The Clippers have also released the ’15-16 preseason schedule
While everyone is sifting through and dissecting the full 2015-16 regular season schedule, here’s another set of information to deal with as we prepare for training camp to start: the Clippers’ ’15-16 preseason schedule; here it is in full:
10/02/15 – Nuggets at Clippers (STAPLES Center) 7:30 p.m.
10/04/15 – Clippers at Raptors (Rogers Arena, Vancouver) 4:00 p.m.
10/11/15 – Clippers at Hornets (Shenzen, China) 1:30 p.m.
10/14/15 – Hornets at Clippers (Shanghai, China) 8:00 p.m.
10/20/15 – Warriors at Clippers (STAPLES Center) 7:30 p.m.
10/22/15 – Trail Blazers at Clippers (STAPLES Center) 7:30 p.m.
*all times Pacific Standard Time
The most notable exclusion in the preseason schedule compared to previous years is the absence of games in Las Vegas, where they’ve played for three consecutive seasons. During the Donald Sterling sage during the 2014 playoffs, Mandalay Bay had withdrawn its support with the franchise as they found Sterling’s comments to be “shocking and appalling,” and maintained the stance following Sterling’s lifetime ban from the NBA, set by league commissioner Adam Silver — Sterling would eventually sell the franchise. Instead, the Clippers will head overseas to give international fans a show against the Hornets in China as part of the NBA Global Games 2015 — other teams will be featured in China, and recently, the NBA took part in it’s first exhibition game in Africa. The matchup in Shenzhen, China will be a NBA first.
“Returning to China to participate in the NBA Global Games China is another important step in establishing the Clippers as a first-class international franchise,” said owner Steve Ballmer on his teams participation in the Global Games. “We are looking forward to representing Los Angeles and the NBA as we bring our exciting brand of basketball to all of our fans in China.”
Some notable faces the Clippers will see throughout the preseason? No. 7 overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay of the Denver Nuggets, no. 9 overall pick Frank Kaminsky of the Charlotte Hornets, no. 20 overall pick Delon Wright of the Toronto Raptors, and what’s sure to be a reserve-filled affair against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Like any year, the preseason for the Clippers will be more about getting a glimpse at young talent and figuring out how rotation spots will play out. At the moment the Clippers have 13 players on the roster so there won’t be a situation similar to Joe Ingles and Jared Cunningham fighting for the final roster spot, with Cunningham — in what I still believe to be a mistake — winning out. Instead, we’ll see how Lance Stephenson is expected to fit, who controls the bulk of playmaking when Chris Paul isn’t on the floor (Crawford, Rivers, Stephenson all candidates), the role Josh Smith will play on this team, how Paul Pierce fits with the starting lineup (and a glimpse of what he has in the think), and how youngsters in second-year guard C.J. Wilcox and rookie forward Branden Dawson look against NBA-esque talent, rather than against D-League talent.
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