The Clippers join the other teams in the NBA offseason after being eliminated by the Utah Jazz in a do or die game seven. They lost 104-91 in a game that wasn't a contest, as they trailed by double-digits for the majority of the game. This season is another failed season for the Clippers after they started out very strong at the beginning of the season. They struggled the second half of the season and stumbled into the playoffs. They lost Blake Griffin after he injured his foot and couldn't recover. Now entering another offseason after underachieving again, is this the end of the Clippers as we know it.
Will the core of the Clippers be blown up? Is Chris Paul and Blake Griffin going to go elsewhere?
Wasted Years
Chris Paul joined the Clippers in 2011 in what was a blockbuster trade at the time. In the six seasons, he has been with the team, they have failed to make it out of the second round of the playoffs. This string of disappointment could be credited to many things. It could be a failure to put good enough talent around Paul, as their bench hasn't been strong enough in any of the years Paul has been in a Clippers uniform. Their only consistency off the bench has been Jamal Crawford, who has made his career off of being a reliable spark off the bench.
One could blame injuries, as the Clippers seemed to have a bad string of luck when it came to injuries of the past years.
Both Paul and Blake Griffin missed the remainder of the playoffs last season due to injuries, and Blake Griffin missed the playoffs after injuring his foot in game one of this year's playoffs. The Clippers could never be fully healthy, and it would cost them in the playoffs. The Clippers had the core to be a title team, but injuries and lack of depth led them to a lot of disappointment and wasted years.
Clippers fans have to be tired of this and want a change.
Blow it Up?
After another year of failing to make to at least a conference finals, is it time for the Clippers to blow up their core? The Clippers are the first team to blow a lead in a playoffs series five straight series. This isn't a pretty statistic, and this recent series loss might be the loss that causes the front office to blow up this failed experiment.
The Clippers have many decisions to make this offseason where the bulk of their core are free agents this offseason.
Blake Griffin is a free agent this offseason. He led the Clippers points this season with almost 22 PPG. Griffin has a history of injuries, and this can be a red flag for the Clippers. Griffin is a star big man who can dominate the paint and the mid-range game, but can't stay on the floor. He isn't a player that can lead a team either, so will the Clippers let him walk? He was mentioned in trade rumors earlier in the season, so that might've been a sign L.A was going to let him go.
Chris Paul is also a free agent. Paul is a real competitor, willing the Clippers into their game seven against the Jazz.
He is in his early thirties, so he might take a pay cut in order to join a contending team. Paul averaged nine assists last season, and could be credited for giving the Clippers the nickname 'Lob City.' Paul will likely make an All-NBA team so the Clippers could give him much more money than any other team this offseason. Paul will need to decide if he can win with this Clippers team as he isn't getting any younger.
JJ Reddick is also a free agent, and he has been their three-point marksman. The Clippers will need to lock him up if the want their offense to be potent like this past season. Doc Rivers' name will be thrown around as many people believe he should be fired. Rivers is the head coach and the president of basketball operations, so he could be to blame for a lot of the Clippers failures.
He hasn't put the right pieces on the team to complement Paul and Griffin and has come up short on the coaching end. Don't be surprised if he gets one or both of those titles removed this offseason.
The Clippers are notorious for their failed seasons, and fans have had enough. Many are calling for the team to be blown up and start from scratch. Have we seen the last of Chris Paul and Lob City? Is Blake Griffin going to leave the Clippers for a better chance at winning a championship? Has Doc Rivers coached his final game? Only time will tell.
