What’s wrong with the LA Clippers? | Good Word with Goodwill

What’s wrong with the LA Clippers? | Good Word with Goodwill

Welcome to the good work my name is Vincent Goodwell senior NBA reporter for Yahoo sports we are part of the ball don’t live podcast get us wherever you get your podcast we are also on YouTube so you see the man in the hoodie next to

Me my man law Murray he covers the Los Angeles Clippers for the athletic we had him on in August and we were strangely optimistic about the Clippers at that time we were rewarded with some stuff from the Clippers a few months ago and now we are back to being concerned how

You doing law I feel good uh I don’t play for the team so you know I feel I I have every reason to just chill out till we get what we get on Monday night but I feel good blessed to be here with you V

This is this time this is the fun time of the year where the playoffs start coming like into a little bit more Focus you start seeing a little bit more of you know now that we’ve getting used to this sort of playin reality you know what I mean like we where things are

Slowly starting to sort of like shape themselves you know what I mean U and we’re going to go real deep on the clippers because I got a lot of questions I saw the Pelicans yesterday in Detroit that’s looking like that’s going to be the first round matchup but

Before we start just a couple of house cleaning notes the g-league ignite shut down uh after this current season that was announced on Thursday that was something that we thought kind of would happen if you listen to Adam Silver on the All-Star press conference I thought

It was really ambitious law but I I felt like this was a necessary sort of transition given nil given what we given what I guess what college basketball should operate as as a feeder system is that how you kind of see it that’s part

Of it I mean I think the other part of it is that team was terrible they like they what 2 and 30 or something it it reminds me of back when the NBA used to fold teams it’s like yeah we guys don’t we we don’t need this anymore we’ll you

Know we’ll take five years figure out what Market needs to be back here or whatever I think the other part of it is every NBA team now has an affiliate you know so ignite was kind of like sticking out there like a sore thumb um I think

The Mexican City team is more relevant than ignite now so by the time the Suns get back in into the G League like remember like we’re we’re old enough to remember when the Suns there was Northern Arizona right um and they sold because whatever the heck they were

Doing with the franchise the Suns at the time they sold the g-league rights to Detroit to have their team and and there was all this movement right like every team values the G League it’s just that when ignite started like you said Vinnie we were just in a different space um the

World was in a different space this was right before the pandemic when they announced that ignite was coming and so I just feel like it got off to a rough start because of that and then the progression just went the other way and then college basketball obviously um you

Know kids are they have other avenues to get paid uh before they play overtime Elite that’s another factor that we weren’t thinking of when ight started and now it’s like all right you literally had two kids drafted top five um out of out of that program it’s just

Different and I think the NBA wants to see what they can do to better uh just be more relevant to what the real issue is and that is developing these kids before they’re even making these decisions at 18 19 years old I I think it’s amazing that kids are playing more

Basketball than ever but they come into the NBA less prepared to play NBA basketball than ever especially the American Kids yes that’s a huge problem they all we dude all we see I think it’s an Instagram Twitter thing where highlight culture you know what I mean I feel like

It’s highlight culture and that’s what these kids are kind of seeing like I believe there’s some correlation between the Highlight culture and the allstar game not being competitive anymore you know I mean like nobody wants to be on the Summer Jam screen in that way because everybody’s addicted to their

Phones and these high school kids are so addicted to their phones they’re playing all this basketball but I don’t think they’re being taught anything you know what I mean like that’s a blanket statement but I don’t think I’m wrong I you know you bring up the allstar allstar game and I saw

Silver on CNN and I would not want to be the generation of Allstar that ruins that game you know like we just had the damn thing in Indiana which you know we’re not going to comment on the market and how they handled Allstar Weekend um but I thought the coolest thing was

Oscar Robertson was there right he’s from Indiana Oscar Robertson went through hell in high water to play basketball um at every level high school college um when he gets in the NBA uh like the stories of how they had a fight you know and basically threatened to

Boycott the damn All-Star game as a means of you know compensating players um and Oscar Robertson’s Legacy in that like this man is still going to Allstar games and they can’t even play hard for him you know uh like that’s where we’re that’s where we’re at like you can’t

Even bully these dudes to play hard in an All-Star game anymore um we hads you can’t Shame Shame yeah so I mean I think it’s I think it’s all related I don’t like talking about it in those terms I really just hope that um I don’t have no

Answers but it is a conversation I I I don’t want to be part of the generation that has to cover the loss or the stripping you know the the absolute just emasculation of an All-Star game um and so I hope we get some kids that care about the game about where the game’s

Been and who’s had to you know get the game to the point that it is both like the you know actual skills of basketball but also just you know the culture of it and and and the show of it yeah uh so we we got we got some things we got to

Figure out there yeah they say the children are the future and and we’re done with the 90s I feel like I want to say we’re done with y’all like I I can’t stand these kids nowadays I feel like a I feel like a grumpy ass old man talking

About how much I don’t like these kids these kids get on my nerves but but speaking of a group law that’s not kids the Minnesota timber wolves or the timber pup right they decided that they’re done with the Golden State Warriors like Stephen Curry was lighting them up but

Only played 30 minutes last night and the Warriors after being up they just collapsed when Stephen Curry was off the I think Steph was a plus seven in the game he lost by four Steph only played 30 minutes Steve Kirk kept him on the bench a little too long

