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For the past five days the Los Angeles Clippers have been the talk of the NBA. They obscured news that Kobe Bryant intends to play at least two more years. They upstaged the NBA Finals.

But now that the proposed trade that would have brought Boston's Kevin Garnett and coach Doc Rivers to the Clippers has faded, the real work begins.

It's easy to make a splash. You just cannonball off the high dive and water kicks up everywhere over everyone, regardless of whether you nail the landing.

What the Clippers' willingness to walk away from the Boston legends proved, though, is that they are committed to the landing too. This franchise is serious about making the right moves, not simply the fancy ones, to get out of the first and second rounds of the playoffs and contend for titles.

Whether walking away from the talks was foolish, only time will tell. Perhaps in a few months, they'll regret not giving up that extra first-round pick for Rivers. But when director of basketball operations Gary Sacks called up Boston's Danny Ainge on Tuesday morning to say the price was simply too steep and the Clippers were walking away, he effectively said to Clippers fans that he thinks something better is around the corner.

You don't pull out of a deal this massive because you are giving up too much. You pull out because you've analyzed hundreds of other scenarios that will also improve your team now and in the future.

Those options may not be as big and flashy as acquiring the Boston legends, but in the end, they might have a more lasting impact.

The Clippers have had preliminary talks with Orlando about bringing former UCLA star Arron Afflalo to L.A. Afflalo isn't the kind of star Garnett or Paul Pierce are, but he'd bring perimeter defense, 3-point shooting and athleticism that the Clippers lacked the past two seasons.

Similarly, Indiana has signaled that it wants to hold on to forward Danny Granger, according to league sources, but will they really be able to after signing budding star Paul George to a lucrative extension?

Last week, ESPN reported that the Clippers were determined to be "very aggressive" and "shake every tree" to improve their roster this season.

After involving DeAndre Jordan in the talks with Boston, the rest of the league will now be calling with their own proposals for the tantalizing young center, who hasn't put it all together yet but reminds people of a young Tyson Chandler.

Bledsoe will also likely be moved before February's trade deadline, as he's in line for a lucrative contract extension, and the Clippers risk losing him for nothing if they let him hit restricted free agency.

In other words, one deal may have died on Tuesday, but the Clippers are far from done.

For this week, the Clippers will focus on hiring a coach from the ranks of Lionel Hollins -- who is said to have wowed owner Donald Sterling in his interviews last week -- and two men with deep Lakers ties, Byron Scott and Brian Shaw.

Scott and Shaw are scheduled to meet with Sterling on Tuesday and Wednesday. Shaw is seen as the favorite among the Clippers players and front office.

It's impossible to predict which man Sterling will ultimately hire, and yes, he does have the final say on such things.

None of the three candidates can match Rivers' star power. Bringing him to L.A. would've created a huge splash. But there comes a point when you stop cannonballing off the high dive.

Now the Clippers need to find other ways to get everyone's attention.

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics have formally opened serious discussions on multiple transactions that potentially could add up to a seismic trade arrangement that ultimately lands Celtics stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and coach Doc Rivers in L.A., according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com the Clippers are concurrently weighing the prospect of offering star forward Blake Griffin in tandem with prized young guard Eric Bledsoe to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade pitch to land Dwight Howard after July 1.

The initial talks with Boston, sources said Saturday, are focused on the Clippers satisfying Boston's compensation demands to let Rivers out of his lucrative contract and corresponding trade proposals aimed at bringing Garnett to town with Rivers.

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LOS ANGELES -- If the Los Angeles Clippers get their wish, the only thing they won't be getting from the Boston Celtics this summer is the parquet floor at the Garden and the 17 championship banners hanging from the rafters.

If their plan works, however, maybe they'll be able to raise their very own banner at Staples Center next year.

The Clippers' plan is to someway, somehow pry Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Celtics and hope that the trio, combined with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, can get the Clippers their first NBA title. (Or at the very least, get them to their first Western Conference finals.)

There are two key things that need to take place for this to happen.

First, the Clippers must be fine with essentially mortgaging their future to make a run at a title for the next year or two with two players who will be 37 and 36, respectively, when next season begins.

