Clippers vs. Minnesota - Game Preview

by Steve Perrin on Nov 23, 2009 12:47 AM PST Comment 43 comments

Ramon Sessions, on the front page of Clips Nation again!

2009/2010 NBA Regular Season
	vs.
5-9		1-12
Staples Center
November 23rd, 2009, 7:30 PM
Prime Ticket, 980 AM
Probable starters:
Baron Davis	PG	Jonny Flynn
Rasual Butler	SG	Corey Brewer
Al Thornton	SF	Ryan Gomes
Marcus Camby	PF	Al Jefferson
Chris Kaman	C	Ryan Hollins

The Back Story:

November 2nd in LA - Clippers 93, Minnesota 90 - Recap Box Score

The Big Picture:

The Clippers lost consecutive games last week against seemingly inferior opponents - and then came out and beat the Nuggets on ESPN on Friday. So go right on ahead and figure. Of course, New Orleans proceeded to beat Phoenix and Atlanta, only two of the hottest teams in the league, after beating the Clippers, and Memphis also ran off three straight. So maybe playing those teams on the road wasn't quite the gimme we thought. Against the Nuggets a lot of things went well, and it would be really great if those things would stick around for awhile. Rasual Butler, who has certainly been a disappointment as a Clipper so far, had a great game Friday, scoring a team high 27. His presence on the bench helped the Clippers to a massive bench advantage - and Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith and DeAndre Jordan all made major contributions as well. By the end of the road trip, the Clippers had seemed to devolve into a two man team of Baron Davis and Chris Kaman. They can't win that way. But if Al Thornton and Butler and Telfair et al can help out, it makes a big difference.

The Antagonist:

When the Timberwolves came to town back at the beginning of November, we thought they were pretty bad. And they've proven that indeed they are since then. After winning on a last second shot in their season opener (against the winless Nets) Minnesota has now lost 12 straight. And they're mostly getting blown out - their differential is a whopping -15 - much worse than even New Jersey's. They did come close to getting that second win a couple of times - one of them against the Clippers. And it would be just like LA to lose to the Wolves after beating the Nuggets. Al Jefferson remains pretty much the only proven player on the roster; and he's still working his way back into shape after suffering a torn ACL last season. People seem excited about point guard Jonny Flynn - but he's actually averaging more turnovers than assists through 13 games, and that's just not a good formula for your point guard. Their third leading scorer, Corey Brewer, is a career 38% shooter, shooting 36.5% this season. This team might get a little better when Kevin Love returns (he's still at least two weeks away), but even then it will be a struggle. Right now, it's downright ugly.

The Subplots:

Gordon still out. According to Lisa Dillman in the LA Times, Eric Gordon will not play tonight, but has not ruled out Wednesday in Indianapolis. The Clippers have not been particularly good without Gordon, their most efficient scorer and best perimeter defender, so the sooner he gets back the better.
Baron posting up. With Flynn being pretty small, look for the Clippers to post up Baron. They did it several times when Ty Lawson was in the game - I expect them to go to it early and often against Flynn.
Kaman 3.0. In the first meeting, Chris Kaman went for 25 points on 10 for 15 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. Kaman's scoring has tailed off some lately - after scoring 20 or more in 9 out of 10 games, he's been under the 20 threshold for three straight. Part of that has to do with more defensive attention - and frankly, if he can pass out of the double team as effectively as he did against Denver where he dished out 6 assists, then the team won't miss the points. Still, with Jefferson being undersized and Ryan Hollins and Oleksiy Pecherov not nearly strong enough, Kaman should be able to abuse the Minnesota bigs.
Ramon Sessions. The Clippers didn't sign free agent Ramon Sessions this summer, but Minnesota did. In 13 games this season, his averages are off across the board, as is his per minute productivity. You'd think he'd be getting more than 23 minutes a game on this roster. At any rate, it may be that the Clippers will be very happy they didn't sign him in the long run.
Jefferson showing signs. Al Jefferson was a double-double machine the last two seasons, and was one of the few players in the league to average 20 points and 10 rebounds last season. But before last Wednesday, he hadn't had a single 20-10 games this season. He's no had two in a row, so he may be getting closer to his pre-injury form.
Al Thornton. In the last four games Al Thornton is averaging almost 20 points per game. After beginning the season in terrible fashion, he's looked very good lately, including a 30 point game in New Orleans.
Movie Quote:

Oh, well, I wouldn't worry about Pip. He is very brave. I remember this one time, when the poor wolf was being chased by Little Red Riding Hood around his grandmother's house, and she had an axe... oh, and if Pip hadn't been walking by to help I don't know what would've happened!