But that’s what happens when you’re 35 36 years old you got to get your rest eight of their next 10 on the road the Houston Rockets younger and stalking Golden State right now like we’re talking about the Clippers and of course we’re going to go deep into that but the

Clippers are at least aure of the playoff spot like the Clippers ain’t they’re not going to be caught in the playing this ain’t dire you know what I mean like the Warriors could literally find themselves not just in on the back end of the play and which was where they

Were going to be anyway they could find themselves out so when Draymond Green says I don’t give a damn about the Rockets bro you should yeah well I think the thing with the I guess starting with the Warriors they’ve been that Team all year uh doesn’t matter who’s been playing who’s

Been out like they’ve blown double digit leads I’ve seen it personally you know I was in Golden state for uh Valentine’s Day right before the All-Star break and it’s Preposterous that Golden State fumbled that game I mean and that was a Steph Curry 40o game something like that

Ton L got ejected that’s how said he was you never see teron L get a technical let alone you know get ejected I think the last time T got ejected from something he had a punch Eduardo nahara that’s how long ago that was so um Golden State’s been that Team all year

They they are they they handle Prosperity poorly uh and and like shout out to them for winning the championship they did that’s the only reason why we even talk about them um they they are a team that everything about them is we want W before so when some time matters

We can turn it on and maybe maybe the Rockets moving up is the thing that does you know make them tap in but the team that I’ve I’ve observed the Golden State team that I’ve observed you can’t trust them until it’s triple zeros and good luck to him because the thing with

Houston is they fell into their success alfer and shenon went down and we were like well it’s been a you know better season than the previous three right and Jaylen green turned into the johnar Clone that I thought that he was supposed to be when you know Dylan

Brooks joined the team and Fred Van vet joined the team to help stabilize them um with with more shots and more space Jaylen green is taken off and and that is Propel like Houston is hosting the Trailblazers tonight like they’re going to keep winning and that’s going

To be the thing they’re going to have a winning should have a winning record at some point this week prob possibly as soon as tonight so shout out to the Rockets cuz they have no tank they they they’re giving their pick away they need to make the playoffs and so it’s going

To be a fascinating end to the to the season uh watching the end of the playin race yeah and at a point we’re going to have to have a conversation about emay Oka I just don’t know what that conversation is going to be because we don’t know how to discuss people like

That in a civilized manner we just don’t like we don’t know what the hell we’re doing you know what I mean we don’t we don’t now speaking of a team that I am a lightweight concerned about law the Milwaukee Bucks you got to see Middleton Giannis Dame last night Chris got Chris

Got the the triple double on the back end you know what I mean but he scored he got the 10 points on the back end of it but they destroyed Oklahoma City and hey it just shows how high the clipper actual I mean the Clippers the Bucks how high the

Bucks the ceiling is you know what I mean like when they are the the talent there when they can put it together if they can find a way to keep Brook Lopez On The Floor you know what I mean defensively because he’s such a huge key

There right and add to the fact that the Thunder are young and Li in the pants and if you are a bully ball team you can bully them and winning about 25 I think it’s a hell of a statement it is and the thing with the Bucks is when they let

Adrien Griffin go we all knew that they had the record that they did but the Vibes weren’t very good the inconsistent on both ends of the floor weren’t very good obviously they you know had Terry stots as the assistant coach and Terry couldn’t even get through the damn

Preseason he was like no I’m out uh and then they couldn’t even get to November without their own players basically saying Adrian I know where you came from I know what you’re trying to do but Brooke is here and he he ain’t with it like you got to keep like there was

Inconsistency and just a lack of trust if nothing else doc knows what he wants to do like doc has one of the strongest right hands in the league when it comes to winning games you know the the issue is the counter yes don’t like and and

And you gotta you know you got to be a good team and some extenuating circumstances have to come up and you know I don’t wish things on on on Doc we just know history history but if like let’s keep it at being like doc has come

In there he took his hits early he challenged those dudes he said before you know going to Allstar that dudes was already in Cancun well damn it those who came back from Cancun and they have been they’ve been a powerful basketball team and that’s what’s scary because the

Eastern Conference feels like it’s the Celtics and everybody else but the thing with the Bucs is like you mentioned they’re huge they know their players know how to win and their coach knows how to win maybe not together but they have a bunch of guys who aren’t going to

Be rattled by certain things that’s a difference between every Doc Rivers team before this and the Doc Rivers team that he has now like even those Celtics that doc won a championship with people don’t even don’t don’t think about the fact that Ray will Ray Allen won conference

Time appearance before that Celtics team Paul Pierce won Conference Finals even Kevin Garnett yeah he was an MVP and everything one one time in his all his years in Minnesota where he even made it out the first round right like that team came there they won and then they were

Expected to win every year after that so like this this Buck team is different for Doc like these dudes have won for the most part and the guy who hasn’t is D and Dame is in that category of dude you want you made one Conference Finals

You know like he fits that part of the criteria for for um B you know doc preious team so uh I I’m excited for the bucks like I like seeing teams that can approach a level where they are maximizing their potential and it’s you know it’ll make the Eastern Conference

More interesting too because I mean the Celtics really are cleaning the league up right now I mean I I have doubts about the Celtics and I saw them on I believe it was Friday night they were in Detroit and I ran into Brian scalabrini and we were talking and he was like dude

You’re and I was explaining why I was just having doubts and SC Scout just looked at me and said dude you’re just trying to find something I had to sit and I had to sit with that and think about that for a quick second you know what I mean like am I really

