Simers: Clippers' big kids shouldn't need a baby-sitter now

[mkwest]

They got their 50th win of this storybook season Wednesday night, a franchise record, but internal problems seriously threaten their chances for extraordinary postseason success.

The feel-good Clippers are gone, with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin's immaturity dragging the team down.

Jordan wants nothing to do with Coach Vinny Del Negro because he blames Del Negro for burying him on the bench.

Yet Jordan's inability to play consistently or make free throws, thereby turning the ball over to the opposition much like a turnover, makes him a liability in close games.

Griffin is Jordan's buddy, and still a kid.

His development has been sabotaged by his inability to accept criticism of any sort.

It helps explain why he's always at odds with the referees. He's never done anything wrong, as he sees it, so why are they blowing a whistle and calling him out?

The other night in Sacramento, Griffin and Jordan exchanged words on the bench. Griffin told Jordan he best never again stare him down as he did when Griffin failed to give Jordan a good pass for a dunk.

Everyone else was left to sit there while waiting for the kids to stop bickering.

The pair have also grown tired of Chris Paul's voice, which is understandable at times.

Paul, very much like Kobe Bryant — who has turned off Dwight Howard with his out-of-this-world standards — is relentless. He never shuts up. And Jordan and Griffin have become weary of him.

When asked about being annoying, Paul smiled and said, "I need to work on being a better leader."

TJ Simers, LA Times

[mkwest]

Never get too worked up over a Simers' article.

I'm sure that some points that he has made are true. DJ is frustrated by only playing 24 minutes a game and doesn't even try to hide that. I don't think that foul shooting is the only reason that he gets benched, but he would be much more of a viable option to have on the floor if he were a liability at the line. Since nobody is expecting him to improve by 20 percentage points over night, it's up to Vinny make it work.

Something is going on with Blake right now. He's been dealing with an injury, but his body language, overall effort and some of his actions lead me to believe that something else is bothering him. He's scored less than his season average in 7 of his last 9 games (less than 15 points in 5 of his last 8 games). He's had single digit rebounding totals in 9 straight and (12 of his last 13 overall). He's skipped out on postgame conferences twice in the last week and a half. I can't give hard evidence, but I've heard that he's not all that fond of Del Negro either.

Simers is the second person to say that Blake and DJ are tired of Paul. The other was Bill Simmons. The opinion of these two individuals on the matter isn't something that I'd totally bank on. However, nobody likes getting chewed out and Paul will be the first to tell you that he's a different person on the court than he is off. He'd tackle his on mother if it were the difference maker between winning and losing. Do I believe that they don't want to play with Paul? I don't believe that unless they are two of the biggest imbeciles that ever picked up a basketball. DJ knows what it is like to lose 50-60 games a year and I know that Blake isn't comfortable with losing. I don't think either of them would want to go back to that just so that they aren't given a mouthful from one of the league's toughest players.

All-in-all, I believe that Simers' piece was a bit sensationalistic. It's what he does. The coaching situation may change this summer, which could solve some issues for players and fans. As far as immaturity goes, there needs to be growth and maturation on all of our young players (or the hotheads). These guys are 23 & 24 years old. It's just pressing when you realize what you actually have and what is at stake. It's like picking up a pair of Technicals and losing by 2. You have to control your emotions and focus on the bigger picture.

[mike3]

It kind of worries but hearing this stuff about Blake. His body language etc. I haven't heard of this guy Simers but it does sound like he exaggerates things that aren't actually true, DJ and Blake being sick of CP3? I doubt it. Blake warning DJ to never stare him down again for not passing it? I doubt it.

If they are true, then it's worry. I don't get what's up with Blake, I wish he would just play the game like his rookie year except with his added confident jump shot, he'd be a beast. I hope it's nothing internally wrong. I'd hate to see this team broken apart, except for Vinny of course. No matter what happens, you'd had to see Blake or CP unhappy hear.

