This year's Los Angeles Clippers team is all about depth. I discussed the matter in my previous post, and it has been alluded to repeatedly by NBA players, coaches, and media since the season began. In a league built on superstars, wherein hopeful teams will max out their salary caps on a few elite players, the Clippers have chosen more of a divide-and-conquer approach for the 2012-13 NBA season.
No other major North American professional sports league lauds its star players as the NBA does. Since the league skyrocketed in popularity during the 1980's due to the on-court success and marketability of the likes of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the value of star players to both an individual team and the NBA as a whole has increased in corresponding fashion. Recent history has shown that the addition of a high profile player (or two, or three...) to an NBA franchise results in immediate increases in ticket and merchandise sales, television and media contracts, worldwide fan interest, and ultimately (in most cases) team success in the form of conference and league championships.
The phenomenon of the star NBA player compared to stars of other major leagues is, in my opinion, the result of a number of factors.
First to consider is team size. An NBA roster may feature 12 active players at any one time. Compare this to the 53-man roster of an NFL team, the 25-man roster of an MLB team, or even the 23-man roster of an NHL team (which is considered a major North American professional sports league as long as you are Canadian...), and it's easy to see how an individual star can greatly impact a team's profile and success.
Secondly, we must consider playing time. An NBA star is often called upon to play over 40 minutes out of every 48 minute game, unless the game is out of reach early or they find themselves in foul trouble. Basketball players are all required to play both offense and defense, being substituted strategically during stoppages in play throughout the game rather than automatically due to changes in possession. This, of course, is not the case in football, where players are on the field for either offense or defense exclusively (with a nod to those also participating in special teams), and are, thus, rarely featured for more than half of any one game. Major League Baseball has players playing both ways (aside from pitchers in the National League), but they're only called upon to bat every few innings and, in the case of starting pitchers (often the teams' biggest stars), not all expected to play even every other game. The only comparable league in terms of playing time is the NHL, but even there the gap is vast.
While the NHL has a similar approach to offensive and defensive responsibilities and continuous play, players are subbed into and out of the game on the fly, playing far shorter shifts and far less total minutes in a game. For example, last season's leader in minutes played in the NBA was the Chicago Bull's Luol Deng, who played over 39 minutes per game, while the NHL's leader in minutes played was the Florida Panthers Brian Campbell, at less than 27 minutes per game. Consider that an NHL game is 60-minutes in length and Campbell was on the ice for only 45% of the average Panthers game, while Deng was on the floor for over 81% of the average Bulls game. Campbell and Deng may not be their respective team's biggest stars, but it stands to reason that your best players will play the most in these two leagues and the numbers show that there really is no comparison as to which league's stars get more time to shine.
The third factor to consider is the accessibility of the fans. The NBA is the only league amongst those hereby discussed not to feature a physical division between the fans in the stands and the athletes in the game. In the NFL, the front row is walled-in, elevated off the field of play, and set back 30 feet from the sidelines. In MLB, the closest of the front row seats are walled-in, elevated off the field of play, and set back 20 feet from the first-base and third-base lines. In the NHL, the best seats are very close to the action, but are still separated from the game by 4-foot high boards and further 8-foot high glass. Unless you are the unlikely 12'6" hockey fan with front row seats, you will not be privileged to an unobstructed close-up view of your favourite Maple Leaf. Every NBA arena, on the other hand provides seating on the very court the players are running upon. No need for netting, walls, boards, or glass. Just be wary of loose balls headed your way, or you may lose your $12 beers to a charging 7-footer attempting to maintain possession.
Similarly, I have heard it argued that the NBA player's profile is increased due to the lack of uniform as a whole. That is to say that an NBA player with bare arms and legs, not wearing any protective headgear is more familiar to the average fan than the MLB fielder under his cap, or the NFL/NHL athlete covered head to toe in padding and sporting a massive helmet. Much like soccer players in Europe, who often translate their on-field heroics into greater cultural starring roles, this bodily exposure in the NBA also allows its players to express themselves and their personalities more so than other North American athletes through their facial expressions, on-court interactions and behaviour, hairstyles, and tattoos.
