There have been plenty of places to lay blame since the Clippers were knocked out of the Western Conference playoffs in the second round. You can blame the refs for calls at the end of Game 5. Chris Paul can be blamed for some out-of-character turnovers—he wouldn’t disagree. And there’s no doubt that the black cloud hanging over the organization deserves some of the blame as well.
But the Clippers are out of the playoffs because they simply could not contain Kevin Durant.
Slowing the NBA’s newest MVP has been something of an impossibility this season as he averaged career highs of 32 points and 5.5 assists per game while grabbing more than seven rebounds. And he did all that while narrowly missing out on consecutive 50/40/90 seasons (his 2013-14 field-goal, three-point and free-throw percentages: 50.3/39.1/87.3).
He was even better against the Clippers in Round 2, averaging 33.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in the six games, including a 39-point, 16-rebound performance in the series-ending Game 6.
While a knee-jerk reaction could be to say that Durant simply improved his game in the postseason because, well, that’s what MVPs do, that would be to ignore what he did in Round 1.
Against the Memphis Grizzlies Durant averaged 29.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while playing more minutes per game than he did in Round 2. His scoring and assist numbers were lower than they were against the Clippers, as were his field-goal (47 percent to 44 percent) and three-point percentages (38.5 percent to 32.1 percent).
Grizzlies guard Tony Allen deserves much of the credit for Durant’s relative struggles, which the MVP himself admitted to ESPN before Game 5.
“I’m worrying about a guy coming from behind trying to block the shot. I’ve just got to focus in on the rim and my shot. I can’t go out there and think too much, I have to let my instincts take over.”
The Clippers didn’t have anybody like Allen on the roster this season, and without a guy like that it will be incredibly difficult to make it the NBA Finals and, ultimately, to win a championship.
There are very few players of Allen’s caliber defensively in the league and even fewer who will be attainable this offseason for the Clippers. But one player who could fill the void and will be a free agent this summer is Luol Deng.
The former Chicago Bull who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers midseason just played out the final year of his contract and was reportedly not very happy in his time with the Cavs. As an unrestricted free agent he can sign anywhere, and although the Clippers do not have the cap space to sign him, ESPN’s Amin Elhassan wrote that he could be acquired in a sign-and-trade (subscription required).
The Clippers might be better suited pursuing a sign-and-trade for Luol Deng, who is unlikely to return to the Cavs, by sending Barnes (whose 2015-16 salary is only $1 million guaranteed) and Dudley along with a first-round pick swap in 2016.
The Cavaliers likely will try to keep Deng after giving up three future picks to acquire him from the Bulls, but if he refuses to return then a sign-and-trade deal would be their only option to salvage something from the trade. Deng should have multiple suitors on the open market, but coming to an LA team that is very close to a title could be enticing.
Pushing for a player like Deng needs to be a priority when the Clippers look at their series with the Thunder. Durant is a 6-foot-9 wing player with an incredibly long wing span; Danny Granger is the only Clippers wing listed taller than 6-foot-7. Deng is 6-foot-9 and, “Year after year, he remains one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA,” as Grantland’s Robert Mays wrote before the season.
At 29, Deng may only have a couple years remaining as an elite defender, and the four-year, $40-plus million deal he’ll command would become onerous if he loses his athleticism. But they may have no choice but to make that kind of deal if they want to improve their chances to get past Durant and the Thunder next postseason.
Tagged: Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers, Luol Deng, NBA Playoffs
Lob City Blog 
[…] be nearly impossible with the lack of assets on the roster beyond Griffin and Paul. I wrote about the possible addition of a player like Luol Deng, a former All-Star who would add defensive talent on the wing. A guy like that could help slow […]