[mttwlsn16]

tj simers is a talentless tool. how he has a job is beyond me. i read an absolutely disgraceful article he wrote about marcus thames a few years ago that just had me shaking my head.

that being said, blake and DJ do need to try to better understand when to be more mature and take things seriously. nothing wrong with having fun, but gotta work and pay attention and grow too.

nothing im real worried about

[og15]

No sources, just making inferences, some of them don't even seem like logical conclusions to make, it's a bad article really

DJ and Blake need to before mature, they need to whine less, but loosing can be frustrating, they will be fine. There's a difference between arguing and resolving it, which is even healthy, and arguing and not liking each other.

[mkwest]

It kind of worries but hearing this stuff about Blake. His body language etc. I haven't heard of this guy Simers but it does sound like he exaggerates things that aren't actually true, DJ and Blake being sick of CP3? I doubt it. Blake warning DJ to never stare him down again for not passing it? I doubt it.

If they are true, then it's worry. I don't get what's up with Blake, I wish he would just play the game like his rookie year except with his added confident jump shot, he'd be a beast. I hope it's nothing internally wrong. I'd hate to see this team broken apart, except for Vinny of course. No matter what happens, you'd had to see Blake or CP unhappy hear.

Simers is always attempting to stir stuff up.

As far as Blake and DJ go, even if that comment was made, I'm sure it was made sarcastically.

In addition to Simmons and Simers, Ric Bucher has also made comments regarding chemistry issues earlier in the season. These reporters/writers have been talking about locker room dissension and friction from day 1 and even around the time where we went undefeated for a month.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY6JP4cZRXc[/youtube]

[mkwest]

Clippers' DeAndre Jordan still has work to do

Do any other basketball players stop growing as a person and as a player when they're 24?" Jordan asked. "So, yes, I'm still growing and evolving — as a player and as a young man."

As the starting center for the Clippers, there are high expectations for Jordan to be productive and mature on the court. And that has been a constant battle.

"Sure, I think he's evolving, but some guys take longer than others," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said. "It depends on their personality, what their background is, what their work ethic is, the situation they are in."

It's not uncommon to see Jordan glare at Del Negro when he's taken out of a game, and at times they are at odds over minutes.

"Vinny is the coach and I'm a player," Jordan said. "That's where it stands. He puts the people out there who he feels gives us the best chance to win. And if I'm out there, I'm out there. If not, I'm not. And then I will cheer on my teammates."

"Yeah, I'm aware of it, but I also work on it," Jordan said. "I could understand it if I just didn't work on my free-throw shooting and I'm just going out there and saying, 'I just hope they go in.' That's what people don't understand.

"They're like, 'You should work on your free-throw shooting.' What the [heck] you think I'm doing? That's why I think some people are idiots. … Do they think we really go out there — me or Dwight Howard or whoever — do you think we go out there and just try to miss them?"

"I just wonder what he did over the summer," San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. "When I started watching him at the beginning of the year, he's just different. He plays more confidently."

Said Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle: "I just see a gradual, steady maturity and growth."

Brad Turner, LA Times

[TheNewEra]

wait Blake and DJ hated each other in the Kings game? But yet they were looking for each other like crazy in the Suns game lol

[TheNewEra]

All the players dislike Vinny in some way the guy has done nothing as a coach. The Bulls team is ten times better and players like Deng said he wouldn't have stayed if not for the change.

[Quake Griffin]

i have a feeling deandre is gonna get traded this offseason now.

[TheNewEra]

No Clipper fan should even come close to thinking this is true. All the players get mad when they get pulled. No way Blake and Deandre hate each other yet last game were praising each other and looking to help each other score inside.

Total trash writing same people who try and destroy Westbrook and Durant and yet they are tight like brothers.

