Clippers: Picking events for L.A.’s stars at Rio Olympics

If the stars of the Los Angeles Clippers were going to perform in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in non-basketball events, what would they be?

It’s the summer. We have no basketball except for some disappointing play from Team USA, so there’s nothing wrong with getting a little creative and having some fun as we wait for the Los Angeles Clippers to return to action. And with DeAndre Jordan as the only member of the team representing the Clips and America at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, there’s even more incentive to do so.

With that in mind, let’s bring in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. And why not J.J. Redick, too? After all, Redick did receive a call from Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski to see whether he had any interest in coming to Rio, even if he was only a late backup option and never made the final cut.

The Clippers have certainly been blessed with athleticism. With their frontcourt alone, consisting of two of the best poster dunkers and high-flying big men the NBA has seen, Griffin and Jordan give the team a duo that ranks them among the league’s best in terms of athletic ability.

While explosive 6’10” leapers may not be ideal Olympic athletes, they can be for bored Clippers fans looking to pass the time until the new season comes. And for all those proud fans in L.A., seeing someone from the team head to the Olympics for something other than basketball is a fun fantasy at the very least.

So, from Griffin and Jordan to the team’s star backcourt of Paul and marksman J.J. Redick, let’s get started with turning the Clippers into Olympians.

Next: Blake Griffin - High Jump

Blake Griffin – High jump

Yeah, you probably saw this one coming.

For critics of the Clippers (and there’s plenty of those to be found), it’s easy to forget what kind of player Blake Griffin is when he’s healthy. Last season, he was held to just 35 games in the regular season and a brief stint in the playoffs where he clearly wasn’t 100 percent before his quad injury flared up again to end his season.

Before the injuries and the fight with Matias Testi that knocked his reputation, though, Griffin was putting up some of the best numbers of his career with tremendous efficiency. Before that in the 2015 playoffs, he made averaging 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game look easy.

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More to the point, when considering him as a hypothetical Olympian, it seems too easy for some to forget that when healthy — which he should be completely come October — Griffin is one of the most impressive athletes in the NBA. At 27, he’s well and truly in his prime, and if his quadriceps injury was handled correctly early on, we may have seen more reminders of that fact last season.

Nevertheless, if there’s going to be a big man appearing in these fantastical Olympics at the high jump, there aren’t many better bigs — if any — than Griffin.

He left the Oklahoma Sooners in 2009 to go pro with a 35.5 inch vertical, with a muscular physique that has only matured as his career has gone on. Just last year, when he was tallying triple-doubles against the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, he also delivered this tremendous trio of thunderous poster dunks over Aron Baynes to highlight the leaping ability that still devastates his opponents.

It goes without saying that Olympic high jumpers aren’t 6’10” athletes like Blake Griffin, but they are tall in comparison to your average joe watching from home or many other track and field competitors. For example, the gold medal winner from Rio, Derek Drouin from Canada, is 6’5″. He uses a unique technique with a slower run up to reduce pressure on his joints and unleash that saved energy for a sudden bounce over the bar, resulting in a tremendous gold-medal-winning jump of 2.38 meters this year.

No, Griffin wouldn’t be great for high jump against actual Olympic competition. The kind of control and agility in the air that professional high jumpers have can’t simply be replicated by an explosive power forward, even though his size would help. Not to mention the fact that the leaping is entirely different to basketball.

But if the Clippers were going to pick someone to represent them, who else could it be?

Equally, if Griffin fancies taking his talents elsewhere, perhaps he could join DeAndre on the beach.

Next: DeAndre Jordan - Beach Volleyball

DeAndre Jordan – Beach Volleyball

DeAndre Jordan has been making the most of his time in Rio. He’s been an exuberant cheerleader for Michael Phelps with close friend Kevin Durant, he’s become increasingly important to Team USA on the court due to his defense and intensity, and he’s been taking to the beach to get in some volleyball practice.

Out of any of these fantasy Olympic suggestions, this is perhaps the most realistic. Because for a 6’11” man with such rare leaping ability for his size and a 7’6″ wingspan, how could such physical gifts not be effectively applied to beach volleyball?

At the very least, even though Jordan may not nearly have all the skill and tactical elements down just yet, his physical ability gives him a pretty absurd advantage from the get go. Plus, being able to simply smash the ball rather than shooting free throws can’t hurt either.

For a glimpse of Jordan in some casual, coconut-holding beach volleyball practice, see him have a go for yourself as he joined his fellow members of Team USA men’s basketball.

