Last week, Doc Rivers added Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to a roster that was already a game 6 win away from taking the defending NBA champs, Golden State Warriors to a game 7 in this years NBA Playoffs. Keep in mind that KD's achilles was still in tact, Klay Thompson had no knee injury and Curry was well, being chef Curry. In the meantime, the other team in Los Angeles was forced to sit at home due to missing the playoffs in large part because the Lakers were significantly injured for the later part of the season. Both the Clippers and Lakers added key pieces during this summer's NBA free agency but in my eyes, Doc Rivers and the Clippers have done more this free agency to hold the kings of LA Crown.

If you have been following the NBA since LeBron got to Miami then you know that all three teams (Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers) have all built around him and rightfully so considering how good LeBron is at the game of basketball. Since leaving Miami and arriving in Cleveland for a second stint with the franchise, his teams have all been make shift for the most part. The 2014-2015 team featured LBJ, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving as the center pieces but the players surrounding LeBron were aging vets or unproven players. Fast forward to 2015-2016, this team had the same center pieces surrounded by aging vets but somehow managed to comeback 3-1 vs the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA title that season. The 2016 team, same idea but lost 1-4 in the NBA finals to the Warriors and then, 2017 when Lebron lead the charge to flip almost the entire roster at the trade deadline then ultimately getting swept by the Warriors in the finals. All these teams have Lebron's fingers prints all over them. A solid 2-3 man core, surrounded by aging vets who are a liability on the defensive side and unproven as players to form, a make shift team. Yes LeBron had taken his teams to eight straight NBA Finals until last season where he missed them for the first time since 2009, but denying the fact that LeBron's recents team building projects were not meant to win in this new NBA age would make you a fool.

LeBron and the Lakers missing last years NBA Playoffs gave the Clippers a chance to show case the almost finished rebuild of a team since trading away Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordon a few years back. Since being knocked out of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the Clippers have added two of the best players in the NBA in Kawhi and Paul George. It was reported that Kawhi chose the Clippers over the Lakers not because of LeBron, but because of coaching and George followed suit. Doc Rivers has been the coached of the Clippers since the 2013-2014 season giving him plenty of time to instal his brand of basketball. Doc is a well respected coach around the NBA who holds an NBA title to his name unlike the Lakers head coach, Frank Vogel, who was the coach of the Pacers for six seasons before getting fired then hired by the Magic for two seasons, fired again and now the coach of the Lakers. It's no wonder Kawhi and George chose Doc over Vogel, but more so because they both knew by joining the Clippers, they wouldn't be subject to playing around another one of LeBron's make shift team projects. They both knew that coaching matters and that most likely Frank Vogel wouldn't be around long if things turned south. Players want stability, Kawhi and George indeed have that.

Doc Rivers constructed this playoff roster a year ago and then added Kawhi and George. The Lakers, with the help of LeBron and maybe some say from Vogel, constructed yet again another two man core with aging vets on the roster. The Lakers shipped off two of their young guys in Lonzo Ball and Brandin Ingram to land Anthony Davis while also adding an out of shape DeMarcus Cousins, two older but productive shooters in Danny Green and Dudley, a nice young guard in Quinn Cook, a vet guard in Avery Bradley and also resigned Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee. A projected starting 5 for the Lakers would look something like; LeBron at PG, Bradley at SG, Kuzma at SF, Davis at PF and McGee or Boogie at Center. Flip over to the Clippers starting 5 of, Beverley at PG, Lou Will at SG, Paul George at SF, Kawhi at PF and Montrez Harrell at C. For the Lakers you have a combination of age, defensive liabilities, one youngster in Kuzma and two shooting liabilites in McGee and Boogie but for the Clippers you have a strong defensive presence and shooters on the floor that allow space for Kawhi or Paul George to go to work. The NBA is an 82 game season and the Lakers roster isn't getting any younger which means minuets will add up and legs will get tired come playoff time. For the Clippers, you have a team that is younger, can lock you down defensively and will make you put your focus on one star and let the other star go to work.

The Clippers have a lot of hype to live up to heading into the 2019 NBA season, but being lead by the defending NBA Finals MVP, 2x champ Kawhi Leonard and a proven NBA championship coach in Doc Rivers, I will take my chances vs another one of LeBron's arts and crafts team projects coached by an average coach, Frank Vogel.