The Clippers re-tooled this summer; will it be enough?

After a disappointing early exit in the Playoffs at the hands of the Houston Rockets, the Clippers wasted little time in re-tooling this summer, adding some new pieces to help support Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who have largely carried the franchise over the past several seasons.


The team's most important addition wasn't really addition at all. After almost losing franchise center DeAndre Jordan to the Dallas Mavericks, it is safe to say that the Clippers are extremely happy to have him back. In addition to retaining Jordan, the Clips also added some other familiar faces from across the league's landscape.

Image via Slamonline.com

One of the team's main areas of weakness as of late has been their perimeter play. Outside of J.J. Redick, the Clippers' wing spots were largely lacking a reliable perimeter threat. The team did their best to address that issue, adding SF OG Paul Pierce and the volatile yet talented Lance Stephenson, as well as the unproven Wesley Johnson. The team also added the ultra-talented, yet inconsistent Josh Smith, who will likely back up Blake Griffin.

These additions certainly add to the team's overall depth, which has been another issue with the team as of late. A projected starting lineup of Chris Paul / J.J. Redick / Paul Pierce / Blake Griffin / DeAndre Jordan, with a bench rotation including Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith, and Jamal Crawford seems solid on paper, but will it be enough to push the Clippers over the edge in an ultra-competitive Western Conference?

The Warriors, Spurs, Rockets, and Thunder will probably have something to say about that.