The Clippers title window closed?

[Dick Tate]

Howard's rule says you only get two name changes. You're screwed.

[The High Cyde]

Howard's rule says you only get two name changes. You're screwed.

Being a Clips fan is punishment enough lol

[og15]

Not closed, slammed shut.

They will get 1 pick of their own out of their next 4 drafts until 2026 and can start rebuilding in 2027, and with a little luck could be relevant again as early as 2033 if everything goes to plan.

If the plan is to rebuild, a team can make trades to acquire picks and young players.

Clippers have pick swaps for 2023 and 2025, so they would still get a pick those seasons.

[Prospect Dong]

It was a gamble with Kawih... But he was an NBA champion at the time with the Raptors. Clippers went all in as they should while giving Kawih a co-star. They did what they should have done.

Bad luck or something else with Kawih, Idk because with him we never know. But the process was correct. Now it's time to blow it up. Try to fool a team to get Kawih or PG or just let em go for nothing. Trade every guy that looks like a good asset and isn't that young... and here we go again.

Nothing else to be done there. The window has definitely closed.

Can't blame the GM however, impossible to know that Kawih would only play 20% of his games.

Yeah, you gotta shoot your shot. If you have a chance to acquire two pretty solidly top 10 players, you do it and live with the obvious risks. It's not like you can hold out for only top 10 players that come without baggage.

As a Grizzlies fan: making the jump from upstart, competitive young team that can put a scare into the legit contenders to being the kind of team that even wins a game in the conference finals is incredibly tough. and the single best way to do it is to go an and acquire the guys who have done it already.

i still think there's a chance, this season or next, that everyone gets healthy at the right time, has a little time to click and then they make a serious run in the playoffs. You absolutely can't write off a team with that much top end talent and depth.

[Ballerhogger]

Read on Twitter

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[DS17]

I think they will win the ring this year unfortunately . I hate the clips but all they need is some continuity, and they’ll be rolling.

Also.. they have the richest owner who can give any team undercover cash deals and get decent players for almost nothing (Covington and powell trade)…

They’re fine.

The issue is when owners are poor and cheap (Jeanie buss)

[bstein14]

Leonard screwed the Clips franchise over by demanding PG be there in order for him to sign. Pretty much allowed OKC to get an insanely good package because the Clips were on the clock with Toronto being a viable option to resign after just winning a championship. 100% a motivated healthy Leonard is a great player but the truth is he was a little overrated in that championship run because the Raptors had some great role players going all out playing major roles as well. Sure Leonard was worth signing to a MAX deal, but the Clips shouldn't have catered to every demand he had... if Leonard didn't just want to go there and put trust in the organization to make the right moves, then the organization should have told him to stay in Toronto or go somewhere else.

[Johnny Bball]

Not closed, slammed shut.

They will get 1 pick of their own out of their next 4 drafts until 2026 and can start rebuilding in 2027, and with a little luck could be relevant again as early as 2033 if everything goes to plan.

If the plan is to rebuild, a team can make trades to acquire picks and young players.

Clippers have pick swaps for 2023 and 2025, so they would still get a pick those seasons.

Yes, and they won't get their own for 2025 and surely swapping it (which is what I just said) so tanking is out of the question. You point vs that is..?

[Forbes]

Yes if I’m the GM try to get the best possible deal for PG. At this point trading Kawhi is tough since she barely plays. Right now this team just isn’t it.

[Bobbymcgee]

Possibly. I still have hope for next season, but changes need to be made.

As it stands, these are the issues I currently see:

Leonard and George need to be on the court, healthy and playing together.

The team's veteran players have all gotten long in the tooth. The Clippers rely too much on players who are too old and slow. Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris Sr., Nicholas Batum, Robert Covington, John Wall. All of these guys aren't bad in limited minutes but the Clippers rely too much on them.

The young guys with some experience on them have been disappointing. Especially Terrance Mann and Norman Powell. Both have had a couple of big games this season, but with their talent, they should be more reliable and contributing a lot more. I really thought Norman Powell would be the third guy for the Clippers and be able to step up and be the number two guy if Leonard or George were out when they traded for him. But, he just doesn't see to fit for whatever reason. Been waiting for Terrance Mann to take that next step for a few seasons now. He shows flashes, but is inconsistent. Zuabac and Kennard have been alright, but they can only do so much.

The rest of the team is just too young to contribute meaningful minutes to a team that is trying to win now. Boston, Coffey, Diabate, Preston all appear to have potential, but are just too young.

Overall, its just a bad mix. The team needs to make some trades. They really need a true point guard and a more athletic big man. I think they can still salvage something with the two years left on Leonard's and George's contracts.

As for the long-term outlook, I still remain optimistic. The Clippers have an amazing new stadium coming up and their owner is one of the richest men in sports. I think they will be alright.

[og15]

Not closed, slammed shut.

They will get 1 pick of their own out of their next 4 drafts until 2026 and can start rebuilding in 2027, and with a little luck could be relevant again as early as 2033 if everything goes to plan.

If the plan is to rebuild, a team can make trades to acquire picks and young players.

Clippers have pick swaps for 2023 and 2025, so they would still get a pick those seasons.

