RD 1 GAME #6: LAC [2-3] @ MAVS [3-2]—FRI 5/3 6:30 PM, ESPN

[Captain Ballmer]

I hope this was the last game PG13, Russ, Tucker, Mason played as Clippers.

Would pay nothing to see them anymore.

[esqtvd]

It’s not rocket science. Sweet mercy. Health goes a long way sure but you gotta have balance too.

You can’t expect to win with the oldest team in the league and not have some athleticism and youth to compliment the vets.

The FO and coach have such disdain for it though. Talk about not reading the room and understanding how the game has changed.

We have some decent pieces to work with in Jones, Brown, Miller, Bones, and Boston. But they can’t sniff the floor because reasons.

Not really. That's the problem. All got a sniff of the NBA floor and sucked. Even Bones, who's no rookie.

There are plenty of rookies in the NBA this year who won playing time. Blame the GM if you want but Kobe Brown got about the same number of minutes as Tucker.

Coffey got 8 minutes tonight and was a quick minus-14. And Plumlee got 2 minutes and was minus-7.

Ty is like, wtf, I got NOBODY except to play who I got.

Here's the box score. Coach tried EVERYTHING.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401655098

[Max Headrom]

Get PG soft ass off my team please

[TrueLAfan]

No Clipper scored more than 18, even with the Mavs giving us garbage points in the 4th.


Don't even talk to me how playing Tucker killed us or the G-Leaguers would have played any better than Mann or Coffey. The answer was not at the bottom of the roster.

Their #1 and #2 beat our number #2 and #3. End of story.

Sadly, this is 100% correct. We can be as optimistic as we want--or complain all we want--about medium to low bench guys. They aren't making the difference, and they shouldn't be expected to. Take Kobe Brown. Kobe Brown was a good pick; that doesn’t change the fact that his ceiling is a low rotation player. He’s not going to be a starter or sixth man. He won’t be a seventh or eighth man; he’s not and almost certainly won’t be one of the first guys off the bench. Could he be a 10-15 mpg guy? Maybe. And that’s average for a pick at his spot. If a guy like that plays more, it’s because the team is bad—not that the player is good. I would love it if any/all/more of our draft picks exceeded their expectations based on where they were taken. We should *definitely* put more resources into that—but we also need to realize that our draft cupboard is pretty bare for the next four years. We could get help. We can’t expect it. Same is true with our low rotation players. They are what they are.

And I know it’s convenient to blame or fire the coach. But we have to remember that Lue—or any coach—knows far, far more about the mental and physical health of his team than any fan. Exponentially more. We don’t know who’s slacking, or who has a nagging injury, or whose little feud is hushed up but messing with practices. I thought Lue did a very good job with what we had.

That’s the bottom line: what we have. We have four aging stars at varying levels of health, ability, and compatibility. We have two good to very good starters/high rotation players (Zu, Powell) that have value within their limitations. We have one good high rotation player (Mann) who’s a level below that. We have four players (Bones, Coffey, Plumlee, Theis) that have limited value and shouldn’t regularly play high minutes for a good team. And we have low rotation, good cologne guys after that. Look at that. All of our value and capability is centered on the top 4. Westbrook is struggling (increasingly). Harden has diminished but still has (some) high level ability that comes and goes. PG is more valuable and more consistent than that—but not as a lead guy on a contender. Kawhi has everything we need, but can’t stay healthy in or leading up to the postseason. Those guys, because of age, have less trade value than we want.

That is what we have.

[og15]

Let's be real, the Clippers actually need to see what they can get for Kawhi with him now already extended. Teams still know how good he is, there will be someone willing to taken the chance.

Paul George is not a tier 1 star, he got contained by great defense while the best pressure relief was Normal Powell realistically, who is a nice scorer, but can't carry you. People like to look at names too much, Dallas was #1 in Drtg over the end of the season and Jones Jr, Washington and Green were making life difficult for perimeter guys, especially with the rim protecting bigs behind them.

The Clippers without Kawhi were a worse team, they actually did a great job on Luka, but the Mavs also did a great job on Harden and PG.

Remember that the only season that Kahwi was healthy in the playoffs required a 4.5 month break before the playoffs. He has not made it to or past the beginning of the second round in a normal season.

This doesn't mean he never will, but if it is what the team is relying on, the chances are simply too low.

Clippers best bet is to sign Harden because players on contract are assets. The team can look into extend and trade options with George or again re-sign him as you still have a trade asset.

Any contending by the team is dependent on Kawhi, and he's just not reliable health wise for that to be a reality.

[KL2]

This isn’t 2018 though. A year where the only thing teams knew about Leonard was his rift with the Spurs. They all know about his medical history now. It never hurts to knock on a few doors to see if someone answers but I don’t see a team like Toronto hoping he gives you that one (or in this case 3) special year.

