Lance Stephenson hasn’t even suited up for the Clippers and he is already taking L’s.
The problem with Lance is that he keeps referencing the things that make him controversial and the one big thing that screams red flags for every GM is Stephenson in the locker room. You go to people in the Pacers and Hornets organizations and they’ll all say the same thing. He’s not the best person when it comes to chemistry, he’s a required taste. But Stephenson can’t help it, he has to say otherwise as he did in his first press conference as a Clip.
When Lance Stephenson received the phone call that alerted him he had been traded to the Clippers two months after the conclusion of his worst professional season, the maligned swingman released a celebratory cry. […] “I just started yelling,” Stephenson said, “like, ‘Yeah! I’m happy!’”
His productivity plummeted (in Charlotte), and he was frequently described as a problem in the Hornets’ locker room, a reputation he burnished in Indiana, as well. But Stephenson expressed a deep desire to cleanse his image. […] “I want to take that title off of my name,” he said, “because that’s not me. I’m a good locker room guy.”
“Whatever it takes to win,” he said. “If I have to come off the bench, if I have to start. I’m here to do whatever it takes to win, and I trust (Rivers’) decisions. So I’m just happy to be here.” […] The Clippers traded Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes to acquire Stephenson on Tuesday. And while Barnes’ shooting was often highlighted as one of the Clippers’ biggest holes, and Hawes was a dud in his one season with the Clippers, Rivers’ acknowledged trading for Stephenson comes with an amount of risk.
I think Stephenson is one of those players that are great when the team wins but is straight up garbage when the team isn’t getting it done, he is directly influenced by the Last 10 games. The Clippers will be the best team Lance has been on, does that mean he will finally fulfill his potential?
