2012 LA Clippers Preview
After missing the postseason yet again with a terrible 32-50 2011 season, the LA Clippers will look to reload and get back in the playoff race. They really played well at home with a 23-18 record but lost a whole lot of games on the road with a 9-32 record. Their sole bright spot was human highlight reel and rookie of the year Blake Griffin, who also took home the NBA All Star Dunk Contest.
This team has had arguably the best offseason of any franchise in the NBA. They dealt for Chris Paul of the Hornets, giving away Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu in the trade. While those losses could be large, they have retooled and signed Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups in free agency. This team clearly has added lots more than they have lost.
In Paul, the Clippers finally have the superstar and floor leader they despairingly needed. He put up 15.8 points while also ending up fourth in the NBA in dimes with 9.8 last season. He can also play great defense after leading the NBA in steals with 2.35 a contest.
Paul will be joined by Chauncey Billups in the starting backcourt. Though a 2 point guard lineup isn’t ideal, Paul has found success with such a lineup lately. Backing up Paul and Billups will be Mo Williams and Randy Foye respectively.
Leading the charge in the post will be young superstar PF Blake Griffin. Griffin ended up 12th in the NBA in scoring with 22.5 points and 4th in boards with 12.1 rebounds averaging a double-double for the Clippers last season. He had the most dunks among any other player in the NBA and he was literally a human highlight reel waiting to occur. Playing alongside Griffin in the post is Caron Butler. Though Butler played in only 29 games last season, he did put up 15 points a game and is totally healthy going into this years’ season.
Losing Kaman via trade makes the Clippers a little thin in the post. They went and did find a way to re-sign C DeAndre Jordan to a multiyear contract, and he is going to be looked on as the starting center for the Clips for several years to come. He averaged 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game last year. He's a defensive stopper who cashes in on his offensive opportunities, making 68.6% of his field goal attempts last season.
The Clippers ended up just 19th in scoring with 98.6 points/game and 20th in scoring defense giving up 101.8 points/game. With the guys they brought in, they should be in a position to improve in both areas this year. They used to be a respectable 9th in rebounding with 42.1/game, while also sharing the ball well offensively, finishing 10th in assists with 22.1/game. With Paul manning the offense, that number will only go up.
Western Conference Prediction: 2nd Pacific Division – For the 1st time in years, the Clippers are prepared to contend with inner-city rival Lakers. Their starting lineup has the talent to match up with the Lakers, but the Clippers bench is paper thin now after giving up 3 quality players to get Paul. They’re going to make the playoffs and be neat to watch, but with our NBA predictions we think they’re going to have a hard time moving past the first round and they'll look at a playoff berth as a minor victory.
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