Harden talks like a person who wants to re-sign here. As if it’s just a formality. I’m betting it’s below (even slightly) the max like Leonard did.

PG talks like someone who all ready has his bags packed. There’s smoke there and it’s been there for a few months at least. Reports saying it’s the max and maybe it is but my feeling it’s a return to Indiana. How? I don’t know.

Reports saying Westbrook will leave and I hope they’re right. He gave his all but it didn’t work. Out of the options above he’s the easiest to move on from.

Am I the only one who thinks labeling players g-leaguers is insulting? As if it’s something to be looked down upon? Sure, some work out and some never stop trying to get above it.

When I mention guys like Jones, Brown, Bones, Boston, or Miller it’s not because I think they’re special and other teams failed in picking them. They all do offer a little something we’re lacking. Youth. Athleticism. Fearlessness. Hustle and energy. Hunger. That alone doesn’t make you a complete player or a name to be remembered. Sometimes players can be something and contribute in a specialty role or for short spurts.

As of now they’re what we have to work with. Bones looked like it clicked for him to start the season and then got sent to Siberia when we traded for Harden. He never got a chance again. If Westbrook is gone then maybe he gets those backup minutes.

Boston proved he belonged until injuries robbed him of another chance. Reminded me of how Coffey got his time. You could plug him in and he did his thing while someone was injured. Boston has more upside though.

I’m sure Jones and Brown will get a serious look in SL. Especially with Plumlee likely gone. Theis could go either way. They’ll all still be behind Tucker though.

Miller is interesting. He put up huge numbers for Ontario. He’ll probably get a look in SL too but be relegated to another year with the SD Clippers.

Really is frustrating. This FO/coach are more worried about names and boasting about being the oldest team in the league and then wonder why they’re always injured or run out of gas when it matters.

[Ballings7]

Underwhelming loss, and just a bad end to this series, and season.

If Kawhi was healthy, this series is much different, and probably a win to the 2nd round for LAC.

[Clemenza]

This isn’t 2018 though. A year where the only thing teams knew about Leonard was his rift with the Spurs. They all know about his medical history now. It never hurts to knock on a few doors to see if someone answers but I don’t see a team like Toronto hoping he gives you that one (or in this case 3) special year.

Harden talks like a person who wants to re-sign here. As if it’s just a formality. I’m betting it’s below (even slightly) the max like Leonard did.

PG talks like someone who all ready has his bags packed. There’s smoke there and it’s been there for a few months at least. Reports saying it’s the max and maybe it is but my feeling it’s a return to Indiana. How? I don’t know.

Reports saying Westbrook will leave and I hope they’re right. He gave his all but it didn’t work. Out of the options above he’s the easiest to move on from.

Am I the only one who thinks labeling players g-leaguers is insulting? As if it’s something to be looked down upon? Sure, some work out and some never stop trying to get above it.

When I mention guys like Jones, Brown, Bones, Boston, or Miller it’s not because I think they’re special and other teams failed in picking them. They all do offer a little something we’re lacking. Youth. Athleticism. Fearlessness. Hustle and energy. Hunger. That alone doesn’t make you a complete player or a name to be remembered. Sometimes players can be something and contribute in a specialty role or for short spurts.

As of now they’re what we have to work with. Bones looked like it clicked for him to start the season and then got sent to Siberia when we traded for Harden. He never got a chance again. If Westbrook is gone then maybe he gets those backup minutes.

Boston proved he belonged until injuries robbed him of another chance. Reminded me of how Coffey got his time. You could plug him in and he did his thing while someone was injured. Boston has more upside though.

I’m sure Jones and Brown will get a serious look in SL. Especially with Plumlee likely gone. Theis could go either way. They’ll all still be behind Tucker though.

Miller is interesting. He put up huge numbers for Ontario. He’ll probably get a look in SL too but be relegated to another year with the SD Clippers.

Really is frustrating. This FO/coach are more worried about names and boasting about being the oldest team in the league and then wonder why they’re always injured or run out of gas when it matters.

Good post. Yeah it looks like their only play is bringing back PG & Harden, but this time the bench will have to be the young guys. The new CBA will probably have us move on from Norm & Tucker if Harden & PG are resigned. I'm positive Westbrook & Plumlee are gone and there's no magical role players out there that we could afford. The Lakers sign 4-5 castoffs and last chance project players every season to the delight of their fans but come post all star break they can't stand them and want them gone. Love or hate our young guys, but the way it's looking next season it'll finally be their time to make a name or career for themselves if possible.

[NickP]

It’s not rocket science. Sweet mercy. Health goes a long way sure but you gotta have balance too.

You can’t expect to win with the oldest team in the league and not have some athleticism and youth to compliment the vets.

The FO and coach have such disdain for it though. Talk about not reading the room and understanding how the game has changed.