Just trying to make this a more competitive Eastern Conference than it needs to be you know what I mean is are the Celtics just that good I think I think the record blows me away I think the net rating blows me away but I also look

At they don’t have a Giannis they don’t have that one a two-way force that can just screw everything up so it’s and the Miami Heat are their playoff Boogeyman even though they beat the heat three times this year and I don’t know if they play him another time but yeah it’s just

It’s just you good that stuff back to back years though that’s the problem with the heat um n the the thing with the Celtics that’s scary is because they are so reliable on a volatile factor and that is uh shooting the three-pointer like going you’re going to be concerned

Um I want to see Drew holiday play basketball again U I’m a little bit concerned about that I’m concerned about the fact that Chris ringis who is such a major factor for their diversity on both ends of the floor you know you’re relying on a player who just rarely gets

Through the spring in one piece you know it’s good that Chris ABS is at least playing but you know this is not a top this this is not a deep team um when everyone healthy they are playoff deep enough they have eight guys that they

Know is are going to play and that have been playing well and fit the ideal of how they want to play which is they’re going to beat you from three like simple as that they invite you to take Threes And they’re they’re like well we’re going to make more threes than you good

Luck you’re not getting anything else you’re not getting free throws you’re not getting anything at the rim and that’s where Pro comes in that’s where Drew holiday comes in right they have guys who are going to defend and they have the size there um their worst three-point Shooters are their best

Players Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum right and that’s what makes them interesting it’s that they’re not a complicated team Vinnie like people who don’t like the Celtics uh they they always try and come at Joe Missoula basically and say there’s nothing complicated about what you’re doing and

You know what that’s true like the Celtics are a bit of an experiment they are trying they are basically going out and saying our best players are pullup three-point Shooters you overreact to them we have guys to make you pay all around you overreact with your switching

And we have a big guy now in pringus who will crush you and basically if you think you’re a paint team we’re going to be better than you there and if you think you’re a three-point shooting team we’re going to have we’re going to beat you in that numbers game they’re an

Experiment every Celtics loss is basically in clutch time yep every game and that’s where the concern is when the game slows down when the attention to detail of the threes comes in how good are the Celtics they are not they are going to struggle in the playoffs there’s going to be some stressful

Playoff series for the Celtics I’m not saying that they’re going to lose I’m just saying uh they even I think the Celtics know that the playoffs are going to be way harder than you know the world beaters that they’ve been especially since the allstar break I I think we’re

Going to break here before we start really going deep on the Clippers I think I look at the Celtics as a team if I think of them as is an NFL team that plays in a dome you know what I mean you play in a dome you throw the ball all

Around they’re like the not quite the Miami Dolphins you know what I mean not quite the Dolphins this year they’re Pon Colts before they figured it out yes that they’re they’re like they’re like the RCA Colts they when they played in the dome and they were throwing it

Around to Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison and all that man then you put pton Manning in that arm that noodle alarm in the cold baby we had some problems are you going to be able with increased physical with increased physicality on the perimeter be able to take those threes

In volume it’s it’s it does a lot to take 43s a night win or lose especially in the playoff setting where the refs are going to let some physicality go like I know we saw 150 145 game last night that’s not going to be the rule in

The playoffs but but La Murray is here to talk about the Clippers so when we come back we’re going to go deep on one of the two teams I am very concerned about heading into the last uh hand full of games in the season we’re going to

Pay some bills right now welcome back to the good word law Murray from the athletic joining us of course law covers the LA Clippers law the Clippers I have questions and I have a lot of concerns I’m concerned about the Clippers and I’m concerned about Phoenix

Uh me and Howard Beck talked about that last week on the show yesterday which is if you’re listening to it on Monday this is you know Sunday the Clippers were at home against the Philadelphia 76ers no embiid no Lowry no Batum no Melton no Covington no problem for the

Philadelphia 76ers 121 107 Russ will be back I believe tonight against the Indiana Pacers the Pacers will be on that la la back to back is the struggle law just as simple as we just need Russell Westbrook back because of the change of pace because all of our old guys play like they’re

Slow you know play Slow play deliberately and we need this change of pace or is there a fundamental flaw with what we’ve seen outside of that two Monon stretch where they basically just ran through the league I think they won like I think they were what 23 and five

In December and January right right listen I’m at the point where it’s it’s a damn shame that we’re we’re talking about Russ having to save this damn team um like it it it should not have to be like this Russ should be able to come back ease into a team that honestly a

Week ago should have been like okay look at the schedule we should we should clean up basically and when they lost to the Hawks the only kind of I don’t want to even say excuse like I I was on the damn trip to Chicago New Orleans I came

Home I’m like man I I really couldn’t hoop right now I went to the gym I lifted so you know shout out to me for that but I was like this is going to be tough to like play like my body wasn’t really kind of acclimated to like and I

Still had a pack CU that was the only game at home out of a five game stretch you know like the Hawks game might as well have been a road game um then they got smacked by by Atlanta Hawks team that was missing Trey young like we keep

Talking about the Clippers losing and not competing against teams that don’t have their full deck basically you know they lost to the bucks when Janis not playing they lost to the Timberwolves where they had a 22-point lead on National Television at home the only game in a five game stretch where you

Know they played Seven uh five games in seven days so that was the only one that was in a back toback cat wasn’t there and they they absolutely embarrassed themselves W up being uh turned around by 44 points in that game uh the Sixers game like look it was a Sunday matina I