Lastly, a major consideration into a star player's impact on a team often overlooked by the average fan is the way the NBA game is played today. The league is progressive, in that the rules are forever changing. Each season sees a new group of regulations added to the referees considerations, mostly in an effort to increase excitement (ie. offense) and fanbase. The two biggest changes to the NBA game since the league's inception in 1946 were the addition of the 24-second shot clock in 1954 and the three-point line in 1979. Both these changes to the rules were made as a direct result of declining fan interest resulting from slower, more defensive-minded strategies employed to win games. Much like Major League Baseball has done in the recent past by bringing the outfield walls closer to home plate, and juicing their balls, bats, and players (all facts) to ensure more home runs and higher scores, the NBA has recognized the fans lust for scoring and acted in their own best interest. More recent rule changes, such as illegal defense and hand-check fouls directly limit individual and team defensive success. They also make it a lot easier for individual players to take over games when necessary, allowing them the freedom to get to their spots and get their own shots.
This is star-building at its finest. Players like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Carmelo Anthony live off isolation offense. Gone are the days of running your shooting guards and small forwards off seven back screens while working the ball from side to side in an effort to get an open look. Mostly gone also are the post-up centres, commanding double-teams with their backs to the basket before scoring or finding the open man. In today's NBA, you sign a star (or two, or three...) and you isolate him on the wing when you need a basket. Everyone not in possession of a max-money contract can clear out to the other side of the court and watch their team's investment break his man down off the dribble to score.
This is no secret. This is no conspiracy. This is very obvious and easy for the basketball-savvy to recognize game-in and game-out. Especially towards the end of a close game, when a team really needs a basket. Watch for it next time you're privy to a tight match. As the final 30 seconds of the NBA game in question drags for an eternity through intentional fouls and other oft-employed clock-management techniques; note the offensive movement, or lack thereof. Note the repetitive high screen-and-roll executed again and again in an effort to get the ball to the man making the money. Note the other eight players on the floor fading into the background as he and his unlucky defender square off. Note the defender's need to stay dangerously close, in case he should take advantage of the space allowed to launch the game-winning three. Note the same defender's unwillingness to create any contact due the new hand-check rules. Note the lack of help defense from said defender's teammates thanks to the illegal defense rules. Note the lack of concern on the indulged offensive star's face as his time to truly shine nears. It's the same look he's given you so many times before from the tv screen to the newsstand as he builds his brand, and the NBA's along with it. And he'll give it you again and again, just the way the league wants it.
After it's all said and done; after the shot falls or doesn't, note the players from both benches as they join in the respective celebration or consolation. Note how much it means to them, too.
More on one of them next time.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Tinseltown Takedown
First off, I'm sorry for the nearly year-long layoff.
I believe the timing of Chauncey Billups' freak achilles tear, only two weeks after I praised him as the Clips most reliable player, was too much to bear. The notorious Clipper Curse had reared it's menacing head once again.
To summarize last season, the Clippers still managed to finish with the best record in franchise history, earning them the fifth seed in the Western Conference come playoff time. They won an epic and exhausting seven-game series over the fourth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, only to be swept by the aging but experienced San Antonio Spurs in the second round. It was a bitter end to a thrilling 2011-2012 season, but it wasn't for naught. The Clippers adding quality wins and a playoff appearance to their popular highlight-reel act put the league on notice. Suddenly, they were about more than just futility and Blake Griffin posters. They had become winners. They had become contenders. They had become, at long last, a competitive NBA team.
For a second straight off-season, the Clippers management worked to strengthen the roster for 2012-13. Where previously the Clippers had seemed annually intent on spurning talent in favour of lesser contracts and greater salary cap space, they have recently ante'd up and made the necessary trades and free agent signings to put a legit product on the Staples Center hardwood.
Last off-season, they signed veteran All-Stars Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups to add depth, character, toughness, and much-needed experience. They also re-signed their young, uber-athletic centre, Deandre Jordan (who got his foot in the mesh last night, see vid below), matching a huge offer from the Houston Rockets. Then, days before the lockout-shortened season began, they traded for Dream Teamer and team saviour, Chris Paul. The positive results were immediately obvious.
