The Lakers and Clippers began to reverse fortunes in 2011 when then-Commissioner David Stern blocked a trade for Chris Paul, writes Mark Heisler of The Los Angeles Daily News. New Orleans had worked out a three-team deal that would have sent Paul to the Lakers, but because the franchise was being run by the league at the time, Stern had the power as a representative of ownership to stop it. The Clippers stepped in with an offer of Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and Minnesota’s unprotected draft pick, which landed them a franchise point guard.
- The Clippers know how to play without Blake Griffin, something they did for 47 games last season, and their offense remains effective without the five-time All-Star in the line-up, Jesse Dougherty of the Los Angeles Times writes. “The thing is, by playing small and playing [Paul Pierce] at the four, it allows us to spread the floor a little bit more,” J.J. Redick said. The shooting guard added that Griffin’s loss with likely hurt more on the defensive end.
- Blake Griffin underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter links). Griffin is expected to miss four-to-six weeks and will rehabilitate with the Clippers‘ medical staff.
- Gordon believes the Pelicans‘ uncertain ownership situation and constant changes made it difficult to thrive as a player, Lee writes in the same piece. “I was just getting better year after year with the Clippers, and then you make a major change with New Orleans, ownership and everything, so you had to start all over,” Gordon added. “It was a rough time in New Orleans. Guys can tell you that are still there now. It was a difficult task.”
The Clippers confirmed Blake Griffin‘s knee surgery in a press release posted this afternoon on the team’s website. The operation to remove loose bodies from his right knee will be performed Tuesday, and he is expected to be out of action three to six weeks. Griffin is averaging 21.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists through 26 games.
- L.A. is in better shape to withstand Griffin’s absence than it was a year ago, contends Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. When Griffin was sidelined with a broken hand and a quad injury after Christmas of 2015, Paul Pierce took his place in the starting lineup and DeAndre Jordan assumed a larger role in the offense, averaging 14.1 points and 14.3 rebounds in the games without Griffin. The Clippers signed free agents Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights during the offseason, either of whom could start at power forward. Also, Pierce is still around, Luc Mbah a Moute can guard bigger forwards and Austin Rivers could be moved into the starting lineup.
Clippers star Blake Griffin will be sidelined until the new year, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports that Griffin is expected to undergo minor surgery on his right knee. Dan Woike of The Orange County Register, confirming Charania’s report, adds (via Twitter) that the procedure will clean up “loose bodies” in Griffin’s knee, and will likely keep him out of action for three to six weeks.
While Griffin’s right knee requires surgery, and he has also been bothered by left calf and knee soreness, according to Charania, he has been his usual productive self so far this season for the Clippers. In 26 games, the 27-year-old has posted 21.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 4.7 APG, though his field goal percentage has slipped to a career-low 48.0%.
In Griffin’s absence, the team will have to fill his spot in the starting lineup and find a way to make up the 33.7 minutes per game he has averaged this season. Marreese Speights, Paul Pierce, and Brandon Bass are candidates for larger roles, while the team could lean on guys like Wesley Johnson, Austin Rivers, and Alan Anderson more in smaller lineups. First-round rookie Brice Johnson, who has yet to make his NBA debut due to a herniated disc, still doesn’t seem close to being ready for game action, tweets Woike.
The Warriors entered the 2016/17 season as significant favorites to come out of the Western Conference and win the NBA Finals, and little has changed during the first couple months of the season. Golden State isn’t quite on a 73-win pace again this season, but the team is 23-4 and its offense is producing at a historic pace.
Although the Warriors haven’t looked invincible, they also haven’t had to endure many growing pains as they’ve incorporated prized offseason signee Kevin Durant into their rotation. It will be an extremely tall order for any Western Conference team to beat Golden State four times in a seven-game playoff series, but a handful of teams in the conference have looked good so far.
The Spurs have the West’s second-best record, at 21-5, though advanced statistics suggest that pace is probably unsustainable, as Mika Honkasalo of HoopsHype writes. The Clippers got off to a hot start and briefly looked like they belonged in the discussion with the Warriors, but a cool stretch starting in late November brought them back down to earth, and they’ve struggled against Golden State in recent years. L.A. has lost its last seven games to the Warriors, and was blown out in the only meeting between the two teams so far this season.
While San Antonio and Los Angeles were expected to be the Warriors’ top challengers coming into the season, another trio of teams has helped form a strong second tier in the conference. The Rockets, led by MVP candidates James Harden and a record-setting barrage of three-pointers, have won nine games in a row and are tied with the Clips at 20-7. The Grizzlies, who surged without their top player (Mike Conley), are right behind them, and the Jazz, who have battled injuries all year, look like they could be a dangerous club if and when they finally get healthy.
What do you think? Which of these teams should the Warriors be most worried about facing in the Western Conference portion of the postseason? Is there another team in the conference that could create problems for Golden State? Weigh in below with your vote!
