Clipping the Clippers

For the last time, the Los Angeles Clippers led by their trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan failed to move past the first round of the playoffs in the Western Conference. Of course the injuries sustained by Paul and Griffin played an impact in their early exit, but the repeated failure of the Clippers prompts a reconsideration of the team if they truly wish to make a deeper run in the playoffs. The Clippers and their stars are obviously not void of options, though.

All or Nothing

Perhaps it really has been bad luck plaguing the team all of these years. On paper and during the regular season the Clippers were a pretty solid team with perhaps the smartest player in the league running the floor for them. The dynamism of their all star big men surely made them a threat as well as the presence of their sharp shooters. With some substantial players circling the free agency, this coming summer would be the time to build on the foundation of Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. Then again, short of signing Paul George, perhaps adding another layer to the trio will only prolong the team’s suffering and prove once again insufficient to do any real damage in the playoffs.

Go Griffin-less

Once upon time Blake Griffin was one of the most revered and unstoppable big men in the NBA. At his position, he was quick enough to go around you or simply go over you if you got in his way. Yet, injuries have plagued him since his first season and over the years they have really began to take a toll on his game. Combine that with the fact that NBA has turned into a three point shooting contest almost every night and Blake Griffin begins to look obsolete. While I personally believe he can still get the job done, perhaps he can no longer do that on the Clippers. With DeAndre Jordan taking over as the prime big man on the team, especially with being named as an all star this year, maybe it’s time for the Clippers to part ways with their former high flier. Perhaps he’s not the only one.

CP3

Chris Paul, like Griffin, was revered at his position for years. Granted his passion and intelligence, he is still one of the best players in the league, but as of yesterday his tenure with the Clippers came to a halting stop as he was traded to the Houston Rockets . Rumors started circulating after the first round that he was looking for other options. The front runner for the floor general was rumored to be the Spurs, but Chris Paul’s desire to play with James Harden seemed to shift the momentum in the Rockets favor. His unhappiness with organization clashed with his love for them, prompting CP3 to vent on Twitter that he was overwhelmed with emotions. As arguably the best player the Clippers had, there is an apparent power vacuum in LA. With the free agency so close and players like Kyle Lowry available, now may be the best time to fill the gap. In fact, now it may be the best time for the team to start from scratch.

Reboot

DeAndre Jordan may be the only member of the Clippers big 3 to remain after this summer. With the wealth of players in the free agency, now may be the best time for the Clippers to restructure their team around a new set of stars in hopes of winning a championship. Of course no one wants to see the end of a great era, but with so many unsuccessful attempts at getting to the finals an overhaul of the current team may be the only option for the frustrated Clippers. Of course there is no guarantee that a change up will ensure them a championship, but it may their best shot at one. It’s clear that something isn’t working in LA and perhaps signing some new blood will be the best option for the Clippers to finally get that shiny circular thing that every player in the NBA wants.

The Clippers have been pretty good for a good time now, but clearly it isn’t good enough. Whether it be they sign some new players or part with their old ones or even a combination of both, something has the change if the organization hopes to win a championship. It will be sad to watch a possible split up happen, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Andre Oge

All-Star Discrimination: Voting and Centers in the NBA

These are the starters for the NBA All-Star game in this year, which is going to be held in Toronto. The left side is the Western Conference team and the right side is the Eastern Conference team. So, there were many stories that surrounded the All-Star lineup this year. Zaza Pachulia almost started. If you don’t know who he is then you should already see the problem there. Stephen Curry is an automatic shoo-in every year now since he has become the NBA’s most popular player over the last 2 years. Some people are questioning if Kyle Lowry deserves to be starting, but not that many people too mad at him starting and how would it look if the host city didn’t have representative from its team starting the game. Some people are mad that Kobe is in it at all and definitely shouldn’t be starting despite this being his last year due to his performance this year and his team’s poor record. However, those are mostly Kobe haters. Besides that and annual conversation of who got snubbed, there hasn’t been much conversation about who’s starting. When you look at that list, you think to yourself, “I guess all those people deserve to be there. However, when I look at that list, I see one glaring issue: no centers. There are absolutely no centers in the All-Star game. Why is this you may ask? This is due to the voting format.

That is Andre Drummond, the starting center for the Detroit Pistons. These are his stats this year, so far.

