While it's true that they win about as often as
it snows in Los Angeles, the Clippers have reason to be optimistic.
For starters, lets talk about Q. Quentin Richardson,
that is. Putting himself in the hunt for the definitely-winnable NBA Rookie
of the Year award, Richardson has consistently been producing when given
minutes, and steadily improving on both ends of the floor with each week
that goes by. The team has a glut of players at the shooting guard spot,
and even with the trade of Tyron Nesbye the position remained crowded,
but Richardson is clearly the top man for the job.
Richardson was not highly valued coming out of
college. He played close to the basket and relied on an inside (hoops)
game. NBA scouts knew he was too small to play small forward in the pros
and that shooting guard was to be his spot. But could he adjust, develop
a bit of an outside game, and fulfill the requirements that spot demands?
Yes. He's doing just that.
Q is quick enough to get past most defenders. He's
strong. And he has major hops. The kid can drive to the basket as well
as any young guard, but if he misses there's a good chance he'll sky up
and battle centers and forwards for the rebound. And quite often he'll
win that battle and put the offensive rebound in for two.
Quentin's outside shot still needs work, and that'll
take some time. But just about every other aspect of his game on both ends
of the floor is as NBA-ready as the Clippers could have hoped.
Darius Miles and Keyon Dooling have potential,
but they're pretty raw right now. Corey Maggette produces astonishing stats
per minute he's on the floor and deserves lots of time, too. He may turn
out to be a superstar someday. But right now, the Clippers need a consistent
lineup, and that looks to feature Odom at small forward and Quentin at
shooting guard. With everyone else off the bench to grant them some rest.
We've got our eye on these kids, because they're
fun to watch. More on the Clippers later.