We have some decent pieces to work with in Jones, Brown, Miller, Bones, and Boston. But they can’t sniff the floor because reasons.

Not really. That's the problem. All got a sniff of the NBA floor and sucked. Even Bones, who's no rookie.

There are plenty of rookies in the NBA this year who won playing time. Blame the GM if you want but Kobe Brown got about the same number of minutes as Tucker.

Coffey got 8 minutes tonight and was a quick minus-14. And Plumlee got 2 minutes and was minus-7.

Ty is like, wtf, I got NOBODY except to play who I got.

Here's the box score. Coach tried EVERYTHING.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401655098

Did he try Theis?

[esqtvd]

It’s not rocket science. Sweet mercy. Health goes a long way sure but you gotta have balance too.

You can’t expect to win with the oldest team in the league and not have some athleticism and youth to compliment the vets.

The FO and coach have such disdain for it though. Talk about not reading the room and understanding how the game has changed.

We have some decent pieces to work with in Jones, Brown, Miller, Bones, and Boston. But they can’t sniff the floor because reasons.

Not really. That's the problem. All got a sniff of the NBA floor and sucked. Even Bones, who's no rookie.

There are plenty of rookies in the NBA this year who won playing time. Blame the GM if you want but Kobe Brown got about the same number of minutes as Tucker.

Coffey got 8 minutes tonight and was a quick minus-14. And Plumlee got 2 minutes and was minus-7.

Ty is like, wtf, I got NOBODY except to play who I got.

Here's the box score. Coach tried EVERYTHING.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401655098

Did he try Theis?

OK, you got me. If he'd played Theis we would have won.

[esqtvd]

No Clipper scored more than 18, even with the Mavs giving us garbage points in the 4th.


Don't even talk to me how playing Tucker killed us or the G-Leaguers would have played any better than Mann or Coffey. The answer was not at the bottom of the roster.

Their #1 and #2 beat our number #2 and #3. End of story.

Sadly, this is 100% correct. We can be as optimistic as we want--or complain all we want--about medium to low bench guys. They aren't making the difference, and they shouldn't be expected to. Take Kobe Brown. Kobe Brown was a good pick; that doesn’t change the fact that his ceiling is a low rotation player. He’s not going to be a starter or sixth man. He won’t be a seventh or eighth man; he’s not and almost certainly won’t be one of the first guys off the bench. Could he be a 10-15 mpg guy? Maybe. And that’s average for a pick at his spot. If a guy like that plays more, it’s because the team is bad—not that the player is good. I would love it if any/all/more of our draft picks exceeded their expectations based on where they were taken. We should *definitely* put more resources into that—but we also need to realize that our draft cupboard is pretty bare for the next four years. We could get help. We can’t expect it. Same is true with our low rotation players. They are what they are.

And I know it’s convenient to blame or fire the coach. But we have to remember that Lue—or any coach—knows far, far more about the mental and physical health of his team than any fan. Exponentially more. We don’t know who’s slacking, or who has a nagging injury, or whose little feud is hushed up but messing with practices. I thought Lue did a very good job with what we had.

That’s the bottom line: what we have. We have four aging stars at varying levels of health, ability, and compatibility. We have two good to very good starters/high rotation players (Zu, Powell) that have value within their limitations. We have one good high rotation player (Mann) who’s a level below that. We have four players (Bones, Coffey, Plumlee, Theis) that have limited value and shouldn’t regularly play high minutes for a good team. And we have low rotation, good cologne guys after that. Look at that. All of our value and capability is centered on the top 4. Westbrook is struggling (increasingly). Harden has diminished but still has (some) high level ability that comes and goes. PG is more valuable and more consistent than that—but not as a lead guy on a contender. Kawhi has everything we need, but can’t stay healthy in or leading up to the postseason. Those guys, because of age, have less trade value than we want.

That is what we have.

Perfect breakdown. With our #1 out, everybody moved up a peg, and nobody really met the challenge. This was always a house of cards--that 25-6 run in midseason had everybody healthy and filling a defined role. And we might even have survived losing anyone...except Kawhi.

Except for holding onto Kawhi, we might see Ballmer's Plan B after all and he opens the Ballmerdome with the kids. Maybe bring Batum back and other FA orphans like Pat Bev or Reggie Jax.

[wakelaunch1]

Resign Harden for 2 years 30 per season, let Russ walk, let PG walk, start Coffey in PGs spot with Kawhi/Harden, Elevate Brown to starting lineup with Zu.

Harden/Bones/buy another second round and draft Bronny James
Coffey/Mann
Kawhi/Boston
Brown/Kai Jones/ draft Jaedon Ledee in the second round
Zubac/resign Theis

Trade Ty Lue to the Lakers for a first or second round pick
Fire the GM.

