Game 29: Los Angeles Clippers (17-11) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (17-10) - 6:00 PM PT

[Ranma]

I kept hearing how spacing was an issue throughout the game. Isn't that something a head coach should have his team prepared for or does Doc get another pass for another failing?

[TheNewEra]

No SGA didn’t light the game on fire but to not even let him see the court in the 4th? Much of a loss than anything else don’t think Doc realizes he should be grooming SGA not Bradley.


Played Harrell a full quarter again dead tired late. Really didn’t need to play Harris at all again he did little to nothing. Oh well

[Ranma]

No SGA didn’t light the game on fire but to not even let him see the court in the 4th? Much of a loss than anything else don’t think Doc realizes he should be grooming SGA not Bradley.

The only thing that makes sense to me is that Doc having a mandate from the front office to showcase Bradley in order to up his trade value at the deadline. Similar to trading away Blake Griffin after signing him to an extension, the organization may be trying to maximize value on their short-term assets.

This wouldn't be out of character either since Jerry West intimated as much when he traded Griffin and Chris Paul away and noted the importance of not losing valuable assets for nothing. That's a dangerous game to play but West knows the fine line between gaining undervalued assets for roster flexibility and burdening the organization with toxic albatrosses.

However, Avery Bradley isn't doing much to change perceptions that he's anything more than a stout defender. Playing Bradley over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is actually hindering the rookie's development a bit. This venture doesn't look to be worth the effort.

I mean I also get it. Bradley could hold value at the trade deadline for postseason contenders in search of a defensive presence, but doing so at the cost of the season and player development seems at odds with what the organization stated that it wanted to do in competing in the present while building towards the future.

This approach could theoretically apply to Danilo Gallinari as well since monitoring his minutes has actually kept him healthy and productive on the season so far.

[esqtvd]

was out tonight
and from what I read elsewhere there were a lot of positives to take away from the game
but our game threads have become such a drag you'd never know it
no wonder so many people are abandoning the game threads
who needs the noise

_____________________________


Avery is what he is but this is OK

Bradley Shuts Down Brodie: Despite his flaws on offense, Avery Bradley was very effective defending Russell Westbrook. Bradley held Westbrook to 23.5 percent shooting from the field (4 for 17). Of course, Westbrook found other ways to make a difference with his 12 assists and 6 steals, but Bradley did shut down his scoring.

https://www.clipsnation.com/2018/12/15/18142966/plagued-by-turnovers-clippers-fall-to-the-thunder-110-104


As for Shai vs Bradley and playing time, that's stupid. There is no versus. The majority of Shai's minutes come alongside Bradley--it's not either/or. Shai ate pine tonight because he was sucking, and Doc is protecting him from himself. They are different players, at different points in their careers. If you want Bradley to get better you play him more; if you want to Shai to improve, you play him less when he's lost. You don't leave him out there in the deep end of the pool to drown.

Ibid.:

What Happened to Shai? Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 2 points in 21 minutes tonight, and went 0 for 2 from the line. He was was largely a non-factor. He had a few good stretches defensively, but never seemed to lock in on offense.

With more brutal scheduling coming up, things are going to get worse before they get better, at least in the W/L columns. But ibid.:

Now, The Good News:
Ball Movement: The Clippers shot well; 51 percent from the field and 52 percent from beyond the arc. The three-ball was present throughout the game, in part because there was a concerted effort to move the ball to find quality shots.

Harrell Returns: Montrezl Harrell has officially broken out of his recent slump. The energetic big man averaged just 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds his last six games but had a solid 21 points and 6 rebounds Saturday. One of Montrezl’s buckets came from beyond the three-point line; his first three of the season, and just the third of his career!

Battle for the Boards: Surprisingly, the Clippers out-rebounded the Thunder 44 to 40. Steven Adams was held to 5 boards (half his average). Harris led Los Angeles with nine boards, Gortat contributed eight, and Bradley and Gallinari both had seven.

Speaking of Gallinari ... : Danilo Gallinari had a fantastic game. He turned over the ball seven times, but was very physical on the floor and was successful scoring in a variety of ways. He finished the game with 28 points. Although Harris (22) and Harrell (21) also quietly logged 20+ games, Gallo was the one to watch.

[Dynamix]

We had an unexpectedly great start to the season and were bound to come down to Earth, especially with this tough schedule. The only thing that trully bums me is that Jerome is hurt and can't take advantage of Lou's absence. Would've loved to see the rook get some solid minutes to show off his stroke.

Tue, Dec 18 vs Portland
Fri, Dec 21 vs Dallas
Sun, Dec 23 vs Denver
Mon, Dec 24 @ Golden State
Thu, Dec 27 vs Sacramento
Sat, Dec 29 @ Los Angeles Kings
Sun, Dec 30 vs San Antonio

I'm sure we'll bounce back soon enough. Hope we can make the most out of home court and go at least 4-3 until the end of the year. Oh, and we'd better give LeBron an official welcome to LA that he won't forget.

[Clemenza]

We had an unexpectedly great start to the season and were bound to come down to Earth, especially with this tough schedule. The only thing that trully bums me is that Jerome is hurt and can't take advantage of Lou's absence. Would've loved to see the rook get some solid minutes to show off his stroke.

