The Clippers
Front office executive No. 1
“The Clippers have to get rid of Lou Williams (who is on an expiring deal worth $8 million). They’ve ultimately talked about
chemistry issues, so I’m shocked that Lou Williams is still there. I’m kind of shocked that Pat Beverley is still there. … They’ll make those changes, I think. I can’t imagine (Lou and Pat Beverley, who has two seasons and a combined $27.6 million remaining) being on the team much longer. I think (heading into the draft and free agency) they were just trying to get the best deal, and they couldn’t close any deals.
“I don’t think they really addressed their problems, because if you look at it, their problems were at point guard, right? They needed playmakers and point guards. I kind of expected them to go after a D.J. Augustin, for example, who is really underrated and solid, and Milwaukee got him. I thought the Clippers would have got Schröder. … I would look for (the Clippers to keep making moves). And if they don’t do it before camp, then maybe they do it early (in the season). They don’t have any flexibility. They have to shed some salary, but they also need a point guard. I don’t know if Reggie Jackson can be that for them.
“I will say this about the Clippers. They might have gotten better (because of) addition by subtraction, because (fifth-year Clippers big man Ivica) Zubac will get more minutes, so I think that’s a plus. And then they’ve got a healthy Paul George, and then they’ve got Kawhi Leonard. They’re going to be motivated now. They’ll get more playing time. I think Kennard could be really good. I think Kennard could make a difference on that team. I don’t think they did as well as everybody (said). They could be better. They’re not finished. They still have some moves to make.
“Ibaka is actually a pretty decent pickup for them. He’s going to make it easier for those guys on offense. He’s going to be better for them offensively, just because he’ll step out and open up things. He’s a better fit than (Harrell), probably, as far as when you’re playing playoff basketball and all that. And especially if Lou Williams is not there and the way they were playing before, that (Ibaka move) did help them. Serge probably has another year or two left at a pretty high level. So they’re still going to be good.
“There’s going to be a lot of pressure on them. They have to win. Those guys have to win. If they don’t win, it could all unravel really quick. So we’ll see.
(A quick note: This conversation took place before the Clippers gave George a massive five-year extension, so there’s more stability now than before; Leonard, meanwhile, still has a player option worth $36 million for next season and could become a free agent in the offseason.)
“It’s still debatable who’s the better team. The Lakers are the better team, just because of recency bias and we’ve seen them win it. But the Clippers aren’t far. They aren’t that far away, and they’re going to be able to beat the Lakers on some nights.”
Front office executive No. 2
“People have written about it, but (the Clippers) obviously had something wrong in the bubble, and so they had to make some moves. I think the biggest thing was they wanted to make sure Zubac was on the floor more, and then they wanted the ability to size up also, a little bit more effectively. So Ibaka helps with that. I don’t know if they’ve necessarily gotten better either. They might get better by having a second year together and have a little bit more continuity. Luke Kennard, I think, is a nice player, but I like Landry Shamet as well. They’re a little different. … So I certainly don’t think either team got worse to a large extent, (but) I just don’t know how much better they are. They’re different.
“Obviously there was a feeling that things were a little too loose there with Doc. … The one thing with Ty is he has proven in his career, not only with LeBron but when he was an assistant coach, that he can build really strong relationships with the star players. And he’s a good dude, so I suspect that will help, but if they’re going to allow Paul and Kawhi to get away with a lot of shyt, and you still have Beverley and Lou Williams who, I think, have a problem with it, it will be interesting to see.”
On Clippers trade chatter…
“Lou and Pat — I think with both those guys, there has been some chatter. I think they’d move them because I think there’s still some conflict there. But Pat’s contract is not that easy to move. And No. 2, I suspect they want to be really careful if they’re going to move Lou because obviously, on the court, he presents problems for teams. But yeah, I don’t think they’re done. Just knowing their group and (Clippers owner Steve) Ballmer, yeah, I think he’s going to try to be aggressive — really aggressive — and try to make another move with those guys.”
Scout No. 1
“To me, the Clippers kind of treaded water. I can’t say it any other way. I think they got worse. To me, I don’t think they’re better. There was a clear winner in L.A.
“Now if you were going to lose Harrell, Ibaka is a pretty nice save. At least with Ibaka, you can make the argument that you got better defensively. While I give Ibaka the edge in defensive IQ and just defense all around, I’ve just always been worried: At some point, does he start declining physically? Whereas, to me, Montrezl is in his prime. And while he may not be an all-defense guy, he plays his balls off. … I will concede that the Clippers probably got a little better defensively, Harrell to Ibaka. But they also lost JaMychal Green, who’s a pretty good defender.”
“Now Shamet, I’m having a hard time understanding that one. Moving Shamet, and basically ending up with Kennard, that almost seemed like a shell game to me. Kennard played really well in Detroit. He finally showed some life last year for the first time. I was about to the point of thinking he was a bust. (But) that almost seemed like a lateral move to me.”
Scout No. 2
“Obviously Harrell was a disaster in the playoffs for them. That’s why they were willing (to let him go). … He really compromised them against Denver defensively. It was embarrassing. So these teams always make moves to correct what happened the year before, and so Ibaka is a perfect (replacement). He’s a much better defender, is a better shooter, is coming off a good year. I think they certainly recouped their loss of Harrell with Ibaka.
“They added Kennard, which was — to me — one of the most unheralded steals of the draft night activity. That was a joke, in my mind. I mean, Shamet disappeared in the playoffs. Kennard is a much better player. He’s a better handler, so they really came out well with that. There are still underlying problems, though. Name a team that has won without an actual point guard. I mean, Beverley is obviously not it. Kennard can play some one. He’s not a point guard, though. I think they were looking for a point guard in free agency, and so they’re still short there. But exchanging Kennard for Shamet was big.
“They lose JaMychal Green, so I would give them a slight debit there. Patrick Patterson had good minutes periodically, but I don’t think he’s JaMychal Green. He’s a serviceable replacement. He had moments. So maybe they lost a little there with losing Green. I don’t think it’s a huge difference maker.
“Signing Marcus Morris to a zillion bucks (four years, $64 million) — that was a strange contract. But he’s there from the beginning, and that’s a plus. That mitigates the loss of Green a bit, with Patterson as the backup. I mean, they did fine. They shored up their defense — probably, somewhat — with Ibaka. Kennard’s not great defensively. He’s OK. Morris is OK defensively.
“(Jackson) had moments, so he’s a nice occasional piece. I don’t think they’re any worse. So much of their success was Harrell and Williams off the bench, but they were totally screwed up in the bubble. The bubble did them in. Psychologically, Lou Williams and
the (Magic City) incident —blah, blah, blah. So the combination of Harrell and Williams didn’t pan out. Look at the scoreboard — it didn’t work when it really counted.”
So … which team is better?
“I’ll go Lakers, because of LeBron. His track record, their cohesion, mostly their continuity of the key guys. There’s a fair amount of continuity with the Clippers too, but (Lakers vs. Clippers) is a bet I’d never make. Both teams are so talented.”
Scout No. 3
“The Clippers needed a true point guard bad, but that didn’t happen. … I really don’t think (Ibaka) makes that much of a difference. Harrell’s versatility and energy (were) impactful. Ibaka can stretch the floor, but he’s not a great rebounder.
“The Clippers did lack chemistry last season, so having everyone together to start will help. Now it comes down to personnel and principles. The Lakers have the better personnel, so Lue has to decide what his offensive and defensive principles will be, and how they will differ from Doc.”
(Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
