Speights walks back comments
Clippers reserve says he wasn’t calling out new teammates, hopes he didn’t rub them the wrong way.
Reserve forward Marreese Speights says he wasn’t calling out his Clippers teammates.
His comments following the Clippers’ soul-searching loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night left Marreese Speights in the awkward position of having to explain what he meant.
So as he stood before the media with his back against a wall before practice Thursday, Speights said he wished he had chosen his words more carefully before critiquing the Clippers after a 115-98 loss.
His take was that they needed to stop arguing with officials, sacrifice more, put personal goals aside and try something new after unsuccessful efforts against the Warriors the last few seasons.
Speights, who played the last three seasons with the Warriors, didn’t think he rubbed his teammates the wrong way.
“It’s just sometimes I should have just said it in different kind of ways,” he said. “I’m on the team, man. I’m biased to this team. Every time I step on that court, I’m going to play hard for [Clippers Coach] Doc [Rivers], for this city, for this team. I’m not trying to call nobody out.
“The will to win. …You just want to win. You just want to do it the right way. You want to do it for a great coach like Doc and the city of L.A. That’s something that maybe I should have said a little different. I’m not calling nobody out.”
Perhaps the question is how much truth was derived from Speights’ observation about the Clippers.
An emotional team, the Clippers were called for three technical fouls Wednesday night.
They are trending in the wrong direction, with five losses in their last seven games.
They can let their spirit wander positively or aimlessly, depending on the circumstance.
“Well, I’m just going to say, from being on this team and being with these guys, guys are trying to change,” Speights said. “It’s changing a little bit. It changed at the beginning of the year. Sometimes it’s not going to be perfect, so you’re going to have setbacks. Whatever you’re trying to change to be a different team or different something, you always have a setback.
“I’m not going to say we haven’t changed. But we’re changing. It’s going to take time. It’s a process. It’s still early in the year so we’ll be all right.”
J.J. Redick said he had no problem with Speights’ statement.
But Redick had his own take on the Clippers’ swoon.
“I think the big takeaway for me after the game last night was just like, we’ve got to play with some joy,” he said. “Basketball’s meant to be fun.
“We’re serious, you’ve got to be prepared, you’ve got to follow the game plan and all that, but I just think we’re better when we play with joy. The Warriors certainly do that on a nightly basis. I’m not going to continue to compare the two teams, but they’re sort of the standard right now, along with the Spurs and the Cavs.
“Those are the teams that have won the last three championships. Those teams play with joy.”