Knew that the Clippers were going to be down at some point because they’ve not taken a single MAA game and play to their potential all year like they were down like damn near 20 points to the Brooklyn Nets are crying out loud in late January and needed Russell Westbrook playing the center position

Basically and when I say playing Center he’s guarding Nicholas Claxton in a lineup that doesn’t have your traditional centers um on the floor okay and he was the impetus of that turnaround that was late January the game after that they beat the Lakers and again they’re playing well and teron L

Saying we’re basic they basically called them you know they said they they were too Hollywood that even though they won they weren’t playing the type of basketball that they needed to you know actually show that they were contenders and this is before the best Grammy trip in franchise history so they’ve been

Sounding their own alarm Vinnie for the greater part of three months it’s late March right last week of March I’ve been hearing this about the clip ERS basically before ml day and so the concern with the Clippers is you’re bringing Russell Westbrook back and we’ve had to talk about this team’s

Offense being inconsistent we’ve had to talk about what has literally been a bottom five defense since they got home from the Grammy trip we’ve had to talk about the vies being off people’s contract situations players on the bench being moody literally third stringers needing to stay home before the allstar

Break because they were you know they felt like they deserved to play and then certain guys got a chance to play with Russell Westbrook out and wind up right back on the bench again uh it’s just too much stuff going on all and the too much

Stuff needs to it needs to be nipped in the bud because a lot of it doesn’t have to do with basketball but since we’re here to talk about basketball this is a team that has too many holes to plug and it’s and and the only thing that I can

Offer when it comes to Russ is that dude plays hard all the time I don’t need to talk about intensity issues with Russell Westbrook I don’t need to talk about lack of physicality with Russell Westbrook Russell was a hammer yes and you know sometimes you don’t need a

Hammer but Russell is going to be a hammer and you know what maybe maybe they need that to inspire them to play the kind of basketball to start games and finish games with what is needed to bring that team’s level back up I’m not it’s it’s just bad that that’s the

Conversation that we’re having in the last week of March but that’s where we’re at when Anthony Edwards goes on National Television in your building and says oh with Kawai went out I saw on the other end those dudes are food law I don’t think people understand the disrespect it wasn’t I don’t know

Intentional or not doesn’t matter right no he was intentional he knew what he was doing exactly he knew what he was doing he just did it with a smile right he did it with a smile he did it with some Homespun country you know draw to

It but he said the Clippers were food because Kawhi Leonard wasn’t there and I know that Kawhi Leonard is a playoff Terminator I’m 100% with you there but James Harden post Allstar break has not looked good at all right he looked really good when he first got

There law tell me this is tell me if this is even with all the issues that you brought up because you brought up so many different things I want to nail down on one is this team old have they passed The Sweet Spot of where they can rev it

Up I know they’re old but I’m saying old to where you can’t hit the high notes anymore you know what I mean you you are literally living off of past hits and you ain’t got another hit in you is that where this team is that what we’re

Seeing when I see Minnesota run past them when I see the New Orleans Pelicans run past them is it the matter of it’s not just experience it’s age and they’re getting hit with age right now yeah I mean they’re they’re certainly regular season old and what I mean by that is

You know you come into the gym it’s a mat game or it’s a zero nights rest game or you’ve been on a five game um or the cers don’t have road trips that long but an extended period where uh you know the schedule’s a little imbalanced and you

Don’t know where you’re going to get from them I do think that there will another level of attention and focus that improves their performance in the playoffs uh and that’s something that we’ve seen uh from this group in particular we’ve seen that in a lot of

Older teams I think they want to get to that seven game series and really lock in the concern is I don’t think you start games and have leads and then decide we’re just going to be in regular season mode like I think what’s more concerning to me than even the Sixers

Loss or the Hawks loss where they were down big early are the games like those Timberwolves games the Lakers game at the end of February uh game that Russ did play in uh but Paul didn’t and Zoo didn’t but still they were 21 in the fourth quarter you know that was one of

Two home games out of last 11 where they didn’t Trail by double digits you know when they went to Milwaukee and they were up 15 in the third quarter and they just got lit up like you know guys are missing free throws guys are just you

Know bad lineups are on the floor that’s a whole team thing it’s a shared thing and that’s old Milwaukee Bucks team you know what I mean so when when when I look at age I look at okay how much of it is physical and how much of it is

Just being bored being bored with your own success or bored with the foundation that you set for yourself because this team I will give them a whole lot of credit for being for looking like one of the best teams if not the best team for a significant sample size and so they’re

Relying on that and that’s what their confidence is the confidence their issue really isn’t even about them it’s about everybody else Vinnie out of all the other top five teams in the in the Western Conference they all have the confidence knowing that they’re younger than the Clippers some of them are

Bigger than the Clippers they are in a lot of cases not just younger but more athletic bigger they beat them multiple times and they’re probably going to have homec court advantage that’s the issue the cers like to say we’re just worried about us but the issue is guys like

Anthony Edwards say yeah well we’re looking at you we ain’t worried either food food that’s what the man said he went on national TV with Stephanie ready and said they’re food that I will never get over that I will never get over that I I I know that

And you know this because you hoop you know that if someone that good is calling someone else who’s supposed to be that good food that there is a it’s a confidence thing like you don’t bother us not even don’t scare us you don’t even bother us we barely

