Clippers...shouldn't they trade Paul and Griffin?

[og15]

If I'm the GM for that team I make a move to move both those guys...for younger talent. There is about a 4% chance that that teams get into the WCF....so why wait one more year and find Griffin walking for nothing? To not make a move almost seems chicken chit...

Thoughts? Clipper fans...what do you think? Would you prefer to transition to a young talented team with an immediate opportunity for more success...or try one more year....and have nothing to show for it.....and fall back into the lottery land?

No, every team cannot rebuild. This team had the 2nd best record in the west until they had injuries to these guys. Believe me, when you have a chance to advance in the playoffs, watching your team is much more enjoyable, so enjoy it while it lasts. This team should has a very good chance to advance to the second round, and if they can move to a top 3 seed, the 2nd round. They also play the Warriors just about as good as anyone.

Not really. If anything it's been a bad matchup for them since Kerr arrived.

It's been okay. When healthy they've played the Warriors close most games. Their bench has been a problem for them. This season they've played one game, and certainly it was awful. The Durant addition is a bit different from the previous iterations of the Warriors they played, so it's hard to know how well they actually match up with these new Warriors since it's been one game even though they got killed. Blake's awful 5-20 FG game was huge culprit in that, and he's not likely to do that another time.

Last season they lost by 4, 7, 3 and 16. The 16 point loss, Blake wasn't there. In the 4 point loss, the Clippers bench lost the game by coming on the court. They also made an unexpected late game comeback with the end of bench guys in one of the games from about 12 or so down to cut it really close.

In 14-15 they went 1-3. They beat the Warriors by 14, then lost by 17. Blake again missed one game, which they lost by 8. The other loss was by 4 points, and it was again because of their awful bench that season as Blake and Paul were + while on the court in that game.

So certainly their record has been poor against GS, 1-7, but Blake has missed two of the 9 games which makes it very hard for the Clippers to beat the Warriors in those ones. Then their bench really hurt them in two of the other 7 games, which could still be an issue except that the bench is much better this season.

Hopefully the remaining three games this season has both teams healthy to give a better picture.

[Fresh360Waves]

They are going to win 50 something games again this year and be very good on both sides of the ball.

so, no, trading them would be idiotic. The only way I would is if they came out and said they weren't coming back.

Just because they aren't the best team in the league doesn't they should blow it up.

I think it's the fact they haven't been able to go far in the playoffs for years with the core they have. At some point you gotta think about the future of the franchise. CP3 isn't getting any younger, Blake is very good but is he a #1 guy, and DJ is DJ.

They've struggled yes, but not really at the fault of their core players. They have far too long left of very productive years to prematurely blow it up.

They are a complimentary starter away from being very good, and being very good, and, yes, the Clipps are a very good team, is hard to do in the NBA.

They are in a far different situation than a team that should blow it up like, say, the Knicks who can't even make the playoffs.

The Clippers are too good and too close to being a legit contender to blow it up UNLESS they know that CP3 isn't coming back.

Yeah you make some good points. Knicks definitely need to blow it up lol. With the Knicks, they just tried to patch up a wound with a bunch of over the hill veterans to try to "please" Melo. But anyways, with the Clippers I get the sense that CP3 could possibly leave. He seems like the type of guy that would take a bit less to join a team with a better chance for a ring. Potentially the Spurs. Spurs need a PG who is a bit younger that can help Kawhi with the scoring load.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Do the Spurs have $? Cp3 can get his last huge contract. He probably wouldn't want to walk away from that much $. He will be 32, but the clippers will have to offer him whatever he wants. He is way too valuable not to.

[Ell Curry]

Keep both, hire a real gm who has the Ujiri skills to find useful role players for cheap and hopefully they can get the bench and 5th starter by draft of maybe by trading Rivers or Crawford along with a prospect or pick from a tanking team.

[The_Hater]

If I'm the GM for that team I make a move to move both those guys...for younger talent. There is about a 4% chance that that teams get into the WCF....so why wait one more year and find Griffin walking for nothing? To not make a move almost seems chicken chit...

Thoughts? Clipper fans...what do you think? Would you prefer to transition to a young talented team with an immediate opportunity for more success...or try one more year....and have nothing to show for it.....and fall back into the lottery land?

