The Los Angeles Clippers were considered one of the strongest teams in the West last season, based purely on their roster. With the departures of Paul George and Russell Westbrook, however, fans of LA’s other team are left wondering if they’ll still be given the same attention they got last year. Owner Steve Ballmer recently made it clear that despite losing two HOFers, the Clippers are still a force to be reckoned with.
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Ballmer said that the level of competition in the Western Conference is high, and it will remain competitive the following season. As for his team’s standing in the competition, he said that the Clippers still have a strong enough roster to challenge any team in the conference.
He said, “We still have two Hall of Famers, MVP, and Finals MVP on our team. Let’s face it.” Despite losing Westbrook and PG, the former Microsoft CEO’s confidence in his team is unfazed.
Make no mistake, Ballmer is relying heavily on James Harden and Kawhi Leonard to do a lot for the Clippers’ heavy lifting next season. He believes that these two will still be effective enough to disrupt any order in the league when the next season starts. He said, “Most people would be salivating to have guys like that on their team and we have a lot of good, great players actually, to fill in.”
Other than showing his confidence in the team that he has retained from last season, Ballmer also boasted about the new players that his franchise has picked up in the offseason.
Steve Ballmer on the Clippers still being relevant in the West pic.twitter.com/tTflUC04yG
— Law Murray 🕯️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) July 19, 2024
He said, “I mean, just take Derrick Jones Jr. Everybody saw what he was doing to us in the playoffs, he’s our guy now.” He believes that not only will the Clippers remain a very good team in the league, but they will also be strong contenders to win next season. In fairness, while losing future Hall of Famers like Westbrook and PG puts them in a tough spot, the Clippers have signed some good players as well.
In a perfect balance of youngsters and experienced players, they have signed 24-year-old guard Kevin Porter Jr. and 26-year-old center Mo Bamba. Two other important players that they have added are Kris Dunn from the Utah Jazz and Nicolas Batum from the 76ers.
Ballmer is not entirely biased in his assumption that the Clippers will remain strong title contenders next season, especially if Harden and Kawhi get into their rhythm during the playoffs.