Which team is the biggest threat to the Warriors?
San Antonio Spurs
38.51%
(541 votes)
Houston Rockets
25.91%
(364 votes)
Utah Jazz
16.09%
(226 votes)
Los Angeles Clippers
12.03%
(169 votes)
Memphis Grizzlies
5.48%
(77 votes)
Another Western Conference team
1.99%
(28 votes)
Total Votes: 1,405
App users, click here to place your vote.
Jazz big man Derrick Favors will return to the court on Wednesday after missing the last 12 games of action due to a left knee injury, league sources told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. Although Favors won’t get a ton of playing time, the Jazz will get another chance to see him play alongside Rudy Gobert, something head coach Quin Snyder wants to see more of.
As Zach Lowe of ESPN.com details, the Jazz face several important decisions on players who are eligible for extensions or will soon reach free agency, so it’s crucial that the team gets as much information as possible about how those players fit together. If possible, the team would also like to see how certain lineups – like ones featuring Favors and Gobert – fare in a playoff series.
“The answer to whether Derrick and Rudy can play together is unequivocally yes,” Snyder said. “The bigger question is in what situations, and how best to maximize every player. On some level, you don’t know. We might find challenges that are hidden to us now.”
Here’s more on the Jazz from Lowe:
- The new CBA is expected to help Utah when it comes to re-signing Gordon Hayward, since the new deal should widen the advantage incumbent teams get (in terms of money and years) for re-signing their own players, says Lowe. Still, the Jazz need to show progress this year to convince Hayward they’re capable of developing into a serious contender. Hayward on his looming free agency: “It comes down to where I can compete for a title. Where I live — that doesn’t affect me. The limelight doesn’t matter to me. I just want to make a run at it.”
- Lowe suggests that “almost everyone with max-level cap room” will at least check in with Hayward’s agent next summer. Lowe adds that the Clippers explored a sign-and-trade for Hayward in 2014, and that Doc Rivers “loves” him, though L.A. won’t have a clear path to max space in 2017.
- The Jazz can extend George Hill now, and doing so would help improve the team’s odds of retaining Hayward, since the two players are close. Still, while Hill is open to listening to any offer from the Jazz, he may wait out Hayward’s decision, Lowe writes.
- The Jazz are hoping to get Alec Burks back in January and see their whole team in action well before the trade deadline, sources tell Lowe. The ESPN scribe identifies Burks as a potential trade candidate, since Utah can’t afford to keep everyone.
After suffering an injury and needing to miss time during the 2010/11 season, then-Lakers coach Phil Jackson asked then-Lakers player Luke Walton to chart plays, compile reports and break down film. It was then when Walton first realized how much work went into coaching and grew an appreciation for it, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in an interesting read. The gesture itself helped enforce philosophies and styles Walton has adopted from Jackson, Medina adds.
Here’s more news out of Los Angeles:
- Jerry West‘s contract as an executive with the Warriors is up next summer and it would be foolish for the Lakers not to pursue the legendary player and successful team executive, Mark Heisler of The Orange County Register opines. West, 78, has had an impact on the Lakers, Grizzlies and Warriors and is someone Los Angeles needs to help steer the franchise back toward championship contention, Heisler writes.
- Austin Rivers suffered a mild concussion Saturday and the Clippers guard’s experience is the latest example of how difficult it is to deal with the diversity of the injury, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register relays. In the case of Rivers, he actually passed the concussion tests after suffering a blow to the head and was re-inserted into the game only to be diagnosed one minute back into action, Woike writes.
- Clippers forward Marreese Speights was down on the franchise’s perceived culture after the team’s recent drubbing by the Warriors, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register relays. “That’s the scouting report when you play against the Clippers,” Speights said. “It’s always been, especially with the Warriors, you play against the Clippers, you hit them a couple of times, and their spirit is going to be down. That’s what happened, so we’ve just got to find a way to get over that hump.”
Reserve Clippers center and former Warriors backup Marreese Speights believes his current team needs to learn some lessons from its blowout loss to Golden State on Wednesday, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register reports. Speights ripped the Clippers for whining about calls and implored them to play more unselfishly, Oram continues. Speights explained that the Warriors coaching staff felt the Clippers would fold if “you hit them a couple times” and they lived up to that reputation, Oram adds. “First we need to start really just leaving the refs alone,” Speights told Oram and other media members. “Guys just got to sacrifice, do some other things than scoring, do some other things than your personal goals. Just try something new. They’ve been doing it here for four or five years and it hasn’t been working, so it’s time to try something new.”
- Clippers guard Chris Paul believes it’s feasible that he will team up with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony at some point, he revealed in a radio interview that was relayed by SI.com. In an Open Run podcast, said “anything’s possible” and added that they work out together at times during the offseason. Paul can opt out of his contract after this season, while James and Anthony can opt out of the final year of their contracts after the 2017/18 season.