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When it comes to expectations, the Los Angeles Clippers have always maintained a ridiculously low bar.
Improve incrementally. Be competitive. If all goes well, finish close to .500 and give fans a sense of hope for the future.
But that was before last season, before the arrival of point guard/savior Chris Paul and the continued emergence of Blake Griffin.
Suddenly, the Clippers can look at themselves in the mirror and see a reflection that says: Real-time contenders.
In a Western Conference that includes the crosstown-rival Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the older but still competent San Antonio Spurs, climbing higher than last season’s 40-26 finish won’t be easy. But with Paul in charge, anything is possible.
Paul’s arrival in a trade with New Orleans before the start of last season immediately injected a sense of purpose into the Clippers. He elevated – literally – Griffin’s inside game and set the team on a defined path toward the playoffs, only the second time in 14 years it had advanced to the postseason.
That was the first step in what the organization believes is the Clippers’ new destiny. Owner Donald Sterling, once considered a skinflint among NBA owners, has shown no reluctance to build a title contender, signing Griffin to a five-year extension that could be worth $95 million, and acquiring Paul, who can command a $108 million extension next July.
The bench will be one of the deepest in the league, with Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom and Grant Hill signing on, though Odom has played just 51 minutes in the preseason because of conditioning issues and a bone bruise in his left knee. The 40-year-old Hill is expected to miss at least the first week of the season because of a bone bruise in his right knee; he’s played just 21 minutes.
The Clippers also are awaiting the return of guard Chauncey Billups, who sustained a torn left Achilles tendon in February but hopes to return by November or December. His effectiveness could go a long way in helping the Clippers reach the next level.
Where is that? The Clippers no longer are satisfied with the playoffs. They think they’re good enough to reach the NBA Finals — but advancing to the conference finals might be a more logical goal.
Last season: 40-26, defeated Memphis in first round of playoffs, lost to San Antonio in Western Conference semifinals.
Coach: Vinny Del Negro (third season, 72-76).
Top returnees: PG Chris Paul, PF Blake Griffin, SF Caron Butler, C DeAndre Jordan.
Key additions: PF Lamar Odom, SF Matt Barnes, SG Jamal Crawford.
X-Factor: Odom. It’s certainly curious that Odom, who was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in a four-team trade last June, reported to the Clippers with weight and conditioning problems. He hasn’t played in an NBA game since April 7, when he and the Mavs agreed to part ways, so joining the Clippers, the team that drafted him in 1999, after 18 months away should have been reason enough to arrive in shape. If he’s the old Lamar Odom, the one who was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year two seasons ago, he’ll be a vital contributor off the bench. If he’s the Lamar Odom who never adjusted to playing in Dallas after a seven seasons with the Lakers, the Clippers will lack the depth they need to contend.
Strengths: Everything the Clippers do will run through Chris Paul, whom league GMs recently voted the best point guard in the NBA. When Paul is running the offense, coach Vinny Del Negro can sit back and enjoy the show. Paul, who is still wearing a brace on his right thumb after ligament surgery, knows how to spread the court and get his teammates involved, particularly Griffin, an extraordinary dunker who continues trying to improve his jump shot. The Clippers also have a formidable bench, with third-year guard Eric Bledsoe ready to emerge as a swift defender and scorer. With reserves such as Odom, Barnes, Hill and Willie Green, Del Negro will have difficult finding minutes to satisfy everyone.
Weaknesses: There’s little question the Clippers will be a work in progress, at least through the first few weeks of the regular season. Odom hasn’t played since Oct. 14, and Hill probably will miss at least the first week of the regular season. Starting off-guard Chauncey Billups is taking part in practice, but it could be another month before he’s ready to test his surgically repaired Achilles tendon in a game. That means Del Negro will have to mix and match for a while. Center DeAndre Jordan is an excellent shot blocker and a decent rebounder, but his offensive game needed work during the summer. Unless he improves in the low post, he’ll be a liability. He’s a horrible free-throw shooter, so he can expect teams to foul him every time he touches the ball. Then again, so can most of his teammates: The Clippers rank last in the league in free-throw percentage this preseason.
Del Negro received a vote of confidence last season from Sterling despite rumors his job was in jeopardy. If the Clippers struggle early, those rumors are almost certain to resurface, putting Sterling in position to make a change rather than see his investment sink.
Outlook: The Clippers might not be the best team in LA, but they’re clearly one of the three best teams in the Western Conference. Elevating their place in the standings will largely depend on Griffin expanding his outside game, Billups returning to the lineup as a forceful scorer, DeAndre Jordan providing points in the paint and Lamar Odom producing sizable numbers for one of the league’s best benches. As long as Paul is healthy, though, the Clippers are playoff bound.
Prediction: 54-28.
