Bruce Jenkins: Warriors, Clippers on different paths.
The Warriors have no respect for the L.A. Clippers, and they take great delight in every humiliation, but even Stephen Curry felt compelled to stand over the fallen Blake Griffin on Saturday afternoon, checking to see whether he was OK.
He wasn’t. He suffered a concussion. One wishes Griffin a safe passage to recovery, but his performance before the injury said everything about the Warriors-Clippers dynamic — and an L.A. team lurching ever awkwardly into the future.
As usual, Griffin was utterly hopeless in his matchup with Draymond Green and everyone else in a Golden State uniform. Looking to score inside, he was stripped by Green, who sprinted the other way and scored on a fastbreak dunk. A bit later, conspicuously tentative as he moved through the lane, Griffin saw his shot rudely rejected by JaVale McGee. Then came the injury, for which Griffin should take full responsibility. He was out of control on a near-the-baseline drive and was in the process of falling to the floor when he caught McGee’s elbow in the head.
What else could go wrong with this doomed franchise, still without an NBA Finals appearance dating to 1971 (through Buffalo and San Diego)? Common sense suggests the Clippers trade a couple of potential free agents, Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan, before losing them for nothing. They have far too many injuries to even consider having an impact in the Western Conference. But they have their pride. A playoff appearance would do them good, and they stand just one slot behind the eighth team in the conference standings, New Orleans.
In the meantime, the potshots continue. Earlier this week on ESPN, ex-Warrior Stephen Jackson called Griffin “the most unreliable player in the league” because he is hurt so often. “I’d rather build my team about Jordan,” said Jackson. “Somebody I know is gonna be there.”
Around the NBA
Could the Celtics wind up with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft? As part of the deal that gave Philadelphia last year’s No. 1 pick (Boston traded down and drafted Jayson Tatum), the Celtics will receive the Lakers’ first-round pick if it lands between two and five — and the reeling Lakers (11-27) have the second-worst record in the league. “We’re playing like garbage,” rookie forward Kyle Kuzma said after Friday night’s loss to Charlotte, the Lakers’ ninth straight. Worse yet, they haven’t won at home since Nov. 21 against Chicago.
What’s next for Andrew Bogut? Lakers coach Luke Walton praised the center’s defensive communication and rim protection, but he never quite fit on that roster and was waived on Saturday. Brook Lopez is hardly the answer as the Lakers’ big man, either, leaving a major gap as the Lakers try to lure elite free agents into the fold next summer. (DeMarcus Cousins is among those potential free agents, but he’s no guarantee to leave New Orleans.)
Big mistake: The Lakers held a private workout with Kristaps Porzingis before the 2015 draft and were totally unimpressed. Sources said thengeneral manager Mitch Kupchak had Mark Madsen aggressively guarding Porzingis, trying to intimidate him with physicality, and the Lakers (particularly then-coach Byron Scott) concluded Porzingis was too soft. They bypassed the 7-foot-3 Latvian and chose D’Angelo Russell instead.
Porzingis has been a revelation with his all-around skills, but he did look a bit soft when he declared “I’m tired, I’m very tired” after the Knicks’ second game of a back-to-back on Wednesday night. Fatigue isn’t so uncommon among NBA players, but it’s not something you declare out loud. Porzingis is just 22 years old and a leader on that team. Now he’ll be hearing “tired” catcalls from skeptical fans everywhere.
It was a very big deal when Paul George came to L.A. with Oklahoma City this week, rekindling the notion that he will wind up in his hometown with the Lakers. It boils down to this: George won’t be going anywhere at the trading deadline. He genuinely likes Oklahoma City, and the Thunder have developed an offensive flow (finally) that makes them a looming threat in the playoffs. “If I feel there’s something we’re building, it would be kind of clueless, just stupid on my behalf to up and leave,” George told ESPN. If OKC’s season ends with a thud, there’s a fair chance he bails — but he’ll need to see more from the Lakers than they’ve shown so far.
Wise words from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich :“I never look at plus-minus. To me, that’s all bull—.” Think about it: How can you statistically isolate one man’s effect on the scoreboard when he’s out there with four other players? It’s a handy stat at times, but I always think back to Jerry West in the Lakers’ futile challenges to the Celtics. Nobody in history played better than West in those Finals. More recently, Jason Kidd (Nets) and Allen Iverson (76ers) were stuck with horribly overmatched teams against the Shaq-Kobe Lakers. You’re going to assign a “minus” number to an all-time great who played his heart out?
So you’re down three points with five seconds to go, the opposing team sets up a threepoint shot, and you let it happen? Where’s the coaching? As Jim Barnett noted on Twitter, “Fouling and giving two free throws is the way to play when you’re up three. I cannot understand the reluctance when it’s been shown over and over again that you win that way.”
It was March 2015 when the fast-ascending Curry made a double-crossover move for the ages, faking the Clippers’ Chris Paul straight to the floor. It spoke to a changing of the (point) guard, and little has changed. Paul remains a vibrant force in the NBA, but in the wake of the Warriors’ victory in Houston on Thursday night, it’s apparent: Curry will always have the edge.