The Los Angeles Clippers attempt to get back to their winning ways as they take on the Denver Nuggets to kick off the preseason.
The Clippers are coming off a very disappointing end to their season as they blew a 17-point lead in Game 6 of the semifinals to the Houston Rockets at home. They then went on to lose Game 7 in dramatic fashion in Houston. It's fair to say they have a sour taste in their mouths, and want to get back to winning and competing for a championship.
To ensure that didn't happen again, they added more pieces in hopes of being the "best in the West".
They started their off-season off right after scaring off the Dallas Mavericks and re-signing DeAndre Jordan, the anchor of their defense. They added the veteran presence they so desperately needed, a player who can contribute to wins and has actual Finals experience in Paul Pierce. They then went on to trade for Lance Stephenson in hopes of getting another bench scoring threat. The Clippers also signed Josh Smith, coincidentally the man who ended their season last year, among other underrated free agents. With the additions of Paul Pierce, Josh Smith, and Lance Stephenson, while being able to re-sign DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers are anxious to get back on the court and compete for a championship.
The Denver Nuggets are coming off a pathetic season where they tanked their butts off in hopes of getting a lottery pick and drafting a franchise player, and they did just that. They started their off-season well by drafting Emmanuel Mudiay, the mystery man who decided to play international instead of playing for a college.
Emmanuel Mudiay is a very talented point guard with an abundance of athleticism. He possesses a great understanding of the game and can pass the ball and anchor an offense. The only downside to Mudiay is his jump shot, but that is correctable and there's no reason to think he can't be an All-Star in this league.
Many scouts have compared him to John Wall, and if the Nuggets did draft the next Wall, they want him to get all the experience he can. For this reason, among other alcohol related reasons, the Nuggets decided to trade Ty Lawson.
Lawson was traded to the Houston Rockets. In return, they received Kostas Papanikolaou, Nick Johnson, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, and a protected first-round pick. Papanikolaou, Dorsey, and Prigioni were waived (Prigioni will coincidentally make his Clippers debut versus the team who waived him), so the Nuggets basically traded Lawson for Johnson and a protected first-round pick.
This alone shows you how bad they wanted Lawson out, and how much trust they have in Mudiay. The Nuggets roster obviously isn't built for a playoff run, especially with how stacked the West is. You should expect a developmental year for many of their young players, in hopes of losing many games and falling into the lottery (The Nuggets can switch picks with the New York Knicks if the Knicks have a higher pick).
These two teams go head-to-head to kick off the NBA preseason at 10:30 pm ET on NBA TV.