Independently submitted articles on your Los Angeles Clippers, do you agree or disagree? What's your opinion?
Los Angeles Clippers
With a record of 54-26, the Los Angeles Clippers currently hold the 4th playoff seed in a strong Western Conference. Their seeding can change as there are three days left in the NBA season.
The Clippers have two games left: At home against Portland and on the road at Sacramento. If the Clippers take care of business in these two games, they will finish at worst 4th place and if the Nuggets lose their last two contests, the Clippers can overtake the 3rd seed.
If the Clippers finish 4th they will play the Memphis Grizzlies, who also have 54-26 record. The Clippers will have home court advantage no matter what, as a result of winning the Pacific division.
The most probable playoff matchup is the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies and Clippers met three times this season, with the Clippers winning all three matchups by an average of 13 points per game. I believe that the Clippers will win the series for a variety of reasons:
First, Chris Paul is a much better point guard than a solid Mike Conley. The NBA is dominated by point guards, and Paul is arguably the best PG in the NBA. Paul should control the tempo in every game of the series and it will only benefit the Clippers.
Secondly, the Clippers’ bench is much stronger than the Grizzlies’ bench. Nothing against the Grizzlies bench - which consists of Quincy Pondexter, Jerryd Bayless, and Ed Davis, but the Clippers’ is filled with experience and more quality. The Clippers bench consists of Eric Bledsoe, Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford.
Another thing to note is that Chauncey Billups will be back for tomorrow’s game versus Portland. "I feel good," Billups told ESPN. "I practiced and the whole thing. The last three days I've been doing everything that the team is doing and practicing and the whole thing.”
The Grizzlies have the advantage on defense with an NBA-leading 89.4 points allowed per game. Their perimeter defense of Conley, Tony Allen and Pondexter is tough, while Marc Gasol is waiting inside the paint. Tayshaun Prince, acquired in the Rudy Gay trade, is known for his versatility and defense.
Overall I believe the Grizzlies are a strong team, but the trade of Gay hurt them a lot and the Clippers will win in six or seven games.
There is a slight chance that the Clippers will face the Houston Rockets in the first round. The Clippers finished 2-1 in games against the Rockets. Houston boasts the most explosive offense in the NBA as they average 106 points per game. A big reason to that is James Harden, the all-star shooting guard who is averaging 26 ppg.
While the Rockets have an all-star talent in Harden, they rely on scoring from many different sources. Their second leading scorer is Chandler Parsons who averages a respectable 15.3 points and third on the team is Jeremy Lin with 13.3 ppg. Houston has six guys averaging in double figures but none of their players have been go-to options for winning teams.
Harden, previously of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was a sixth man and struggled in the NBA Finals last year. While the Rockets have quite the firepower to put up points they will struggle to guard the Clippers as they allow 102.3 points per game in their previous meetings.
The Rockets are having a nice season but the Clippers have too much talent to lose and they will win in five games.
For more on the #Clippers and their post-season run, follow @SportSpeakLA
This year the Los Angeles Clippers are having the best season in franchise history. Fresh off a season sweep against their cross-court rival, Lakers, the Clippers now stand at 51-26 and have clinched the first division title in their franchise history. “It just feels like something we were supposed to do," said Paul, who had 24 points and 12 assists. "It means we're headed in the right direction. We're not satisfied. We understand this is something small compared to the big picture." (ESPN)
The Los Angeles Clippers have already topped their franchise record in wins with five games remaining in the season. Before this season, the most successful season the Clippers ever had was in 1974-75 when they went 49-33. That season, they weren’t even in Los Angeles, they were the Buffalo Clippers.
Some of you may wonder why? The Clippers overwhelming depth and experience have been major factors in the Clippers best season in franchise history. The Clippers bench consists of Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Eric Bledsoe, and Lamar Odom. All four of these players are capable of starting on any team in the NBA. Jamal Crawford, one of the best six men in the league, gives the Clippers automatic double digits every game and plays down the stretch of every game. Crawford has scored in double digits in 63 of the 71 games he has suited up for, how’s that for consistency? Matt Barnes has given the Clippers not only hard nosed defense but some offensive punch as well. Matt Barnes is averaging 10.2 points per game.
