LOS ANGELES – Everyone who has been following the news on social media knows that the L.A. Clippers spent the last year-and-a-half positioning themselves to be a significant player in 2019 free agency, while also maintaining their competitiveness.
With only six games remaining this regular season, a surprising 45-31 record, and a playoff spot already clinched in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, the team is hoping they've caught the eyes of free agents who are still undecided on their futures.
“I hope so,” said Rivers with a huge grin. “I don't know. Listen, no one knows free agency. I've been in it long enough to know that. There's so many guarantees as to where guys are going and then, they don't go. There's probably someone that I'm wrong about, but I don't think any guy that's a free agent has any clue to where he's going. He has clues. He has three or four teams. I would love to know what makes them pull the trigger. They'd have to be really good at selling stuff, but I don't think anyone knows.
“We do plan on being heavily involved, that's for sure.”
Over the last several months, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant and Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, likely the two biggest names to hit the market this summer, have made their strong opinions known on free agency questions and speculation. At a number of points, their hostile approaches to inquiries about their respective futures only further fueled the guesswork.
Unfortunately, it isn't going to stop anytime soon. The NBA playoffs are set to begin in two weeks. 13 of the 16 teams have already clinched a playoff spot. Once the calendar turns to April 13th, every win will quiet down the free agency talks; every loss will further increase the rumors.
“Like Adam [Silver] said, we're all mad,” responded Rivers. “I think it's our president, let's blame him, it's easier.
“But I don't know… I think you have the right to ask, I think they have a the right to say they're not going to answer the question. If I was a player, I wouldn't like if I read in the paper that someone said I was going somewhere if I hadn't said that. It's the day and time of the unnamed sources. So from a player's standpoint, that would bother me. From a player standpoint, they have to understand they put themselves in that position. They're free and there's going to be speculation. I don't know if it bothers me or not, but I can see why [it would].”
One aspect that's taken off over the last few years is the use of social media, and it seems to have seriously affected NBA free agency. Whether it's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or whatever other social media platform exists, rumors circulate faster that you can say Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Before players know it, they've been linked to teams across the country just hours before they're set to take on another team entirely. Whether there's any truth to the rumors or not will almost never be known, but it's predictable to see players get worked up by them.
“I don't know if [social media] has helped or hurt. I think cell phones have hurt team building, but I don't know if social media has done anything because our players are involved in social media as much as the media.
“I think it's our day and time,” said Rivers regarding players' names and destinations being thrown around on social media. “I don't know, but I'm not used to that. I don't know the answer, I do think what's happened over my 30 years in the league is that the outside world is now inside the locker room, on the team buses, in every meeting, the outside world is. It used to not be that way for the better.
“At halftime, when Mike Fratello was screaming at me, I couldn't pick up the phone and text my agent, ‘this guy is nuts.' You rarely see that. Or on the team buses, you heard the buses were loud. Everybody was talking. Now on the team buses, there's times you can hear a pin drop. What they're doing is talking to their family, which is not a bad thing, talking to their agents, everyone is telling them what Ralph Lawler (or so and so) said. ‘What did Ralph Lawler say about you today?' or, ‘Why didn't you get more shots?' That's true. All that stuff has changed and that's fine, you just have to be alert of that.”
While players may certainly be annoyed by it, teams certainly have to enjoy seeing their names being connected to NBA superstars in free agency. Whether they're legitimate or not is another story entirely, as if who leaked the information and what their intentions were.
The rise of phone usage among teams hasn't prompted Rivers to do anything about the issue, instead opting to pick his ‘battles.'
“I don't [do anything], said Rivers. “I should, but I don't. I just don't think you're going to win that battle. I hate to use a gun reference because we should have no guns, but I've always used the six bullet theory. You only have six a year, you better pick when you're going to use them and I'm not picking one about a cell phone, I can tell you that. I always say just stay present.”
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