Giselle - Enchanted (2007). Always a pleasant surprise when I go to a movie my daughter wants to see and it turns out to be watchable. Enchanted was a nice little movie - when Giselle sang for help cleaning the apartment, and instead of getting woodland creatures got rats and pigeons and cockroaches, and they all sang and danced and cleaned together, that was pretty funny. And now, Giselle works at my neighborhood Peet's. At least it looks like her - sounds like her too.
Get the Wolves perspective at Canis Hoopus.

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Comments

wait a tic.........

i wanna say this is a winnable game but how many times have i said that not throughout the years….let alone in this season and they end up losing. As mad as i am with the clippers organization and the crappy athletic trainer….. the warriors make us look like royalty. :) i just want them to go out there and play their hearts out. Weather the storm until gordon and griffin come back. btw i dont understand all this boycotting/fire dunleavy chants. i know we SHOULD b better….i mean over .500 better and with a different coach, that may be possible, but as long as dunleavy is in office, i say just give the man a break and continue being a fan. i have so many questions with the way he substitutes players and his play calling decisions….either way, he’s not going nowhere and as long we keep winning… he’s staying still. i know people will disagree with me but its just how i feel! GO CLIPS!

P.S. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS, REBOUND THE BALL (U HAVE 2 SEVEN FOOTERS OUT THERE, WAIT… NVM, CAMBY IS 6’11) AND I BEG U PLEASE STOP THE 4TH QUARTER WOES!!!!!!!! :-)

by In GrIfFin We TrUsT on Nov 23, 2009 1:55 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I completely agree with you.

We need to give CDsr a break. I want him gone too, but with all the negative chanting going on in Staples, we are giving away our homecourt advantage. All those “Fire Dumleavy” chants are just making it harder on our team to win. Imagine our record if we actually could use our homecourt advantage. CDsr isn’t going anywhere this year and I don’t blame Sterling cause $10 million might be chump change to some of you guys but to him and some of us, that’s a lot of money! So just give it a rest, support the team and stop taking away our homecourt!

by MannyA on Nov 23, 2009 8:14 AM PST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Actually...

we were 2-5 before the recent uprising. I actually see more Clipper fans in the seats than usual (we actually outnumbered the Nugget fans on friday). The team also needs to give us something to root for this cuts both ways.

FA in 2010.

by ClipperChuck on Nov 23, 2009 10:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

2-5 at home I add

now 3-5, still not very good and does not bode well as our schedule gets much tougher soon.

FA in 2010.

by ClipperChuck on Nov 23, 2009 10:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

This is an absolute must win

lets hope they show up tonight.

by The Blake Griffin Era on Nov 23, 2009 9:36 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Get Bassy More Minutes

His assists per 48 are up there with Nash, Paul, Williams and Rondo, and he’s converting nearly 52% of his 2-point shots. He’s still too much of a liability w his on-ball D and doesn’t pull his weight on the boards, so I’m not saying he should be splitting minutes with Baron, yet. But I think he’s earned more than 17 mpg and Baron needs to be fresher in the 4th quarter. Instead of bringing him in at the beginnings of the 2nd and 4th Q, I say bring him in at the 10 min mark of the 1st and 3rd and give Baron more rest. See how that works. When Bassy is able to run the break or get into the lane off high screens, good things are happening.

by SFJ on Nov 23, 2009 9:59 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Actually I think 17-20 mpg is perfect for Bassy

by Newtybar on Nov 23, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Baron’s numbers are better than Bassy in most areas

PER
Baron: 19.5
Bassy: 12.5

TS%:
Baron: .513
Bassy: .498

Assists per 36 minutes:
Baron: 8.0
Bassy: 7.7

Turnvoers per 36 minutes:
Baron: 2.9
Bassy: 2.7

And Bassy has always been a pretty poor shooter (not sure why separating out his 2pt shot attempts is meaningful.) His current TS% of .498 is the best of his career, so one could argue that with more PT he will start to regress to the mean. I don’t necessarily disagree that he could/should get more minutes, but the stats don’t suggest that Bassy should be splitting minutes with Baron now or any time soon.

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 11:14 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed on regression to the mean, unless he's had some sort of revelation...

