Preseason 2015

Robyn Dixon

LOS ANGELES – J.J. Redick has more watches than years of service in the NBA.

Collecting watches has become a hobby of Redick’s since he came into the league in 2006, building himself quite an assortment, from Rolexes to Pateks to FP Journes.

In an interview with Dave Golokhov at Askmen.com, Redick talked about the kind of watches he likes, some of the odder transactions he’s been involved in, when he chooses to wear each watch, which watches he still wants, which accounts watch enthusiasts should follow, what his recommendations would be and much more.

Below is a snippet from that interview, which can be read in full here, about how he decides which of his 12 watches he’ll wear out.

“Q: So let’s break it down to three specific scenarios. Which watch would you wear for brunch with the family, which for a special date with just the wife and then, of course, which are you picking for next year’s Los Angeles Clippers championship parade?

Redick: That’s great. Okay, so brunch with the family, I’m definitely wearing a vintage Rolex. I’m like a v-neck, skinny jeans and Converse-type of guy, so vintage Rolex kind of fits those. My two favorite ones are the 5513 Gilt Dial and then I have a silver dial 6263. That would be the vintage Daytona with the black acrylic bezel. Those are my two favorites.

For a special date with my wife, I would probably be wearing a blazer or suit, or something like that, so I’d go a little dressier. I would probably say I would wear my Patek 5170, which is the modern white gold chronograph that I own.

For the third scenario, which is my favorite scenario you mentioned, I would actually wear a watch that I don’t own yet. A few years ago, I kind of figured out what my ‘grail pieces’ were and that includes the Patek 5970. I’d most likely get it in white gold as it’s a little more versatile than the other three metals. I kind of made a deal with myself that if we win the championship, I would get to buy that watch, so that’s my goal right now. It works great: professional goal and hobby goal go hand-in-hand.”

redick-details-his-watch-collection

Redick Details His Watch Collection

Karen Song

LOS ANGELES – The Clippers trimmed the roster to 15 players with Sunday’s release of Chuck Hayes.

Head coach Doc Rivers made clear Sunday it’ll stay at that number for the time being.

“We’re going to carry the 15 for a while and see how that works,” Rivers said. “Chuck’s tough, because I would’ve liked him on the team. He’s a pro and a great guy to have on your team.”

The belief was it was a two-man race for the 15th roster spot between Hayes and recent signing Luc Mbah a Moute, if the Clippers decided to keep 15 players at all.

The latest news appears good for Mbah a Moute.

“I just show up for work,” Mbah a Moute joked. “They didn’t tell me I can’t be here anymore, so I’m here.”

And it’s where he’d like to stay after his peculiar situation with the Kings, which is still getting resolved. A grievance was filed and lawyers on both sides are still talking after Sacramento voided Mbah a Moute’s contract for a failed physical because of an alleged shoulder injury Mbah a Moute says has never been a limitation for him.

The end result was Mbah a Moute landing in Los Angeles, fighting to make a team. It’s not a situation he’d like to repeat, but he’s glad he fell where he did, and he’s just trying to enjoy it. He said even as the Clippers were set to make a cut, it wasn’t something he was thinking about.

“I’ve never been in this situation,” Mbah a Moute said. “I didn’t look at it like I have to make the team. I looked at it as getting back to playing basketball.”

After training at home during the summer, he’s just glad to be back on the court. He said he’s moved on from the Sacramento situation, and he doesn’t want to stay caught up in the past.

“I’m just glad for the opportunity to be on this team,” Mbah a Moute said. “This team has a chance to be something special and to be a part of it would be special. I’m glad it worked out for me.”

Mbah a Moute said whatever Rivers wants from him, he’ll be ready to contribute. But Mbah a Moute and Rivers both know the side of the floor he needs to excel on.

“He’s one of those guys that can be a great team defender,” Rivers said. “It all goes back to defense. He’s just one of those guys that can guard multiple positions. He’s also a good vet to have in the locker room.”

While speaking from the Clippers’ Feed the Community event Sunday, Crawford said he was feeling much better and should be fine for the regular season opener after missing the preseason finale with a triceps injury.

Crawford said he was able to work out hard Saturday and felt fine, and he was back on the court for Sunday’s practice. The injury occurred in a previous practice.

“It was funny, because I felt like it was a funny bone at first,” Crawford said. “At practice at USC, went through it, everything was fine, but later that night I was getting some water at the store and … I looked and it was swollen and I’m like, ‘Woah.’ Got some treatment that night. I’ll be fine. No problems.”

