Will the Clippers Win an NBA Championship With Doc Rivers?

[True Lakers Fan]

They still have the exact same problem as always: ZERO BENCH and now a bit of old age as well
Their workable bench is entirely made of two 37 year olds in Pierce/Crawford.

They are probably good enough to beat anyone in the first round, but not good enough to survive a long playoff run with that pathetic depth.

The Clippers beat the Spurs in the first round in a grueling series, but had absolutely nothing left in the tank.
It was just a matter of time before they lost. They were not beating GS or Cle either with that exhausted bunch.

"Doc the GM" has screwed the team.
And "Doc the Coach" is nowhere near as good as his reputation to clean up the mess.

Personally I am just thankful that Doc has seen to it that Los Angeles never becomes a Clippers Town

 

[ManuForever]

I'm gonna go ahead and say no, just due to the fact that they have done literally nothing in the offseason except for acquire Lance Stephenson, steal DeAndre back and get Pierce. Not sure getting rid of Barnes was worth it. In Pierce, you get tons more offense but less defense. Stephenson brings toughness but not sure he's a guy you can trust late in games, nor does he really do anything to make you a contender.

For me, it's just their defense and locker room issues. What Jordan said about he was tired of Paul barking orders and whatnot is going to effect their overall chemistry. Their defense hasn't improved from what it was last season. I don't know...when I look at the Clippers; even last season, they were a good team but without defense they crumbled and squandered a 3-1 series lead. Gotta rattle you a bit, you'd think.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Their team is looking good, but they have to get over the hump. There is a lot of competition in the West.

 

[shabazz916]

they wnt with chris paul as there best player

 

[SJ76]

I don't know how you come back from being up 3-1 on Houston and lose.. then move on to the playoffs next year.

if you lose a series up 3-1, you obviously don't know how to put a team away and if it's to the Rockets..

Best thing they could have done was let D Jordan go with that salary and brought in someone younger. Clips are paying DJ for a career year that he will never have again.

 

[purguy12]

In my opinion he is a little over rated. Is he a good coach yes but I don't think Clippers have the right team in the west to win it. IF in the East they would have a shot. West is just too tough year in and out to win. I think% chance is low for them to win. If I had to take a guess I will say no he won't win one.

 

[Retroram52]

They also picked up Wesley Johnson who walked across the proverbial hall. Maybe their bench is a little better but not by much.

 

[bksballer89]

I don't know how you come back from being up 3-1 on Houston and lose.. then move on to the playoffs next year.

if you lose a series up 3-1, you obviously don't know how to put a team away and if it's to the Rockets..

Best thing they could have done was let D Jordan go with that salary and brought in someone younger. Clips are paying DJ for a career year that he will never have again.

You do realize he had almost an identical year the previous year as well right?

 

[Heatles84]

I don't know how you come back from being up 3-1 on Houston and lose.. then move on to the playoffs next year.

if you lose a series up 3-1, you obviously don't know how to put a team away and if it's to the Rockets..

Best thing they could have done was let D Jordan go with that salary and brought in someone younger. Clips are paying DJ for a career year that he will never have again.

No. Had Jordan walked, they wouldn't have been able to bring in anyone worth of value. They were over the cap even without Jordan.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

I voted no, but I didn't notice they got Stephenson, Pierce, Aldrich and Johnson. Johnson and Stephenson will make up for the loss of Barnes. I seriously think Stephenson is better than he showed in Charlotte. I think he needs to be on a team where he isn't the number 1 or 2 option. On the Clippers he's just a role player, which is how he succeeded in Indiana. However, he will make Jamal Crawford somewhat redundant. One of those two guys is going to handle the ball when CP3 is off the court, and I'm not sure the other can play off the ball. It's an intriguing match though. It could work. I think Wesley Johnson is very underrated. He's a very good defender and he's not bad from three. Aldrich and Big Baby aren't bad off of the bench. Pierce will be so so during the season, but he will hit clutch shots in the post season. I didn't notice but they had a very good offseason. The starting line up looks something like...