Respect you that’s what it says yeah they like there are some and that’s that’s the thing I like about Anthony Edwards like Anthony is is so casual and so chill like there’s no quotequote media training with Anthony Edwards like he’s he’s authen and you know what that’s going to be in

Some people’s feelings but on the other hand he’s a lot more honest than you know someone who’s going to give the stock respect that the Clippers are going to get from so many guys oh they got the one of the greatest coaches and tacticians or they have four future Hall

Of Famers they’ve got guys who’ve won championships you know in both their starting in and their second units and you know what respect is nice it’s it’s it’s you know what we we all should kind of strive for you know we can acknowledge that but what guys say in

Public ain’t how they feel in the locker rooms or how they feel in the practice or like look at certain Scot reports if you get get a chance to really hear about what people say you know when they’re preparing to play teams no they’re not calling them future Hall of

Famers they’re saying this dude can’t go left that dude is going to take shots that he shouldn’t take that dude is going to guard on the ball but as soon as the ball swings he lost shot goes up and you can expect him to jump inste a

Box out and you know what when you’re playing the Clippers they are too easy to play they’re too easy to play against they’re powerful when everything is set according to how they want to play which is a half court game James if James can get to his spots in the pick and roll

He’s going to feed everybody if Paul is cooking and you’re not physical with him and he’s involved and locked in that dude looks like every you know 15-year-old’s favorite player Kawai you don’t double him and he’s decisive he’s killing you if they get a good whistle they’re all scoring you

From the free throw line every night because on the defensive end the one thing the Clippers do well is they don’t foul and because they don’t foul they’re basically going to win the free throw margin it’s like how the Celtics win the three-point margin the problem with

Clippers is everything else you take one thing off that little program and they’re screwed if they’re spacing is wrong that leads to the turnovers the turnovers leads to the fast break where they’re too old to get back especially when James is on the flooor and if you

Don’t score on the fast break you probably going to score on the offensive rebound you’re going to win possession battles against this team even though the Clippers are extremely talented and putting the ball in the basket and pretty good at stopping you from putting the ball in the basket you are more than

Likely going to take more shots than the Clippers are on a given in in any in any given game and the thing that the Clippers should be more concerned about lately especially without Russ they are way too easy to allow the easiest three-point shots in the league against

They’re allowing 41% threes since Russ went out and that tells me two things number one they’re not rotating like they should be number two they have to rotate more often than they need to because the point of attack defense hasn’t been there because Russ is not even a great point of attack Defender

For this team he is because he can guard anybody the issues with the issues with the Clippers is they can’t always choose what lineups they want to have Russ there with but that’s the number one thing they need Russ back for they need Russ to basically take a lot of those

Minutes where guys like Anthony Edwards is going off you know the small guards like Tyrese Maxi dearon Fox they need to calm those dudes down Damen Lillard Damen Lillard obviously went off in games where Russ wasn’t there like Russ doesn’t have the same offensive responsibilities as even his Lakers game

Tenure so right when Russ gets in there his job is to basically play hard and play with as much physicality and intensity that he can for the 20 25 minutes that he’s out here you rarely see a 30-minute game from Russ but he should be in a safe 20 to 25 minute roll

And his absence pretty much showed where his value is I guarantee you only one thing with Russ coming back they’re going to hit people more often they’re going to Russ is going to get into these Zoes net a little bit more because those other guys just don’t have the intensity

James Paul Kawai they are a lot more even keill they’re a lot more grounded Russ is going to come in there and he’s going to start some damn fires it might not turn out the way that you want for other reasons but damn it one thing for

Sure is they’re going to they you’re going to feel them a lot more over these last three weeks that’s the one thing I will plan a flag on with Russ coming back uh and so that’s that’s really all I can say there because it’s again it’s a shame that we’re talking about this

After the success that the Clippers had from most of the winner yeah and and you you brought up something earlier when we talked about tou talloo said these dudes are Hollywood and you brought up Harden and PG and kawwai being very even kill like it’s not even like a too nice thing

They’re too cool you know what I mean they’re very they’re very cool they’re not going to panic which you don’t want veterans to panic if veterans start panicking you got problems but there isn’t this sense of urgency there’s a fine line between panic and urgency and I don’t think that they’re anywhere

Close to it now you brought up the interesting thing about the quote unquote four hall of famers but they’re not Hall of Fame they’re Hall of Fame resumes but they’re not playing like Hall of Famers what would constitute a successful season for the Clippers law because you you’re going into the in

Dome next year which is in downtown Englewood is right next to Sofi which and Sofi is on the other side of the old Forum so you’re in Old Laker sort of territory tyou has a year remaining after this season right in a new coaching climate where Monty Monty

Williams got a big bag which basically started everything then pop got the bag then Steve cerry got the bag then Eric sper got the bag tyo is in that category of Coach if not the best tactician in basketball Gotta Throw Jamal Mosley in there too right Jamal he didn’t he

Didn’t get he didn’t get that super bag you know what I mean like as far as resume but I’m with you on Jamal Mosley being really underrated and working a lot with what he got over there it’s funny what happens when you got when a team when a franchise hires a

Young coach for a young team you know that’s a that’s a story for another day I’ll I’ll I’ll let some people figure that out but law what’s at stake here for the clippers for taloo for everybody except for kawhai Leonard whose contract situation will be up in the air because

Kawhai signed an extension like do you feel any do you feel any i w say tension is the word but do you feel the stakes when you’re around a team oh absolutely uh the playoffs to borrow a Lawrence Frank term are a great revealer and what we know is that

