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Jared Dudley played just one season for the L.A. Clippers, but it was enough for him to develop a liking for the city, but also said that he sees the Clippers’ run as a perennial title contender would come to an end – if it hasn’t already.
In an interview with James Blancarte of Basketball Insiders, Dudley, who currently plays for the Phoenix Suns, disclosed that seeing Jerry West take on an executive role for his former team led him to believe that it’s just a matter of time before the Clippers hit the proverbial iceberg.
“I love L.A., maybe not the Clippers, but I love L.A.,” Dudley told Basketball Insiders. “But overall I think it’s just a good place. I mean the Clippers had one of the best teams they’ve had when I was there with CP and Blake. I think you see with them, it’s like the Titanic, it’s slowly going down. You can tell they’re getting ready to blow this thing up with the All-Star break coming up and all the injuries and Jerry West taking over.”
West and the Clippers made it clear that they were heading towards a different direction when they sent Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets back in the offseason for a package of players. It’s not a stretch to think anymore that the Clippers could also trade either DeAndre Jordan or Blake Griffin, especially with the Clippers seemingly struggling early this season.
Dudley, however, has faith that it would get better again for the Clippers because he trusts West’s ability in molding the franchise’s future.
“Overall I think they’re heading in the right direction because they have good leadership and Jerry West has proven it,” he added. “You know it’s not going to take that long. His track record shows that he knows how to draft players.”
Dudley donned Clippers colors back in the 2013-14 season, playing for 74 games (43 starts), before bouncing from one team to another. After his one-year stint with the team, Dudley played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Washington Wizards. The Suns signed Dudley to a three-year deal worth $30 million last year.
