For the Clippers, watching the attention bestowed on their Staples
Center co-tenants in the wake of their dysfunctional opening to the
season has to bring about a certain amount of George Costanza-style
frustration. Sure, the Lakers fired coach Mike Brown five disappointing
games into their superteam season, and sure they bungled the hiring of Mike D’Antoni by simultaneously reaching out to esteemed coach Phil Jackson.
But remember, this team is owned by Donald Sterling. Just check the history books for decades of Clippers bungling and Sterling dysfunction. And look at the recent past, in which the Clippers allowed head coach Vinny Del Negro to twist in the wind before announcing he would stay on the job (that was in late May), then announced the re-signing of their GM while that GM was negotiating to take the Portland job (that was in early June), then waited three months before finally naming a replacement general manager. Heck, they even brought on reality show sad-sack Lamar Odom, who was so bad in Dallas last year the Mavericks asked him to simply stay away and who is now averaging 1.6 points on 21.2 percent shooting.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul finally has depth around him beyond Blake Griffin. (AP Photo)
And yet it’s the Lakers garnering headlines. In their best Costanza
frenzy, you can imagine the chorus coming out of Clipper headquarters in
Playa Vista: “We’re disturbed! We’re depressed! We’re inadequate! We’ve got it all!”
The Clippers, though, are not just keeping up with the Lakers when it comes to goofy goings-on. Fact is, they have been a much better team than the Lakers, even when the Lakers have been at their best. It could be argued that, with their current six-game winning streak, the Clippers have been the best team in the league, given the quality of opponents. LA opened its home-heavy schedule with wins over the Grizzlies, Spurs, Heat and Hawks, as well as a “road” win over the Lakers. They opened a tough four-game road trip on Monday with another win over the Spurs, and will travel to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Brooklyn and Atlanta are up next.
What’s especially surprising is that, while front-office chaos seemed to sink the Lakers early, the Clippers easily weathered their wacky offseason, during which general manager Neal Olshey abruptly left for Portland just a month before the NBA draft. In his place, the Clippers operated with a sort-of triumvirate of decision-makers: longtime scout and personnel man Gary Sacks (who was named VP of basketball operations, replacing Olshey, in September), team president Andy Roeser and Del Negro.
“Neal leaving was a big loss for us,” Sacks said. “But we had to hit the ground running, we had the draft, free agency, trades. There’s no time to really sit around and wallow in what’s going on. You’ve got to get out there and get moving. It was a busy process but it was a fun process.”
It wasn’t a traditional set-up. There were three voices coming out of the Clippers front office, and it was unclear which one carried more weight. Outside general managers and player agents are accustomed to dealing with Roeser, but the perception of Del Negro was that of a lame-duck coach and some wondered whether Sacks was in over his head. For a lot of teams, that would have been a recipe for paralysis and disaster.
“We never thought about who has more of a say or anything,” Sacks said. “We just had out plan and wanted to execute it. We never discussed it. I think it is a testament to how we kind of worked well together. I think everybody kind of brought their different strengths to the process. That is what a team does, that is how you function well together. Everybody contributed and did the things they do well, and we worked well together. Sometimes it is a better process that way.”
There’s no arguing the results. The Clippers were determined to shore up a very thin bench this summer, giving better support to the star combo of point guard Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who agreed to a long-term contract extension in the offseason. They made guard Jamal Crawford their top free-agent priority, and were able to land him ahead of the Celtics and Timberwolves. He is the Clippers’ leading scorer and an early candidate for another Sixth Man of the Year award, averaging 19.7 points on 49.6 percent shooting (43.4 percent on 3-pointers).
The Clippers have gotten solid contributions from a pair of budget signings, former Lakers forward Matt Barnes and tough defensive guard Willie Green. What’s encouraging for Sacks is that the Clippers have been winning before the cavalry has arrived. Even if Odom continues to be sluggish, the Clippers will likely be getting back two key veterans next month—guard Chauncey Billups (who had Achilles' surgery last year) and forward Grant Hill (returning from a knee injury).
Add those two guys to a team that has already proven to be deeper and more versatile than it was last year, when the Clippers reached the conference semis for the second time in their 33-year history on the West Coast, and this is a bunch that figures to get better as the year progresses. They’re not rushing Hill or Billups back, because they’re hoping to keep them healthy and fresh when the playoffs start in April—and possibly when they continue well into May.
After 10 games, expectations are high. “That is a good thing,” Sacks said. “We should embrace that. This is something we always felt we could do here. It is like a snowball effect. Once you have a guy like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, then you add Chauncey Billups, everybody wants to be a part of this. I am a small piece. It is coming down to the players, they are the ones out there playing. They’re doing what is necessary to get us to our goals.”
