2nd time I watched the kristaps and I'm impressed. I would like a metric to judge the summer lg though.
Idk I think it's worth more than nothing. I think we could tell if he was going to be a nikoloz tscitishivili from watching summer lg. That was my main purpose for tuning into a few games.
Actually, doing a quick google search, it seems that Nikoloz did very well in the summer league. MVP and highest scorer of the 2004 Las Vegas Summer League.
As a Knicks fan I've been much more impressed by Maurice "Natureboy" Ndour!! Porzi has all the tools to be a franchise player.
Anyways, Josh Smith to Clippers is being confirmed by multiple sources. I had someone bring up an interesting point; with this move, the Clippers' bench, although talented, is now a unit with some pretty questionable basketball IQ. Doc will have to keep a tight leash on them.
Yup, but I'm seeing a bit of what the GSW have. Multiple guys that can switch positions while defending. On paper, Doc has been fantastic this offseason. Since they've added Josh, I'd stick with Jamal for the time being and let Lance play the three. The bench is lacking quality shooters and I'm not sure taking away their most consitant would do them any good. Defensively Rivers-Crawford/Johnson-Lance-Smith and Aldrich should be miles better than what we saw last year. Also my guess is Baby isn't resigning at this point.
Yeah, and that's a point I want to talk about. Rivers' moves may not pay off as well on the court as they have on paper, but I really like the effort here. The Clippers were a lot more active than I expected, and they made the most of limited resources to build the bench. Of course, these acquisitions, particularly Stephenson and Smith, aren't lacking in question marks, but they have shown the talent requisite to fill roles. The problem, I think, that comes with guys like Smith and Stephenson is that they have the talent to be major contributors, but they play too out-of-control and try to do too much when they're asked to be major contributors and are given wide-ranging roles. But, given more limited, specific roles that makes use of their talents and stay away from the things they aren't a good fit for, they can contribute in a positive way. To use another example, JR Smith wasn't at all a net positive for New York, but when he moved to Cleveland, they used him in a more limited role that fit him better, and I think on the whole Cleveland is a better team for having JR, whereas New York wasn't a better team for it. So as long as Doc keeps them in check, finds roles that work for them, and has a quick hook when they get away from their roles...
I knew they had some wiggle room with Barnes and Crawford. Doc has made probably the most out of it. The free agent acquisitions were fantastic as well (on paper). But you're right - you couldn't expect something like this. There are some concerns, especially with Smith IMO. Keeping them under control will be strictly on Doc, but seeing that the Clippers also have a lot of veteran players as well as an NBA winning coach, I don't think you'll see any sort of break down from those guys (you never gor that from Lance - his reputation of being a bad teammate seems made up). Farmar was gone after 2 months, because he couldn't fit in. Both Smith and Lance have proven their worth in limited roles. It seems like a high risk, high reward situation... basically what the Clippers are limited to. Exactly.
Add to that, both Smith and Lance are upgrades from what the Clippers had last year (Davis/Hamilton/Jones) coming off their bench, even if they don't reach their ''full potential''.
At the same time, the Clippers have got to start seriously challenging for a title this year. That means being able to not just compete with, but beat the likes of Golden State, Houston, OKC, and San Antonio with Aldridge. This will require Lance and Smith to not just be upgrades, but actually contribute in a very real and positive way consistently like the bench players of Golden State, San Antonio, or OKC do.
I agree. If last year a Finals apperance would've been enough, this year it isn't. Despite not being out of the 2nd round, this is probably the most talented Clippers team ever, with 3 possible future Hall of Famers. The bench looks as good as it ever did as well. On paper they could challenge anybody. We'll see how it goes when the season starts. And you're right about the bench. In order to beat those teams you need them at their possible best.
Jesus that is some fellow ship of the rings posting there guys Clippers are the hit topic this off season
Doc the gm is good but I doubt he is able to handle the coaching part of it. Not like the team had great chemistry last year now you add Stephenson and josh smith is just too much. I liked the Stephenson gamble but josh smith just shows docs naive. Even people from ny can't defend Stephenson anymore and any nba player from here especially Brooklyn is worshipped.
I doubt Josh Smith is interested in causing trouble when he came in on a vet min deal to a team that can only give him a reduced role compared to Houston.