Perhaps Clippers owner Donald Sterling learned from this experiment, for he opened up his wallet once again this year, signing more quality vets in the ageless Grant Hill, the creative Jamal Crawford, and journeymen Matt Barnes, Ryan Hollins, and Ronny Turiaf. They also traded for the versatile Lamar Odom, whom they had originally drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 1999 draft, and the dependable Willie Green. Before playing a single game, this had already become the best team in franchise history. On paper, at least.
Now, only two games into the 2012-2013 NBA season, they look as good in action as they do in the team program. They are easily the best team to don the Clippers red and blue, are arguably the deepest team in the NBA, and are seemingly the best team in Los Angeles after walking all over the star-studded Lakers last night.
I have previously written about the challenges faced when the Clippers meet their Laker roommates (see "The Good, The Bad, The Upset"). After finishing only one game apart in last year's standings, it looked as though the gap between the two historically-polarized NBA franchises coexisting in L.A. was shrinking quickly. Then the Clippers went and made the aforementioned roster moves, and I thought they'd finally have the pieces in place to usurp the Lakers' throne. However, the Lakers made moves of their own and my expectations were beyond tempered.
In typical Laker fashion, the gold and purple brass pulled the strings on deals bringing super-duperstars Steve Nash and Dwight Howard on board to produce the most daunting foursome seen in years, perhaps ever. With a starting lineup boasting two-time NBA MVP and eight-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash at point guard, 2008 MVP and five-time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant at shooting guard, 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and former NBA Champion Metta World Peace (the Artest formerly known as Ron) at small forward, four-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Champion Pau Gasol at power forward, and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and six-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard at center, the Lakers suddenly had all fans and haters in a frenzy. The Lakers roster now features a total of 35 NBA All-Star appearances in their six-man rotation. This is a very disheartening development for us wishful Clipper fans.
Basketball, though, is a team game. While the Lakers had gone and built a fantasy starting five, the Clippers had assembled a quality cast that can easily go twelve men deep. And this was the difference when the two teams met last night.
The game, played on the Lakers home floor, was close in the first half before the Clippers pulled away in the third quarter. The difference, as I said, was the depth. Lakers coach Mike Brown went with a nine-man rotation, with no reserve playing as much as twenty minutes. On the other hand, Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro got everyone in uniform into the game, playing all 11 active players, with both Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes seeing about thirty minutes of floor time off the bench. In total, the Clippers starters played 128 minutes, versus 189 for the Lakers. This allowed the separation in the second half, where the Clippers were simply fresher then their opponents, and bodes well for the rest of the foreseeably long season ahead. When you consider that neither Chauncey Billups nor Grant Hill, both of whom are expected to play major minutes once healthy, were dressed for the game, it stands to reason that the Clippers will be fresh come playoff time due to Del Negro's play-everyone approach. Even a season-ending injury to a key player not named Chris Paul or Blake Griffin won't be able to thwart the Clippers playoff, and dare I say Championship (?), aspirations.
Hubie Brown, the retired Hall of Fame coach calling last night's game on ESPN, repeatedly referred to the Clippers as contenders for at least the Western Conference crown throughout the night. Had he made such statements two years ago, he'd have been institutionalized. People would have accused the old-timer of finally losing touch with reality or perhaps showing signs of dementia at his advanced age. Last night, though, no one questioned his old man logic. Not even me, the most realistically skeptical of Clipper supporters.
Here's hoping Hubie still knows what he's talking about. Go Clips! We believe!
I believe the timing of Chauncey Billups' freak achilles tear, only two weeks after I praised him as the Clips most reliable player, was too much to bear. The notorious Clipper Curse had reared it's menacing head once again.
To summarize last season, the Clippers still managed to finish with the best record in franchise history, earning them the fifth seed in the Western Conference come playoff time. They won an epic and exhausting seven-game series over the fourth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, only to be swept by the aging but experienced San Antonio Spurs in the second round. It was a bitter end to a thrilling 2011-2012 season, but it wasn't for naught. The Clippers adding quality wins and a playoff appearance to their popular highlight-reel act put the league on notice. Suddenly, they were about more than just futility and Blake Griffin posters. They had become winners. They had become contenders. They had become, at long last, a competitive NBA team.
