NBA Contenders and Pretenders

PRETENDER: Los Angeles Clippers

Speaking of Chris Paul, who else is excited to potentially see this in the playoffs?

Chris Paul reacts the same way to DeAndre Jordan as I do when my toast flies out of the toaster at half the speed of sound.

The Clippers are in seemingly the same spot they find themselves in every year: just a tier below the best, good enough to be a dreaded opponent in the playoffs, but not quite complete enough to seriously challenge for a championship. What exactly is holding them back?

Any discussion of the Clippers must focus on Blake Griffin. Griffin has been out since Christmas, when he partially tore the quadriceps tendon in his leg against the LA Lakers. While traveling with the Clippers in anticipation of a return, he got into a scary altercation with a Clippers employee that injured his hand and led to a four-game suspension.

The quad injury has been more serious than initially projected.

From ESPN:

"… before Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, [Clippers coach] Doc Rivers stated the initial quad injury was keeping Griffin back more than the hand at this point. “We don’t know when he’s coming back,” Rivers said. “We are hoping as soon as possible. “He looks good, but he still doesn’t feel ready. [Hand]-wise, he’s fine. But he just doesn’t feel right yet. … I would say the hand is ahead of the quad,” Rivers added, confirming a report by Dan Woike of the Orange County Register."

The suspension goes into effect once Griffin is healthy enough to play.

So, on top of having a hobbled and potentially absent Griffin, the Clippers head into the playoffs with a rebound rate of 47.7% (27th in the NBA), a bench that is shooting only 41.7% from the field, and will likely play either the Warriors or the Spurs in the conference semis. In other words, the Clippers look set for another postseason disappointment.

[H/T: ESPN]

Next: Contender: Toronto Raptors