PG- Paul, Rivers(?)
SG- Redick, Crawford
SF- Stephenson/Johnson, Pierce (he will probably play limited minutes to be fresh for the playoffs)
PF- Griffin, Baby
C- Jordan, Aldrich

That's an incredible line up. Rumor has it they are shopping Crawford too? If they can get another post player, they could Slide Stephenson to SG and have an even better roster. I think they may be able to win it with Doc and that roster. It is much improved on the wings and in post season experience.

 

[SJ76]

You do realize he had almost an identical year the previous year as well right?

You do realize he was one of a few in NBA history that has ever averaged over 10 points a game and 15 boards - this year. Previous year was close, but it was not the year he had this year. And like I said, he will not duplicate the year he just had.


waterboys


And big men are much easier to substitute than PG's, SG's, or SF's. WHY? Because DJ is a role player. His job is to get boards and play D, while getting a few buckets a game.

 

[Shanemansj13]

You can call DAJ whatever you want but without him they go from contenders to middle of the pack and no chance in the West. He sparks this team. He is an elite rebounder, defender, and rim protector. He is always an elite finisher and shot over 65% the last two years. He doesnt shoot jumpshots or have many post moves, but that's why they have Blake Griffin and that takes pressure off of DAJ and sometimes the defender. They work together well and CP3 works well with both of them also.
I will take 10 and 15 all night every night.

 

[Clayton]

By my count the LA Clippers have gotten out of the first round the past 2 years beating San Antonio and Golden St and they got better in the offseason. They also won 13 out of the last 14 games last regular season.

I think they are one of the 6 teams that can win it all. The problem is that 5 of those teams seem to be in the West.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I actually think the Clips are loaded- and are right there with OKC, Spurs and GSW

upgrading the SF position by letting go of Barnes and adding Pierce and Stephenson was a large step up. Wesley Johnson was a bust- but he can play some perimeter D at the very least.

If the Clips dont win the title- it will be because the West is loaded and the fact the Clips would be an underdog in the Finals against the Cavs---- I dont think Doc is limiting them in anyway- besides trading for and playing his son who is not good. Not good at all.

 

[Turbo]

I'm sitting here with my CP3 jersey on thinking about this question. To be honest, its not going to happen with Doc Rivers. Clippers fans like myself, need to stop presenting the excuse of Rivers being the head coach and the president of basketball operations as to why we can't get past the 2nd round. Even if he was JUST the head coach, he would not get this team to the championship. The West is too stacked. Doc needed a Big 4 in KG/Pierce/Allen/Rondo back in 2008 when he was in the EAST! Its just not going to happen without depth behind DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin. Chris Paul is getting older. This team, in my opinion, went downhill ever since Eric Bledsoe was traded to the Suns. JJ Redick's best days are behind him, he was only good during his college days at Duke. Where is Jared Dudley now? All while Bledsoe was doing so well with PHX up until he got hit with the injury bug. But still today, he is still young at 25 and more than capable of running a team.

Anyways, I got kinda side-tracked with answering this question. My answer is no Doc will not lead the Clippers to a championship.

 

[Heatles84]

I'm sitting here with my CP3 jersey on thinking about this question. To be honest, its not going to happen with Doc Rivers. Clippers fans like myself, need to stop presenting the excuse of Rivers being the head coach and the president of basketball operations as to why we can't get past the 2nd round. Even if he was JUST the head coach, he would not get this team to the championship. The West is too stacked. Doc needed a Big 4 in KG/Pierce/Allen/Rondo back in 2008 when he was in the EAST! Its just not going to happen without depth behind DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin. Chris Paul is getting older. This team, in my opinion, went downhill ever since Eric Bledsoe was traded to the Suns. JJ Redick's best days are behind him, he was only good during his college days at Duke. Where is Jared Dudley now? All while Bledsoe was doing so well with PHX up until he got hit with the injury bug. But still today, he is still young at 25 and more than capable of running a team.

Anyways, I got kinda side-tracked with answering this question. My answer is no Doc will not lead the Clippers to a championship.

To be fair, when he won the Celtics won. They had the Cavs, Magic, and Pistons (near the end of their title run) to contend with. The East wasn't as bad as it is now.

 

[Turbo]

To be fair, when he won the Celtics won. They had the Cavs, Magic, and Pistons (near the end of their title run) to contend with. The East wasn't as bad as it is now.