Second, the Celtics must be fine with starting their rebuilding project early by blowing up the core of the team that won a title in 2008.

If those two things happen, the next step is figuring out how this mega-deal would shake out logistically, and for that there's no one better to turn to than ESPN.com's salary-cap guru Larry Coon.

There are two scenarios for the Clippers to complete this move, one is if they do it before July 1 and the other is if they do it after July 1.

(Read full post)

Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have been in consistent contact recently about the possibility of becoming teammates next season, according to league sources.

Paul and Howard will be the biggest free agents on the market this summer, and their desire is to play together, the sources said.

"They would love to play together if somebody can make it happen," one of the sources said.

Full story here.

The Los Angeles Clippers are scheduled to interview former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins on Thursday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

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It has been three weeks since the Los Angeles Clippers parted ways with former head coach Vinny Del Negro. Since then, they have contacted some of their top coaching candidates and will begin the formal interview process this week, hoping to have a new coach in place by the NBA draft on June 27.

The Clippers are reportedly looking for a big-name hire who will provide the right balance of respect, pedigree, fit, personality, flexibility and tactical acumen. While that is certainly a difficult list to fulfill, there are plenty of good candidates available, especially if the Clippers are willing to spend a little extra money.

The short list of reported candidates, in no particular order: Indiana associate coach Brian Shaw, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins, former Denver coach George Karl, former Cleveland coach Byron Scott, former Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy.

Here are the three best candidates available in terms of potential and fit:


George Karl

Career record: 1131-756 (.599 win percentage)

Playoff record: 80-105 (.432 win percentage)

Karl has long established himself as one of the best coaches in the league, and his decorated resume makes him a front-runner. Known as an offensive innovator, Karl’s teams have finished with a top-10 offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) in 18 of the 21 complete seasons he’s coached. He recently developed well-rounded teams in his 8 1/2 year tenure with Denver, as the Nuggets finished with a top-10 offensive rating six times and a top-11 defensive rating four times.

More important, Karl has had prior success coaching a similarly skilled big-little duo -- Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton in Seattle -- and would alleviate the immense pressure on Chris Paul to shoulder the offensive burden. Karl designs his offenses around layups and 3-pointers, the two most valuable shots per possession in basketball, over inefficient midrange jumpers, and would help reduce the offensive stagnation the Clippers endured at times this season.

While the Nuggets played an up-tempo brand of basketball, a stark contrast to Paul’s inherent preference of a slower pace, Karl has shown the unique ability to adjust his offensive tactics to his personnel’s strengths. The 2012-13 coach of the year would use Blake Griffin’s finishing ability more efficiently, instead of merely dumping the ball to him in the post, and likely unleash the Paul-Eric Bledsoe backcourt that’s had a lot of success in limited minutes the past two years.

Of course, the Clippers need a coach who can shore up their defensive issues (21st in defensive rating after Feb. 1) and guide them in the postseason. The two knocks on Karl are that he’s underachieved in the playoffs -- the Nuggets advanced past the first round once in eight postseasons -- and frequently ranked around league average or worse defensively. That’s certainly a cause for concern, but given his pedigree, and the fact that the Clippers would be one of the most talented teams he’s ever coached, it seems there isn’t a better candidate available.


Jeff Van Gundy

Career record: 430-318 (.575 win percentage)

Playoff record: 44-44 (.500 win percentage)

Despite not coaching for more than six years, there is good reason for the younger Van Gundy to be atop the Clippers’ list. He has amassed a stellar reputation as a stern, hard-nosed coach who excels defensively and has the track record to prove it. His teams have finished top six in defensive rating in all nine of the complete seasons he’s coached.

Van Gundy has formed cohesive defensive units with lumbering big men in the middle -- an old and injured Patrick Ewing and Kurt Thomas in New York; Yao Ming and Luis Scola in Houston -- so one can only imagine the schemes he would design with Griffin and DeAndre Jordan’s athletic gifts. His teams play tough, physical defense, a beneficial tactic for a Clippers squad that struggled to adjust to Memphis’ ferocity in the playoffs. The Clippers’ pace (19th in the NBA) also favors Van Gundy’s style, as he prefers a slog.