Good thing Bassy is our backup =]

by Newtybar on Nov 23, 2009 11:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's about Bassy v Baron

I think Baron is doing a good job. But he’s not been the most durable player over the course of his career and he’s almost 30. I think the Clips will be a much better team once Gordon and Griffin return, and Baron’s health over the course of the season will be key. You can’t prevent him from getting a freak injury, but the nagging injuries that eventually add up could be reduced by keeping him fresh. Bassy has shown that he can play effectively and should be getting 3 or 4 more minutes for now, which also means more time w the the first unit (he’ll need to know these guys better if/when BD goes down). Later in the season when the Clips are fighting for a playoff spot, then you can increase Baron’s minutes again if he’s healthy.

by SFJ on Nov 23, 2009 1:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Got it

I agree with you in that case. Having a legitimate backup PG certainly allows the team the option to limit Baron’s minutes to keep him from wearing down during the year. I misunderstood in your original post when you suggested that Bassy shouldn’t be splitting minutes with Baron yet, as though it seemed they were trending in the same direction. That I disagreed with, but I don’t disagree with your point that Bassy should get more minutes to keep Baron fresh.

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 1:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Tonight

You were right in the case of this game at least. Bassy was the more effective by far.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Nov 23, 2009 11:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

AT must, I mean must

get his first few points inside…I like that MDsr has him cutting to the basket when kaman has it on the block…once he gets his easy points inside, he seems to have more confidence in his jump/fadeaway shot…

Roger Sterling: To my knees, Don. They're bringing to my knees!"

by Lawler's Law on Nov 23, 2009 10:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I agree

AT in the slasher role (particluarly where Kaman was setting up against Denver) is the best fit for him. He has the size and athleticism to do damage, and being able to lay the ball in or dunk it is always nice. You definitely want to limit the number of jumpers AT takes.

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 10:43 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

AT

Let’s hope that this is something that the Clippers have figured out. With Thornton back in the starting lineup, they have plays (a play?) where he comes off a pick or posts up somehow down underneath the basket, right in the heart of the defense. He’s been getting the ball there early in games, and he goes up strong and converts, and then he seems to be off to a good start. He has also been finding that position in transition, just racing to the basket.

Teams will eventually take this away, but it probably won’t be the Wolves. It’s a great way for Thornton to get going in the game, and it sets things up for the majority of his shots to come around the basket, where’s he’s so much more efficient. If he starts just jacking it up from 18 feet and beyond, as he was doing at the beginning of the season, he becomes part of the problem.

This game will be an interesting sample for who is going to be in the starting lineup when Gordon comes back.

by citizen zhiv on Nov 23, 2009 11:11 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I have to assume Thornton stays in the starting lineup when Gordon comes back

I can’t imagine one strong effort (while playing SG mind you) is enough from Butler to reverse his fate of returning to a reserve role. Butler has shown very little at SF, and with Collins possibly getting more reps (hey he also had one nice game and not nearly as many poor ones as Butler), I expect a SF rotation of AT/Butler/Collins and a SG rotation of EJ/Butler. I expect Butler’s minutes are going to start getting cut back quite a bit.

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 11:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Adjust to the opponent?

I’ve a hunch that Dun will adjust the roles for AT and Butler depending on the matchups. I know that many of us hate it when Dunleavy does that, but if he channels the impulse into just these two players, I might find it acceptable. Butler’s outside shooting and team-oriented defense may be more desirable in certain situations.

by SilverClip on Nov 23, 2009 3:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Did I read it wrong?

“With Flynn being pretty small, look for the Clippers to post up Baron.”

Shouldn’t it be,
With Flynn being pretty small, look for the Clippers to post up Flynn
or
With Flynn being pretty small, look for the Clippers to post up with Baron?

by JackduhSun on Nov 23, 2009 10:40 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Its the same thing

by C's Up on Nov 23, 2009 10:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Is it?

For some reason I feel like I’m reading that the Clippers will be posting up against Baron…

by JackduhSun on Nov 23, 2009 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Take your own line for example:

you said “Clippers will be posting up against Baron”
versus the original line “Clippers to post up Baron”

the difference being the word “against”…one has it one doesn’t, inferring they are opposite.

by KidJustin on Nov 23, 2009 10:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

we get the point...lets talk basketball now..enough politics and grammar.

by Newtybar on Nov 23, 2009 10:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

In any other context

what happens if Baron wasn’t our player (hypothetically speaking.)

To go to the original line: "With Flynn being pretty small, look for the Clippers to post up Baron." To me, it sounds like because Flynn is small, Clippers are posting up Baron…

Anyway, I’m sure that I’m probably wrong, but I was wondering if there’s any english majors out there to check it real quick?

by JackduhSun on Nov 23, 2009 10:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

LOL...

Are we defending our basket or their basket?

what came first…chicken or the egg?

Roger Sterling: To my knees, Don. They're bringing to my knees!"

by Lawler's Law on Nov 23, 2009 11:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ask Nate Robinson.

by Gordon for President on Nov 23, 2009 3:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The bench

The bench was so good against Denver. If the Clips can keep that going, they could get some good momentum going by the time that Griffin comes back. CSmith and Telfair played well in the last meeting with their old team, no? And now Novak and Mardy Collins have come in from the cold and they’re getting minutes.