Tue, Dec 18 vs Portland
Fri, Dec 21 vs Dallas
Sun, Dec 23 vs Denver
Mon, Dec 24 @ Golden State
Thu, Dec 27 vs Sacramento
Sat, Dec 29 @ Los Angeles Kings
Sun, Dec 30 vs San Antonio

I'm sure we'll bounce back soon enough. Hope we can make the most out of home court and go at least 4-3 until the end of the year. Oh, and we'd better give LeBron an official welcome to LA that he won't forget.

This is the same thing I was thinking. Man I'm dying to see some jumpers go in or hell at least a pretty shot.

Also if Tobias is a "max player" he should've at least put the team on his back in one of these games. I'm also scratching my head at so many plays where it looks like the offense is running through Avery? Like why?

[Galloisdaman]

Despite the loss this was probably their best game in a while. They played a team with 2 all nba players and maybe 3 all stars. They did not let up 115 points for a change. The turnovers were bad but also kind of flukish since they normally protect the ball so well. They do need a real PG to set guys up. Its weird to see starting guards have only 1-2 assists so late in so many games. Obviously they miss having Lou. He could have been the difference in this game.

[Wammy Giveaway]

They do need a real PG to set guys up.

How would you describe a real point guard? The only one left is the Hall Of Fame savior who Doc Rivers traded away in 2017, then forfeited his GM powers for.

Any point guard they look for at this point will be lesser than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Unless Doc cedes his stubbornness by playing a G-Leaguer, but it may take a firing to do so.

Here's my idea: Jerry West should come in, ask Doc Rivers to take a leave of absence (assume he's a Clipper for life a la Red Aurebach in Boston). Have Sam Cassell or another assistant take over coaching. When the Clippers have the superstar pieces, bring Doc back.

[mg]

When can Bradley be traded?
SGA isn't going to get enough mins until AB is gone tbh..

[Galloisdaman]

They do need a real PG to set guys up.

How would you describe a real point guard? The only one left is the Hall Of Fame savior who Doc Rivers traded away in 2017, then forfeited his GM powers for.

Any point guard they look for at this point will be lesser than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Unless Doc cedes his stubbornness by playing a G-Leaguer, but it may take a firing to do so.

Here's my idea: Jerry West should come in, ask Doc Rivers to take a leave of absence (assume he's a Clipper for life a la Red Aurebach in Boston). Have Sam Cassell or another assistant take over coaching. When the Clippers have the superstar pieces, bring Doc back.

There are lot of starting PG's getting over 1-3 assists per game all over the NBA. If Bradley or Bev is the best PG they can find then the team will have some issues. The Clips have a nice passing PG on the bench but he can not defend well.

[Ranma]

Robert Flom and Shapan Debnath talk about the loss to the Thunder and how teams are not concerned with Gortat on offense. Plus, they agree with me that Shai needs to play more for the sake of his development and they even subscribe to my theory that the team may be trying to up Avery's trade value. Both want him gone and actually hope that he gets traded for practically anything. Flom compares Bradley to Paul Pierce as a player on the Clippers whom Doc kept playing in a frustratingly undeserved manner.

They also agree with me that Maggette is being a biased homer despite the fact that they really like him and want him to get the color-guy gig. They also agree that the center position has been our weakest link. Debnath points out that Milos is such a non-factor defensively that he doesn't even try for 50-50 balls, which frustrates him, especially given how much he brings as a playmaker.

Read on Twitter

[esqtvd]

When can Bradley be traded?
SGA isn't going to get enough mins until AB is gone tbh..

Well, let's get out the green eyeshades:



SGA is already playing 27 mpg. 5 more mpg is not necessarily going to help him, esp this early in his rookie season. And most of his minutes come alongside Bradley. And though I agree with the RDS crowd that I don't like Avery handling the ball either, the fact is Shai is not giving us effective PG play either. Shai and Bradley have exactly the same crappy numbers over the last 5 games--2.2 apg vs. 2.0 turnovers per game.


And FTR, Milos has been pretty lousy in that metric--2.1 apg vs. 1.4 turnovers per game. That's a LOT of turnovers in 10 mpg. His TO ratio--the percentage of a team’s possessions that end in a turnover--of 21.9% is third-worst in the league.

https://stats.nba.com/players/advanced/?sort=TM_TOV_PCT&dir=1&Season=2018-19&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&CF=MIN*GE*10


Not great but far better than Milos, Shai's TO Ratio is 13.2% and Avery's is 13.0%. There's a lot to like about Shai, but he's not giving us anything in the way of PG skills. When your numbers are the same as Avery Bradley's--who's never been accused of being a PG--you're not one either.


And Pat Bev's no answer either. Although he has not-horrible PG stats, his shooting and defensive [!??] stats ARE a horror.

https://stats.nba.com/players/advanced/?sort=DEF_RATING&dir=1&Season=2018-19&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&CF=MIN*GE*10&TeamID=1610612746



So, it's easy to dog the coach about Avery--until you look at the alternatives.