Though his teams have traditionally struggled offensively, ranking below league average in most cases, they have always shot a lot of 3-pointers and few midrange jumpers, which is encouraging. He has never had a dominant floor general like Paul, and would likely refrain from altering the offense too much. Since he’s been away from the sideline for so long, there’s also the strong possibility that Van Gundy will have added motivation to disprove any doubts or misconceptions of his coaching ability.

It’s unclear if Van Gundy would consider leaving the broadcast booth, though, especially considering the hefty price tag he will command. He has been a rumored candidate for several coaching vacancies over the past few years, but nothing has materialized. As Ramona Shelburne reported last week, talks between him and the Clippers have cooled down recently. If the Clippers can convince him they’d be a great fit and are willing to spend the money, there’s no doubt that Van Gundy would maximize their defensive potential and provide the respectable locker room voice they need.


Lionel Hollins

Career record: 214-201 (.516 win percentage)

Playoff record: 18-17 (.514 win percentage)

After Karl and Van Gundy, the rest of the field is difficult to separate, as the remaining candidates each have considerable deficiencies or question marks. Hollins, however, is the hottest name on the coaching market, and rightfully so. The Grizzlies’ surprise trip to the Western Conference finals showed he can lead a flawed roster with mixed personalities, not unlike the Clippers, and his late-game adjustments proved too much for either L.A. or Oklahoma City to handle.

The Grizzlies’ defense improved each season under Hollins, and it’s clear he would insert aspects of his grind-it-out defense into the Clippers’ defensive ideology. He holds every player accountable for their role, and isn’t afraid to mix up his rotation and bench players if they’re struggling, as he routinely did this the postseason. The rapid growth of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley under Hollins’ watch also bodes well for the continued development of Griffin, Jordan and Bledsoe.

At the same time, what would it say about Hollins if the Grizzlies are willing to let him go after a 56-win campaign and near-Finals berth? He has an outspoken personality and publicly clashed with Memphis’ management, which wouldn’t sit well with the Clippers’ front office or ownership. His old-school approach and aversion to advanced statistics also makes it questionable as to how he’ll adapt as the NBA evolves into a smaller game reliant on spacing and 3-point shooting.

Still, Hollins would command the respect of Paul and Griffin, which is as important of a factor as any and provide the requisite toughness the Clippers spoke about in their exit interviews. His market price will probably be out of the Clippers’ ideal range, but Donald Sterling has already shown a vested interest in Hollins by scouting him at a playoff game in San Antonio. If Karl and Van Gundy sign elsewhere, are too expensive or are just not interested, Hollins is the best choice.


Stats used in this piece are from ESPN.com and Basketball-Reference.com.

The Los Angeles Clippers plan to interview Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw as soon as Monday, sources have told ESPN, as he and recently fired Denver Nuggets coach George Karl have emerged as the team's top choices to fill its head coaching vacancy.

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The Indiana Pacers season ended Monday night. It took less than 24 hours for associate head coach Brian Shaw to become a serious candidate for both the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets vacancies, sources told ESPN.

The Clippers have officially asked for and been granted permission to speak with Shaw and Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday night.

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There are no bad head coaching gigs in the NBA. Only 30 positions exist in the league and that scarcity means that hundreds of capable professionals who have spent a lifetime preparing to be an NBA head coach never get the chance. But some coaching jobs are more attractive than others, and of the remaining vacancies, the Clippers’ opportunity is most alluring.

TrueHoop »

Kevin Arnovitz and Jordan Heimer recap the Vinnie Del Negro Era for the Clippers as the search begins for their next head coach. The guys breakdown who the choices are and which one would be the best fit for Lob City.

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Lionel Hollins said Tuesday he hopes to be back with the Memphis Grizzlies but is being "realistic" about his coaching future in the NBA.

The veteran coach is a hot commodity and is being mentioned as a candidate elsewhere with openings at the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets being possibilities.

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The first time Chris Paul referenced something his old coach in New Orleans, Monty Williams, used to say, we smiled. The second time, we took note. After that, well, you kind of got the message.

Paul had a good experience with his coaching staff in New Orleans. Williams being the head coach, Michael Malone being his lead assistant.

