NBA Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers No Longer Need Spencer Hawes

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By @Terri7589

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Getty Images

Injuries in sports are inevitable. When a team leader goes down, it truly affects the team’s performance and morale. When a bench player goes down, it can truly impact the way the player is viewed by the organization and the team’s fanbase.

Los Angeles Clippers backup center and power forward Spencer Hawes suffered a knee injury on Dec. 12. He has missed the last six games and there is no timetable for his return. The speculation is that he will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 27 against the Toronto Raptors but no official announcement has been made.

Hawes has been a large piece for the Clippers so far this season but the team is proving that they can win without him. DeAndre Jordan has improved his game so much so that he is putting up career highs in field goal percentage and his dreaded free throw shooting. Glen Davis has improved his game from the start of the season. He is helping the Clippers to improve their defense game after game. With other big men on the team stepping up in the place of Hawes, it is looking more like the Clippers do not need him as much as they did early on in the season.

Although Hawes has been important to the Clippers and he is averaging more minutes than most of the other bench players, Hawes’ season has not been one of his best. He is putting up career lows in field goal percentage this season and barely averaging more rebounds and points than he did in his rookie season.

Hawes was an important pickup for the Clippers in the offseason, but he has yet to prove his worth. Hawes’ 2014-15 season salary is set at $5,305,000, and at the moment he’s not only taking up space on a lackluster bench, but he is grossly overpaid for the amount of effort he has put into the season.

If Hawes does come back to the lineup against the Raptors and his numbers remain the same, the Clippers may need to use him as trade bait. Hawes must step up his game to prove to Clippers fans, players and coaches that he isn’t just another piece of dead weight that is the Clippers bench.

Terri Washington is a Los Angeles Clippers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @Terri7589, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.

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