I can’t defend what the Clippers have done over the past 18 months. They gave up their future for Paul George, lost in the second round (when they really should have lost in the first round), and now they’re losing players like Montrezl Harrell to the NBA champion Los Angles Lakers. The 2020 draft class is not that strong. All the “big” players have made their moves, so I feel ok with saying that if you are a Clippers’ fan, you should be very concerned about their free agency.
It doesn’t matter what anyone says. The playoffs ruined the Clippers’ chances of a good free agency. You can’t give up what they gave up and come up with nothing. This was the same team a year before that took two games off the Golden State Warriors, with a healthy Kevin Durant and minus Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. To a fan that makes no sense. You give up so much to not go much further. People can ask why they did not get this far. It’s the culture that no player wants to be apart of.
Clippers Culture
The year before the two “superstars” got to LA. The Clippers had no superstars, just a bunch of strong players that work hard and played hard and never ran out of energy, until Kawhi got there. Load management hurt them and the fact that no one in leadership questioned it and did anything about it, is troubling. Obviously there’s something wrong with him. It has to be his knees because ever since he played that year with only nine games played, he has been taking off every other game.
So you have an injury-prone superstar and a pretend superstar who both hold no accountability and show no leadership. No one will want to play there if there is neither of those things. That is why Montrezl Harrell left and that is why Rajon Rondo is now an Atlanta Hawk. I get that they signed Serge Ibaka. That’s nice, but that doesn’t make the Clippers any big of a threat.
Will Clippers Have A Better Free Agency Next Year?
If the Clippers don’t win the title next year, there is a really good chance that both “superstars” are gone. They both have opt-out clauses in their contract. They have a new head coach as well in Ty Lue. I’m sorry but Kawhi is no Lebron. Kawhi doesn’t make other players better and as I said before does not show leadership in the most crucial times. As far as I’m concerned, if the best player of all time Lebron James (Yes, he’s the best of all time, it’s ok to cry Jordan fans I know it’s hard to admit it) is still playing they have no shot.
Where Do The Clippers Go From Here?
They do not have a clear future. They’re fooling themselves if they think they can beat the Lakers. The Western Conference is improving. The teams that got further than them are either young or getting younger. They have to play hard and play every game possible to be the best they can be. Some do not believe they will go past the second round Do not be surprised if they break this roster up soon. I also believe they should relocate (cheap plug).
I do not know how long they can keep this up. The earliest I can guess that this team will be broken up is the trade deadline, if they play doesn’t improve.
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