It's no wonder then that Malone's name has floated to the top of the early lists of candidates for the Clippers job, now that Vinny Del Negro has officially been let go. The lead assistant for the Golden State Warriors has always been regarded as a shrewd tactician, but the extra warm fuzzy feelings from Paul don't hurt his case.

Williams, for one, thinks his time is overdue.

"You don't know what it takes to get a job. It's not just about basketball all the time. But I just hope, I hope that he gets a job soon," Williams told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "I know he really wants to do it, and I know he'll be a really good head coach. The tough part is knowing I gotta coach against him because I know he really knows his stuff."

Williams said he hired Malone as an assistant on his staff in New Orleans because of the way he saw him working with young players when they were both assistant coaches -- Williams in Portland, Malone in Cleveland.

"I didn't have any relationship with Mike at all when I hired him," Williams said. "So that was a tough hire when you don't know someone. But I just wanted the best guy for the job.

"Mike was always a good sounding board, he wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in."

It should be noted that Malone also has a reputation for standing up a bit too forcefully at times. Williams said he appreciated that fire, though.

"I've really grown from the coaches around me who aren't afraid to voice their opinions," Williams said. "Mike was smart enough, he knew the game well enough to give me something that was going to help the team that didn't have anything to do with him.

"I can only base it on my experience with him. I was the head coach and I know that he made me a better head coach. He's certainly a guy that can run a team."

The Los Angeles Clippers lost the most successful coach by winning percentage in the franchise’s history when they dismissed Vinny Del Negro, whose contract was due to expire June 30. Del Negro compiled a 128-102 record during his three seasons with the Clippers and for the better part of the past 14 months, had a strong case for a long-term extension, at least ostensibly. The Clippers beat the Grizzlies in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, then finished with a club-record 56 wins this season. No locker room outside of Bexar County, Texas, is perfect, and there were certainly frictional elements in the Clippers’ camp, but the overall culture was decent.

Del Negro was confident in what he was building, and turned down a one-year extension from the team last October. Yet despite the regular-season success, Del Negro could never shake the perception that he lacked the tactical feel for the game required to become an NBA championship-level head coach. Del Negro’s biggest fans during his five-year career have been owners, Jerry Reinsdorf in Chicago and Donald T. Sterling in Los Angeles. Basketball operations people have always been more skeptical of him.

Read the full article here.

When asked about the Los Angeles Clippers’ goals this upcoming offseason, vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks answered with with no hesitation.

“The No. 1 priority for us right now has to be re-signing our star player, Chris Paul,” Sacks said at Day 2 of the Clippers’ exit interviews. “That's our goal, that's what we want to do.”

While the Clippers’ early playoff exit certainly doesn’t sit well with their free agent superstar, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein has reported that Paul will likely stay in Los Angeles and accept the nearly $30 million extra the Clippers can offer him.

Heading into the offseason, the Clippers only have six players under fully guaranteed contracts: Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford, Eric Bledsoe, Caron Butler and Grant Hill. Willie Green’s contract is non-guaranteed for the next two seasons, meaning the Clippers can waive him to alleviate cap space.

The collective salaries of the group equal 46.7 million ($45.3 million if Green is waived before July 1). If Paul signs the five-year, $108 million extension the Clippers can offer, his first-year salary would be a little under $18.7 million, bringing the Clippers’ salary total to $66.5 million, including the 25th overall selection in the 2013 NBA draft (the average salary at that slot is about $1.1 million).

ESPN cap guru Larry Coon projects a $71.5 million to $73 million tax line in 2013-14, meaning with only nine players under contract -- the league minimum is 13 -- the Clippers would have $5 to $7 million to spend on at least four players in free agency and still remain under the dreadful luxury tax.

With six free agents -- Paul, Matt Barnes, Chauncey Billups, Lamar Odom, Ronny Turiaf and Ryan Hollins -- and no decision announced yet on the future of their Vinny Del Negro, the Clippers will have a slew of difficult decisions to make in what Sacks calls a “huge” offseason.

Here are three things to look for this offseason:

Deciding on the future of Jordan and Bledsoe

The young duo was nearly packaged alongside Butler to the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline, and it’s looking more and more like one of them, if not both, will eventually be dealt.

