After accomplishing as much as the organization did last year, a great deal of optimism loomed for the Clippers as the summer progressed. After acquiring Chris Paul last December, they did the best job possible of composing a roster ready for battle alongside Blake Griffin and Paul. The mentality reminded me of how I pick my fantasy football team: Do I pick the best players available or do I get the positions I need? In a year where the offseason was fewer than two weeks, you don’t have a choice. You grab what you can like you’re in one of those vacuums that has an assortment of bills flying around, some of the $1 variety, others a larger denomination. The Clippers grabbed what they could, and had more than a few Benjamins in their pockets. They perhaps had the best “offseason” in the NBA in 2011 and while the volume of talent was better than anything a Clipper fan had seen, it has been trumped.
Last year’s roster of 15 essentially had eight spots committed to two positions: point guard and power forward. In fact, at one point, Eric Bledsoe was the fifth guard on the roster (mostly due to a knee injury he suffered in the offseason). This summer, the front office, comprised of Vinny Del Negro, Andy Roeser, and Gary Sacks, did an outstanding job of finding great balance and versatility without breaking the bank. With a combination of veterans who have “been there and done that” with superstars in their prime, who are desperate to win, this season and the foreseeable future, for that matter, is going to be special.
The depth, athleticism, and versatility will be the best in the NBA. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be a 60-win season. There are always problems, but with this set of tools, Del Negro has everything at his disposal. The Clippers are legit title contenders.
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