There’s one guy that you know took care of the business not just early but in a way where he tried to minimize that for his team because they were playing great when the extension was signed in January Kawai basically declared publicly that he expects Paul and James to be able to

Be back um based off of the the deal that Kawai signed um kawhai signed his deal around the same time Eric spoler uh contract was announced and and you know tou and Eric spoler hung out for weeks over the summer they’re about to be together again this next summer there’s

A real Fellowship there um and T was like spose good you know I’m feeling I suppose feeling good right um like the play Lo a successful season externally is this team has to win a championship now because there’s no guarantee they will ever get a chance to have this group

Back again uh from a up and up and down you know um reasonably speaking like let’s be real one team’s going to win the championship and um you know the Clippers have not looked like the contender right so reasonably speaking I think this team has to at least get back

To the Conference Finals to have any kind of floor for a status quo and they’ve done that under T his first year they lost Kawai in the semi-finals against a number one seed and they still found a way to make it to the Conference Finals and everyone knew that they were

Punching um they they they didn’t have a full deck there this team has a full deck for the first time for now KN going W but for the first time in three years and so you want to get Paul and Kawai to the playoffs and through the healthy if

That team with everybody healthy can’t get to at least the Conference Finals I I I just don’t see a scenario I mean I can see a scenario but I see more likely scenarios where uh they move on from several PE parts of the current ERA and

That’s at head coach that’s at the Star level that’s at the role player level that affects a guy you know like Russ you know I don’t know these guys want to be together man like this is a lot more difficult to cover than the Lob City Clippers cuz when we talk over the

Summer Vinnie the Lob City Clippers and they’ve been on every damn podcast whether it’s their own or somebody else’s to express how much they didn’t like each other you know like when you have a team that doesn’t get along it’s easy to break them up because they’re like H you know

They’re only here for the basketball these guys are the same age almost the same draft classes they grew up together knowing each other none of these dudes were great like players going into college none of them were we weren’t talking about any of these guys like they were future they didn’t have the

Right they’ve all even though they all like earned something early in their careers they all had to get something out the mud you know everybody Russ James PG Kawai all those guys had to really whether it was high school college early NBA they had to they had

To earn their names none of those dudes came in you know five star anything so um these guys care for each other but business is business and business right now is going to take priority once the playoffs are over and if the playoffs are over in June that’s one conversation

But the playoffs are over the first week of May it’s it’s like you’re not everyone knows it’s it’s over T is not worried because he’s going to get paid regardless he’s going to get paid by somebody it better the clippers because the Clippers ain’t upgraded on head

Coach you know and T knows that but I think T’s been exasperated D I can’t get through a week without tou having to hold back some profanity at the press conference table and tou is bill bich when it comes to press conferences he don’t want to say anything that’s going

To be something Beyond you know something that escapes team the four four walls of the locker room but it’s getting harder for him because he knows that a voice only carries so long when you’re the head coach he knows this he’s been a player in this league he’s

Already been with Cleveland won a championship and left all in five years he knows what the cycle is and he knows the stress of the job remember that man took time off in Cleveland that was only six years ago you know he’s only gotten older you

Know what I mean exactly you only get older you only recognize more urgency in the moment you only see your own even as a coach you only see your own basketball mortality it’s a little bit different when you’re a coach than a player because it’s not it’s not it’s nowhere

Near the same you’re not dependent on your body per se but you only have a certain you know finite amount of energy which brings me to a guy like Paul George and you said it when Paul is locked in he is every 15 year old’s favorite player smooth smooth game all

Of that stuff right he’s got a $48 million option for next season I would think that Paul George at what 33 it’s going to say you know what I’m going to turn down this 48 and I’m going to get me long money because you get your long

Money while you have your health right in a second apron tax world how does that work because we’re hearing about teams that want to make a run at Paul George in the summer and that to me sounds a really intriguing but also law why would teams be feeling like they can go and

Make a run at Paul George to maybe be their third best player whatever the case may be he should be cemented as a Clipper he should be right but clearly something isn’t quite connected there right now how important is the next two months for Paul George I think for Paul Paul’s one of

Those players where his basketball mortality has been a conversation for a long time I mean we’re talking about 10 he’s coming up on 10 years since that leg break playing at the Olympics that changed his whole career uh you know like we were talking about Paul as that

Next guy uh for a reason it’s not just what he was doing individually he was leading a really hard to watch Indiana Pacers team the back-to-back Conference Finals okay a Pacers team that hadn’t had any level of postseason success since mice at the palace and like that’s that’s who Paul George established

Himself to be before year five and Paul George is year in the league was spent recovering from this leg fracture and that dude worked so hard that he got back in time where everyone else who suffers the same injury you remember the conversation with Gordon Hayward I mean

Rachel Nichols couldn’t go a month without mentioning hey Gordon Hayward might come back for the Celtics because of what happened with Paul it’s like nah they ain’t built the thing and so ever since then you know Paul’s had more he had something every year since he joined

Oklahoma City you know he has gotten to the he has not gotten to the playoffs in one piece since leaving Indiana you know his two years in OKC it was one thing or another it was the knee was the elbow year where he finished third in MVP V he

Had the the shoulder problem that really hindered him in the playoffs against uh I want to say yeah against Portland and it was a damn shame because yeah like that dude was arguably the best two-way player in the league like literally top three in MVP top three defense player of

