The Clippers will play in a new arena next season but they’ll have to hope their current core group can produce a better playoff run, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.
Team president Lawrence Frank declared on Monday that he’ll try to re-sign Paul George, who can opt out of his contract, and James Harden, who will be an unrestricted free agent.
Kawhi Leonard, who signed a three-year extension, only appeared in two games during the first round due to injury. Despite the age of the team, Frank said it’s not far-fetched to believe they’ll have better health during the next postseason.
“I understand the skepticism of, ‘Hey, this is another year where you haven’t had the group [whole],'” he said.“But I would guard against the cynicism. Just because it’s happened [four straight seasons] doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen next year.”
They will have to cling to that hope because they don’t have much choice except to run it back with Leonard, George and Harden, Youngmisuk adds.
We have more on the Clippers:
- Russell Westbrook has a $4MM player option to ponder and stated in an Instagram post that he was just fine with being a key reserve for the team. “I, for one, enjoyed my year, and worked hard to bring the energy and provide a spark for each opportunity I was given,” he wrote in part, adding, “I hope to come back better, stronger, and remain eager to take on any role that continues to put us in the best position to win next season!”
- The Clippers can’t afford to offer Westbrook significantly more if he opts out but Frank said the players would hate to lose him, Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com relays. “Guys in the locker room love Russ,” Frank said. “Got a lot of respect for Russ, what he’s done for his career and what he’s done for the Clippers. He’s one of the game’s great players.”
- The front office has, by all indications, prioritized an extension agreement with head coach Tyronn Lue, according to Medina. Lue has one year left on his deal. “He has a great way of connecting while still holding guys accountable,” Frank said. “He’s a truth teller without leaving scars or wounds. He’s an unbelievable strategist who makes terrific in-game adjustments. And he has a growth mindset in that he’s always looking to get better. So our hope is that Ty is here for a long time. We love Ty.”
- The championship window for this group has closed, Law Murray of The Athletic opines. The conference is too strong and dotted with younger stars leading teams such as Oklahoma City and Minnesota, Murray notes. He adds that the past three years have proven that the team cannot seriously contend with aging, injury-prone stars in Leonard and George. However, Frank disagreed. “We are still big believers that the window is still open,” Frank said, as Murray relays. “But also acknowledge the fact that we can understand the skepticism with it, and there are no guarantees either way.”
This is hysterical “I understand the skepticism of, ‘Hey, this is another year where you haven’t had the group [whole],’” he said.“But I would guard against the cynicism. Just because it’s happened [four straight seasons] doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen next year.”
I’m sure everyone being one year (even) older will only increase their chances of being healthier and better players.
Poor Lawrence Frank being left out to dry by Ballmer. He has no choice but to say “nuh uh”.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
It’s not. Have you tried google?
I have. And while it’s not the “legal definition” go ahead and peruse the Wikipedia entry for insanity under the insult section.
Have you tried not to be so obtuse???
Such an original statement. Did you think of that all by yourself?
The Clippers are doomed. They are built around two injury prone stars and James Freakin’ Harden. This year was the norm, not an outlier.
And Paul George. He’s not exactly an ironman. He’ll be older next year. I’d trade his arse.
Seriously… How To Not Win A Title 101: “Just because it’s happened [four straight seasons] doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen next year.”
Reboot. Trade old injured players for 1st rounders from teams that believe Kawhi will be able to play come the playoffs.
You can’t just trade a player for picks. There’s the matching salary thing. But anyway, I love how you assume that teams will offer first founders for “old injured players.” Also, the only old injured player under contract for next season is Kawhi.
The Window is closed.
Which team had the bigger failure :
Kawhi/PG Clippers
or
KD/Kyrie Nets
Oxymoron question.
I’d say the Nets because while this Clippers team is a train wreck, they at least did not mortgage the future in the process. Each of these players, if traded alone, is a positive value, and they could rebuild quickly at any time with a fire sale.
They won’t. But at least they could.
It must be one of those small bathroom windows. You can’t count on Kawhi. He’s hurt when the Clippers need him the most.