Butler came off the bench against the Nuggets to counter J.R. Smith. Kind of a good question on tonight’s starter. Does MDSr give Ricky Davis another chance to get hot—or to ruin things? How does Mardy Collins get rewarded and fit in, after his stellar game against the Nuggets? Can DJordan take another step forward? I’m also curious about the status and play of Marcus Camby, setting the stage for CSmith.

by citizen zhiv on Nov 23, 2009 11:16 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Start sticky Ricky, but give him a short leash.

by Newtybar on Nov 23, 2009 11:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Jordan Out

Lisa Dillman just tweeted that DJ sprained his ankle in practice; day to day.

by bpr on Nov 23, 2009 12:23 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Too bad

Hmmm. Wonder what that will mean. And Camby’s back isn’t perfect. So do you start Craig Smith at PF and let Camby be the backup center? Do you start Camby, keeping his back loose after warmups but only play him a few minutes, knowing that he’s going to get backup center minutes?

And oh yeah—let’s not forget about that Brian Skinner guy. I was thinking that Novak might get some extra minutes, but that was before I remembered the simple solution. Brian Skinner moves up and gets to play.

Look at that Clipper bench, getting out there. Griffin and DJordan hurt, and Camby tweaked. Big men are Kaman, Camby, CSmith, Skinner and Novak. Gordon still out, KRush done for the season. Four guys down, one guy tweaked.

by citizen zhiv on Nov 23, 2009 12:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

You could go SF crazy

Start Davis2/Butler/Thornton around the horn there.

You COULD do it, but I would start Skinner.

Coaches don't matter. - Bill Simmons, The Book of Basketball

by John R on Nov 23, 2009 1:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think starting Smith

might be best. Smith has the hustle that Camby has + offense. and he should be extra motivated to play against his former Wolves.

However the only bad part is that we take a major blow to our bench. Especially if Butler starts over Ricky….not sure how much our bench will matter in this game, but its still a risk

by KidJustin on Nov 23, 2009 2:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

DJ only played 6 in the 1st game vs Twolves

With Brewer starting, I think we’ll be alright starting whomever at the 2, so we may want to keep Butler back to boost the 2nd team. He looked better against Denver, and who knows, maybe coming off the bench helps with his rhythm. Meanwhile, I’d start Camby, hopefully against Pecherov (the guy’s 7 feet). Bring in Smith to play anyone else they try at the 4, including Hollins… that should give Smith plenty of minutes. Use Camby and Skinner to relieve Kaman.

What about giving Collins a start? Our offense will come from elsewhere regardless, and I like the idea of locking down Brewer, just to be safe.

by SilverClip on Nov 23, 2009 4:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't start Collins

It’s unnecessary. Ryan Gomes isn’t Rudy Gay, so the difference between AT’s defense and Collins won’t figure to be an issue. Plus, I don’t like the idea of having Kaman and to a lesser degree Baron as the only true scorers in the starting lineup.

I like the idea above better of getting Thornton going early…

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 4:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, I see you mean start Collins to match up with Brewer at SG. I assume this means starting AT at the 3 as well. Ya, I don’t have a problem with this. I don’t mind Ricky Davis getting his minutes, but I wouldn’t argue with those minutes going to Collins.

by Michael White on Nov 23, 2009 4:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, at the 2

I should have been clearer: Baron, Mardy, Al, Marcus, and Chris

I think I’ve probably overrated Collins in my head… He just looked really good against Denver. I want to see him again, take a closer look.

Ricky, well… I’d rather see him in there with a second unit that needs some scoring punch.

by SilverClip on Nov 23, 2009 4:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

another excuse for Dunleavy !

by andrewexd on Nov 23, 2009 5:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

so i took a look at the standings and todays games

Right now we are at 12

If we win tonight, we are tied with NOH (not playing today) and either move up to or stay at 12. If Sacramento wins today then we stay, if they lose we move up…however sacramento losing would put them in the 12 moving both LAC and NOH up 1 slot.

not so bad either way right?

well if we lose tonight, we better hope the Kings win. Because if the Kings lose, that means Memphis wins….if Memphis wins and we lose, we DROP to 13 and Memphis takes the 12. I know its still early….but the 13 spot? with the likes of GSW and MIN??? That would be a disappointment for being that low and knowing that Memphis is ahead of us.

Kings are on a 3 game skid, while Memphis is on 1.

by the way…
UTA vs. OKC winner takes 7 spot loser takes 8 spot…sounds interesting.

oh and just wondering, is it safe to statistically say that the Nets (0-13) are out of the playoffs this early in the season?

by KidJustin on Nov 23, 2009 2:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs