Game 81: Clippers (42-38) host Pelicans (46-34) on 04/09 @ 10:30 PM

[TinmanZBoy]

the most ridiculous thing was Doc brought back both Austin and Jamal, at a ridiculous price... nobody was bidding for Austin Rivers except some teams expressed some interests.... Doc was gauging the price the whole time, once Jeremy Lin's contact came out, Doc handed his son a similar contract... although Lin was 3 times the player Austin is ... Jamal was setting for other teams... but players like CP3, Blake, DJ etc..were prodding the management for Jamal for fairness, Doc had no choice but sign Jamal a contract bit higher than Austin's... The player you should really bring back was Luc mbah a moute, who was much cheaper and very useful...

[MartinToVaught]

Former teammates say that while Austin Rivers' demeanor wasn't always suited to winning friends, the problem wasn't so much personal as circumstantial. Opportunity is the most precious commodity in the NBA, particularly for non-stars, and Austin's presence on the team complicated the relationship between Doc and the locker room. Among themselves, certain players wondered whether Rivers' minutes were always earned, and some felt Austin, though occasionally criticized in film sessions, wasn't subjected to the same accountability in practice or games. They bristled at the suggestion that Austin was an additive on defense, a premise that Doc presented to the media and internally.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23092424/nba-did-doc-rivers-make-los-angeles-clippers-break-them

Looks like Austin's former teammates agree with my opinion of him.

[esqtvd]

Austin Rivers Advanced stats and ranking among peers...
from ESPN:
PER: 12.78... (49/77) 49 out of 77 qualified PGs
TS%: .531 (37/77)
Assis rate: 19.5 (68/77)
Rebounding rate: 6.2 (77/77) yike!
USG: 20.4 (38/77)
TO rate: 9.0 (18/77)
VA (Value added): 54 (40/77)
EWA: 1.8 (40/77)
minutes: 34 (8/77) thumbs up

from BB-reference:
Per 100 poss.
ORtg: 106 (12/21) 12 out of 21 players suited up for clippers this season
Drug: 113 (18/21) 18 out of 21 players suited up for clippers this season
Net rating: -7

That is your starting whatsoever guard... He is elite at playing more minutes, his dad used him right

He's not a PG and was forced to play it--opposite G-Leaguers! That's the central argument. I'll easily stipulate he's a below-average PG.

Until he gets 50 games at his actual position of SG, with a backcourt partner of proper NBA skill, these numbers are not probative. That he even did this well in the mess we had this year is a positive. Except for the time spent beside Milos [which had its own defensive problems] there was nobody to giftwrap points for Austin the way JJ gets them. He had to create every point he got, and those 15 points a game were invaluable.

There's a story behind stats. Stats are not the story themselves.

It's enough of this "he's not a PG" arguement. In todays nba you are pretty much useless if you can't play more than one position.

We are playing one dimensional player having 35 minutes per night and waiting him to carry us? If we gonna go that route I'd prefer JJ Redick to be that guy tbh. But that ship has sailed and or route is collecting players who plays multi positions effectively.
Austin? Kick his a.. out of Clippers please.

well kick Ty and Sindarius out too because they can't even play 1 position yet

[TinmanZBoy]

He's not a PG and was forced to play it--opposite G-Leaguers! That's the central argument. I'll easily stipulate he's a below-average PG.

Until he gets 50 games at his actual position of SG, with a backcourt partner of proper NBA skill, these numbers are not probative. That he even did this well in the mess we had this year is a positive. Except for the time spent beside Milos [which had its own defensive problems] there was nobody to giftwrap points for Austin the way JJ gets them. He had to create every point he got, and those 15 points a game were invaluable.

There's a story behind stats. Stats are not the story themselves.

It's enough of this "he's not a PG" arguement. In todays nba you are pretty much useless if you can't play more than one position.

We are playing one dimensional player having 35 minutes per night and waiting him to carry us? If we gonna go that route I'd prefer JJ Redick to be that guy tbh. But that ship has sailed and or route is collecting players who plays multi positions effectively.
Austin? Kick his a.. out of Clippers please.

well kick Ty and Sindarius out too because they can't even play 1 position yet

i am not sure about Ty, but Sindarius can easily guard three positions, and guard pretty well...he could develop into a really good 3&D player in the league... i was so impressed by how he guarded James Harden, if he can do that, he has a bright future in this league...

[TinmanZBoy]

Former teammates say that while Austin Rivers' demeanor wasn't always suited to winning friends, the problem wasn't so much personal as circumstantial. Opportunity is the most precious commodity in the NBA, particularly for non-stars, and Austin's presence on the team complicated the relationship between Doc and the locker room. Among themselves, certain players wondered whether Rivers' minutes were always earned, and some felt Austin, though occasionally criticized in film sessions, wasn't subjected to the same accountability in practice or games. They bristled at the suggestion that Austin was an additive on defense, a premise that Doc presented to the media and internally.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23092424/nba-did-doc-rivers-make-los-angeles-clippers-break-them

Looks like Austin's former teammates agree with my opinion of him.

this piece just confirmed a lot what fans have seen in Doc Rivers and Austin Rivers... if fans can see it, players should be able to see it crystal clear...