Eric Bledsoe, a combo guard, has been phenomenal in short minutes this year. In 20 minutes per game, he’s averaging 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks. Bledsoe has been huge for the Clippers, as he has the size and strength and quickness to guard point guards and shooting guards. When Chris Paul went down with a knee injury, Bledsoe filled in nicely averaging 14.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and a remarkable 2.5 steals in 34.2 minutes per game.
It would be an understatement to say that Lamar Odom has had a down year. Even at his worst, Odom, has provided a tough presence with experience that cannot be replaced. In 20 minutes per game, Odom is averaging 5.7 rebounds per game, which is good for third on the team. Odom needs to improve his poor shooting percentages throughout the board if he wants to be a major contributor in the playoffs (.396 field goal percentage, 50 percent free throws, and .193 three point percentage). When you combine these four major pieces off the bench with the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Caron Butler and that’s how you get the best Clippers squad in their franchise history.
The one thing that can hurt the Clippers is the lack of a low post scoring threat like an Andrew Bynum or a Brook Lopez. In order to beat the NBA’s great teams such as the Thunder, Spurs and Heat, their shot must be on point. The Clippers can struggle against a team like San Antonio, who has Tim Duncan inside
constantly giving teams trouble with his ability to score inside. Not only do the Clippers lack a low post scorer, they also lack post defense, as Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan struggle in guarding the post. I believe the Los Angeles Clippers have what it takes to make a deep postseason run, their speed and ability to shoot the three point shot can pay dividends against the NBA’s
elite teams.
For more on the #Clippers, follow @SportSpeakLA
The Los Angeles Clippers may have grabbed victory in game one over the Memphis Grizzlies, but the war between power forwards Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph will rage on the entire series.
With the Clippers and Grizzlies set to get it on tonight at Staples Center for game two, both Griffin and Randolph will look to avoid foul trouble that limited both men in the scoring department in game one.
In game one, Griffin scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the winning effort, but fouled out late in the game even though the Clippers had the affair well in hand when he left. Griffin spent a majority of game one not flying over the rim as per usual, but focusing his energy containing the equally talented Randolph in the low post.
"It's my job to keep him off the glass and everybody else rebound," Griffin said Sunday according to ESPN. "I do want to be more aggressive, but at the same time, I can't hurt us by being too aggressive."
Randolph for Memphis had 15pts and 4reb but also had five fouls and committed four turnovers, largely battling Griffin the entire night in the paint.
The two all-stars filled with an incredible amount of talent but have completely different styles of play. While Griffin is the high-flying superstar who uses raw strength to overpower the opposition, Randolph uses guile and positioning to get around defenders and score in the low post.
The Clipper in game one kept Randolph and Marc Gasol away from the glass, allowing only six rebounds between the two.
With Memphis looking for revenge in game two, Randolph would need to stay out of foul trouble and focus on boxing out Griffin and utilize his positioning prowess to grab rebounds. This will no doubt be the main match up to look out for in tonight’s game. The Pacific Division champions will look to gain a 2-0 advantage before trekking to the land of Elvis Presley at the FedEx Forum on Thursday.
For more on the #Clippers, follow @SportSpeakLA
The road to the playoffs just became a lot tougher for the Lakers after losing to their cross-the-hall rival Clippers, 109-95 Sunday.
Kobe Bryant tried his best to bring the Lakers back from a double-digit second half deficit, pouring in 25 points and dishing out 10 assists. Dwight Howard had a great game as well scoring 25 points and blocking 4 shots.
However, the big efforts from Bryant and Howard weren’t near enough as the Clippers fast break style was too much for the Lake Show. The Clippers had great games from their two stars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who had 24 points each.