That is Demarcus Cousins, starting center for the Sacramento Kings. These are his stats this year, so far. This was actually soon after the All-Star starters were named. So, that is how he responded to not being named a starter.

Andre Drummond plays in the East and Demarcus Cousins play in the West. So, it works out that both could have played and would not be competing against each other for votes. There are other people that got snubbed. There is Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls that’s having a career year. There is Damian Lillard who is having a very underrated year, as well. There is no doubt that everybody mentioned so far will make the All-Star team as reserves. The fact of the matter is that there are only 5 people in each conference that can start. Therefore, to Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard, oh well. However, for Demarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond, it’s different. They aren’t starting not because there were other people in their conference and their position that were better than them, they aren’t starting because they are centers. Period.

Originally, the NBA All-Star voting was done by the position. You vote in a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. Then, the NBA realized that most players are able to and do play 2 positions. So, they changed the format to 2 guards, 2 forwards, and a center.  Two seasons ago, the NBA changed their format to the format that we have today. They completely eliminated the center position from the voting process. Now, you vote in 2 back court and 3 front court players. This is why you have 3 small forwards starting in the East. The game of basketball is changing. The Warriors are the face of that change. They don’t shoot threes because the defense makes them. They want to shoot them. Positions 1 to 5 are above average three point shooters. They embrace spacing. And, argument can be made that their best lineup is a lineup in which Draymond Green is starting at the center position and he might be shorter than their starting shooting guard. However, Demarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond are undoubtedly the best players at their position in their conference. Can anybody really say that they do not deserve to be starting in the All-Star game.

Let’s be real. The All-Star game is a popularity contest. The most popular players always start because the fans vote for who they like and the most popular players tend to be the most liked. However, the most popular players tend to be the best players, as well. Their skill level, numbers, and success get them noticed and the better they play, the more popular they become. However, there is an issue here. There is only so much that a good center can do as far as exciting a crowd. Most (almost all) centers cannot handle the ball well enough to break somebody’s ankles. Most centers, although that is changing, cannot hit threes like guards. The traditional elite center has post moves that make them elite at scoring in the paint. The traditional elite center garners the hearts of fans by fooling their defender with posts moves like Hakeem Olajuwon. Traditional elite centers can dunk on you. The absolute, undisputed best centers possess all these skills. Demarcus Cousins and to a lesser degree Andre Drummond do. However, the best guards and forwards possess those skills as well in addition to their ability to cross you up, shoot threes, and make fancy passes. So this AUTOMATICALLY puts the center at a disadvantage in All-Star Voting. Centers can still be voted in because they are categorized as front court players. But, can Andre Drummond, a guy that is incredibly productive but in a limited way, become more popular than Carmelo Anthony, a guy that is productive as well but in a more exciting way. Unless he is dunking, Andre Drummond will not entertain you with his rebounds, but Carmelo shooting over 2 people and making the shot will. I am a Knicks fan. Carmelo Anthony has been playing very well recently (keyword: recently) and has looked like the superstar that he is. However, he does not deserve to be there over a guy who has been the best center in the Eastern Conference all year and if it had not been for this voting format, he would not have been. Carmelo only had 360 votes more than Drummond who was leading him for months. Plus, the effort put forth by his team alone should make him a starter in the All-Star game. Look at this.

And, he still didn’t make it. My point is this. If you are the best in your position, you should start in the All-Star game for your team. This is basically discrimination by the NBA against centers. The center position, despite the lack of scoring from most teams at this position, is still very important to the NBA. Centers are extremely important to a team’s defense. If you can’t rebound well, it makes it extremely hard to win a championship. Their importance to the game alone should warrant them still having a position on the All-Star ballot. It is true that the game is changing and most centers either shoot threes or get rebounds and defend. However, the best centers are still traditional in playing style. You might see Demarcus Cousins take a three point shot here and there, but his game is based off of his dominant post play in the paint. He is not a combo center/forward or whatever you want to call these new age centers. Andre Drummond is not shooting threes. Hassan Whiteside is most likely not going to take defenders off the dribble with elite ball-handling skills. But, they are the best at what they do. Most centers cannot decide to play a back court position if they want to for most of the year. But, Kobe, one of the best SHOOTING GUARDS in NBA history, is a frontcourt player this year. This is another unfair advantage. Demarcus Cousins might have to win the NBA Championship and get the Finals MVP if he wants to make an All-Star team just because he is a center despite being the best one in the NBA and that is wrong.