The Los Angeles Clippers are learning on the fly this season as they try to build some chemistry with their new-look roster.
As such, it’s important that they eliminate distractions, which is seemingly why one player wasn’t crazy about the idea of the team staying in New York overnight after the Clippers lost to the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week.
“Another Clipper told me he actually hated the idea of staying in N.Y. overnight after the Nets loss because he wanted the team as a whole to get rest and didn’t want New York to become a distraction because the city of Dallas, TX itself like NYC is a ‘maze of fun,'” reported Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson.
The Clippers acquired star guard James Harden in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers last week. The deal may have heightened the team’s ceiling this season, but the results haven’t been there just yet. L.A. is 0-2 with Harden in the lineup.
The hope is that the squad’s new core of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Harden will help it get over the top in the Western Conference. While age certainly needs to be considered, those four players own a combined 32 All-Star selections in their NBA careers.
The amount of star power on L.A.’s roster should help the team withstand any potential injuries, and if the group plays to its potential, the Clippers will be hard to stop. But there will likely be some growing pains as their four key players learn to work as a unit, which is often par for the course.
It’s worth noting that Harden has earned a reputation as a player who enjoys taking in the nightlife while traveling, something that has rubbed past teammates the wrong way. It’s unclear if that’s part of the reason why one Clippers player wanted the team to get out of New York, but it certainly comes to mind as a possibility.
The Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks on the road on Friday as they look to get their first victory since Oct. 31. L.A. is 3-4 this season. The game against the Mavs marks the final leg of a four-game road trip for the squad.
Although the Clippers have never won an NBA title, the organization is clearly trying to give its current core a real chance at doing so. Time will tell if the risk pays off.