The Clipper’s bench was tremendous as well, out-scoring the Lakers’ bench 34-19, led by 12 points from Matt Barnes. The Lakers had no answer for Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford who torched the Lakers with 20 points.
Sunday’s game was critical for both Los Angeles teams. The Lakers must keep winning to hold on to the eight seed in the Western Conference - the clippers fighting for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
With the loss, the Lakers now move into a tie with the Utah Jazz, who has a tough matchup later Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers must maintain a lead on the Jazz because the Jazz own the tie breaker if the two teams happen to have identical records at the end of the season.
The Lakers playoff hopes are in serious trouble - they must go into Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets focused and ready to give maximum effort. They can’t rely on losses by the Jazz. Both the Jazz and Lakers have five games remaining with three against teams who are playoff contenders.
In order to make it to the playoffs, the Lakers must beat the two sub .500 teams they face and perhaps can only afford to lose one more game maximum to secure a playoff spot.
On the Clipper side, with this win they now have their first division title in franchise history and have swept the season series against the Lakers for the first time. This is quite an accomplishment for the franchise that has been the joke of the NBA for so many years.
The Clippers only have one more game against a playoff team remaining and four against bottom feeder teams - which means they should have a strong ending to what has been the best season in their franchises history.
For more on the #Lakers and #Clippers, follow @SportSpeakLA
Clippers Sweep Lakers Season Series
written by Troy McNabb
Fan Contributor
On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Clippers dominated the 4th quarter in Game 1 versus the Memphis Grizzlies and cruised to a 112-91 win.
Throughout the game the Memphis Grizzlies were within reach but the Clippers stepped on the gas in the final quarter out-scoring the Grizz by a 37-22 margin. The shocking part about the game - the Clippers scored 112 points on the NBA’s number 1 defense, which allowed 89.5 points per game during the regular season, despite getting only 10 points from All-Star forward Blake Griffin, who averaged 18 ppg in the regular season.
The key to the Clippers win was their domination on the boards, grabbing 47 to just 23 for the Grizzlies. According to ESPN, the Grizzlies got out-rebounded by a bigger margin than they have all season in a game. While the Grizzlies out-scored the Clippers 48-46 in the paint, the Clippers dominated in second chance points 25-5.
If the Grizzlies want to win game 2 they must do a better job of rebounding. If Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph crash the glass as they have done all season, the Clippers can be in trouble.
"That's not acceptable," Gasol said about the rebounding difference. "Once we made a stop, they kept running in and getting offensive rebounds and second-chance points. We have to be better than that. The rebounds were the difference."
Not only did the Los Angeles Clippers dominate the glass, but they shot an incredible 55.4 percent from the field on a great defensive team. Chris Paul controlled the game by going 7-11 from the field with 23 points, 7 assists, and only 1 turnover. Eric Bledsoe shot a perfect 7-7 for 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in only 18 minutes off the bench. For the Grizzlies, Jerryd Bayless led the way with 19 points off the bench.
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Clippers need better play from Griffin, as he was struggling with the physicality of the Grizzlies’ Randolph, if they want to avoid a home loss before heading to Memphis. If Griffin gives the Clippers a strong performance they will likely take a 2-0 lead in the series - If he doesn’t, it can easily be tied up.
Maybe some southern comfort was all the Memphis Grizzlies needed after two defeats at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Memphis methodically and fundamentally out-classed the Los Angeles Clippers 104-83 in game four, tying this series at two games apiece.
Yellow towels saying the words "grit" and "grind" were being waved feverishly by the capacity crowd at FedEx Forum, two words that sum up Memphis' rugged style of play. Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins and his men have stymied the high octane Los Angeles attack, giving up only 82 points in game three and of course 83 points in game four.
Memphis also has picked up their game on offense, improving to 17-1 this season when shooting 50% or better from the field.
Los Angeles, back in games one and two, established most of the control on offense and made Memphis play into their run-and-gun style of play.
But the dynamic duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in Memphis proved to be too much for the Clippers to handle in games three and four.
