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LA Clippers: Five concerns heading into the 2019-20 season

By Ryan Snellings

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, left, looks on at his new players Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, right, during a press conference at the Green Meadows Recreation Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 24, 2019. George and Leonard were introduced to the media and fans as the newest members of the Clippers. (Photo by Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, left, looks on at his new players Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, right, during a press conference at the Green Meadows Recreation Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 24, 2019. George and Leonard were introduced to the media and fans as the newest members of the Clippers. (Photo by Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Daily Breeze via Getty Images) /
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(FromR) Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, US basketball players Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, Clippers coach Doc Rivers and Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank pose during the introduction of Leonard and George as the new players of the Los Angeles Clippers during a press conference in Los Angeles on July 24, 2019. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
(FromR) Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, US basketball players Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, Clippers coach Doc Rivers and Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank pose during the introduction of Leonard and George as the new players of the Los Angeles Clippers during a press conference in Los Angeles on July 24, 2019. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) /

4. The Hype

Out of everything I’m writing here, this is BY FAR the least concerning to me, but several people in our Clipperholics Slack mentioned it, so I guess it should be included.

Look, the Clippers have a heaping pile of hype heading into the season. They got two All-Stars, one of which who just effectively ended the Warriors’ dynasty while winning his second Finals MVP. NBA fans will be watching this team with complete intrigue and will continuously praise them if things start going right.

The Clippers cannot fall into that pit though. The team has to keep a laser focus on their end goal – – an NBA championship – while brushing off all the sports media talk that will inevitably surround them.

Hype can be both positive and negative and as I talked about in the last slide, if things start to go off track early, the negative hype will likely explode. No matter which direction the team heads, they have to just brush everything else off.

This really shouldn’t be a problem. Doc Rivers is a players’ coach and knows how to keep the team focused and driven. Recently hired assistant coach Tyronn Lue has also dealt with this in it’s biggest form, leading LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the franchise’s first ever title.

Hype really shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s still worth mentioning.

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