Rivers said with Crawford back, everyone now appears healthy.

“It’s been good so far,” Rivers said of the injury situation. “It’s all luck. Anybody who tells you they can prevent injuries are not telling the truth.”

It was going to take someone special to follow Mike Krzyzewski at Team USA.

The Clippers, who have three players in Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan who practiced with Team USA this summer, had only positive things to say about Team USA’s decision to make Gregg Popovich the country’s next head coach.

“Pop is amazing,” Paul said. “I was surprised, obviously, because that’s a big commitment. But I think it’s huge for USA basketball. I couldn’t imagine replacing Coach K with anybody other than somebody like Coach Popovich.”

Paul isn’t thinking beyond next summer, and Popovich won’t take over until 2017, but he knows from talking to players such as Tony Parker and Tim Duncan the kind of respect Popovich has from his players. It also means something to Paul that Team USA has a strong figurehead for the future.

“I think it gives it a lot of credibility,” Paul said. “It shows you’re playing for a coach who’s going to teach you and try to make you better.”

Head coach Doc Rivers also liked the decision.

“They got it right,” Rivers said. “I think it was the only choice."

notebook-keeping-15-players-crawford-status

Notebook: Keeping 15 Players, Crawford Status

LOS ANGELES – For many players, going from starter to reserve can be demoralizing.

That’s not the case for Wesley Johnson, or for any of the Clippers’ backups, despite many of them realizing they could be starting elsewhere.

“It’s bigger than me,” Johnson said after serving as a key cog of a bench unit sparking the Clippers’ 35-point comeback victory in Thursday’s preseason finale. “We’re trying to do something historic here. We want to win. That’s everybody’s goal, so everybody’s buying into it.”

Johnson started three games early in the preseason before serving his role as a bench player as the regular season drew closer. Head coach Doc Rivers has seen a more comfortable player in Johnson since the switch.

It’s something with a small sample size Rivers wants to continue to evaluate, but he can see better spacing with the backup group when Johnson’s on the floor. Johnson didn’t take a shot the first three quarters of the comeback victory Thursday only to go 4-for-4 in the fourth quarter, unafraid to shoot, not hesitating as he pulled the trigger.

“We’re starting to build that chemistry in practice,” Johnson said, “and when they moved me down there it was a comfortable fit.”

No complaining. No bickering about what his role will be. Johnson knows he may start some games, and he may be part of the bench unit. He doesn’t seem to care, which appears to be a theme among the Clippers’ reserves.

“It’s about what’s best for the team,” said Austin Rivers. “Wes knows he could go somewhere and start. I feel like I could go a lot of places and start, to be honest, the way I put in my work this summer. Josh (Smith) could start a lot of places. Paul (Pierce) started his whole career, he’s not complaining about it.

“Just think, he’s a Hall of Famer, he hasn’t said a word about it. If he’s not complaining, I’m sure not complaining. It’s about the team.”

The Clippers have preached patience with so many new faces on the backup unit, but Austin Rivers felt something click in practice a couple days ago, and the reserves haven’t slowed down since.

On Thursday, the reserves showed why they could be starting elsewhere.

Pierce went 7-for-11 and 5-of-7 from deep, while Austin Rivers went 6-of-11 and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Smith added three field goals, four rebounds, four assists and a swat on Damian Lillard as the Clippers finished their comeback.

And, of course, there was Johnson’s 4-for-4 night, helping turn a nine-point deficit after three quarters into a six-point win.

“It’s all about confidence,” Pierce said. “That’s with everybody. A lot of guys have a lot of talent in this league, but guys’ confidence waivers. Maybe it’s due to minutes, things that go on off the court. You never know with guys, but (Johnson) knows he has the talent. That’s the reason we brought him here, that’s the reason he was a high pick in the draft.”

Pierce didn’t want to blow up the preseason finale into more than it was, calling it a great tune-up for the regular season.

But he sees a group around him buying in to whatever role is asked of each player on a given night, whether starting or coming off the bench.

“Everybody understands the big picture,” Pierce said. “Everybody wants to win. You’ve got a lot of guys on here who’ve made a lot of money in their careers, signed contracts. You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘What’s left?’ For me, it’s to win another championship. You ask other guys, and they say the same thing.”

