In one of the more controversial interviews, no less than Doc Rivers believes that no team lasts forever, not even the Clippers vaunted core.
Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan is an enviable to core to build on. There's leadership, scoring and defense. Which is why it's frustrating how they have yet to win it all after three tries.
This is what Zach Lowe explored in Grantland. How long do you hold onto the core of a team that's always competitive but fails to win it all? Can you actually improve this trio?
Doc Rivers dives headfirst into the issue: "We're right on the borderline," Doc Rivers said. "I have no problem saying that. I'm a believer that teams can get stale. After a while, you don't win. It just doesn't work. We're right at the edge. Oklahoma City is on the edge. Memphis, too. We just have to accept it."
Rivers knows what he's talking about. The Boston Celtics of 2008, celebrated as the "Ubuntu" team is but a distant memory. After winning it all, they had three more years before Ray Allen left for Miami.
After this summer's DeAndre Jordan debacle, it was revealed that there were cracks in the Clippers wall, with DJ publicly voicing out his issues towards Chris Paul's leadership. Not too long ago, a Blake Griffin trade was a real rumor circulating in the league, with smoke so thick there had to be some fire, as even their own Clips Nation recalled.
No less than Yahoo's Marc Spears mentioned in a radio program that LaMarcus Aldridge was considered to be traded for Griffin. Griffin was chastised for his fourth quarter meltdowns which were blamed for them losing out in the playoffs.
Chris Paul and Griffin have player options at the end of the 2017 season which could make them free agents. If the Clippers still have not won the title by that time, with Blake and CP3 at their primes, it is reasonable to believe that the team has reached its ceiling.
The Clippers lack draft picks and cap space as long the three players are around, especially after Jordan's max. They would not be able to get another star, unless one or two of them leave. Rivers is aware of this, and he is likely to trade them rather than let them walk.