Bledsoe is more likely to be traded than Jordan, as the back-up point guard is due for a significant raise next summer as a restricted free agent. Many, including Paul, believe Bledsoe should be starting on his own team.

That being said, it’s unlikely the Clippers move Bledsoe -- the ultimate insurance policy -- until Paul is locked up, which would be July 1 at the earliest. If the right move comes along though, especially around the NBA Draft in late June, Bledsoe could be moved sooner.

While Jordan has yet to play up to the standards of the hefty contract he signed last summer, it’ll be more difficult to replace him because athletic 7-footers are hard to come by and provide unquantifiable value on defense.

Still, the Clippers are in win-now mode and don’t have time to wait for Jordan to blossom an offensive game or become competent at free throw shooting. If he’s unable to play in crunch time, he isn’t worth keeping around.

It’s unlikely the Clippers keep both players, but still possible. Bledsoe has proven he can play shooting guard alongside Paul, and his stout perimeter defense is a game-changer; Jordan has improved every year and may finally breakthrough with a solidified role and consistent playing time.

Nevertheless, these two will be the centerpieces of any trade talks the Clippers have over the offseason.

Big man with shooting range

One of the biggest problems for the Clippers offensively this season was that besides Griffin -- who’s at his best when operating down on the low block -- they didn’t have a big man that could space the floor and stretch opposing defenses out with his shooting.

Odom was supposed to fill that role, but his shooting stroke deserted him for the second straight season. He shot 39.9 percent from the floor and 20.0 percent from the beyond the arc, figures that ranked as the second worst of his career.

Meanwhile, Jordan, Turiaf and Hollins combined to make 9 shots beyond 10 feet all season. Defenses often ignored the latter two and only paid attention to Jordan because of the ever-looming threat of a lob from Paul.

No matter who he played with, Griffin was always paired with an offensive non-factor, forcing him to single-handedly carry the interior-scoring burden. After he sprained his ankle before Game 5 of the 2013 postseason, no one else stepped up -- the remaining big men combined to average just 15 points per game over the final two games of the series.

With the Clippers on a strict budget, and floor-spacing big men a hot commodity, it’s unlikely they find a guy without severe flaws (especially defensively). Regardless, finding a shooting big man who can play with Griffin for 10-15 minutes a night will spruce up the Clippers’ offense.

Potential fits: Earl Clark, Antawn Jamison, Dante Cunningham (Team Option), Anthony Tolliver, Jon Leuer (Restricted Free Agent)

Athletic wing defender with size

The Clippers’ perimeter defenders made the Grizzlies’ wings look like All-Stars this postseason, even though none of the Grizzlies’ perimeter players averaged double-digit scoring numbers during the season.

With Butler, Crawford and Green as the only wings under contract, the Clippers will undoubtedly need to address their perimeter defense, as none of those guys are “stoppers”. To contend for a championship next year, the Clippers will need a couple of players who can feasibly defend the Kobe Bryants and Kevin Durants of the world without being burned.

Barnes did a great job filling this role this year, but due to the constraints of the collective bargaining agreement (the Clippers don’t own his Bird Rights), the Clippers can only offer him up to 120 percent of his current contract, which is a little over $1.6 million. If Barnes wants to stay in L.A., he’ll have to take a significant pay cut compared to his projected market value. Chances are, though, he bolts for more money and a larger role, as he’s already stated he wants a pay increase.

While a lot of the shooting big men in the Clippers’ price range will be defensively challenged, most free agent wing defenders will likewise be offensively challenged. There’s a reason why they’re not getting paid more.

Ideally, the Clippers would sign someone with the size and/or length to play power forward in small ball lineups, while also possessing the ability to shoot corner 3-pointers. If they can sign two such players -- one to start and one to come off the bench -- they should be set on the perimeter.

Potential fits: Barnes, Tony Allen, Corey Brewer, Ronnie Brewer, Brandon Rush (Player Option), Marquis Daniels

Stats used in this piece are from ESPN.com and NBA.com/Stats.

Salary cap information used from ESPN.com, HOOPSWORLD.com, CBAFAQ.com and ClipperBlog.com.

