After riding the bench all season, Earl Clark finally played significant minutes on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets and did quite well with five points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
But then on Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, Earl Clark turned into Clark Kent and almost became Superman for the Lakers.
Given 27:33 minutes, Earl Clark made the most of each and every second; contributing 22 points (on a remarkable 9-12 shooting), 13 rebounds, and three assists.
Clark was doing it all–shooting, driving, cutting, passing, rebounding, defending–and even knocked down a huge three-pointer late in the game against the Spurs.
“Who is this guy?” many casual Lakers fans may have been wondering. Well, the 24-year-old (25 a week from today), 6’10” forward came over to the Lakers alongside Dwight Howard and Chris Duhon in the blockbuster deal over the summer as a throw-in. However, with career averages of just 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds, even those familiar with Clark couldn’t have predicted the outburst he put on display Wednesday night.
No, the Lakers didn’t win the game, but they came daringly close, and a big part of it was due to Earl Clark.
Clark showed incredible poise and concentration; the focus of a player who epitomizes the song “Lose Yourself” by Eminem.
In Clark’s eyes, he had one moment to prove that he belongs in the Lakers’ rotation, and even that he belongs in the NBA, period.
He didn’t just come alive against an average team at home, though. He played a remarkable game against one of the best teams in the league in a meaningful game–on the road!
So, what exactly does this mean?
It means that Mike D’Antoni has to somehow find minutes for Earl Clark.
Many fans have already said it’s time to trade Pau Gasol or at least bench him, and start Earl Clark in his stead.
I’m still a firm believer in Pau Gasol, and I even wrote an article on why the Lakers shouldn’t send him to the bench.
However, because the Lakers are “stacked”–so to speak–at the power forward position, the team is in the midst of a five-game losing streak, and two players (Gasol and Jordan Hill) are currently out due to injury, anything should be up for discussion when it comes to grinding out wins in the end.
I also recently wrote an article on how Antawn Jamison could finally get going with the Lakers as he averages solid numbers when given 25-plus minutes on the floor, but obviously his defense is always a liability when he’s on the floor.
Therefore, the benefit that Earl Clark could possibly provide might be exactly what the Lakers need.
Next Page: How Does Clark’s Style Compare, And What Should The Lakers Do?
How Does Clark’s Style Compare With The Other Power Fowards?
With Pau Gasol, you have an older player who needs to be able to operate in the post–which is something that doesn’t work too well with Mike D’Antoni’s system. While he’s an extremely intelligent player whose offensive half-court and post skills are amongst the top in the league, sadly, his lack of defensive tenacity and agility no longer allow him to compete consistently on the other end of the floor in that position. Additionally, Gasol can seem “out of it” at times, which is also sad because he was once so tuned in to everything throughout his first three seasons as a Laker.
Antawn Jamison can be an offensive threat for other teams as he’s still a great scorer. However, inconsistent
Jordan Hill–while averaging just 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds–is a player whose numbers don’t reflect his level of play. Hill hustles relentlessly (I call him Jordan Hustle), often grabs multiple offensive rebounds, and puts up double-doubles in limited minutes. Therefore, Hill is an excellent player in short spurts because he simply causes havoc for other teams and outplays everybody in bursts. His offensive skills aren’t exactly polished, though, and his range is limited.
Now, judging solely on his performance Wednesday night (since I’ve honestly never seen him play big minutes prior), with Earl Clark you get an active defender, someone who can drive into the lane, someone who doesn’t need plays run for him, and someone who can knock down open shots. He proved that with his versatility, he can be deadly from all areas of the floor, on both ends of the floor.
What Should The Lakers Do?
Well, it’s hard to say exactly what the Lakers should do with Earl Clark after just one game, but I think the timing for this experiment couldn’t be more perfect: Start Earl Clark.
Why is that?
When I detailed the Lakers’ depth chart before the start of the season, I noted that the Laker with the most length to contend with Kevin Durant was Earl Clark. Durant stands 6’10” with a freakish wingspan of 7 feet, 4.74 inches while Clark stands the same height with a wingspan of 7 feet, 2.5 inches. Additionally, Clark is listed at 225lbs, which could allow him to be somewhat quick enough to keep up with Durant. I stated that if Clark were to focus on his defense of players similar to Durant–or even just Durant–he could find himself some playing time with the Lakers.