Gasol has been a defensive dynamo for Memphis in this series, thwarting nearly every opportunity Los Angeles has had to score in the paint. The reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year has also been a solid contributer on offense, averaging 16.3 PPG in his first three games this series.
But in game four Gasol went bonkers, scoring a game high 24 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, dishing 4 assists and collecting 3 blocks.
Randolph shook off his early struggles in Los Angeles while carving the Clippers up in the low post and on the glass, scoring 24 points with 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Randolph since scoring only 13 points in both games in Los Angeles has averaged 25.5 PPG in his two evenings in Memphis.
L.A's Chris Paul was once again a non-factor for the Clippers as Paul was held to one field goal in the second half. Paul lamented his struggles with the incredible chemistry displayed by Memphis.
"Their synergy is pretty amazing, you know what I mean," Clippers guard Chris Paul said according to ESPN. "Z-Bo on the inside and big fella Marc, that's another guard the way he passes the ball and shoots the ball. You just got to run them. You got to run them. You got to try to get them tired. You can't just leave them in a rocking chair."
Blake Griffin on the other hand, rebounded from his poor performance in game three, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Even with Griffin's double-double, the Grizzlies pounded the Clippers on the glass with a 45-28 advantage in the rebound department.
Memphis also outscored Los Angeles 33-16 in the fourth quarter.
When the Grizzlies play, it seems that the viewing public are watching a younger version of the San Antonio Spurs. It is simply a team based on defensive dominance, high emphasis on rebounding and intelligent shot selection with a bevy of quality role players to go along with their two stars - Randolph and Gasol.
This is undoubtably setting up for what looks to be another playoff classic between two of the NBA's rising powers. While the Clippers look to get back on track after being shut down the last two games, the Grizzlies look to take home court advantage out west in "Tinseltown" for game five.
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The Los Angeles Clippers, after winning the Pacific Division, a franchise high 56 games, and being the new king of Los Angeles, were soundly eliminated by the hungry Memphis Grizzlies in convincing fashion, 118-105, last night - losing the series in six games.
Despite shooting 52 percent from the field, the Clippers struggled mightily on the free throw line, making only 67 percent from the stripe which led to their eventual downfall.
The Grizzlies were far more efficient from the line, making 38-of-47 free throw attempts - good for an 81 percent clip.
The x-factor and MVP in this series would have to go Grizzlies team captain Tony Allen, whose exceptional defensive play along with dominant play on the offensive boards kept the Clippers reeling from game three onward.
Allen had a team high 17 points along with 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Not bad for someone who has been a reserve for most of the year if not his entire career.
But that essentially seemed to be the difference maker between the Grizzlies and Clippers: Guys who could get down and dirty in the paint and be effective on the boards. Memphis for the dominated the rebounding department with Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and of course Allen handling the yeoman's work.
The Clippers, who have been perceived as a high-flying, flashy club, showed the basketball world that sometimes those qualities can only take you so far.
The Clippers - plain and simple - lost to the better structured team when it comes to the postseason. Los Angeles played against what was and is in my mind still the number one team defense in the NBA. When Memphis realized that targeting Clippers point guard Chris Paul would mean targeting L.A's entire offense, the Clippers were sunk.
I mean, besides Paul and Matt Barnes, can anyone on this team take the reigns of the offense? Where was Eric Bledsoe? DeAndre Jordan? Chauncey Billups? All three combined had 9 points in 44 minutes. Now with Griffin playing with a high ankle sprain is one thing, but when their season is on the line, Los Angeles cannot continue to lean on Paul to bail them out each night.
Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins basically out-coached and out-classed Vinny Del Negro. Hollins without a doubt should be the favorite to win NBA Coach of the Year with the job he has done in Memphis with not stars, but substance. Last night there were seven Grizzlies in double-figures (Randolph, Gasol, Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Quincy Pondexter, Mike Conley and Jerryd Bayless.)
That is the mantra of Memphis: "Grit" and "Grind". With their tremendous balance in scoring, punishing defense and dominance on the glass, they are looking to be the dark horse in making the NBA Finals.
