is one of the more underrated youngsters in basketball. His name is Eric Gordon, and he shoots well. In the 2008-09 season, he was still finding his groove in the 2008 games, averaging 10.3 points per game. But after Jan. 1, he averaged 19.8.
The Clips have a fascinating mix of role players, from our old friend Marcus Camby to Al Thornton (16.8 points last season) to Chris Kaman, who is difficult to sustain when healthy, though he has difficulty sustaining health.
But it all comes down to point guard Baron Davis, who shoots too much and doesn’t pass enough.
Besides like, the Clippers coaches, I bet there’s no one who knows Clippers hoops better than Kevin Arnovitz, the crackerjack blogger for (“Dissecting the Side-Screen Roll Since 2006”). He and I were talking Clippers (we’re the ones), and he made an excellent point about the point. He said much of L.A.’s success depends on “Davis’ willingness to stop shooting off the dribble, where he’s one of the league’s three least efficient scorers, and accepting that he’s now a third offensive option. If Baron can tap his inner Jason Kidd and approach the offense with restraint, the Clippers immediately become a decidedly better offensive squad.”
Clock’s ticking, Baron. Otherwise, the Clips will be on the clock with another lottery pick.
