The Clippers are back in the playoff hunt. They kept their head above water without Blake Griffin (5-8) and now have won four in a row to move back into the mix (Los Angeles is 1.5 games back of New Orleans in the West).
Lou Williams had a lot to do with that the past week — which is why he is the ProBasketballTalk Extra Player of the Week. Williams is a guy who knows how to get buckets and in the last three games (all Clippers wins) he has averaged 32 points and 6 assists per game, shooting 40 percent from three.
Sweet Lou’s play is also going to line up a lot of suitors at the trade deadline. Los Angeles has a decision to make — do they move Williams and/or DeAndre Jordan, or do they keep the band together and make a run at the postseason? Before you say “tear it down and rebuild” remember owner Steve Ballmer had a real chance to do that last summer after Chris Paul demanded out and decided not to.