For a second straight off-season, the Clippers management worked to strengthen the roster for 2012-13. Where previously the Clippers had seemed annually intent on spurning talent in favour of lesser contracts and greater salary cap space, they have recently ante'd up and made the necessary trades and free agent signings to put a legit product on the Staples Center hardwood.
Last off-season, they signed veteran All-Stars Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups to add depth, character, toughness, and much-needed experience. They also re-signed their young, uber-athletic centre, Deandre Jordan (who got his foot in the mesh last night, see vid below), matching a huge offer from the Houston Rockets. Then, days before the lockout-shortened season began, they traded for Dream Teamer and team saviour, Chris Paul. The positive results were immediately obvious.
Perhaps Clippers owner Donald Sterling learned from this experiment, for he opened up his wallet once again this year, signing more quality vets in the ageless Grant Hill, the creative Jamal Crawford, and journeymen Matt Barnes, Ryan Hollins, and Ronny Turiaf. They also traded for the versatile Lamar Odom, whom they had originally drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 1999 draft, and the dependable Willie Green. Before playing a single game, this had already become the best team in franchise history. On paper, at least.
Now, only two games into the 2012-2013 NBA season, they look as good in action as they do in the team program. They are easily the best team to don the Clippers red and blue, are arguably the deepest team in the NBA, and are seemingly the best team in Los Angeles after walking all over the star-studded Lakers last night.
I have previously written about the challenges faced when the Clippers meet their Laker roommates (see "The Good, The Bad, The Upset"). After finishing only one game apart in last year's standings, it looked as though the gap between the two historically-polarized NBA franchises coexisting in L.A. was shrinking quickly. Then the Clippers went and made the aforementioned roster moves, and I thought they'd finally have the pieces in place to usurp the Lakers' throne. However, the Lakers made moves of their own and my expectations were beyond tempered.
In typical Laker fashion, the gold and purple brass pulled the strings on deals bringing super-duperstars Steve Nash and Dwight Howard on board to produce the most daunting foursome seen in years, perhaps ever. With a starting lineup boasting two-time NBA MVP and eight-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash at point guard, 2008 MVP and five-time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant at shooting guard, 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and former NBA Champion Metta World Peace (the Artest formerly known as Ron) at small forward, four-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Champion Pau Gasol at power forward, and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and six-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard at center, the Lakers suddenly had all fans and haters in a frenzy. The Lakers roster now features a total of 35 NBA All-Star appearances in their six-man rotation. This is a very disheartening development for us wishful Clipper fans.
Basketball, though, is a team game. While the Lakers had gone and built a fantasy starting five, the Clippers had assembled a quality cast that can easily go twelve men deep. And this was the difference when the two teams met last night.
The game, played on the Lakers home floor, was close in the first half before the Clippers pulled away in the third quarter. The difference, as I said, was the depth. Lakers coach Mike Brown went with a nine-man rotation, with no reserve playing as much as twenty minutes. On the other hand, Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro got everyone in uniform into the game, playing all 11 active players, with both Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes seeing about thirty minutes of floor time off the bench. In total, the Clippers starters played 128 minutes, versus 189 for the Lakers. This allowed the separation in the second half, where the Clippers were simply fresher then their opponents, and bodes well for the rest of the foreseeably long season ahead. When you consider that neither Chauncey Billups nor Grant Hill, both of whom are expected to play major minutes once healthy, were dressed for the game, it stands to reason that the Clippers will be fresh come playoff time due to Del Negro's play-everyone approach. Even a season-ending injury to a key player not named Chris Paul or Blake Griffin won't be able to thwart the Clippers playoff, and dare I say Championship (?), aspirations.
Hubie Brown, the retired Hall of Fame coach calling last night's game on ESPN, repeatedly referred to the Clippers as contenders for at least the Western Conference crown throughout the night. Had he made such statements two years ago, he'd have been institutionalized. People would have accused the old-timer of finally losing touch with reality or perhaps showing signs of dementia at his advanced age. Last night, though, no one questioned his old man logic. Not even me, the most realistically skeptical of Clipper supporters.
Here's hoping Hubie still knows what he's talking about. Go Clips! We believe!
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