Well, it appears as though Clark made a case for breaking into the rotation anyway, and guess who the Lakers play next? The Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
While Mike D’Antoni has played Metta World Peace at the power forward position recently, and he’s performed extremely well offensively in that capacity, World Peace simply doesn’t have the size or athletic ability to disrupt the Durantula.
Devin Ebanks has shown flashes of playing well against Durant, but is also a bit undersized. Normally, that’s who I would like to see on Durant, but given the fact that Earl Clark will be coming off a career-high game coming into Friday’s game, the obvious choice is to start him on Durant.
Kevin Durant–while a natural small forward–has played at the power forward position a bit this season, and has been extremely effective at it (with a 37.9 Player Efficiency Rating!). The league is truly playing smaller, and players such as Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James–who are typically known as small forwards–are playing the power forward position at a highly effective offensive rate.
While World Peace may be the best option to guard a player such as Anthony when he plays the power forward position, “small ball” has taken over the league and Earl Clark could provide the versatility, size, and strength at that position to help defend against some of the other, taller players starting on Friday.
Next Page: What About Pau Gasol When He Returns?
Is Pau Gasol Still Needed?
As stated earlier, many fans are already saying “Trade Pau Gasol!” and use a combination of Hill, Clark, and/or Jamison to fill his void, but I’m not going there yet. I still feel that Gasol has the ability to compete and flourish with the Lakers, but perhaps it can be done in a different capacity than I had initially thought.
To me, the Lakers desperately need a “go-to player” in the half-court set at the end of close games, and that guy is Pau Gasol.
For instance, when the Lakers faced the Clippers last Friday night, slow, playoff-style basketball is what got the Lakers back into the game, although it wasn’t enough to get them over the top. Gasol didn’t play all the way down the stretch in that game, however, largely due to his inability to guard Blake Griffin and/or the Clippers’ other athletes (along with the fact he was having a horrible offensive game, too).
However, his half-court offense was severely needed to finish off that game.
Similarly, against the Spurs, Gasol’s half-court abilities were needed to put the Lakers over the top. How many times did you see the Lakers pop long three-pointers at the end of that game? Way too many, and way too many misses as well.
With Kobe Bryant playing at his more natural shooting guard position, he no longer plants himself in the post and methodically goes to work late in games. He relies on receiving the ball off-ball, and then choosing to attack by either driving or pulling up for a jump-shot.
Additionally, while Dwight Howard is a great post presence, his skills are still unrefined. Pau Gasol’s, however, are more comparable to that of Tim Duncan; who the Spurs know is a necessary piece for them to win a championship.
Obviously, part of that is up to Gasol to get back to playing like the player he used to be as recently as the 2012 London Olympics. Regardless, the fact remains that the Lakers need/needed his half-court abilities to close out tight games; and I believe that those skills are also still necessary for the Lakers to win a championship as well because of that; but I have recently also changed my stance on his role.
Pau’s New Role
With Gasol’s sluggish activity and need to play close to the basket, perhaps it is time to bring Gasol off the bench–at least temporarily–if Clark can perform somewhat consistently in his absence.
Gasol is more effective at the center position this season with a 27.7 PER (compared with 13.2 at power forward), and his defense at that position is much better as well (with an opponents’ PER of 10.2 compared with 16.1).
In fact, although those numbers are based on the small percentage of playing time Gasol receives at the center position, compared with Dwight Howard, Gasol is actually more effective on both ends of the floor there; Howard has a PER of 21.3 and an opponents’ PER of 14.7.
I still don’t believe the Lakers should deal away Pau Gasol, though. It may seem unreasonable to pay Gasol “All-Star money” to just come off the bench, but it’s more than that. Gasol, as we’ve seen in the past, seamlessly can fill in for an All-Star center (previously Andrew Bynum, this season it’s Dwight Howard) and is invaluable when it comes to executing a half-court offense.
Additionally, while opting for a higher-energy, more athletic player such as Earl Clark at the start of games, Gasol will likely be much needed at the end of playoff-type games for his half-court efficiency and effectiveness.