[esqtvd]

It's enough of this "he's not a PG" arguement. In todays nba you are pretty much useless if you can't play more than one position.

We are playing one dimensional player having 35 minutes per night and waiting him to carry us? If we gonna go that route I'd prefer JJ Redick to be that guy tbh. But that ship has sailed and or route is collecting players who plays multi positions effectively.
Austin? Kick his a.. out of Clippers please.

well kick Ty and Sindarius out too because they can't even play 1 position yet

i am not sure about Ty, but Sindarius can easily guard three positions, and guard pretty well...he could develop into a really good 3&D player in the league... i was so impressed by how he guarded James Harden, if he can do that, he has a bright future in this league...

What do you call shooting guards who can't shoot?

[esqtvd]

Former teammates say that while Austin Rivers' demeanor wasn't always suited to winning friends, the problem wasn't so much personal as circumstantial. Opportunity is the most precious commodity in the NBA, particularly for non-stars, and Austin's presence on the team complicated the relationship between Doc and the locker room. Among themselves, certain players wondered whether Rivers' minutes were always earned, and some felt Austin, though occasionally criticized in film sessions, wasn't subjected to the same accountability in practice or games. They bristled at the suggestion that Austin was an additive on defense, a premise that Doc presented to the media and internally.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23092424/nba-did-doc-rivers-make-los-angeles-clippers-break-them

Looks like Austin's former teammates agree with my opinion of him.

this piece just confirmed a lot what fans have seen in Doc Rivers and Austin Rivers... if fans can see it, players should be able to see it crystal clear...

Depends on what part you read, LOL. PP agrees with me.

"It was kind of weird for the guys," Pierce says. "Maybe people felt favoritism because his dad was coaching -- and playing -- him. I look at it that, if I was coaching my son, I'd probably have done the same damn thing, and paid him, too. But it was really hard for people to grasp that. I know the dynamic of Doc and his son. While Austin was growing, Doc wasn't really around. He saw an opportunity to have his son around. At the end of the day, Austin was a lottery pick, and he just needed the right situation. Doc thought he could give that to him. And he's turned into a solid NBA pro."

[TinmanZBoy]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23092424/nba-did-doc-rivers-make-los-angeles-clippers-break-them

Looks like Austin's former teammates agree with my opinion of him.

this piece just confirmed a lot what fans have seen in Doc Rivers and Austin Rivers... if fans can see it, players should be able to see it crystal clear...

Depends on what part you read, LOL. PP agrees with me.

"It was kind of weird for the guys," Pierce says. "Maybe people felt favoritism because his dad was coaching -- and playing -- him. I look at it that, if I was coaching my son, I'd probably have done the same damn thing, and paid him, too. But it was really hard for people to grasp that. I know the dynamic of Doc and his son. While Austin was growing, Doc wasn't really around. He saw an opportunity to have his son around. At the end of the day, Austin was a lottery pick, and he just needed the right situation. Doc thought he could give that to him. And he's turned into a solid NBA pro."

what do you want Paul to say anyway... quite frankly, it was not a compliment either, the undertone is "he wasn't"...
Doc has power in this league...I will give you that...

[MartinToVaught]

Austin was a top-10 pick in the draft and has been in the league for six seasons. If the best thing anyone can say about him when they're trying to be polite is "he's become a solid NBA pro," that speaks volumes.

[esqtvd]

this piece just confirmed a lot what fans have seen in Doc Rivers and Austin Rivers... if fans can see it, players should be able to see it crystal clear...

Depends on what part you read, LOL. PP agrees with me.

"It was kind of weird for the guys," Pierce says. "Maybe people felt favoritism because his dad was coaching -- and playing -- him. I look at it that, if I was coaching my son, I'd probably have done the same damn thing, and paid him, too. But it was really hard for people to grasp that. I know the dynamic of Doc and his son. While Austin was growing, Doc wasn't really around. He saw an opportunity to have his son around. At the end of the day, Austin was a lottery pick, and he just needed the right situation. Doc thought he could give that to him. And he's turned into a solid NBA pro."

what do you want Paul to say anyway... quite frankly, it was not a compliment either, the undertone is "he wasn't"...
Doc has power in this league...I will give you that...

Of course he wasn't. When we got him Austin Rivers was statistically one of the worst to ever play the game, LOL. Nobody denies that. I'm mean seriously, among the worst.

But now any guard who scores 15 ppg, shoots the three at 38% and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of over 2-to-1 is a solid pro. It remains to be seen if Ty or Sindarius will ever get there. If they do, they'll be solid pros too--as I've said from the beginning of this. Shooting and ballhandling are what make a guard--they are not the "little things," they ARE the things.