The year playing with Russell Westbrook who was in that man’s ear pushing him to be his best that has you know we’ve seen that void filled again Russell Westbrook has a way of getting guys to you know be engaged in ways that whether you’re a star or role player you don’t that have

Like that’s what’s special about about this group so with Paul it’s like on one hand you’re playing every game with your parents there your boys there you’re playing your teammates in the locker room you know you got those guys there one of your assistant coaches is Brian

Shaw who was there with you when you ascended to that star status in Indiana another assistant coach is Dante Jones who was your you know your vet when he was a rookie there’s a real family there you know like Paul wants to be here and at the same time Paul knows what

Organization he joined and you know what Paul knows how he joined that organization he signed a long-term extension with OKC after being there for a year because theis were that good like the relationship was there he’s like I’m not even going to meet with the Lakers

I’m going to be here a year later he’s like I’m going to take this contract that I signed with y’all to go home and join my other boy so you know it can go both ways you know the Clippers I always go back to this I mentioned this to you

Over the summer they signed Blake Griffin and traded Chris Paul and Blake didn’t even make it the MLK Day first year that contract extension what’s upo and the Clippers and doing the same thing you know the Clippers know that they can’t give Paul a blank check they

Didn’t even do that for Kawai so the conversations have been open I don’t think there’s any animosity there I think it’s just natural difficulties when you’re talking about everything hitting at you at once it’s not just a business decision it is emotional when it comes to the contract the fact that

You know this is a whole lot easier to take whatever is on the table if you win a championship or you touch the championship okay every team that gets to a finals they don’t win it but damn it they they feel it they they they see they see the ropes they see things

Looking a lot different they see the fact that they’re the only two teams playing the Clippers have never experienced that as a franchise and Paul’s the only one of those future Hall of Famers who’s never experienced that environment as a player he’s been to the Conference Finals three times and hasn’t

Been able to break through he’s the guy that everyone’s looking forward to seeing he is a guy who you know he’s still in he’s still going to allar Indiana and Utah and he said every time I don’t know if I’ll be back here he knows the landscape of the league he

Knows where he’s at Paul is a very conscious basketball player and very conscious participant in where he is in basketball uh history where his legacy is every this is the most important thing for him I think James will be fine Kawai obviously has his contract and I

Think Russ is at a certain level of peace with everything with him you know um yeah Russ is already on the other side of hey he’s not making that money now you know everything’s interesting with Paul because there’s so many different ways this can go depending on

How deep the Clippers go in the playoffs man I think when we look back on it we’re going to be able to sort of document how impressive 2021 was for Paul George because he went from being hey Ka Kawhi Leonard’s taking the you know the tougher matchup he’s a high

Usage guy so all of a sudden I have to carry this team out of the second round you know of course you get the Terrence Man 40-point game against Utah that that certainly helped but Paul George was the Catalyst for that team coming to within

Two games of the NBA Finals one of those games was the uh Val you or whatever the hell we call that you know that that last that last second thing you’re basically saying that to some degree three years ago was the best that we were going to see Paul George was the

Closest that we could have seen the Clippers to get in the championship and they were without their best player and they didn’t have this level of star power behind it it was kawhai Paul George and a bunch of good players that were riding this wave and now you don’t

Like you said at the start of the show The Vibes aren’t that great right now but everybody knows what’s at stake so I I I say that to Circle here law you have the in Dome opening up and I don’t think people understand how big

That is for them to have their own home to have their own identity to be separate from the LA Live Lakers you know what I mean you’re moving the g-league team to San Diego back to San Diego where where the Clippers were before they moved to Los Angeles in the

You know in the mid 80s how big of the is this for the Clippers as a franchise for the next couple of years for the next couple of months in putting real imprints and we talked about this a little bit before the street lights over you know Starlights or whatever that you know

That slogan I can’t I can’t remember exactly what it was but how important is this for them because the Lakers are in the play and the Clippers are not for them to try to gain some Turf in La not just a championship but Turf I mean we’ve been talking about that for the

Better part of a dozen years like the Lakers it’s it’s it’s an anomaly when they’re good I know what the franchise history is I know what the bubble gave us uh even last year when they made their run but I mean the Lakers have rarely been better than the Clippers

Basically since uh Kobe Bryant Tes a killy sendon and so we’ve had this conversation about hey your playoff success could really make a difference and they just you know they haven’t broken through and taken advantage of it as a franchise it doesn’t matter who who’s been playing uh it doesn’t matter

Who’s been coaching it doesn’t matter what the uniforms have looked like damn it like we’ve had this conversation for the better part of a decade so it’s more of the same there you know yeah you have an opportunity to close the damn building down and you

Know do it with these guys on the team so many guys that have an area connection that’s the thing the Clippers have really they they’ve tried to build a footprint in LA that goes beyond basketball that goes beyond the players on the team like you know you go to

These parks and recreation centers and there’s a Clippers logo on all of them that’s what the balber family has done as far as just beautifying the area like making in a community thing so I mean it’s got to be basketball though you know you got to win at a time when no

One else is watching anyone else the Clippers have mastered this is 13 years in a row Vinnie where they’ve had a win winning season there’s only six other teams in franch in in NBA league history that have a longer streak of winning seasons okay and I think of only two

That didn’t have Championship right yeah absolutely you know Spurs went what 20 some years right but there’s only been two of those teams that did it without attaching Championship that was the Utah Jazz during their run and the Blazers during their uh run that started with

