Charles Barkley and Steve Kerr weigh in on the Clippers

[mkwest]

Who poses the greatest threat to the Heat?

Barkley: "There's a very short list of teams that can actually win the championship. I think Brooklyn is interesting. You have to wonder how much Paul (Pierce) and Kevin (Garnett) have left in the tank. I think that's going to be a great story line to watch. I think the Pacers — the Pacers are legit. The Pacers are flat out legit. I think you've got to figure out how well (Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell) Westbrook is going to come back to see what Oklahoma City has. But I think the big question marks — what we're talking about — to me is going to go down to the Dwight (Howard) story, which is fascinating, but the big key to me is going to be the Blake Griffin/DeAndre Jordan (story line) and how they got better as players. (The Clippers have) all the other pieces, they just don't have inside guys who can get their own shots and dominate. That's all they're missing.

Are the Clippers title contenders?

Barkley: "Obviously, Doc (Rivers) is a good coach, and I like them getting (free agent center) Byron Mullens. I think that was a sleeper pickup. But it's going to come down to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Have they gotten better as players? All that other stuff is irrelevant. That role player stuff (the Clippers landed Jared Dudley, J.J. Redick, Antawn Jamison and Darren Collison and re-signed Matt Barnes), that don't mean anything. It's going to come down to how much better Blake and DeAndre have gotten as players, but I do like the Mullens pickup. That was a steal. … But unless Blake and DeAndre have gotten better as players, they're not going anywhere."

Kerr: "I think it was really good timing (to part ways with former coach Vinny Del Negro and sign Rivers). I think Paul and Griffin are ready to take that next step. And I think Doc adds so much credibility. And he's legitimately such a good coach that I think he could help get them to the next level — whatever that means. (It's) not necessarily to win the whole thing, but to be a better playoff team, to be more efficient, more difficult to guard. I think he'll make them better and they'll be in the hunt. I worry about their frontcourt. I don't think they have enough behind Griffin and Jordan. They're counting on Antawn Jamison and maybe Mullens, and those guys may fit in and find their roles. But to me they're one player short in the frontcourt."

Sam Amick, USA Today

[og15]

Kerr is basically saying a lot of what we have said, similarly Barkley except he's probably more excited about Mullens than most people are, but I've never put great stock in Barkley's conclusions, so it doesn't move me one way or another.

[Sofia]

How does Barkley say so much yet say so little?

[mkwest]

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

Barkley picks the Clippers to come out of the West.

[mttwlsn16]

Wow! Chuck not talking **** about us for once haha

[LACtdom]

For chuck to think we will make it to the finals, we must be doing something right .

[mj_shoefanatic]

Chuck will troll us after every loss so I'm just not buying it.

[madmaxmedia]

The TNT guys were not impressed with Blake's half court offense last night. The main points being that Blake is getting his post entry pass too far out, and not commanding double teams which will create offense for the team as a whole.

Charles was hoping for more out of Blake and DJ after the offseason, of course he said it's still early. But he said basketball teams are made during the season, basketball players are made during the summer.

I kind of agree with his concerns, not saying that our guys can't do it but Blake still doesn't seem there in the half court. It's not that Blake can't score in the half court, he can. And his fast break points shouldn't be discounted, those 3 lob dunks in a row were all big time.

But it would help if we had a good meat and potatoes guy on the low block. I love both Blake and DJ, but it just so happens both are greater athletes than fundamental low post big men.