The Clippers, now entering the offseason, may need to address those two nouns and find players who personify them. Their bench is aging, their starting five revolves around one man not five, and with the way Memphis handled them on the boards, they need a legit rebounding machine.
But for now, the winds have stopped, the sails have been tied up, and "The Clip Show" is now off the air.
Clippers Eliminated by Grizzlies
written by: Lars Lewis
@LarsLewis12
After leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a successful season at 56-26, head coach Vinny Del Negro has been fired.
The firing comes as a surprise as the Clippers finished with the most wins in franchise history. The Clippers won their first Pacific Division title and were the four seed in a loaded Western Conference. Their season also included a franchise best 17-game winning streak.
The Clippers informed Del Negro, that he won’t be offered a new contract when his ends towards the end of June.
It was apparent that Clippers owner Donald Sterling was a bit hesitant to let him go and he took longer than most organizations do in firing their coach after the season's end.
In three seasons with the Clippers, Del Negro had a respectable record of 128-102.
A few years ago making the playoffs would’ve been enough for the Clippers organization. But, the firing of Del Negro after leading the Clippers to their best season is proof that the Clippers have expectations that differ from their past.
There are a few spots that are available for Del Negro. I believe that Del Negro can land somewhere like Atlanta or Milwaukee. These two teams have young pieces and are in a weaker Eastern conference, which can play to their advantage as Del Negro coached in a challenging Western Conference.
There are a few intriguing options out there for the Clippers such as Stan Van Gundy, Avery Johnson, Scott Skiles, Brian Shaw, and Byron Scott.
For more on the #Clippers coaching situation, follow @SportSpeakLA on Twitter
Del Negro Out as Clippers Coach
written by: George Middleton
@Ge0rgeMiddlet0n
But is it really what the doc ordered?
The Clippers, fresh off their best season in franchise history and first ever division title, are currently in need of a coach - a leader that can propel them to a championship that has escaped the franchise since its inception.
With both the Clippers and Boston reaching an impasse yesterday, doubts are beginning to creep into the minds of basketball pundits whether Rivers and Garnett will be packing their bags to Tinseltown.
Rivers doesn’t want to rebuild again for the green and white like he did when he first arrived in Boston. Kevin doesn’t want to leave the Celtics unless Rivers goes with him.
Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge wants center DeAndre Jordan along with point guard Eric Bledsoe to add youth and energy to a Celtics roster that would get considerably younger if Rivers and Garnett go west.
This leaves the Clippers in a very tight spot. If they end up doing the trade, they will lose two young pieces that can be long-term options and replace them with a 37-year-old Garnett who has no more than 1-to-2 years left in the tank.
The Clippers then would be in a “win now” situation knowing that they sacrificed two younger players with tremendous upside, leaving a thin bench of much older reserves consisting of Matt Barnes (33) Chauncey Billups (36) Caron Butler (33) Jamal Crawford (33) and Lamar Odom (33) who besides Barnes, are clearly past their prime.
Getting Rivers however would be a significant improvement in terms of leadership from a coaching perspective. Los Angeles didn’t really have leadership with Vinny Del Negro, who was criticized throughout the year with his player rotations and did not garner much love from star point guard Chris Paul.
Rivers has a World Championship, two Eastern Conference titles, six Atlantic Division crowns and NBA Coach of The Year back in 2000 in his first year ever as head coach in Orlando.
Since Paul is a free agent this year, getting Rivers would certainly give Paul a reason to return to Los Angeles due to Rivers’ reputation and admiration given to him by his players throughout his tenure with Boston.
The Clippers are resistant in letting go of Bledsoe in the deal. But one thing that is puzzling is that the Clippers are more concerned with him than Jordan, who has upped his PPG every season since he arrived in the NBA in 2008. Jordan since his rookie year has more than doubled his PPG from 4.3-to-8.1, with his rebounding relatively hovering around 7.6 boards per game the last three seasons.