If Jordan ever decides to venture into some more volleyball in his spare time, it’s hard to think that his skill set of rising high for what should be out-of-reach alley-oops, rejecting shots above the rim, and generally delivering a well coordinated, aerial skill set wouldn’t help him on the beach.

Jordan has everything you physically want in a guy who can spike the ball down for easy points and smother any effort from opponents to swat the ball over the net.

Next: Chris Paul - Handball

Chris Paul – Handball

As an All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team player year in and year out, with a remarkable IQ for the game on level with anyone right now, Chris Paul is a basketball player through and through. Add on the fact that he’s only 6’0″ and doesn’t have the freakish explosiveness of Russell Westbrook, and it’s harder still to pick an event for Paul based on athletic traits alone.

Nevertheless, if I’m going to pick a non-basketball event for Paul, handball is what I’m going with.

Admittedly, my handball knowledge is far from extensive. It’s quite the opposite, but I think most NBA fans will be similar in that regard. However, the skill set of some physicality, stellar hand and eye coordination, speed, leaping ability, crisp passing and powerful throws to score is clear, which suits a guy like CP3 pretty well.

“You’re talking about another sport with running and jumping, changing direction and throwing a ball into a net?” fellow point guard Kyle Lowry said to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post, who recently did some research into why the U.S. is so bad (and uninterested) in handball. “Yeah, I think we could figure it out. How much do they make?” Lowry added.

If another 6’0″ point guard like Lowry thinks the U.S. and basketball players could figure out handball, there’s no reason why Paul and many other NBA players couldn’t take to the sport if they gave it a shot. They wouldn’t be experts, but as Kilgore detailed in his article, the U.S. (and the NBA, in particular) possesses many athletes with the type of physical abilities that apply to the sport.

In fact, when discussing one of the most unique and truly remarkable athletes in general sporting history, the U.S. national team handball coach Javier Garcia-Cuesta said LeBron James could be the best handball player in the world in a hurry if he wanted to be:

"“Maybe six months. This is just a hypothetical. He has everything. When you see him playing, your mouth drops.”"

Mikkel Hansen of Denmark, described by Kilgore as, “the LeBron James of handball,” also had high praise for LeBron:

"“It’s difficult to talk about that,” Hansen said, laughing. “I admire LeBron James very much. I’m a big basketball fan. The way he sees the court, his vision for the game, is very impressive. There you would have a good start. And physically, he is amazing. But you also need to throw the ball. So, yeah. Maybe.”"

No, Chris Paul is not LeBron James. At 6’0″, lacking the unmatched combination of explosion, strength, speed and skill (just like everyone else in comparison), the differences are blindingly obvious. Paul is also shorter than the LeBron handball equivalent, 6’5″ Mikkel Hansen. But in terms of speed, bulldog like strength and hustle that he uses to defend, vision, and some of the best passing ability we’ve ever seen in the league, Paul still ticks a lot of the boxes for a handball player.

For that reason, he makes the imaginary cut in these Olympics.

Next: J.J. Redick - Skeet Shooting

J.J. Redick – Skeet Shooting

Is J.J. Redick any good with a rifle? I have no idea. Maybe, maybe not. What any Clippers fan will know, though, is that Redick led the NBA in three-point percentage last season with a career-high 47.5, simultaneously matching his career-high of 200 made threes for the year (previously set in 2014-15).

More so than any other suggestions in this article, Redick’s is solely based on the basketball equivalent to an Olympic event.

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In every sense of the word, Redick is a marksman, and an elite one at that. He’s an exceptional catch-and-shoot threat, either running off screens or when spotting up in space around the arc, and his tireless movement has helped define his shooting prowess. Constantly darting in and out of off-ball screens from teammates, taking high hand offs from Griffin, or rolling off a screen before finally receiving the ball and releasing a precise jumper arching towards the basket; Redick does everything effortlessly.

If he were to appear in the Rio Olympics, an event to suit his marksmanship is clearly appropriate. More so than the slower pace of archery, though, skeet shooting seems like the event that best suits itself as a comparison for Redick’s play style.

The quick reactions and adjustments coming off screens rather than casual spot-ups from the corner and his quick trigger release are far more comparable to the instantaneous reactions a competitor needs to make in skeet shooting, unlike the slower, yet equally precise, work of an archer.

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When talking about the Clippers’ stars from a purely athletic standpoint, it’s obvious that no one else compares to Griffin and Jordan. So, if I were to make any bold predictions for these fantasy Olympic games and which player would have the most success, my best bet would be DeAndre making his mark in beach volley ball.

Anyway, is it time for the new season yet?