Those other guys he’s referring to then look at Pierce, an NBA Finals MVP and 10-time All-Star willingly coming off the bench, and realize there’s nothing to complain about.

“I think when people come into situations where they’re traded and their role is minimized, some people can’t cope with it,” Smith said. “But we all want to be here. We’re playing for a purpose, and we’re willing to sacrifice.”

johnson-backups-show-willingness-to-sacrifice

Johnson, Backups Show Willingness To Sacrifice

nbaplatformservices

josh-smith-with-the-rejection-10-22-15

Josh Smith With The Rejection | 10/22/15

deandre-jordan-hits-one-home-10-22-15

DeAndre Jordan Hits One Home | 10/22/15

blake-griffin-in-the-paint-10-22-15

Blake Griffin In The Paint | 10/22/15

Play of the Game: DeAndre Jordan vs. Trail Blazers | 10/22/15

play-of-the-game-deandre-jordan-vs-trail-blazers-10-22-15

LOS ANGELES – For most players and teams, the preseason is nothing more than a prequel to the real thing.

What Thursday provided for the Clippers may have been more than that.

In erasing a 35-point deficit, in what felt like anything but a preseason game, to beat the Trail Blazers, 115-109, the Clippers may have also learned a lesson they can carry along with them when games start to matter.

“Whenever we get down throughout the year, I’m going to go back and refer to this game,” said Paul Pierce. “The game is never over. Guys have to realize that.”

The sixth and final preseason provided everything head coach Doc Rivers and the Clippers could’ve hoped for and was a microcosm of the Clippers’ preseason as a whole, starting slow and ending with a bang.

The crowd was into it, the starters and bench both picked each other up to ignite the comeback, and the revamped backup group was there to finish off the job, even as Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers’ starting backcourt remained in the game.

“It’s just progress for us,” said Josh Smith, who swatted away one of Lillard’s shots as the Clippers stormed their way to a lead in the fourth quarter for the first time since early in the first. “It’s coming together for us. It’s good to see us have a game like that where we’re down by 30 plus and fighting through adversity and we will our way through the win.”

Portland went on a 20-0 run in the first quarter, shooting 15-for-22 from the field at that point. The Clippers had eight turnovers and had made only six field goals in the first quarter. Things got worse early in the second quarter, but the momentum started to shift late in the first half, as the Clippers closed the second quarter on a 25-8 run.

The Clippers still trailed by 18 points at that point, but the deficit didn’t last. By the end of the third quarter, that deficit was cut in half courtesy of the starters.

“It’s hard to turn a team off,” Rivers said, “but eventually we finally did.”

Then, the backups finished the job, quickly going on a 6-0 run sparked by Wesley Johnson to start the fourth quarter and get within three points of the lead. At that point, the game was up for grabs, and the Clippers took firm grasp, outscoring the Trail Blazers by 24 points in the second half.

“It was really fun,” Johnson said. “That’s how you’re supposed to play. Down 30, 35 and come back like that? Regardless of preseason or not, that builds good character for the team. It shows we’re not going to give up.”

Johnson, Austin Rivers, Josh Smith and Paul Pierce combined to score 44 points off the bench for the Clippers on 20-of-33 shooting. It was especially their work from long range, with Rivers, Johnson and Pierce combining to go 9-of-13 from behind the arc, which put the dagger in Portland and sent the Clippers roaring out of preseason action.

At one point, Pierce knocked down a 3-pointer on three straight possessions.

“That’s just what we expect out of him,” Johnson said.

Blake Griffin finished with 22 points and eight rebounds. DeAndre Jordan added eight points and 13 rebounds. J.J. Redick had 16 points, while Lance Stephenson made his second straight start at small forward and finished with nine points, four rebounds and four assists.

Jamal Crawford did not play due to a right triceps contusion he suffered in practice, but Doc Rivers said afterward he doesn’t believe the injury to be serious.

NOTES: The Clippers have now wrapped up the preseason with a 3-3 record and begin regular season play Oct. 28 at Sacramento … Lance Stephenson earned his second straight start of the preseason at small forward … Doc Rivers said afterward Johnson seems more comfortable with the second unit, but it’s something he still wants to evaluate … Doc Rivers said he’s liked seeing quicker decision making from both Stephenson and Johnson … The Clippers won despite committing 24 turnovers … The Clippers forced Portland to shoot just 14-of-44 in the second half and won despite 39 points from Lillard ...