2019-2020 Season Preview — Blog Train

Let’s start our last team preview by referencing a 2005 Freedarko post “My food, your thoughts” that references an ESPN.com Daily Dime:

“The wise men always told us the next Michael would not be manufactured, that he would just burst upon the scene without aid from the media’s overzealous hype machine.

”Just let it happen,” they said calmly as everyone from Harold Miner to Kobe Bryant was anointed as “Next.””

Well, Kawhi was not preordained at all.

But he’s got two Larry OB’s. And he’s here. In LA. With Paul George. On...

THE CLIPPERSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was the exact text that we sent to the group chat after the Woj bomb of all Woj bombs shook NBA Twitter to it’s core on the 5th of July.

We couldn’t help but ask ourselves the same question that the immortal John Starks once asked: “Man, did this dude just did this?”

Go West, young man.
Home is where the heart is.
The boys are back in town.

Take your fucking pick, this dude actually just did this.

Kawhi’s decision not to join LeBron and AD — and to instead join the “younger brother” team that plays in the same city and same building — inherently means that he wants to overtake them.

For the first time, thanks to a second Finals MVP in his first season with the Raptors and fleeing cold Canada for sunny LA, Kawhi is truly in the main spotlight, having ascended to the top of the Best Player in the Game conversation. Kawhi currently sits atop our very own Player Pyramid with his two Larry OB’s, and with another historic postseason run under his belt.

How will Kawhi handle the expectations and the target on his and the Clippers’ back? If what we have seen so far is any indicator, he’ll just be the same ole Kawhi.

But it might not be as easy as a lot of people think. This ain’t Toronto. You’re not in the East anymore. And there is absolutely no flying under the radar. There will be soo much noise, which Kawhi doesn’t seem too fond of. But he chose this. This is on Kawhi now. But possibly for only two years… (That sound you just heard was the nearest Clippers fan having a stroke. Somebody check on Isaac Lee!)

The other thing is that Paul George is going to be out for a while, still recovering from shoulder surgery on both of his shoulders. And it’s not exactly like Kawhi doesn’t have a history of his own injury issues. Kawhi has played more than 66 games just twice in his 8-year career and missed 22 games last year under his Load Management program.

It’s a tough road ahead out West in the Pacific division. But you know who’s tough? Kawhi. And the Clippers!

Patrick Beverly. Montrezl Harrell. Lou Williams. The heart and soul of last year’s Clippers who we viewed as the most resilient team in the league. Pet Bev is Mr. 94 Feet for a reason. Trez is undersized at 6-8 for being a Center, but what he lacks in height he makes up for with heart and brute force. Sweet Lou gets fuckin’ buckets. And you know damn well that Doc will have them ready to run through a goddamn wall.

Other returning important 2018-2019 Clippers include Landry Shamet and Ivica Zubac. Shamet can hit big shots (just ask the Warriors) and Zubac is a 7-1 Zublocka. JaMychal Green is also back, but he only played 24 games last year.

Of the top-12 Clippers players from last year based on Win Shares, only half remain. Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris and SGA are gone, three players from last season who finished in the top-6 on the team in Win Shares and who were a huge part of the team’s success.

So we just have to ponder, if Kawhi takes any rest days while Paul George is also out, who will lead the Clippers? Sweet Lou and Trez will have to go up against starters while their specialty is feasting against 2nd units.

Don’t get us wrong, when Kawhi and PG are both on the floor with Pat Bev, the Clippers will have possibly the scariest perimeter defense the league has ever seen. #SpookySZN Just don’t sleep on the fact that we 100% know that both Kawhi and PG are missing time. In the West. With a big ass target on their backs.

Did you hear that Kawhi and PG have been getting booed around LA?

This city still belongs to the Lakers, but Kawhi has chosen a quest to conquer it all.

League Pass Notes

The Clips have a power dunking trio: Kawhi, PG and Trez. We also have our eye on rookie Terance Mann who had a couple nice ones during preseason.
If there was a Steve Ballmer Cam that showed nothing but Steve Ballmer during the game, we would absolutely watch for his FIRED UP reactions.
The Clippers alternate Old English GTA lookin’ uniforms are fire.

The Final Questions / The Final Take

How long will it take Paul George to fully recover from his shoulder surgeries?

What does Load Management look like for Kawhi in the 2019-2020 season?

If the Clippers are smart, which we sure think they are, they will take the regular season with a grain of salt.

The Clippers should put all of their stock into their run through the West playoffs and quest for the franchise’s first Finals appearance and first Larry OB. UNDER 54.5 wins.