CLIPPERS GIVE COLLISON CHANCE TO GET BACK TO WINNING

Post #1 » by **mkwest** » Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:01 pm

“I felt like playing with the Clippers was an opportunity to win now,” Collison said. “I couldn’t care less how old I am or how young I am, I want to win now. Regardless, if I come off the bench or however many minutes they want to play me, I want to be on a championship team.”

“Every day when we’re playing pickup and I see D.C. (Collison) walk in, I’m like, ‘I can’t believe this guy’s our backup point guard,’” Griffin said. “His speed, right away, is what makes him so dangerous. But I think he can really defend. He’s really going to put some pressure [on opposing point guards], doing stuff that E-B kind of did. And also he’s really looking to pass every time down. He’s not a guy who looks for his shot a lot, but he can score.”

He’s already seen glimpses of the possibilities ahead. Collison has been a regular at impromptu workout sessions in Playa Vista, playing pickup games alongside Griffin, Paul, Hollins, Matt Barnes, Byron Mullens, DeAndre Jordan, Brandon Davies, Willie Green and others. Collison said being there is all part of the process of joining a new team, only made easier because he can do it within miles of his home. But it’s also about putting in the sweat together and ultimately about realizing it will take an element of sacrifice.

“When I was making this decision to come to the Clippers I was like, ‘Ok, what makes a championship team? Why are some teams that much better than other teams every single year?’ And I think it’s sacrifice. I think knowing that a guy like Chris Paul was going to be the starting point guard, it took a big sacrifice on my part just to be on a championship team. And I think that’s what brings a championship team together. I’m all up for it.”

Eric Patten, Clippers.com

Post #2 » by **og15** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 4:01 am

Biggest off-season surprise for me as I didn't expect it. You know the role you are signing up for when you decide to be Paul's backup, but he should be really useful and makes the loss of Bledsoe a lot less painful.

TheNewEra · Post #3 » by **TheNewEra** » Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:25 pm

Hopefully Doc can get his energy on d to be tooled for better results

Post #4 » by **mkwest** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 3:20 am

og15 wrote:Biggest off-season surprise for me as I didn't expect it. You know the role you are signing up for when you decide to be Paul's backup, but he should be really useful and makes the loss of Bledsoe a lot less painful.

It was a nice surprise. I expected him to make a little more money than what we would have been able to offer him. Even with Barnes sacrificing a bit, Collison was still coming in on a discount.

He may leave a lot to be desired as your full-time starter, but as a back-up, he's more than solid imo. Bledsoe would have been more of a game-changer, but he had his ups and downs as well. Collison is not as dynamic on the defensive end, but will bring more stability on the offensive end.

He left some money on the table, but a really good season could work to his advantage in the long run.

Post #5 » by **og15** » Thu Aug 22, 2013 5:59 am

Yea. If I'm playing a player 25+ MPG, I'd rather have Bledsoe's disruptive defense and all-round game, but in tougher games, this is my 11-13 minute backup behind Paul, in that time, there's just no significant difference between having Bledsoe or Collison.

It was basically a switch in offense and defense in terms of how they impact games. Collison's shooting and better ball security and passing is better for an offense, Bledsoe's size, athletic ability, etc is superior on defense. Both like to push the pace, so we should still see a similar faster tempo from the bench.