The Los Angeles Clippers enjoyed their best season in franchise history, winning their first division title, a record 56 games, going on a 17-game winning streak and sweeping the Lakers for the first time. Their postseason, however, wasn’t as memorable, ending in four straight losses after taking a 2-0 series lead on the Memphis Grizzlies. How do the Clippers balance their memorable regular season with their forgettable postseason? Well, we’ll take a step back here and try to grade what the front office brought to the table.

COACHING STAFF

Vinny Del Negro has been on the hot seat since the Clippers picked up the option on the third and final year of his deal last year and did not extend him beyond this season. It was clear that this season was an audition for him and if he would be the coach who would lead the Clippers for the next four to five seasons.

With Chris Paul becoming an unrestricted free agent and able to sign a five-year extension this summer and Blake Griffin inking a five-year extension last summer, the next big question for the Clippers is who will be coaching the cornerstones of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

As good as the Clippers have been over the past two seasons, it could easily be argued that the turnaround has more to do with the arrival of Paul than Del Negro’s coaching. Del Negro was 32-50 in his first season with the Clippers before Paul arrived, and as Griffin was named Rookie of the Year. He was a .500 coach in his two seasons with Chicago and never made it out of the first round. The Bulls then replaced him with Tom Thibodeau, prompting Chicago to go 62-20 and advance to the Eastern Conference finals the next season. Derrick Rose, who was named the Rookie of the Year under Del Negro, blossomed into the league's MVP under Thibodeau. And look what the injury-riddled Bulls are doing this season in the playoffs without Rose.

Del Negro is a good coach, who surrounded himself with good assistants, but it was no secret that the Clippers needed to advance to the conference finals for him to be in the running for a long-term extension.

Outlook for 2013-14

Del Negro is scheduled to meet with Clippers owner Donald Sterling at the end of this week and it would be considered a major surprise if Sterling offered Del Negro a contract extension after his deal expires in June. The Clippers, according to sources, are expected to make a run at some big name coaches as Sterling for the first time seems willing to open up the checkbook for a respected coach with a solid resume.

The good news for Del Negro is that his last two years with the Clippers were strong enough that he’ll likely land on his feet with another team within a year or two.

Grade

C: Del Negro deserved an A for the first half of the season when the Clippers were a league-best 32-9, won 17 straight and looked well on their way to winning 60 games. Del Negro even won Coach of the Month honors in December. The wheels, however, fell off in the second half of the season where the team’s play was probably worthy of a C. The Clippers, however, did rally to win 9 straight to claim the Pacific Division, the four seed and take a 2-0 series lead on Memphis. In the end, though, Del Negro's team stalled out as Memphis made the right adjustments after Game 2 and won four straight and eliminated the Clippers in six games.

FRONT OFFICE

There was some uncertainty in the Clippers' front office last offseason after general manager Neil Olshey left to take a similar position with the Portland Trail Blazers. Gary Sacks was then promoted to take over for Olshey as team president Andy Roeser and Del Negro took a more hands-on approach to dealing with off-season acquisitions and moves. Sacks was on a similar one-year audition run like Del Negro but chances are that Sacks will be back. He had the backing of Paul and Griffin when he was promoted to his position and he has been working with Sterling and Roeser for 20 years.

The Clippers front office did a solid job in the offseason in putting together arguably the deepest team in the league. They went out and acquired Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes, Willie Green, Ryan Hollins and Ronny Turiaf. For all the talk about the Clippers building on the continuity from last season, there were nine players on this year’s playoffs roster that were not on last year’s playoff roster.

Outlook for 2013-14

The Clippers aren’t likely to make any moves in the front office. Sacks and Roeser will likely to continue in their roles unless Sterling suddenly gets the urge to call up Phil Jackson and give him a blank check to come across town and run the Clippers.

Grade

B: The Clippers did a fine job assembling a deep roster that won a team-record 56 games. Some might say it wasn’t built for the playoffs after losing Reggie Evans and Kenyon Martin but the Clippers got swept in the second round with those two. The Clippers rolled the dice on making some moves with a nice mixture of young players and veterans and it worked well in the regular season before fizzling out in the playoffs.