Back in 2008, Boston beat the Hawks in 7 games Round 1. It should have never even got that far, the Celtics destroyed the Hawks in the first two games. But the Hawks somehow hung in there with efforts from Horford and Josh Smith...Round 2 was against the Cavs, that series also went to 7 games. The duel between Pierce and LeBron in Game 7 was a classic. Then the Celtics played the Pistons in the ECF. But as you mentioned, the end of the Pistons title run. I think that was like the 5th or 6th time the Pistons made it to the ECF. Which also ended up being their last time. So yeah, you're right about the strength of the East back then.
Bottomline, Doc won't get these Clips a championship. They need a new coach honestly. I dont have a name to offer up right now. But last season was their BEST chance to win it all. OKC was not even in the playoffs. They knocked out the Spurs in Round 1. They had 3-1 on the Rockets. Warriors were going to be the only team in their way to the Finals. The matchups would have been in Clippers favor in terms of size. But the Warriors would have destroyed us in depth. Then the what-if card comes into play, if the Clippers somehow got past the Warriors it would have been easier to win against the injured Cavs team in the finals....Now with the upcoming season, everybody is a year older. you can bet OKC will be in the playoffs with Durant/Westbrook. Anthony Davis may make even more noise with the Pelicans than last year. Houston will be there again with Howard/Harden. Spurs reloaded and added Aldridge/West with the Big 3 of Manu/Timmy/Parker. Then lastly, the defending champs of GSW with Curry. Its just not going to happen. The West is too stacked. Last year was the Clippers only opportunity and they blew it big time.

 

[Heatles84]

Back in 2008, Boston beat the Hawks in 7 games Round 1. It should have never even got that far, the Celtics destroyed the Hawks in the first two games. But the Hawks somehow hung in there with efforts from Horford and Josh Smith...Round 2 was against the Cavs, that series also went to 7 games. The duel between Pierce and LeBron in Game 7 was a classic. Then the Celtics played the Pistons in the ECF. But as you mentioned, the end of the Pistons title run. I think that was like the 5th or 6th time the Pistons made it to the ECF. Which also ended up being their last time. So yeah, you're right about the strength of the East back then.
Bottomline, Doc won't get these Clips a championship. They need a new coach honestly. I dont have a name to offer up right now. But last season was their BEST chance to win it all. OKC was not even in the playoffs. They knocked out the Spurs in Round 1. They had 3-1 on the Rockets. Warriors were going to be the only team in their way to the Finals. The matchups would have been in Clippers favor in terms of size. But the Warriors would have destroyed us in depth. Then the what-if card comes into play, if the Clippers somehow got past the Warriors it would have been easier to win against the injured Cavs team in the finals....Now with the upcoming season, everybody is a year older. you can bet OKC will be in the playoffs with Durant/Westbrook. Anthony Davis may make even more noise with the Pelicans than last year. Houston will be there again with Howard/Harden. Spurs reloaded and added Aldridge/West with the Big 3 of Manu/Timmy/Parker. Then lastly, the defending champs of GSW with Curry. Its just not going to happen. The West is too stacked. Last year was the Clippers only opportunity and they blew it big time.

Agreed. I think the playoffs turn out the way you listed. Basically trade OKC in with the Mavs, and there you go. Obviously OKC will finish anywhere between 1-3, so long as they stay healthy.

 

[Turbo]

Agreed. I think the playoffs turn out the way you listed. Basically trade OKC in with the Mavs, and there you go. Obviously OKC will finish anywhere between 1-3, so long as they stay healthy.

My guess would be...

1-Spurs
2-Warriors
3-Thunder
4-Rockets
5-Grizzlies
6-Clippers
7-Mavs
8-Pelicans or Suns

Similar to last season, but we will see what happens.
The additions of Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce and losing Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes. Plus players remaining healthy will be key.

 

[Heatles84]

My guess would be...

1-Spurs
2-Warriors
3-Thunder
4-Rockets
5-Grizzlies
6-Clippers
7-Mavs
8-Pelicans or Suns

Similar to last season, but we will see what happens.
The additions of Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce and losing Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes. Plus players remaining healthy will be key.

I'd flip the spots of the Clips and Rockets.