2023-04-30 06:02:55
Leonard and George have entered their fifth year as a team. Every year, they are either injured or reversed 3-1. The fans are really fed up! As the team with the highest salary in the league, it is only a one-round tour. Seeing that both of them will enter the tail end of their professional peak at the age of 32, and the assets that have been squandered have been exhausted. Take it apart!” I am definitely on this side emotionally. It is undeniable that I am a little emotional. I don’t want to see the same ending again and again. I would rather give up and change a new face. So simple.
After the two main players Paul George and Kawhi Leonard fell one after another, the green leaf teenager in the Clippers played a competitive game. Russell Westbrook even reproduced the domineering star of the past. He pressed the Suns every game and won respect. However, all of this is true It’s just a “fig leaf” for speedboats. As the team manager Lawrence Frank said bluntly at the press conference after the elimination, he didn’t want to get hurt and work hard to cover up the fact that this is a disappointing season.
Leonard and George have entered their fifth year as a team. Every year, they are either injured or reversed 3-1. The fans are really fed up! As the team with the highest salary in the league, it is only a one-round tour. Seeing that both of them will enter the tail end of their professional peak at the age of 32, and the assets that have been squandered have been exhausted. Take it apart!” I am definitely on this side emotionally. It is undeniable that I am a little emotional. I don’t want to see the same ending again and again. I would rather give up and change a new face. So simple.
Further reading: From Chris Paul all the way to Kawhi Leonard! Looking back at the cursed “star injury history” of the Los Angeles Clippers
“Let’s take it apart!” It’s simple to say but difficult to practice, especially if you have to evaluate whether there is really no chance in front of you? The most practical question is: who will buy it? The biggest disadvantage of being a seller at this moment is that the entire league knows that you want to dismantle, and the physical condition and age of Leonard and George are seen by all the executives. The Clippers will definitely not be able to bring back stars of the same level. Reorganization, the Clippers are only taking a step back, reducing the structure from the championship to steadily entering the playoffs, which may not be of great significance. Looking at the future draft and potential, it is another long and endless road to reconstruction.
Four years have passed since the Thunder took Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) with the Clippers. They only made the playoffs once when Chris Paul was still on the team. The team has a young core that still has room for improvement, and it has a lot of bargaining chips. However, who can guarantee that in the next three years, will the Thunder have a chance to hit the Western Conference Championship? Three years later, faced with several core players signing new contracts and filling their salaries, will they have the ability to further exchange their combat power? Even the SGA or Josh Giddey, is there a way to play like Leonard in the playoffs? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking down on the Thunder. Even with such a good hand, when our goal is the championship, everything in the process is always full of uncertainty.
This is a risk that must be borne by rebuilding the team or making any decision. If there is no change, there will be no breakthrough. It’s just that the Clippers can enter the reconstruction at any time, and it can be done in two or three years. Do you want to give up that 1% at this moment (this summer)? Or less chance of winning, and instead pursue another confusing path? Perhaps before the best selling point comes, the Clippers still have a chance to struggle. Rather than rebuilding for rebuilding’s sake, timing may be more important.
Looking back on the speedboats facing the reconstruction project after the Lob City era in 2019, if the Paul George and Kawhi Leonard transactions did not succeed that year, what kind of situation would the speedboats with SGA be in now? This is a hypothetical question. I guess SGA will definitely not become the current version of SGA. The growth direction will inevitably be different from that of the Thunder. It is also possible to find another star and match. It is just to find George and Leonard at once. With the same level of combat power, if you miss 2019, it will be relatively difficult to push back from the market conditions in the next two years. It is estimated that it will take 1-2 years to reorganize and train troops, and you can hover between the first round and the second round until the time is right. After that, the second wave of transactions may be launched, and the assets in hand will be sold and another star will be traded to officially enter the ranks of the championship.
Barring any catastrophic surprises, considering the speedboat’s skills and assets in 2019, it may be possible to look forward to forming another competitive and mature lineup in the opening season of 2022, just like the one just formed in 2019. In other words, in order to be included in the “championship ranks”, the speedboat took an additional 3 years in the timeline of this world to stand on the starting line of this era. This is the premise that everything goes well.
It is undeniable that “as long as they are healthy” Leonard and George’s ceiling height is very clear, and they are still the top 10 strikers in the league. No opponent will dare to underestimate them in the playoffs (healthy speedboats are like myths), Or with a little more luck, the Clippers can play another surprising season. And to form a duo of this level, no matter through trade or draft, it will probably take ten years or more to find a rare opportunity. The NBA playoffs have already proved that this is a battlefield for star players. It is too difficult for Tier 2 stars to gather together to win the championship. What’s more, the Clippers are in Los Angeles, and the new arena is about to open in September 2024. It’s hard to say whether the owner Steve Ballmer is willing to give up at this moment.
Choosing to continue fighting is the direction Lawrence Frank has given for the time being. The challenge is more difficult than the road to reconstruction. In the eyes of many people, it may be more like a dying struggle. First, the new salary regulation (CBA) will take effect this summer, and the second Aprons set up for the giants will completely kill the Clippers’ chances of reinforcement. The oncoming problem is that if Russell Westbrook wants to renew his contract, the team may not even be able to offer a contract for the middle class after tax (6.3 million). Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee are two playoff-worthy combatants. If you want to keep people, you have to bear heavy pressure. You can no longer solve the problem by paying the luxury tax as in the past. Careless operation will affect future trading flexibility.
Extended reading: The end of the super rich, the free market will be more deserted?A Preliminary Exploration of the Major Changes in the New NBA “Labor Agreement”
In addition, the “striker sea” that the Clippers were proud of in this year’s playoffs is completely unusable. The three veterans Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, and Robert Covington are either obviously aging or are not favored by the coach, let alone after Serge Ibaka left the team. , without the front line ball, the Clippers have no assets to fight against the basketball trend of the new era, such as Ivica Zubac. The traditional center is destined to become a scoring cash machine in the playoffs. It has been a defect that has not been resolved for several years and needs to be restructured It is the most in recent years, and the conflict between head coach Ty Lue and Lawrence Frank’s military philosophy is another potential big problem.
Personally, “intellectually” (emotionally, I want to dismantle it) I think the pragmatic way is to start improving the lineup first and not dismantle the team, and wait for the opportunity while playing. A healthy double star still gives a slight chance to win the championship. If good luck comes, fortunately Yu escaped the ravages of injuries, and it is not impossible to fight for another year or two. Once you encounter a good trading partner on the way, you can immediately turn to rebuilding. For example, the transaction case of Blake Griffin back then may be better than the showdown now.
The focus will be on the “extended contract” negotiations with the two stars during the offseason, and the price will determine the direction of the Clippers. Extending the contract for 2-3 years will enable the Clippers to continue to hold bargaining chips. Even if George and Leonard cannot be expected to get a high offer, as a star player, he must have a basic market. Compared with flowing into the free market out of thin air, he still has the initiative to sell. right.
The key is how much is the contract price? If Max gets the largest contract, the Clippers may fall into a situation similar to that of Blazers Damian Lillard and wizard Bradley Beal, striving for a price similar to or lower than the current price, and then relying on the expected high salary increase space for the next few consecutive years, year by year It is estimated that the Clippers are more willing to see the slowdown of salary pressure. If the stars are unwilling to accept it, then the Clippers will naturally have a reason to go along with it and rebuild. If they insist on it, then I think this team will continue to be in a downturn for several years.
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