Since Paul is a free agent, The Clippers have every right to be concerned with losing Bledsoe if for some reason Paul doesn’t come back to Los Angeles when Rivers and Garnett arrive.
Bledsoe has been a relatively solid reserve PG in his three years in Los Angeles, averaging 6.7PPG and 3.0AST with a career high 8.5PPG last season.
All of this hinges on whether Paul would be supportive of bringing in Rivers and Garnett.
If he is, he would likely re-sign with the Clippers and be given a two-year window to win a championship. If he is not supportive of the deal, the Clippers would have to continue their coaching search and Rivers and Garnett would give it one more go in Boston.
This trade could potentially change the Clippers’ fortunes for the next decade, for better or worse.
For Clippers owner Donald Sterling, in the iconic words of Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry,
“Do you feel lucky?”
After days of off-and-on talks, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics have agreed to send head coach Doc Rivers to LA for a 2015 first round draft pick. The final hurdle for the deal was the NBA’s league approval, with all that set, the announcement for the trade now lies in the hands of the two teams.
Sources close to the deal have confirmed that Rivers will sign a 3-year, 21 million dollar deal (the remainder of the contract, originally signed with Boston) to take over the head coaching duties of the young and extremely talented Clippers team.
With free-agency opening up July 1, the future of the team is focused on what Chris Paul will decide to do. Before the signing of Rivers, rumors had surrounded LA that Paul was at about a 95% chance of re-signing with LA. Now with an elite coach in the mix, arguably the second best coach in the league (Greg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs), it’s nearly unfathomable that Paul would look to sign elsewhere. In fact, Paul has been the driving force behind LA's pursuit of the now-former C's coach.
The league vetoed an original trade that would have sent F-Kevin Garnett to the Clippers along with Rivers for C-DeAndre Jordan and PG-Eric Bledsoe. Stipulations from the NBA do not allow players to be traded for head coaches. With Doc locked up in LA, it’s being reported that the Clippers will now try to make moves to acquire the 17-year veteran, Garnett. Although David Stern says he intends to hold his ground with any trade that would send Garnett to LA, the Clippers will still look to make a move with the Celtics. If not for Garnett, Paul Pierce hasn't been ruled out either.
A major issue the Clippers lacked last season was consistency. You never new what Clippers team was going to show up night-in-and-night-out. I heard a great comment this morning with the lack of consistency with Jordan. One night, former head coach Vinny Del Negro would play Jordan throughout the fourth quarter, and then the next night bench him for a majority of the second half. How can a player get into rhythm will such a sporadic set of minutes? The same went for a majority of the Clippers bench. These decisions are made by the head coach and with Rivers' resume and NBA IQ, the team won’t look confused during pivotal moments throughout the year.
First and second round playoff exits should no longer be in the cards either. Rivers took a 24-58 Boston team and turned them into a 66-win team 12 months later. Over the last six years with the Celtics, Rivers led Boston to a 2008 NBA Title, came one game short in the 2010 Finals, and then one game short of reaching the NBA Finals in 2012 with an Eastern Conference game 7 loss to the Miami Heat.
For the Clippers, pending a Paul return, the talent is there. As of right now Jordan and Eric Bledsoe are still members of the team, with Blake Griffin, Paul, Matt Barnes, and sixth man runner up Jamal Crawford, you can almost expect to duplicate what Rivers put together over his time in Bean-town.
With the rumors of Garnett, and possibly Pierce following their coach to LA, that can only add on to the high level of offense and without question put the Los Angeles Clippers in the drivers seat for a Western Conference title run.
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With the apparent arrival of new head coach Doc Rivers, the Los Angeles Clippers now have a championship-caliber coach and have a new lease on life.
However, the “Clip Show” is certainly feeling the sting of age on their bench and multiple players that are currently free agents. With age and doubt beginning to creep into the minds of Clippers fans, there is an inherent need of a youth movement for Hollywood’s red, white and blue.