Similarly, while his defense looks horrible against players such as Blake Griffin, his defense is much more solid against other seven-footers. My suggestion is simply to put Dwight Howard on athletic power forwards when Gasol is out there with him.
Sure, the Lakers will give up the last-line-of-defense luxury, but I’d much rather see Dwight Howard’s length and athleticism guard Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, or even sometimes LeBron James (when he’s posting up or operating close to the basket) than Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, or Antawn Jamison. In fact, having Gasol on the floor with Howard allows the Lakers that unique ability.
Seriously, there’s no power forward in the league who can guard any of those players, but with Dwight’s athleticism and size, he can actually keep up with those guys and bother them; and the Lakers wouldn’t even lose much position rim protection. Again, that won’t be for the entire duration of a game, but it could work in spurts.
Next Page: Final Thought On Clark
Final Thought On Clark
While it was just one game that could have been a fluke, it may be more than that. Clark had been waiting in the wings for his turn, finally got his chance, and proved himself. Players with that type of personality are exactly the type any team should be happy to have.
While he may not give the Lakers 22 points and 13 rebounds each game, if he plays with the same effort and urgency he played with on Wednesday night, he definitely deserves some minutes and may even deserve to start. Clark took every possession he got offensively and made the absolute most of it. He didn’t hold back anything, and attacked the Spurs at every chance he could; while playing solid defense and showing hustle as well.
He may have taken just 10 three-pointers in his whole career prior to Wednesday night, but he confidently knocked down a late-game triple with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash on the same floor.
Perhaps the most crucial aspect of Clark’s game on Wednesday was the fact that he hurt the Spurs from all areas of the floor–from cuts into the lane, from distance, and from the mid-range area.
Couple that with his relative athleticism compared with his teammates, and he could be exactly the type of player Mike D’Antoni has been searching for at that position while trying to find a combination of qualities between that of Jordan Hill (defense, rebounds, the ability to play off-ball, youth); Antawn Jamison (spread the floor, drive into the lane); and Pau Gasol (length). He won’t get Gasol’s other elite abilities, but maybe he (D’Antoni) can utilize all of Clark’s abilities to his maximum productivity and potential.
While Clark may never be able to turn into a scorer on the floor, or even be known as a lock-down defender or play-maker, sometimes playing with highly talented players maximizes an average or below-average player’s abilities and raw talent, and creates better overall team chemistry and production.
This appears to be what happened to Clark on Wednesday night.
He’s a low-maintenance player–meaning he needs no plays called for him–and that could be exactly what the Lakers need in a starting lineup filled with players who all need touches to be effective.
I’m not comparing Gasol or his abilities to Luke Walton or his by any stretch of the imagination, but remember when the Lakers chose to start Trevor Ariza over Walton? Walton was by far a more intelligent basketball player and play-maker, but was much slower and was playing alongside other intelligent players (Gasol and Bryant).
Although Ariza wasn’t as polished offensively as Walton (don’t kill me for saying Luke was polished, but he had a decent shot, could somewhat dribble, and even posted up from time to time), his athleticism, versatility, and defensive abilities (relatively raw talents) far outweighed what Luke brought to the table; and his sole focus on cutting to the basket and shooting, while not thinking out the game, benefited the Lakers exponentially. Gasol, unlike Walton, can and must still have an extremely important role on this team, however.
Not to take anything away from Pau Gasol or any of the other Lakers, but Clark’s manner of play and youth are what the Lakers need to begin games with and set a tone. If Earl Clark can play with the energy and heart he played with on Wednesday night, he is exactly what the Lakers need at the beginning of ball games–not just at the end of them.
In my opinion, there is absolutely no question if Earl Clark should or shouldn’t start against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. He should. He’s earned himself some playing time, the Lakers are extremely thin on the front line due to injury, and he could potentially match up extremely well against Kevin Durant. He may get eaten alive guarding him (Durant), but Clark at least deserves the confidence and trust from his coach to have a chance at building on the performance he showcased against the Spurs.
Maybe it was all a fluke and Clark will be a complete dud or perhaps all he did was guarantee himself consideration as a role player in certain matchups down the line, but with the Lakers in the position they’re currently in, they owe it to Earl Clark and themselves to start the young forward or at least give him significant minutes on Friday night.
Who knows, maybe it’ll be the start of something big.