Los Angeles Clippers: Rumors and Rivers

By Connor Aylward
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Updated: January 15, 2015

The recent roster moves by the Los Angeles Clippers have started to raise some eyebrows as to how they help the team, in my opinion, they all will help this team. The addition of Dahntay Jones makes it a certainty that some changes are on the way for the Clippers’ current set of wing players. Rumors have been flying all over the place from Farmar being available to even last years sixth man of the year Jamal Crawford being on the market if the price is right. The honest truth, if you’re a Clipper fan, is that you should be fine with most of the team’s bench players becoming available as it has been a glaring weakness for the team all year.

Farmar and Hawes in particular have drastically underperformed from what was expected of them but there is a major difference between the two. Hawes is young and has the ability to turn into a major asset for the Clippers being a true big that can work his jump shot from anywhere on the floor when he’s clicking. Farmar on the other hand is an aging point guard who is averaging just 4.6 points per game shooting just around 39 percent from the field while having a troubling 1.9 assists per game in a Clippers offense that encourages the point guard to move the ball around the floor.

Lets address the elephant in the room shall we, Austin Rivers coming to the Clippers. Was I the only one whose jaw dropped upon hearing this news? Not because Austin is a magnificent point guard or because he could make this team significantly better but because Doc has changed course and decided all of a sudden that this is the year he’s comfortable with coaching his own son. Listen, if Doc does truly believe he can coach Austin no differently than he would any other player and that he can be the coach to get the best out of his son who’s to tell him no.

However if we’re going to pick apart our own players, we have to look into the new ones we might acquire too, so lets look into Austin’s career and season numbers in New Orleans. Career wise Austin has averaged 6.9 points, 2.3 assists and .5 steals per game to go with a career 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. Those aren’t exactly stellar numbers, and this season he hasn’t made a significant leap in any of those statistical categories. This season Austin is averaging 6.8 points, 2.5 assists and .5 steals all while playing 22.1 minutes per game. The concerning part are his shooting percentages, you would expect these to increase in a player like him in his third season in the league but they just haven’t, Austin is shooting 38.7 percent from the field and a career low 28 percent from three.

In no way am I saying that a number defines a player’s career because there are plenty of very good NBA players who haven’t had stellar stats to go with their play however at this point, it’s all we have to judge him on and Austin Rivers doesn’t impress in that category. However, I see the interest when looking at Rivers as far as scheme goes as Austin can play the point or shooting guard positions and when he is on can shoot at a very impressive clip. Again though, he hasn’t been on his game much lately and this could be a sign the Clippers front office should look at.

If this Rivers trade is going to happen I think Clipper fans need to be praying that all Doc gives up for his son is Jordan Farmar because any more than that and the Clippers are going to make a bad habit of getting worked over in the trading market. Like they did for Jared Dudley this summer when they gave Milwaukee a first round pick to take him off their hands and the Clips have now had to watch Dudley be the small forward they always wanted, in Milwaukee. If I’m the Clippers approaching the trading deadline and I’m looking to bolster the second unit I’m making everybody but Hawes and Crawford available as I think those two have invaluable skills to the team; in Hawes being a shooting big and Crawford being the scoring explosion the Clippers need off of the bench. Here’s a toast to the Clippers getting better at the deadline and not worse. Go Clips Go!

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