Clippers in crisis
PLUS: The Sixers and Rockets --both teams who turned down a big James Harden contract -- are thriving. Huh! And some more NBA Cup court reviews.
Good morning. Typical Monday extra-long newsletter, so you may want to open it in the browser or app so it doesn’t get clipped. Let’s basketball.
Another try for the Clippers, this time against the most disappointing team in the league, the 1-8 Memphis Grizzlies in Los Angeles. Make that the 2-8 Memphis Grizzlies.
In that reel right there, the Clippers go 2/10 from the floor to lose the game. Ty Lue is spamming the substitutions — in the last three minutes, he’s basically subbing Russell Westbrook in for defense and James Harden in for offense. Terance Mann, Norman Powell and the two clear best players on the team, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, stay on the floor, mostly.
Lue trusts Harden so little on defense that he’s subbing Westbrook in. Westbrook tries hard consistently and remains very athletic. But that’s not an endorsement of Harden at all. Meanwhile, Harden goes 1/3 down the stretch, including an airball corner three to tie the game.
The Clippers are 0-4 with Harden in the lineup and 0-5 since the trade. Here’s how the team has fared with Harden on and off the court.
At Knicks: -18 in 31 minutes with Harden on the floor, +4 in 17 minutes with him off
At Nets: -15 in 36 minutes with Harden on the floor, +8 in 12 minutes with him off
At Mavericks: -6 in 29 minutes with Harden on the floor, -12 in 19 minutes with him off
Vs. Grizzlies: -28 in 29 minutes Harden on the floor, +24 in 19 minutes with him off
The Clippers have not won Harden’s minutes in any of the games, and have won the non-Harden minutes in three of the four games. Harden is basically never playing without one of the other stars, so it’s not all on him. It’s just a reflection that this isn’t working so far. At all.
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