LA Clippers Have To Scramble After DeAndre Jordan Departure
When word of center DeAndre Jordan‘s decision to sign with the Dallas Mavericks came to light, no one was more surprised than the Los Angeles Clippers. Reports indicated that the Clippers were confident that they would retain Jordan moving forward. Now that he’s gone, Doc Rivers has to find a way to plug the massive hole that’s been left in his starting five.
Doc Rivers, who already acquired Lance Stephenson earlier this offseason, will likely shop Jamal Crawford around the league in search of big-man help, but who that could turn out to be — if anyone — is hard to say. As of right now, the Clippers are either keeping their cards close to their chest or nothing’s really gaining traction yet. Potential Crawford landing spots have yet to emerge and we’ve only heard whispers of interest in a few of available free agents.
The Clippers can play the secrecy and mysticism game for a time but their options are quickly diminishing and unless a surprise comeback from Larry Sanders bails them out, they’ll need to get very active very fast.
Kosta Koufos has reportedly agreed to terms with the Sacramento Kings, Bismack Biyombo has agreed to join the Toronto Raptors, Brandan Wright is set to join the Memphis Grizzlies, and Tyson Chandler has long since been off the market as he agreed to join the Phoenix Suns on the first day of the NBA’s free agent negotiation period. These were all players that would’ve been ideal quick-fixes. Since they’ve all been taken off the market, it’s forcing the Clippers’ brass to get a little more creative.
David West has been a subject of rumor, though he seems to be more of a layer of depth at this point rather than a starter alongside Blake Griffin. West still has something left in the tank but he’s no athletic finisher or shot-blocker. West’s post defense is still admirable and his rough-and-tough style would help the Clippers, or any team, down low, but the offense would have to change with Griffin and West starting together. The floor-spacing of a Griffin-West duo would be vastly superior to that of Jordan, opening up driving lanes for Chris Paul, but the offensive potential likely won’t outweigh the lack of athleticism and size at the rim defensively.
The Clippers would still be a very good team with West and Griffin in the front-court but it would seem to be too far of a step back defensively and athletically for true contention to be a realistic expectation.
JaVale McGee is also reported to be on the Clippers’ radar. All jokes aside, McGee is the kind of athletic seven-footer that could serve the Clippers well. Starting him obviously wouldn’t be ideal and questions regarding his personality and character are always a big risk with him. No where more than Los Angeles where Chris Paul may, at least twice a week, be tempted to commit Federal crimes against McGee.
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McGee has been and could probably still be a starting center in the NBA, but if he’s not willing to listen to the instruction of the Clippers’ undoubted leader in Paul, his stint in LA may be short lived. He’s worth taking the chance on, but if I were the Clippers, I wouldn’t put all my eggs in the JaVale McGee basket.
Amar’e Stoudemire is an intriguing reported target for the Clippers. The veteran free agent says he’ll meet with the Clippers and could, like David West, bring a little extra offense to the table. He doesn’t help much in reducing Blake Griffin‘s minutes as Stoudemire simply isn’t going to give you a reliable presence on the court anymore. Plagued by knee injuries, as well as father time, Stoudemire isn’t really the kind of guy that should be asked to fill the void left by DeAndre Jordan.
While the free-agent waters are looking bleak, the Jamal Crawford rumors provide some hope. Crawford’s contract expires after the upcoming 2015-16 season, making him a very movable commodity that a contender may be interested in. Namely, the Cleveland Cavaliers. if Cleveland’s Joe Johnson talks fall through, they can look west for an aging volume-shooting wing in Crawford. Anderson Varejao and Brendan Haywood would both be solid inside presences, though additional contracts may have to be part of any supposed deal in order to make the financials work, the Clippers may be willing to work out such a deal to land Varejao, who is likely the best they can realistically get at this stage.