Terrible idea IMO. When you have two of the top player in the league, still in their primes, you only go backwards fast by trading them. Just ask Orlando. In this case it would send the Clips catapulting back to the lottery because their current roster is void of both young talent and future draft picks. The Clips need to play this out and hope that another top player can be added to the mix. Eventually they will be forced to rebuild but right now they're one of the top 4-5 teams in the league.

[cpower]

The problem is not CP3 or Griffin, Rivers have not been getting the correct pieces for them to be successful. I mean, which championship team would use Jamal Crawford as a scoring option? are you kidding me?

[The_Hater]

The problem is not CP3 or Griffin, Rivers have not been getting the correct pieces for them to be successful. I mean, which championship team would use Jamal Crawford as a scoring option? are you kidding me?

While Doc has been a poor GM calling the best 3-4 year stretch in franchise history unsuccessful isn't really accurate either. Only one team can win the crown every season.

[MartinToVaught]

I'm not opposed to blowing it up, but I'm vehemently opposed to trading anybody until Doc is fired and a GM who knows what they're doing takes over. Doc has lost every single trade he's been involved in, usually by a landslide. We can't let someone with that level of "acumen" make big decisions like trading any members of the core.

[BloodNinja]

Is this the Clippers we're talking about?

The laughing stock of the NBA since I've been able to walk.

They have an entertaining and relatively successful product for the first time in decades and people are talking about destroying this team?

Get a grip on things, this franchise should be so lucky to have CP3 and Blake, ride it til the wheels fall off and they're back to being to perennial losers.

Don't you know this is RealGM where if you're not competing for a championship right now you have to blow it up!

I agree with you though. Keep both unless they have an obvious upgrade. A healthy Clippers could make the WCF this season and anything can happen at that point.

[MartinToVaught]

Don't you know this is RealGM where if you're not competing for a championship right now you have to blow it up!

This talking point has grown tiresome. It's not like everyone's screaming to blow it up after the first year. The reality is, our core has had six years together, which is like an eternity in the salary-cap/free-agency era. They've had two different head coaches and plenty of marginal tweaks to the supporting cast. At what point is it okay to start questioning why we're clinging to this core when they can't get us any further in the playoffs than any other Clippers team in history has?

Never mind competing for a championship, this team can't even get past the second round. 47 years and zero conference finals appearances is an embarrassment, especially when you share a city with the Lakers. I don't think people who aren't Clipper fans quite get how it feels to have that millstone around your neck as a fanbase and franchise. Most of us have been diehards for a long time. We've seen some truly terrible basketball. We've been patient. This core was supposed to be the big payoff for persevering through the dark ages, but instead it's just been another form of the same old frustration.

[TheDavinciCHODE]

I think it's the fact they haven't been able to go far in the playoffs for years with the core they have. At some point you gotta think about the future of the franchise. CP3 isn't getting any younger, Blake is very good but is he a #1 guy, and DJ is DJ.

They've struggled yes, but not really at the fault of their core players. They have far too long left of very productive years to prematurely blow it up.

They are a complimentary starter away from being very good, and being very good, and, yes, the Clipps are a very good team, is hard to do in the NBA.

They are in a far different situation than a team that should blow it up like, say, the Knicks who can't even make the playoffs.

The Clippers are too good and too close to being a legit contender to blow it up UNLESS they know that CP3 isn't coming back.

Yeah you make some good points. Knicks definitely need to blow it up lol. With the Knicks, they just tried to patch up a wound with a bunch of over the hill veterans to try to "please" Melo. But anyways, with the Clippers I get the sense that CP3 could possibly leave. He seems like the type of guy that would take a bit less to join a team with a better chance for a ring. Potentially the Spurs. Spurs need a PG who is a bit younger that can help Kawhi with the scoring load.

I would love to see CP3 on the Spurs. That would be poetic basketball.

[Oscirus]

So it's basically either win a championship or rebuild? Is that the only two choices here? If so, we should have 28 sellers at the trade deadline.

[nytonm]

I don't think they need to blow it up completely but they could certainly use a major shakeup. Like for example trading for Carmelo Anthony...

[Bobbymcgee]

No, they should not trade either of them. My guess is that the Clippers will try and re-sign both this summer. As a Clipper fan, I have no issue with that.

IMO, even if they lose one or both of them, they will be fine. The Clippers have far and away the richest owner in sports. One of the richest human beings on the planet. They will be o.k.