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Doc Rivers is Right to Believe the LA Clippers Got Better in Offseason

By Garrett Chorpenning

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 06: Head Coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on February 6, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 06: Head Coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on February 6, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 04: Blake Griffin
CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 04: Blake Griffin /

It Just Keeps Getting Better

The next step was clear for the organization. They had to bring back Blake Griffin. And boy, did they ever.

This shirt alone was probably enough by itself to persuade Griffin to come back to LA. However, the Clips did one more thing to ensure he stayed – offered him one of the fattest contracts in NBA history. Blake signed a $173 million deal that would keep him in Clipperland for the next five years, securing himself a permanent place in the hearts of all Clippers fans. Finally, we’ll be able to see what Griffin can do as the head of the team.

However, after the Paul trade, the LA Clippers were still left without one thing – a star-caliber small forward. The thing LA has been missing for so long was still missing, and for a second there, I began to worry. Surely the Clippers wouldn’t re-sign Luc Mbah a Moute and have him start. That wouldn’t be enough. Dekker couldn’t do it, not yet. And Wesley Johnson, well, is Wesley Johnson.

Jerry West and co. then put together a perfectly-executed sign-and-trade deal that landed Danilo Gallinari, one of the league’s premier shooters. The Clips flipped Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone, and that 1st round pick from Houston to Atlanta, which sent Paul Millsap to Denver, which finally sent Gallinari to Lob City.  Gallo signed a three-year, $65 million deal with the LA Clippers and will help to create perhaps the league’s best frontcourt trio. Gallo-Griffin-Jordan should be good for at least 60 combined points per contest, and better for inducing fear into opponents. Not a single one of those players stands below 6’10”, and each can haul in rebounds like it’s second nature. Each is a ridiculous athlete that will fit perfectly with this new Clippers team. And finally, each has an ever-expanding game that adapts well to today’s NBA.

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