What happened to the team we all used to love to laugh at? Same frickin' owner. Yet... They got a good coach. (I know some of you don't agree with that but it was the coach that got CP3 to re-sign.) Making good trades. Good roster. Even good draft picks over the last few years. This team is a contender. I miss the old Clippers!
I've got to disagree with you on that one. I think that talent-wise, the Clippers got fleeced, but I think that Dudley and Redick are better fits for their franchise going forward. Bledsoe may have been worth more, but going forward with Chris Paul's long-term deal, it made more sense to bring in J.J. Redick. With Paul's ability to penetrate and dish, Redick could play a similar role to Jamal Crawford this season. Dudley's also probably an upgrade over Butler at this point in their careers. If they get Carl Landry, that pushes them ahead of Denver and Memphis at this point imo....
It really isn't that bad. The Clippers filled their biggest need with two elite level 3 point shooters. Bledsoe was a luxury for the Clippers but they are very solid right now all over the court and a better team now then they were before the trade.
Reddick is not a Starting 2 and they should have gotten way more out of the highly coveted Bledsoe. The best thing Dudley does is tweet and he doesn't really do that well. IMHO they just got a whole lot softer and worse on D.
All things considered though, he's 5-6 years young and costs half the price. Not to mention that it sounds like they've got Barnes coming back... if they can land Barnes and Landry, then I think they can feel comfortable with with Redick/Crawford/Dudley on the wing. Thinking about what will take that team to the next level... they've played the Memphis Grizzlies 20 times in the last two years, and it's likely they play them again at some point in the 2014 playoffs. The strengths that the Clippers can utilize to beat teams like the Spurs and Thunder don't work against the Grizzlies, but having that kind of shooting can easily put our Grizz squad in an early grave...
What happened to the Clippers? Donald Sterling woke up and started spending money. The team was bad all those years because they wholesaled talent like a farm team for the rest of the league. Sterling wouldn't pay anyone, so as soon as their rookie deal was up they were gone. If you're in the lottery enough, and you're in a city like LA, it's only a matter of time before you actually start winning. The Clips are in a desirable location, they have some really good players now, and Sterling is opening his wallet. That's what happened.
I used to highly covet Bledsoe for the Blazers. Then one time I went to a Clipper game and noticed the other team playing back on him and allowing him to shoot. I asked the season ticket holder I was with why Eric was not making them pay, and his response was Bledsoe can't make a wide open shot past 6 feet. He is a horrible outside shooter. When good defensive teams figure it out they just play off of him and keep him from attacking the rim. In an open court game he is fine. Half court....not so much.
We all know it's Defense that wins. The Clippers just got a HELL of a lot softer on D. Memphis will still beat them. The Clips still don't have a post presence.
From Walton, when Silas coached, until Griffin, their stars were always injured. They got a very high pick every year. Half were untalented. The other half got injured so much, they lost their talent, like Danny Manning. The other half left when their contracts ended for greener pastures. If I have any halves left, the figurehead GM was Elgin Baylor, not a bright guy. The owner was at a hamburger stand, and the fans were at Lakers games. The last time I liked them was in Buffalo. Two 6 foot 10 forwards in the early 70s! The dawning of Aquarius.