The 2013 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The Clippers will only have one selection - at 25th overall - after trading their second round pick to the Detroit Pistons back in February of 2009.
The most glaring position in need of serious help would be at shooting guard. The Clippers, last season, used 33-year-old Matt Barnes as a sixth man/shooting guard. With Barnes being a free agent and Willie Green who is already 31 going on 32 years old, Los Angeles is in dire need of a young SG who could make an impact immediately.
Two guys worth the look - junior Jamaal Franklin from San Diego State and junior Reggie Bullock from North Carolina.
Franklin would be perfect for the uptempo pace the Clippers utilize. With tremendous speed, Franklin is considered the most athletic shooting guard in the draft next to Ben McLemore. Franklin’s aggressiveness and solid mid-range game could help make one of the most dynamic offensive attacks in the NBA that much faster.
The one knock on Franklin would be, according to www.NBADraft.net, he is sometimes wild and relies on his athleticism to overpower opponents close to the basket. He’s also been prone to being less effective in terms of speed when dribbling the ball. He’s slightly less polished than Bullock, but his athletic gifts and high school high jumping background will certainly fit well with what the Clippers have in their arsenal.
The 6‘7” 200lb Bullock is the more consistent shooter compared to Franklin, posting a 48.3 FG% last season along with shooting 43.6% from beyond the arc. He went from 16 steals in his freshman year to 44 last season as a junior.
With only 1.2 turnovers per game at UNC while playing the most minutes on the team, Bullock is a solid scorer that can protect each offensive possession.
The knocks against Bullock - he struggles with creating shots on the floor and is in need of distributors to open up play and give him clean looks at the basket.
With someone like Chris Paul commanding the floor, that would not be a problem for the likes of Bullock who has tremendous shooting form and a quick release.
The choice between athleticism and efficiency will weigh heavily on the Clippers as they’ll prepare for the draft on Thursday. Los Angeles would not go wrong with either player, but Bullock would likely be the better fit knowing his scoring touch and ball security would help more than just adding another athlete on the club.
After being selected in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers at 25th overall, Bullock finds himself behind recently acquired SG J.J. Redick from Orlando and SG Jared Dudley from Phoenix, but also resigned 33-year-old SG Matt Barnes.
That leaves the Clippers with four shooting guards on the roster.
So what does this mean for the rookie out of North Carolina?
Well, with Barnes likely reprising his role as the sixth man, Redick slotted as the starting SG and Dudley on the opposite wing, it puts Bullock in a very difficult spot in terms of playing time for next season.
With new head coach Doc Rivers, who leaned towards playing veterans in Boston, it could mean an estimated 8-to-10 minutes a night for Bullock and that might even be generous for the 22-year-old.
It would make sense for Rivers to put Redick in the starting spot. Redick’s numbers have steadily improved each season, going from 6.0PPG in his rookie year to 13.7 PPG last season between the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks. Redick has also averaged .390 3P% in his career which helps the Clippers in terms of spreading the floor out for their muscle in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
To trade Eric Bledsoe to Phoenix in a three-team deal with Orlando, it has unfortunately saddled the Clippers with a situation that has a rookie with great potential and was originally the answer to their issues at SG, to having three veterans putting the kibosh on his chances of starting.
With Redick signing a four-year $27 million deal and Dudley signed on until 2016, Bullock might even have to look elsewhere for his opportunity to show what he’s got.
The friction between the two sides was highlighted by a tweet sent by Grantland writer and NBA Countdown co-host Bill Simmons regarding Paul's ascension to NBPA President.
"I like the CP3 choice- he's a natural leader and he's smart as hell. But it will take years (plural) to repair the Hunter/Fisher damage."
(Sent 12:32AM August 22, 2013)
Simmons in the tweet referred to the canning of former executive director Billy Hunter, who is currently suing Fisher, Jamie Wior and the NBPA for defamation and breaching of contract when he was removed as executive director in February.
Before the nomination, Paul was the vice president of the executive committee the past four seasons.
