When Chauncey Billups went down with an achillies injury that will ultimately keep him out for the rest of the season it immediately raised the question on how it will impact the Clippers. It is hard to say exactly what Billups meant to this team considering the fact they have so much guard depth, but having a veteran in the locking room, even an aging one, is vital to a deep run in the playoffs.
Chauncey’s injury, in all likelihood, won’t slow them down during the regular season. Mo Williams and Randy Foye will be able to give the same production Billups did on the court, but it’s the presence he brings to the locker room that will be missed. Having been in deep playoff runs before Billups could have been huge come playoff time to get the young players ready for a playoff atmosphere they haven’t yet experienced.
Now, even more pressure will be placed on Chris Paul to lead the Clippers to the Finals. They will be getting Kenyon Martin, recently signed from his stint in China, but he is not the locker room presence Billups is. Martin is experienced and has been in the playoffs several times, but he has a more volatile personality, which often times results in him lashing out at the media.
One thing the Clippers do have going for them is the timing of Billups’s injury. They will have enough time to play together and work with each other before the playoffs start so there won’t be such a large adjustment going into the postseason. If Billups would have gotten injured in April it would have affected their cohesiveness more than it will now.
Chris Paul is having an MVP caliber season, and now more than ever he will have to keep that up, and even improve if he wants to win a championship. He is now the unquestioned leader on the court and in the locker room, which means there is a lot riding on him, but he is good enough to handle it.
The Clippers might also look into trading for a veteran who could provide the same leadership and court production Billups did-say Paul Pierce or Ray Allen. I don’t think that will be a necessary move considering the Clippers have Chris Paul, and you don’t want to add a piece and have it turn out they didn’t fit in, so for now the Clippers will continue to win in the regular season and hope they can get it done I the playoffs without their veteran leader.
