To help get ready for the 2014-2015 NBA season Pelican Debrief is going through each of the 30 NBA team’s with help from other Fansided NBA writers. Today we are joined by Trisity Miller of Fully Clips, Fansided’s Los Angeles Clippers blog to talk Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and more.
1. Are there any worries about Blake Griffin as he recovers from the back injury?
Trisity: If he says he’s fine, then I’ve no worries, though it’s something I’ll keep an eye on throughout the season because back injuries don’t just go away, no matter how severe they are. We’ve seen it with Dwight Howard (though his back injuries were extreme) and we’ve seen it with LeBron James. Considering James and Griffin are of similar build and playing style, James’ issues (they’ve returned) should be proof that this could be a lingering issue.
2. How many games can we actually expect Chris Paul to play this year?
Trisity: In a perfect world, Paul appearing in 80 games would be the number. But in reality, between 66 and 75 games seems like a good bet (if you run with this in some random bet, don’t hold it against me). Paul has entered what I’d like to refer to as “Dwyane Wade” territory meaning no matter how healthy he is or seems, for some reason, Paul — or Wade — is going to miss a handful of games with a weird, fluky injury.
3. Does DeAndre Jordan get better defensively again this year?
Trisity: You have to hope so, for his sake and the teams sake. Limited offensively, all of Jordan’s value comes on the defensive end and if he can’t show steady improvement, not only do the Clippers championship hopes take a hit, but so does his free agency value — if Jordan makes a defensive leap similar to that of Larry Sanders in 2012-13, a max contract offering in the summer of 2015 isn’t out of the question.
But the answer your question, I think he does. Being under Doc Rivers, Jordan showed great improvement in year one. In Year 2, you have to hope the same can continue. IF anything, Year 1 should be the perfect indicator that Jordan is easy to mold and considering the best rim protectors in the NBA (Sanders, Howard, Hibbert), Jordan possesses the perfect build to fit that mold.
4. Who closes games for the Clippers at center? DeAndre Jordan or Spencer Hawes?
Trisity: Gone are the days where Jordan isn’t on the floor at the end of game (hi Vinny Del Negro!). I can think of a few scenarios where he wouldn’t be — a last second shot comes to mind and it wouldn’t shock me if Rivers opted for Hawes over Jordan to add an additional offensive threat on the floor — but because Hawes is quite the albatross on defense and Jordan remains the teams best rim protector and top-2 pick-and-roll player, you’ve gotta have him on the floor when it counts.
And for non-basketball reasons, Jordan seems like a pretty sensitive guy. If Rivers makes it a trend to go Hawes > Jordan in the minutes people often characterize as the most important in the game, that could greatly affect how Jordan views the Clippers as an option in free agency (as you see, Jordan’s free agency is huge lol) and you know the rule: no upsetting key players in a contract year.
5. What is the best case scenario for the Clippers this year? Worst case? What do you expect to happen?
Trisity: Like any team, the best-case scenario would be being the last man standing come June. It’d shut the mouths of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin doubters, Clippers doubters, and bring an elite team their first franchise championship (also, how awesome would it be for the Clippers to win a championship months after getting rid of Donald Sterling?).
The worst-case scenario would be an uninspired first-round loss. Heck, considering what many expect from this club (more-so the detractors), any type of exit that doesn’t take place in the Western Conference or NBA Finals is a colossal failure. It’d be a bad look for the 3 biggest figures on this team (Paul, Griffin, Rivers). I don’t want to go all “championship or bust” here, but only will a loss to the Western Conference rep or future NBA champion will suffice.
As far as my expectations, I expect something in between the two mentioned scenarios. I haven’t shied away from the notion that I think the Clippers are the second best team in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs, so I expect this team to play like it.