2009-10 at a Glance
Record: 29-53
Seeding: 12th in the Western Conference
Playoff Result: N/A
What changed since June: The youth movement in full swing
The Clippers have three rookies who should make an impact in their rotation. The most prominent is Blake Griffin, the 2009 #1 pick who should start and compete with John Wall for Rookie of the Year. In the draft, LA added forward Al-Farouq Aminu with their own #1 and traded a future first to Oklahoma City for guard Eric Bledsoe. Aminu’s defense and athleticism should get him in the rotation off the bat while Bledsoe will have to battle for time behind starting stalwarts Baron Davis and Eric Gordon.
Among the more experienced players, the off-season proved less chaotic and more predictable. Steve Blake, Drew Gooden, and Travis Outlaw signed elsewhere while the Clippers re-signed big man Craig Smith and swingman Rasual Butler along with bringing in guard Randy Foye. Time will tell how big an impact each will make on this year’s squad.
On the coaching side, the team hired former Bulls head man Vinnie Del Negro to take over. While not fan of his tenure in Chicago personally, Del Negro should command the team’s attention more than Mike Dunleavy ever could, which is a plus.
The Clippers’ biggest strength: Starting talent
One way the Clippers stand out in the West is the quality of their starters. Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, and Eric Gordon have all shown what they can do in the league and expectations are sky-high for Blake Griffin. If they can get production from the Small Forward slot (whether that be Aminu, Butler, or someone else) to match the other four, this team could have the firepower to match up well with the teams they are competing with.
The Clippers’ biggest weakness: Scoring differential
Despite finishing above seven teams, the Clippers had the third-worst point differential in the entire NBA last season. Some of this can be traced to being third from the bottom in scoring, though that is partially mitigated by playing at middle of the league pace. In fact, most of the improvement here can come on the defensive end. Adding in Aminu and increasing the overall talent (as well as offensive efficiency) should help this along, though a more concerted effort on that end is required as well.
The Big Question: Which Baron Davis will we see?
As someone who has followed the Golden State Warriors my whole life, I know all too well how much a peak Baron Davis can affect a game and a season. He fueled “We Believe” Warriors team and can still bring just about all of that power now if the circumstances are right. Unfortunately, it will likely take some time to see both how he starts the season and how his energy progresses over the first few months.
Where the team fits in:
The Clippers start the season with one of the largest gaps between ceiling and floor in the entire league. It is entirely possible to craft a realistic scenario where everything clicks and this team is a dangerous out in the playoffs and equally reasonable to make one where the team does not perform to their talent and ends up a pretty massive disappointment.
Keeping that in mind, the a balance of the two seems reasonable. This would likely mean that the Clip Show is scrapping for the last playoff spot in the West with seemingly half the conference.
Feel free to e-mail Daniel at Daniel.leroux@realgm.com or follow him on twitter @DannyLeroux