Dysfunction be damned—the Clippers have sorted themselves out and now look like a team that can not only keep up with the Lakers, but can compete in the West. Yup, they’ve got it all.
But remember, this team is owned by Donald Sterling. Just check the history books for decades of Clippers bungling and Sterling dysfunction. And look at the recent past, in which the Clippers allowed head coach Vinny Del Negro to twist in the wind before announcing he would stay on the job (that was in late May), then announced the re-signing of their GM while that GM was negotiating to take the Portland job (that was in early June), then waited three months before finally naming a replacement general manager. Heck, they even brought on reality show sad-sack Lamar Odom, who was so bad in Dallas last year the Mavericks asked him to simply stay away and who is now averaging 1.6 points on 21.2 percent shooting.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul finally has depth around him beyond Blake Griffin. (AP Photo)The Clippers, though, are not just keeping up with the Lakers when it comes to goofy goings-on. Fact is, they have been a much better team than the Lakers, even when the Lakers have been at their best. It could be argued that, with their current six-game winning streak, the Clippers have been the best team in the league, given the quality of opponents. LA opened its home-heavy schedule with wins over the Grizzlies, Spurs, Heat and Hawks, as well as a “road” win over the Lakers. They opened a tough four-game road trip on Monday with another win over the Spurs, and will travel to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Brooklyn and Atlanta are up next.
What’s especially surprising is that, while front-office chaos seemed to sink the Lakers early, the Clippers easily weathered their wacky offseason, during which general manager Neal Olshey abruptly left for Portland just a month before the NBA draft. In his place, the Clippers operated with a sort-of triumvirate of decision-makers: longtime scout and personnel man Gary Sacks (who was named VP of basketball operations, replacing Olshey, in September), team president Andy Roeser and Del Negro.
“Neal leaving was a big loss for us,” Sacks said. “But we had to hit the ground running, we had the draft, free agency, trades. There’s no time to really sit around and wallow in what’s going on. You’ve got to get out there and get moving. It was a busy process but it was a fun process.”
It wasn’t a traditional set-up. There were three voices coming out of the Clippers front office, and it was unclear which one carried more weight. Outside general managers and player agents are accustomed to dealing with Roeser, but the perception of Del Negro was that of a lame-duck coach and some wondered whether Sacks was in over his head. For a lot of teams, that would have been a recipe for paralysis and disaster.
“We never thought about who has more of a say or anything,” Sacks said. “We just had out plan and wanted to execute it. We never discussed it. I think it is a testament to how we kind of worked well together. I think everybody kind of brought their different strengths to the process. That is what a team does, that is how you function well together. Everybody contributed and did the things they do well, and we worked well together. Sometimes it is a better process that way.”
There’s no arguing the results. The Clippers were determined to shore up a very thin bench this summer, giving better support to the star combo of point guard Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who agreed to a long-term contract extension in the offseason. They made guard Jamal Crawford their top free-agent priority, and were able to land him ahead of the Celtics and Timberwolves. He is the Clippers’ leading scorer and an early candidate for another Sixth Man of the Year award, averaging 19.7 points on 49.6 percent shooting (43.4 percent on 3-pointers).
The Clippers have gotten solid contributions from a pair of budget signings, former Lakers forward Matt Barnes and tough defensive guard Willie Green. What’s encouraging for Sacks is that the Clippers have been winning before the cavalry has arrived. Even if Odom continues to be sluggish, the Clippers will likely be getting back two key veterans next month—guard Chauncey Billups (who had Achilles' surgery last year) and forward Grant Hill (returning from a knee injury).
Add those two guys to a team that has already proven to be deeper and more versatile than it was last year, when the Clippers reached the conference semis for the second time in their 33-year history on the West Coast, and this is a bunch that figures to get better as the year progresses. They’re not rushing Hill or Billups back, because they’re hoping to keep them healthy and fresh when the playoffs start in April—and possibly when they continue well into May.
After 10 games, expectations are high. “That is a good thing,” Sacks said. “We should embrace that. This is something we always felt we could do here. It is like a snowball effect. Once you have a guy like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, then you add Chauncey Billups, everybody wants to be a part of this. I am a small piece. It is coming down to the players, they are the ones out there playing. They’re doing what is necessary to get us to our goals.”
Dysfunction be damned—the Clippers have sorted themselves out and now look like a team that can not only keep up with the Lakers, but can compete in the West. Yup, they’ve got it all.
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