OFFICIAL LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 2023-2024 SEASON THREAD

[Nipsey3000]

I dont think the clippers complain that much more than any other team in the league

they really dont. but i think that they definitely focus in on hammering the refs after every single call at times when their focus should be on the game.

 

[HIM]

Man, I try hard not to blame refs or coaches but Doc is making it very difficult. I mean, he's not like VDN who clearly had no idea what he was doing out there and was holding us back. He is very good at certain things but then he makes the most ill advised decisions like not playing Lance one game. Not playing Josh the next. Never playing Aldrich. Playing PP at the 4. Playing Jamal over Wes. Leaving the becnh in for 5 straight minutes in the fourth. Fouling when up 3 and 14 seconds left.


I'm trying Doc. Help me.

 

[certifiedflyboi23]

I bet there's a fire Doc Rivers petition floating around somewhere.

Wouldn't sign it cause it's corny but I wouldn't be mad at it

 

[shoeking2102]

Doc is a good coach. As i've said in this thread before, there's maybe one or two coaches in the league better at the X's and O's that Doc draws up. 

However, a few posters alluded to this a few pages back, Doc's biggest problem (at least this season) is his flat out stubborness, and unwillingness to bend on lineup rotations, and it has a lot to do with lack of trust in analytics and his toxic trust of familiarity, a trait he's shown his entire career. Whether it's coaching or being president, he's always going with "What he feels" (That is a direct quote from doc. He says he coaches from how he feels most of the time) which is dangerous, because in the process you're avoiding logic. 

For instance, he "trust" PP and Jamal. He's more familiar with them which explains why unless some intervention happens, he's always going to ride with them.  He doesn't trust Lance, Wes, and Josh, which is why you see the radical inconsistent playing time for those guys, even though literally EVERYTHING says that they should be playing, and guys like PP and Jamal shouldn't. Coming into Monday's game, you wanted to play Cole, which is great. But you bench our best rim protector this season, and not the guy who literally hadn't made a field goal in a week. 

Good coach, but let's his pride, ego, stubborness, and over reliance on familiarity get in the way of his coaching and it's truly costing us.

 

[shoeking2102]

Here's an example of Doc Rivers failing to use analytics to aid his coaching and also choosing familiarity over logic. I posted this in the nba thread as well:

In among lineups that have played over 150 minues this season the core four plus lance stephenson have a net positive rating of +18. Thats good for 2nd best in the entire NBA to this point.

That lineup has played 7 total minutes in the month of December.

But guise it gets better!

Against the thunder the core 4 plus lance played 4 seconds together

Guise it gets better than that!

Pierce and crawford have played 339 minutes together and in lineups in which they are both together they are a net negative -11.

Man what a time...what a ******* time to be alive

Let me add that Wes Johnson has played 91 minutes with the core four ALL SEASON. Our best wing shooter, our best corner shooter, and our best 3 man has played 91 minutes total with the core four. I legit wish someone would ask doc the reasoning behind these decisions because it literally makes no sense. I'm not trying to play coach here or claim I know more than Doc, but this isn't rocket science. Whether it's intentional or unintentional, he's not giving the Clippers the best chance to win ball games, period.  

 

[Nipsey3000]

i dont think DOC should be fired. i man, maybe he knows something others dont. i agree that lance and wes johnson need to play more 3 than anyone else on the team. i would also like to see how josh smith works at the 3 w/ the core 4 for rebounding and defensive purposes. i dont think he'll do much for floor spacing, but he is streaky...and when he's hitting, he could hit 4 or 5 in a row.

i am more of a fan of lance at the 3 than i am of wesley johnson, being that lance is an upper tier defender, he has shown that he is better behind the arc than his numbers last year suggest and he has shown that he will be ultra aggressive towards the rim which is severely undervalued.

but you guys are right, wes is the better corner 3 shooter...maybe the best shooting 3 overall. (on the clippers)

 

[shoeking2102]

i dont think DOC should be fired. i man, maybe he knows something others dont. i agree that lance and wes johnson need to play more 3 than anyone else on the team. i would also like to see how josh smith works at the 3 w/ the core 4 for rebounding and defensive purposes. i dont think he'll do much for floor spacing, but he is streaky...and when he's hitting, he could hit 4 or 5 in a row.

i am more of a fan of lance at the 3 than i am of wesley johnson, being that lance is an upper tier defender, he has shown that he is better behind the arc than his numbers last year suggest and he has shown that he will be ultra aggressive towards the rim which is severely undervalued.

but you guys are right, wes is the better corner 3 shooter...maybe the best shooting 3 overall. (on the clippers)

Lance at 3 certainly has merit. Like I said, among lineups in THE ENTIRE NBA that have played over 150 minutes, the core 4 with Lance ranks second in the entire league with a +19 so it's not like Lance with the core 4 isn't viable, on the contrary it should be our most used lineup / starting lineup. 

