2013-14 NBA Bench Power Rankings

Apr 25, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford (11) brings the ball up court against Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Tony Allen (9) during game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the FedExForum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

8. Los Angeles Clippers

Last season all we heard about for the first forty games or so was the miraculous love story of the Clippers bench. The bench mob! This was a true second unit analogous to a hockey line change, and the media wouldn’t shut up about how great they were. Hey, I know it makes great copy, but come on. Surprisingly, a group led by defensive sieve and shameless chucker Jamal Crawford didn’t quite keep up the torrid reviews for an entire season. I’m being deliberately harsh on a group that ultimately revealed itself as just another bench, but for a while there they really did seem like a legitimate team unto themselves. All that bench love floundered as the months progressed and by the playoffs there was no love left, as defeat takes the shine away from competency pretty damn quick.

So what about this year? The Clippers project to be even better, but that verdict is heavily influenced by the acquisitions of Jared Dudley and J.J. Reddick, who should be joining the starting lineup. The bench will once again be the Jamal Crawford show, with Darren Collison (kind of a Jamal Crawford clone actually) replacing the cannonball like Eric Bledsoe. Collison had a great rookie year in New Orleans and was great as a UCLA Bruin, but he played himself out of the starting lineup in both Indiana and Dallas. He’ll have much less pressure on a team that requires Chris Paul to handle the ball as much as humanely possible. Poor Willie Green (Good Guy, Bad Player) now appears to be a complete redundancy and of no particular use in this rotation, but Doc Rivers is one of those guys who really likes “veterans” so maybe Willie will log forty minutes a game. Predicting things is pointless in a world so rife with anarchy, guys!

Matt Barnes looks to have found a permanent home in Clipperville and that’s a good thing. Every team needs an enforcer with a heart of gold and if he can defend well and make three point shots, well, all the better! Big man depth remains a point of concern for the Clippers, especially given DeAndre Jordan’s mediocrity and proclivity for fouling. Byron “BJ” Mullens acted as kind of a bell-weather with the Bobcats. His good performances often coincided with Bobcats victories and his poor outings usually ended in defeats. With the Clippers his job description gets infinitely simpler. Get in there, be 7 feet tall, defend a bit, and score a few baskets during the doldrums of the early second quarter. Mullens has proven over the course of his career that he’s not afraid to shoot the ball, which will be less of an issue on the Clippers, where offensively challenged big men appear to be the rule.

Speaking of big men, Ryan Hollins is tall and can foul six times.