The Los Angeles Clippers have had a rough offseason so far, but head coach Doc Rivers doesn’t think they took a step back.
When asked if Clippers are taking a step back, coach and president Doc Rivers said: "I don't think so. I think we added talent."
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 8, 2017
Added talent?
Let’s give that the old sniff test, shall we?
After watching Chris Paul (one of the best point guards in the Association) leave via trade to the Houston Rockets, they spent top dollar to retain an aging, injury-prone Blake Griffin.
Then, they acquired forward Danilo Galinari in a three-team trade, which isn’t a bad move. After all, he’s started 390 games in his career and averaged 18.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 63 games last season with the Denver Nuggets.
Three-point specialist J.J. Redick bounced. He opted to leave the bright lights of Los Angeles in favor of a chance to play with the FEDS in Philly.
Point guard Raymond Felton also left for greener pastures, signing a one-year deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They landed Patrick Beverly and Sam Dekker in the trade that sent Paul to Houston, so that’s not a complete loss.
So, if we’re keeping score here, they lost one of the game’s best point guards and one of its most potent three-point specialists, kept an injury-prone Blake Griffin, added a decent wing man, a decent point guard and a “meh” power forward.
Is that “adding talent,” as Rivers would have you believe?
We’re not so sure about that.