Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor is joined by Molly Morrison to discuss L.A.’s struggles so far this season and why Oklahoma City may once again be the real beneficiary. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
Some bad newsor good news if youre a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bad news: the Clippers lost again Monday.
They are now 4-10 in the season, Which gives them, as of today, a 26% chance of ending up with a top-4 pick.
But guess what?
The Clippers dont have their own pick.
The Thunder have the Clippers’ pick, as weve discussed earlier on the show.
One thing I’ll say, Molly: I can’t imagine Clippers are going to be as bad as some Bottom feeder teams in the league right now.
The Nets, The Nets, Pelicans, Wizards, and Pacers all have one or two wins.
Kings at 3 and 11, Mavs at 4 and 11, your Grizzlies, the Hornets, and the Clippers at 4 and 10.
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I can’t imagine the Clippers once they get Kawhi back.
Even if he plays a third of the year, falling as far as some of those other teams.
But, We did see what happened last year.
The 11th-best odds rise up to number one, and that’s where things get crazy.
The Clippers, the Clippers don’t look like a playoff team, though.
No, they don’t, but I do want to give James Harden some credit because he’s been great Good, despite their losing.
And I also just, I don’t, Norm Powell acts like he’s so important.
I don’t know.
I struggle to understand the direction they take and where exactly they’re going.
It’s like they’re not contenders, as you say, but it is.
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It does seem James Harden is good enough to, of course, The playoffs are sometimes a different story, with him.
We don’t know which James Harden we’ll get, but he’s good enough to really contribute.
And help a team succeed.
So I hate to see him being wasted.
Um, I love Zubat as well.
So, yeah, it’s a, It’s a weird one.
Kawhi is also, like, we can’t ignore that.
There is a lot of distraction happening.
So, um, I, I. I was higher on the Clippers last season.
Postseason.
I was like, you know what?
That’s my sleeper.
And I was, I was like, this is why you don’t bet on the Clippers.
You, you and I don’t need Michael Pea, uh, the Clippers supporters always say Michael Pea over At The Ringer every year.
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Oh, I talk myself into a Clippers supporter, But I justthey, they had me.
I don’t know.
I mean, look: on paper, you can look at the Clippers.
It’s always talk yourself into it when you look at the names on the paper, But I don’t.
I don’t think they’re as bad as 4 and 10.
I don’t think they’ll be as bad as 4 and 10 by the end of the year.
But they don’t look like a playoff team to me.
Like, I think the worst thing to be is when you’re Not well, and you don’t have any of your own picks.
Like there’s no, that’s why, like you say, you dont understand the direction because its Like there, there’s only one direction, and that’s doubling, Tripling, quadrupling down on this, what they’re building right now.
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And so, I think its just.
Like, well, this will be a thing, a topic all year-long unless the Clippers somehow get back Into the playoffs.
The fact that the Thunder have their pick is just the most amazing thing.
I just can’t get over it.
Every day, I go to Tankathon.
And I have some fun clicking Simulate Lottery and see who moves up.
And the fact that the Thunder could end up with the No.
1 pick when they might exceed the Warriors’ 73 wins!