I have a serious problem with our head coach playing that lineup 7 minutes for the entire month. Given how good that lineup has been this season thus far, it's lowkey inexcusable for Doc to have only played that lineup 7 minutes let alone 4 ENTIRE SECONDS like he did against OKC. It makes no sense and defies all logic.

 

[shoeking2102]

 Over his last 5 games, Chris Paul is averaging 21/4/10 with 3 steals on 47/4692 shooting splits. Among the 5 games, he faced the Spurs, Thunder, and Rockets.

He's coming. Felt like it was a matter of time too. 

 

[lawdog1]

He's coming. Felt like it was a matter of time too. 

That's good. Because for all our talk about everyone else, this team is really only going to go as far as Chris and Blake take us. If both of them play their best at the same time, we're capable of beating anyone - even in spite of Doc's current ineptness in some areas.

 

[lawdog1]

BTW, losing to the Lakers tonight would be the equivalent of getting a giant turd in my stocking.

 

[shoeking2102]

That's good. Because for all our talk about everyone else, this team is really only going to go as far as Chris and Blake take us. If both of them play their best at the same time, we're capable of beating anyone - even in spite of Doc's current ineptness in some areas.

I disagree to an extent bro. 

If CP and Blake are rolling then yes, we definitely have a great shot to defeat anyone. But We (or anyone else in this league) can't win without our role players being at their best. In the grand scheme of things, Chris and Blake normally are fine. Usually, we win and lose with how well our bench, and our role players play and in that regard, doc's ineptness could be fatal. 

 

[shoeking2102]

Oh and merry christmas clipper fam! Enjoy this great day with you and yours. Whether you believe in the concept of christmas or not, the spirit and togetherness that christmas bring is something that is welcomed and cherished. 

 

[lawdog1]

Oh and merry christmas clipper fam! Enjoy this great day with you and yours. Whether you believe in the concept of christmas or not, the spirit and togetherness that christmas bring is something that is welcomed and cherished. 

Well said. Repped.

 

[lawdog1]

I disagree to an extent bro. 

If CP and Blake are rolling then yes, we definitely have a great shot to defeat anyone. But We (or anyone else in this league) can't win without our role players being at their best. In the grand scheme of things, Chris and Blake normally are fine. Usually, we win and lose with how well our bench, and our role players play and in that regard, doc's ineptness could be fatal. 

Yeah, we may have to agree to disagree on that. Yeah, our bench faltered against the Rockets in Game 6 last season, but IMO we still could have pulled the game out of Chris and Blake delivered in the 4th quarter. They didn't. Ditto the year before with CP in game 5 against OKC. That's why I say it comes down to them. We'll be in position to do something and whether we actually do will require them to be better than they have been previously in those moments.

 

[HIM]

We will begin our 25 game win streak tonight. Hope Kobe goes for 50 on us in a loss.

 

[certifiedflyboi23]

No way in hell we losing to the Lakers

 

[shoeking2102]

Watching Pierce get in the game before Josh Smith and Wesley Johnson and clank open shots is infuriating 

 

[lawdog1]

Watching Pierce get in the game before Josh Smith and Wesley Johnson and clank open shots is infuriating 

Just said basically the same thing in the NBA thread. I think Josh and Cole would work great together. But ******* Doc has to play PP. >:

 

[shoeking2102]

Man listen,

We really aren't going anywhere this season if Doc continues this madness. How does Luc play 13 first half minutes man. That's more than Josh Smith, Wes Johnson, and Lance Stephenson Combined.

That's absurd. 

 

[shoeking2102]

And CP3 is back to 14'-15' form.

 

[wavycrocket]

Yeah. Cp3 looks like he's rounding out to old form. Point God still got sum left in the tank [emoji]128588[/emoji][emoji]127998[/emoji].

I got faith mane.

 

[shoeking2102]

Yeah. Cp3 looks like he's rounding out to old form. Point God still got sum left in the tank [emoji]128588[/emoji][emoji]127998[/emoji].

I got faith mane.

The biggest thing to me was that during this season he never looked like he couldn't get to his spots on the floor anymore you know? It was simply his shooting that was off, which IMO his injuries had something to do with that. As he gets more healthy and more in game reps, I felt like he would come into focus.

 

[shoeking2102]

Just look at paul pierce leading to a laker run while Josh and Wes look on. Look at him.

 

[lawdog1]

Just look at paul pierce leading to a laker run while Josh and Wes look on. Look at him.

Just crazy. I don't even have words any more.

 

[shoeking2102]

Doc's insistance on playing bench lineups that include both PP and Jamal are hilarious.

They've played over 340 minutes together this season and are at like a net -13 and he continues to do it and it burns us every single time.

Meanwhile Josh is catching a dnp and Wes has played 3 min tonight.

Coach Doc.