Los Angeles Clippers 2013-14 season preview

The following post has been contributed to FanSided.com from Trisity Miller of FullyClips.com. Be sure to visit Fully Clips to get the latest news and rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers all year long.

The last memory of the 2012-13 season for Los Angeles Clippers fans wasn’t a pretty one. For the second year straight the team suffered an ugly end to their postseason, this time at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies who defeated them in four straight games after losing the first two.

At that moment, the future of this organization looked weary. Chris Paul, who had displayed unhappiness in the direction the franchise was headed, was up to be an unrestricted free agent, never once guaranteeing a return. If he leaves, the Clippers hopes on being a championship contender for the first time in the 21st century fly out the window.

Then things begin to look up.

The first domino fell as the organization informed Vinny Del Negro that he wouldn’t be returning as the head coach for the 2013-14 NBA season.

Next was the acquisition of Doc Rivers. The club was close to acquiring Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce alongside Doc, but David Stern deemed the transaction illegal. They were forced to pick and went with someone who could change the culture of the team on and off the court.

You know what happens next. The team signed Chris Paul to a five-year, $107 million deal returning to the club.

After that the team acquired sharp-shooters J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley in a multi-team trade that sent Clippers super-sub Eric Bledsoe to the Phoenix Suns. Revamping the starting lineup with that deal, the team went on to sign Darren Collison, Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens and drafted guard Reggie Bullock in the first round to sure up the bench.

Despite all the offseason changes the goal is the same: to be competing in June for an NBA championship. The addition of Doc Rivers gives this team an edge and experience at the head coaching position that Vinny Del Negro lacked. Rivers knows what it takes to coach a team to the NBA championship having won a title in 2008 with the Boston Celtics.

And it starts on the defensive end. During the Celtics run, Rivers had defensive-minded big men in Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett leading the defense. Now he has fifth year center in DeAndre Jordan, not known for his tenacity on defense, but has the talent and skill set to impact the game similar to the aforementioned players. Jordan’s time under Del Negro was underwhelming. After the Clippers matched the Golden State Warriors offer in the summer of 2011, scouts, fans and writers alike all expected Jordan to make an impact on the Clippers similar to what Tyson Chandler did for the Dallas Mavericks during their championship run. That didn’t happen. Playing 24.5 minutes per game last year, Jordan often spent fourth quarters looking on from the bench instead of being on the court. Why? Well Del Negro didn’t trust him. The team defended better with the big man on the bench and his struggles from the free-throw line (shot 38 percent from the stripe in ’12-13) allowed teams to deploy the “Hack-A-Shaq” strategy to disrupt the offense. The benching’s chewed at Jordan’s ego and psyche.

Rivers has vowed to do the opposite. Since the signing he’s been bugging up Jordan’s role on this team. He spoke on him having the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year. Rivers referred to the Clippers “Big 3” as a trio of Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. He’s giving DAJ responsibility and isn’t afraid to hold him accountable, just what the center needs.

Everything else is simple. With Chris Paul the offense will be top-tier. Rivers, as shown in the preseason, has added sets into the playbook to make Paul’s life easier after having to carry the entire offense under Del Negro. Adding Redick and Dudley to the starting lineup with make Paul just as deadly as before in the pick-and-roll and make life easier for Blake Griffin as he’s getting comfortable with becoming a consistent jump shooter.

The bench has decreased going from the glorified “Bench Mob” to a group that’s a weird fit. After losing some of the teams best defenders in Eric Bledsoe and Lamar Odom, Rivers and company opted for offensive additions on the bench. Collison, coming off a down year with the Dallas Mavericks returns to playing behind Paul where he blossomed during his rookie season in New Orleans. He won’t bring the intensity that Bledsoe brought not he defense end, but offensively he’s a step up. Jamison was brought in to relive the Lamar Odom role as a stretch four, but with Matt Barnes and Jared Dudley being able to shift to the four slot (and Jamison’s inability to make an impact on defense), his time in the rotation may be cut short. The Byron Mullens signing is still a puzzling one, but one has to think that Rivers thinks a smaller role could mean a boost in his shooting numbers. If he’s on he’ll open the floor for the players as teams have to respect him on defense.

All-in-all, the 2013-14 season will be an adventure watching the Clippers and it’s marquee pieces prove themselves to the doubters. Not many think this Clippers team can win and defend when it matters. Doubters have pointed out Chris Paul’s lack of playoff success despite him being a top guard. Some don’t think Doc Rivers is as good a coach as advertised, having only won when handed three stars in their prime. And no one thinks the big man pairing of Griffin + Jordan can be vital pieces to a championship contender pointing to their lack of defense and shooting as reasons why.

The doubts give this team extra incentive. Rivers is the captain of this cruise ship and if he can right this team and get them to play at the highest level possible, playing in June will be more than a pipe dream for the fans. It’ll be an actual possibility.