TBH even then, they have done a poor job imo in terms of surrounding CP, Blake and DeAndre with good role players. I really thought they should have gone all in on Melo this season.
Melo is the perfect fit for them. They get a good SF which is their biggest hole. Could slide Melo to 4 and play a small-ball line-up if needed. More importantly, Melo addresses Clippers' biggest problem which is closing teams out in 4th quarter.
One of their major issues is, during 4th quarters, a lot of oppositions try to trap CP and send doubles to get the ball out of his hand. Blake is a good playmaker/player but he turns-over the ball a lot during crunch time and he still hasn't developed an offensive game where you can give him the ball and he would get you buckets in a half court offense late in the game. Say what you want to about Melo, the man is clutch and is one of the most skilled scorers in the modern era. He would have been perfect fit imo!
This is 100000% completely false. LAC has been stacked year after year with role players. The blame falls squarely on health, Doc, Blake, CP3 & Deandre. All payed like Superstars, but all disappear in the playoffs when healthy.
2011-2012
Chauncey Billups
Mo Williams
Eric Bledsoe
Caron Butler
Kenyon Martin
They squeaked by the superior Grizzlies team, and were swept by the Spurs. They were 100% healthy at the time.
2012-2013
Matt Barnes
Chauncey Billups
Caron Butler
Jamal Crawford
Grant Hill
Rony Turiaf
Lamar Odom
Lost in 6 to the Grizzlies. 90% certain they were healthy. Blake may have been banged up because he came off the bench 1 game.
2013-2014
Matt Barnes
Reggie Bullock
Darren Collison
Jamal Crawford
Glen Davis
Jared Dudley
Danny Granger
Ryan Hollins
Stephen Jackson
Antawn Jamison
BJ Mullens
JJ Riddick
Hedo Turkoglu
Lost to the Thunder in 6 in the CSF. Perfectly healthy.
2014-2015
Nate Robinson
JJ Riddick
Hedo Turkoglu
Austin Rivers
Spencer Hawes
Dahnty Jones
Jamal Crawford
CDR
Glen Davis
Jordan Farmar
Matt Barnes
Lost to the Rockets in 6 in the CSF. CP3 misses two games, and finally has somewhat of an excuse for not making it.
2015-2016
Jamal Crawford
Jeff Green
Wesley Johnson
Luc Mbah a Moute
Paul Pierce
Pablo Prigioni
JJ Riddick
Lance Stephenson
CJ Wilcox
Austin Rivers
Lost in 1st round to the Blazers. CP3 misses 2 games again.
2016-2017
JJ Reddick
Jamal Crawford
Paul Pierce
Austin Rivers
Wesley Johnson
Luc Mbah a Moute
Mareese Speights
Raymond Felton
Brandon Bass
Blake goes down, and they lose again in the 1st round.
I would much rather have 90% of the above players, at the state they were in over the last 3 guys on our bench, and atleast 2 other guys we started the year with.
The Clippers couldnt have even acquired Melo without moving one of their big 3 or gutting their role players. Not to mention, no way was Doc going to give up on the fraud he calls his son.
The players & Doc are to blame. Lets face it, Doc was a bad coach with one hell of a defensive assistant. Ainge is gifted 2 hall of famers, and they win one ring. None of that is Doc's doing.
Blake has no game outside of an iso jumper or dunking on people & Deandre is literally paid only to dunk & block shots.
The Clippers, for Balmer's sake, should blow it the hell up. The Clippers are the definition of insanity in the NBA.