[NickP]

Not really. That's the problem. All got a sniff of the NBA floor and sucked. Even Bones, who's no rookie.

There are plenty of rookies in the NBA this year who won playing time. Blame the GM if you want but Kobe Brown got about the same number of minutes as Tucker.

Coffey got 8 minutes tonight and was a quick minus-14. And Plumlee got 2 minutes and was minus-7.

Ty is like, wtf, I got NOBODY except to play who I got.

Here's the box score. Coach tried EVERYTHING.

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401655098

Did he try Theis?

OK, you got me. If he'd played Theis we would have won.

What’s wrong with you man? Did I say playing Theis would win us the series? Oh you were being sarcastic and making a wise ass comment.

[esqtvd]

Did he try Theis?

OK, you got me. If he'd played Theis we would have won.

What’s wrong with you man? Did I say playing Theis would win us the series? Oh you were being sarcastic and making a wise ass comment.

You've been biting at my ass all year, bruh. You tried a GOTCHA on Theis? Ty tried everything reasonable. Let's be friends. I give you Add+1s all the time.

Season's over. Theis would not have saved it.

[NickP]

OK, you got me. If he'd played Theis we would have won.

What’s wrong with you man? Did I say playing Theis would win us the series? Oh you were being sarcastic and making a wise ass comment.

You've been biting at my ass all year, bruh. You tried a GOTCHA on Theis? Ty tried everything reasonable. Let's be friends. I give you Add+1s all the time.

Season's over. Theis would not have saved it.

I do give you and +1s too. My point was at this time in their careers, Theis is a better option than Plumlee and Tucker. But Lue never gave Theis a chance in 6 games. Did Tucker or Plum win us the series?

[esqtvd]

What’s wrong with you man? Did I say playing Theis would win us the series? Oh you were being sarcastic and making a wise ass comment.

You've been biting at my ass all year, bruh. You tried a GOTCHA on Theis? Ty tried everything reasonable. Let's be friends. I give you Add+1s all the time.

Season's over. Theis would not have saved it.

I do give you and +1s too. My point was at this time in their careers, Theis is a better option than Plumlee and Tucker. But Lue never gave Theis a chance in 6 games. Did Tucker or Plum win us the series?

Asked and answered above. The back of the bench is not going to win you any series. Seldom even a game. At best they won't lose you one.

Coffey got 8 minutes tonight and was a quick minus-14. And Plumlee got 2 minutes and was minus-7.

Instant disaster. 7 points in 2 minutes = a loss. No room to fk around with Theis too. Let's be friends, Nick. We're on the same side. PG and Harden weren't good enough to beat Luka and Kyrie. So it goes.

[clipperlover]

Game 5 - 49-22 (30 pt loss) - Luka/Kyrie vs George/Harden (6-25 from field, 3-13 from 3)
Game 6 - 58-34 (13 pt loss) - Luka/Kyrie vs George/Harden (11-34 from field, 2-16 from 3)

2 reasons this team failed to win this series that had nothing to do with Kawhi:
1. Harden and George combined were crushed by Luka and Kyrie. They shot horribly. They didn't elevate to the occasion.
2. This team thinks it is a 3 pt shooting team, but they are just a team that can make a high number of 3s at times.

Harden isn't worth anything more than he currently makes. I would send him back to Houston if I could get Dillon Brooks in return. Brooks is a clown, but he provides an intensity this team doesn't have.

PG isn't a top 12 player in this league, so he shouldn't be paid as one going forward. He might be worth mid $30 at this point. Problem with PG is that he could do a big FU to the Clips by opting out and then signing in OKC for pennies.

[wakelaunch1]

Game 5 - 49-22 (30 pt loss) - Luka/Kyrie vs George/Harden (6-25 from field, 3-13 from 3)
Game 6 - 58-34 (13 pt loss) - Luka/Kyrie vs George/Harden (11-34 from field, 2-16 from 3)

2 reasons this team failed to win this series that had nothing to do with Kawhi:
1. Harden and George combined were crushed by Luka and Kyrie. They shot horribly. They didn't elevate to the occasion.
2. This team thinks it is a 3 pt shooting team, but they are just a team that can make a high number of 3s at times.

Harden isn't worth anything more than he currently makes. I would send him back to Houston if I could get Dillon Brooks in return. Brooks is a clown, but he provides an intensity this team doesn't have.

PG isn't a top 12 player in this league, so he shouldn't be paid as one going forward. He might be worth mid $30 at this point. Problem with PG is that he could do a big FU to the Clips by opting out and then signing in OKC for pennies.

Good i hope he leaves for greener pastures. He is not a long term fit and needs a coach/leader to tell him how to be effective. He will never get that from any coach/gm/player in the clippers org

[KL2]

They got punked on and off the court by PJ Washington. Wonder if any of the players cared?

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[KL2]

This ought to be a good one.

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