Yes, and they won't get their own for 2025 and surely swapping it (which is what I just said) so tanking is out of the question. You point vs that is..?

Why are you certain the Clippers will be worse than OKC in the 24-25 season? We all know how the NBA is.

Like you said, the Clippers won't tank since they don't own the pick, so they are incentivized to win. The only way they don't get their own pick for 2025 is if OKC is better, similar to this season. Could OKC be better? Sure, is it certain...hmm..

[Johnny Bball]

If the plan is to rebuild, a team can make trades to acquire picks and young players.

Clippers have pick swaps for 2023 and 2025, so they would still get a pick those seasons.

Yes, and they won't get their own for 2025 and surely swapping it (which is what I just said) so tanking is out of the question. You point vs that is..?

Why are you certain the Clippers will be worse than OKC in the 24-25 season? We all know how the NBA is.

Like you said, the Clippers won't tank since they don't own the pick, so they are incentivized to win. The only way they don't get their own pick for 2025 is if OKC is better, similar to this season. Could OKC be better? Sure, is it certain...hmm..

Oh I'm certain OKC will be better after receiving far too much for PG13 and after getting to finally realize most of it.

[celticfan42487]

Possibly. I still have hope for next season, but changes need to be made.

As it stands, these are the issues I currently see:

Leonard and George need to be on the court, healthy and playing together.

The team's veteran players have all gotten long in the tooth. The Clippers rely too much on players who are too old and slow. Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris Sr., Nicholas Batum, Robert Covington, John Wall. All of these guys aren't bad in limited minutes but the Clippers rely too much on them.

The young guys with some experience on them have been disappointing. Especially Terrance Mann and Norman Powell. Both have had a couple of big games this season, but with their talent, they should be more reliable and contributing a lot more. I really thought Norman Powell would be the third guy for the Clippers and be able to step up and be the number two guy if Leonard or George were out when they traded for him. But, he just doesn't see to fit for whatever reason. Been waiting for Terrance Mann to take that next step for a few seasons now. He shows flashes, but is inconsistent. Zuabac and Kennard have been alright, but they can only do so much.

The rest of the team is just too young to contribute meaningful minutes to a team that is trying to win now. Boston, Coffey, Diabate, Preston all appear to have potential, but are just too young.

Overall, its just a bad mix. The team needs to make some trades. They really need a true point guard and a more athletic big man. I think they can still salvage something with the two years left on Leonard's and George's contracts.

As for the long-term outlook, I still remain optimistic. The Clippers have an amazing new stadium coming up and their owner is one of the richest men in sports. I think they will be alright.

Thank you for breaking it down for me.

Just a few days ago my friends and I were wondering what was going on because it seems impossible with Kawhi back and playing 30mpg recently that Clips are still struggling.

Honestly with everything you listed it still sounds like small potatoes to me and they should be rolling with Kawhi playing that many mpg but I guess not.

There's so much damn talent on this team.

[og15]

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Paul George played 78 games per season for 4 seasons with Indiana and OKC after missing 14-15. As a Clipper he's played 48/72, 54/72, 31/82 and so far this season, 31/46. Kawhi was supposed to be the injury prone one, and PG was supposed to be the consistent one on the court whether Kawhi was there or not.

[hippesthippo]

Just go back to the old flipidty flopidy and change your name again for 8-10 years.

I know they don't control their own picks, but what's preventing them from trading the players they currently have and accumulating draft assets that way? The team has a number of players that would still fetch a solid return.

You can't tank if you don;t own your picks. And doing that makes your competition better.

I never said tank. It's just making the best of a bad situation. Think of it as getting a head start. Or even go for a Brooklyn type recovery.

All better options than the one you propose, which is basically just wallowing in sadness for a decade.

EDIT: And as others have noted if they trade said players they'll more than likely be getting the better end of those pick swaps. They'll more than likely have their own picks those years. You seem to be all over the place.

[Blazing_royale]

It's been closed since Kawhi/PG are never healthy together long enough.

[Jabroni Lames]

Bruh, you’ve mastered the reverse curse. You need to change your username to include 29 teams other than the Clippers to jinx the whole league.

Embrace and harness the power of your ShlepRock, George Costanza bad luck nature.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[shi-woo]

Can we just bump the Clippers threads from the preseason?

Honestly, outside of year 1, the majority of non casual fans have thought pretty low on the Clippers. People will bring up that WCF run, but come on, they beat the Rookie Luka Mavs and the team that just traded their two All-NBA players in their prime (Jazz).

This team is exactly who we thought they were. The 2012 Orlando Magic in the flesh. A hurt Star, and a bunch of over the hill veterans that can't function without an All-NBA player going HAM.

There is nothing worth talking about on this Roster outside of who gets Twighlight Paul George, or can Zubac fetch a decent return. And that's how it's really been since year 1.

What window are we really talking about? Because it never existed. They gambled, we as a community tip out cap to the for going for it, but after that first year the writing has kind of been on the wall

[DudetheObscure]

EDIT: And as others have noted if they trade said players they'll more than likely be getting the better end of those pick swaps. You seem to be all over the place.

The Thunder have the option on the pick swaps, not the Clippers.

[ejftw]

Continuity, a backup modern five and a facilitating point is all that's needed.