You think he's interested in not taking shots or retarded 3s? The role wasn't all that large in Houston either, compared with Atlanta/Detroit. There probably wasn't much market for him because he is extremly annoying to watch and to play with. If the season was 25 games and then playoffs maybe this would work but put me on record as saying this has little chance to work. We don't even know what Chris Paul is really like either, I just don't see him having the patience for Stephenson and smith because a lot is required.
Huh? Doc the GM (apart from this summer) has been horrible. Doc the coach has for the most part done his job excellently. I don't know where you got this bad chemistry thing from... If anyone showed last year he can contribute in a reduced role, it was Josh Smith. Had it not been for him, the Rockets lose game 5. He's the only one who could check Griffin. And the perception of Lance... The Clippers could care less. It's not like they're winning any popularity contest any time soon.
I would say that a role like the one he had in Houston works well for Smith. Does he have some very frustrating moments? Yeah, but he also was overall very key for Houston in advancing to the Western Conference Finals. That's why I think this pairing can work. The roles aren't very large or expansive, meaning there's less margin for interpretation for these two to screw up, and less of a green light for them to veer out of control with their play. And as for Chris Paul, I consider him to be a guy that mostly by-and-large just wants to win, and the big picture is, unless this blows up epically, Smith and Stephenson help him win.
He shot 38% from three in the playoffs and 33% since he joined the Rockets. I think that is a clear indicator that he's limiting his poor shot selection and is getting open shots due to Harden. CP can get him the same looks. Anyway the Clippers didn't get him for his three point shooting skill, rather his ability to pass, push the ball up the court and most important - defence. On the contrary, CP knows how important it is to get Lance and Smith going, so he'll do anything he can to win a championship. If he can manage that bonehead Jordan, he'll have no problem with Smith. One thing I'd like to know though - why is Lance percieved as a locker room problem?
What perception of lance Stephenson ? It is reality at this point, he's been the same guy since high school where have you been? Perception is reality in the USA regardless but everything you read about lance is quite true. To say he wasn't a joke with Charlotte last year is ignornant. I've always been a lance fan too. I commented on doc doing well this offseason as gm and you know what happened last offseason right? Kind of hard to form a team/attract players when an owner is being removed. How many games did josh smith play for the rockets? It wasn't a full season... And one of the reasons why Jordan originally commited to Dallas is because him and Chris Paul had beef all last year, I'm not quite sure how you missed that. I have plenty of issues with doc as a coach but I'll let that slide, losing to Houston in the playoffs last year speaks strongly enough.
You think josh smith is a legit 38% shooter from 3 point? Maybe it's better shot selection or it's just a small sample size. Playing with better players can improve that so I see your point there, I just don't trust the man over a full 82. Stephenson has been known to fight, even at Lincoln high school. His grades/disciplinary record were so poor that the university of Cincinnati even had a hard time getting him in. I always felt like he underachieved at everything. Someone like lance Stephenson will wear on you and the Indiana situation kind of summed that up. With Charlotte it spoke for itself , he was never interested or committed. I liked the risk by the clippers but no matter which way we slice it josh smith is a risk too. I just think it was an either or situation.
I understand that both of them are high-risk, high-reward players that risk going belly-up, but I think if you're the Clippers, you need every last bit of upside you can get. Lance or Smith alone probably aren't going to get them up to par with the best NBA teams. But with both of them if they both work out? You can talk about that being on par with GS or SA or OKC.
Who said anything resembling what you're posting? I want to see reports about him being a negative influence in the locker room. The only thing I can remember was his apparent beef with Hibbert, but we're now seeing that Hibbert is infact the one, who has certain issues. And perception isn't everything in world. KG is supposed to be one of the dirtiest and meanest player in the NBA, while I've read numerous reports, he's infact one of the kindest and offers rookies a helping hand, when they need it (or don't). What happened last offseason? You're speaking gibberish. Why would an owner being replaced be a problem for any free agent? We all knew Sterling was gone the moment those tapes got released. I get not wanting to play for a racist owner, but the situation got handled very quickly. Josh Smith played 55 games in the regular season and 17 games in the offseason. So he basically was there for more than 2/3 of the season. If you think one of the reasons Jordan wanted to leave was Doc, then you have no idea. I'm sure he holds resentment to the only guy who believed in him and made him the player he is today. People were laughing at Jordan before Doc came to the Clippers and now he's one of the elite defensive centers in the game. And the Paul beef is way overblown. The reason he was so close, because he liked his role better in Dallas (he was supposed to be the guy). I'm not even go into the subject of Doc as a coach... That's your opinion.