[Quake Griffin]

Simers likes to stir the pot.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP-tB87BOx0[/youtube]

has a real, "yea i said it...what are u gonna do about it?" type attitude.
when i read the article, it seemed like he pieced together some garbage with spit, glue stick and and some silly string.

just the perfect timing for an article like this....when the team is struggling and trying to right the ship.


but i do still think the team is going to move on from DJ...whether thats a good or a bad thing...im not sure...but i think they are.

[mkwest]

Chris Paul said he hadn't read the L.A. Times article questioning Clippers' maturity.

Jovan Buha

As Blake Griffin approached the media scrum, he chuckled, "I guess it's time for me to grow up."

Jovan Buha

[mkwest]

CHEMISTRY NOT AN ISSUE FOR CLIPPERS

“Obviously, we’re not playing the same,” Blake Griffin said after Friday’s practice. “We haven’t played quite at the same level, but the chemistry and the way we get along as a team, nothing has changed. If you’re in our locker room you see us talking and joking around and even throughout the games we feel the exact same. It’s not like we don’t talk to each other now.”

“I think part of it is the frustration of knowing we need to play better and we haven’t on a consistent basis,” Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said of the perception that the team does not have the same chemistry. “We’re going to have to up our level of play here at the end of the season and there’s a responsibility that goes with that for everybody.

“The level of our play has to be higher because of our record and the level of publicity we get because teams are coming after us more.”

“It’s frustrating to lose any game, so whenever we lose a game we have dialog, we talk about it whether it’s on the road, on the flight, text, whether it’s in film session,” Caron Butler said. “Guys vent out, but we don’t continue to take it home and let it eat away at us. We talk about it, we build from it and we try to get better.”

“Through that 17-game streak, through when our chemistry was at its height, we had arguments in the huddles,” Griffin said. “There would be times when guys would be like, ‘You’ve got to do this.’ And it would be a heated exchange. But that’s what happens on teams. It’s just a matter of where you go from there.

“I don’t think it’s ever with bad intentions especially in the heat of the game. Sometimes you’re going to say things. That’s the biggest thing, that’s the best part about this team is we’ve been able to say things to each other and we know it’s to help ourselves and help get us to another level.”

Eric Patten, Clippers.com

[mttwlsn16]

Sky is falling. Fire Vinny. Trade DJ. Sit Chris. Let bled go. Trade Caron. Let Barnes go. We are done. Jokes

[dub81]

I be the first to tell you that Simers is a tool and he's trolling like crazy.

But at the same time I really do hate Blake's attitude on the court. It's kind of sad how much he complains and whine's to the ref's. I never like big men complaining. Just play ball and move on. But he's still a young guy.

[Em1]

That's a habit that is hard to break, see Kobe, Lebron, CP3, etc. It's not changing.

The recent reports of Clippers "turmoil" is very amusing. No one has realized that maybe, just maybe, the players realized the playoffs are a little more important than the regular season and have taken a bit off the shine?

[og15]

Here are Skip and Steven A discussing the situation. Of course, they probably believed too much of what TJ Simers said, but there's some truth in all they are saying, and it isn't one of their terrible saying superfluous things:


http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9137684


DJ got his contract because of Golden State though. I don't think Blake and DJ should be blamed for the lack of spreading the floor, no one thought that was their game, that is on the team who did try with getting Odom, but clearly he didn't pan out as a stretch big.

Blake has improved as a shooter, but he'll have to be hitting close to 50% when open for teams to guard him out there. Amare shot 48% from 16-23 in his hurst scoring season a a Sun, which is why teams kinda had to guard him. Blake is shooting 36-37%, so I'll take that all day. He's not that kind of a shooter, and teams know that. He can't beat a team on jumpshots, so even if he's hitting a few, the coach is still saying play off him.

[mkwest]

og already posted these on the GB, but if anyone here hasn't seen them yet...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VMpU5lLEvE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC9-lK6R3j4[/youtube]

[Angel strike1]

TJ is an idiot. i was reading it without knowing who wrote this. made me look. then i was like **** its tj.

his articles are waste of time