Clyde and ended um in in in the late 2000 and so like I I I look at this Clippers uh team and and where they are as a franchise as far as a foothold goes yeah that to ad is an opportunity that they’re never going to have again

They’re never going to you know I’m sure they’ll probably move into a building long after we’re done covering the league and and whatnot uh or at least my robot hasn’t been developed yet to to think about those things but like no like for everybody’s relevant time in in

This generation this era that we’re in like yeah you only get one into it D you only get one chance to do this in this time and it it’s even more special because of the players like these guys don’t it’s not like they came from Texas

And Florida and and and New York they’re they’re La guys right they’re invested here like this means something this means as much to them as it does the franchise right so the story has been written ownerships love stories um but you the the thing is you got to actually

You know fulfill whatever you’ve written and that’s the hard part that’s the part that the Clippers again they haven’t mastered that this team in a vacuum is capable of winning a championship Vinnie they still are even with the nasty basketball that they’ve played for the

Greater part of a month and a half their issue isn’t themselves it’s everybody else you should trust any of the other top teams in the west more than the Clippers right now just based off of what we’ve seen the evidence is the evidence and there are two teams that it this means a

Lot for this year the Clippers are one the Phoenix Suns are the other and for completely different reasons but that is why I think the Western Conference playoffs will be extremely extremely intriguing I always like hanging out La during the playoffs I not one of those people that says yeah let’s see Oklahoma

City in the NBA Finals yeah that sounds nice yeah n Tas got to stay there for five or six days in a row and you got to find something to do like other than that you know what I mean like but seriously the Clippers putting it together would

Actually be a really good story for the NBA and it certainly does not hurt that you have a guy like Steve Balmer who’s a crazy person I say that affectionately he’s a crazy person kawh Leonard is a playoff Terminator who can maybe still get there and Paul George Who law went

Deep on is a very intriguing player for the present and the future that ladies and gentlemen is my man law Murray from the athletic LW you got anything else you need to plug I know you just dropped a story today on Russell Westbrook anything else you got coming up yeah I

Mean I’m I’m just you know shout out to people who who cover this league man and and shout out to the fans and the people who really engage with the people who are like really trying to read the context of what we’re talking about like

Got a lot of people out here just on content and not knocking hustles but uh some of us are really trying to give y’all the most um content wise and it requires getting off of social media a little bit you know it requires not reading so deep into isolated quotes

Maybe even quotes set on this podcast so you know the great thing about you Vinnie is you’re not just on the mic you know you’re not just at games and you’re not just posting stuff like you’re report you’re writing you have a whole thread of what you’ve seen over not just

This season but all your years being in this space and so you know I really appreciate anyone who Subs to the athletic anyone who’s read my stuff not just this season but going back um that means a lot so uh that’s my shout out I

Work with a great team and we got so much more stuff that we’re going to have to do when the playoffs start because we know a lot more people will be paying attention so shout out to everybody who’s doing it on that level and shout out to to the people who are engaging

With us in good faith that’s my shout out engaging with us in good faith law Murray ladies and gentlemen thanks again for joining me man really really appreciate you thanks to producer John and the entire team who works hard behind the scenes on this show Dan will

Be back for another episode of divine intervention tomorrow I’ll be back on Wednesday for habro Wednesdays here on the good word until then everybody be safe He

Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by Law Murray from The Athletic to talk about the G League Ignite shutting down, the perilous position of the Golden State Warriors, Doc Rivers’ reputation and the Los Angeles Clippers.

00:00 – Introduction
01:25 – G League Ignite to shut down
06:55 – Are the Warriors even good?
10:35 – Here come the Bucks!
14:10 – Why are we doubting the Celtics?
19:00 – What is wrong with the Los Angeles Clippers?
41:10 – Paul George’s future in L.A.

On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by The Athletic’s Los Angeles Clippers beat reporter, Law Murray, to go deep on a team that has been a rollercoaster ride this season, but first…

The NBA announced that the G League Ignite will shut down after this season. Vinnie appreciates that college basketball will remain as the main feeder system of talent into the NBA, while Law blames the end of the franchise on poor performance on the court.

The Golden State Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night and are at risk of losing the final play-in spot to the Houston Rockets. Law, who has seen the Warriors in-person a few times this year, says that the team simply isn’t good and can’t be trusted with a lead.

The Milwaukee Bucks, meanwhile, stomped on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Is it a sign that the Bucks and Doc Rivers are finally reaching their potential? Or do the Thunder have some larger issues that could rear their head in the playoffs?

We finally get to the LA Clippers, who looked like one of the league’s best teams in December and January but can’t seem to get out of their own way lately. Law explains what the ride has been like, what is causing it, why Russell Westbrook’s return from injury is unfair, and what Paul George could be looking at in free agency this offseason.

#nba #gleagueignite #goldenstatewarriors #milwaukeebucks #bostonceltics #losangelesclippers #laclippers #kawhileonard #paulgeorge #russellwestbrook #jamesharden

Thanks for watching! Subscribe to the Yahoo Sports channel here ► http://bit.ly/YSportsYT

Follow us everywhere!
Our Site ► http://www.yahoosports.com
Instagram ► http://www.instagram.com/yahoosports
TikTok ► https://www.tiktok.com/@yahoosports?lang=en
Snapchat ► https://www.snapchat.com/add/yahoosports
Twitter ► http://www.twitter.com/yahoosports
Facebook ► http://www.facebook.com/yahoosports