Clips Nation and Clipperblog are intent on resurrecting the Clippers’ franchise, and today we discuss the process of rebuilding a team saddled with big veteran contracts, but also blessed with some intriguing young talent.
Previous entries:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
To: Steve Perrin
From: Kevin Arnovitz
Date: June 11, 2009
When it comes to trades and transactions of any sort, my general belief is that, with rare exceptions, if an NBA team isn’t seriously contending, then it’s rebuilding. The franchises that get themselves into trouble are those that suffer from delusions that if they can somehow add a piece here and there, they’ll be right back in the thick of things.
The reason I had such a visceral reaction to the acquisition of Zach Randolph last November wasn’t because I thought he was a completely useless ballplayer (he’s not entirely useless), or that I thought the Clippers had the inside track to the upper echelon free agent talent in 2010. The deal annoyed me because it signaled that the Clippers suffered from managerial myopia. Rather than accept the fact that the Clippers had fallen out of serious playoff contention and take the hit, Mike Dunleavy pushed all in on Randolph. However you feel about Randolph’s talents, his contract wasn’t the sort of liability a team looking to rebuild should have put on its books for 32 months.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen smart franchises like Portland and the Sonics/Thunder see the writing on the wall. They resigned themselves to piling up losses, and drafted and dealt accordingly. They also got a little lucky (as the Clippers have this spring), and both teams are now poised for a bright future. Other than Darius Miles’ expiring deal in Portland, and 2 years/$13 million remaining on Nick Collison’s deal, there isn’t an eyesore anywhere on the spreadsheet. It’s not just the down-and-out, either. Critics killed Joe Dumars for dealing away Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson’s expiring deal, but Dumars realized that the Pistons’ window had closed and did the most sensible thing for the future.
We share similar views on Marcus Camby’s contract (quite valuable), and the Clippers should be very patient about moving it. We agree that Chris Kaman’s deal isn’t a toxic asset, but that he might be the best candidate to be traded to clear some room in the frontcourt, because the other contract down low – that belonging to Zach Randolph – is a millstone. As much as I’d like for the Clips to move Randolph, I wouldn’t do it for Luol Deng, a player I like a whole lot more than Randolph. Deng has a huge deal that runs through 2014, and my dislike for Randolph isn’t more unyielding than my strong belief that rebuilding requires payroll flexibility. If that means locking Randolph in the boiler room at Playa Vista for the next 22 months, then so be it. At least by dealing Kaman, the Clippers would be shedding years and getting leaner from a contractual standpoint.
My greatest fear about the current regime is that they see the arrival of Blake Griffin as an opportunity to win now. I have little doubt the Clippers are going to best 19 wins next season, but that should be the extent of their goal in 2009-10 so far as wins and losses go. The Clippers’ larger ambition should be to do what’s necessary to surround Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin with the very particular pieces they need. In Eric’s case, that means finding a counterpart on the wing who can cover bigger perimeter players – something Eric is always going to have trouble doing. If the Clippers have every intention of cultivating DeAndre Jordan as their center of the future, they’ll need to sculpt his game to compliment Blake Griffin’s. If the Clips intend to keep Baron Davis around for the next four years, Mike Dunleavy will have to craft an offensive strategy that will keep Davis from sabotaging the team’s success.
With all those considerations and the understanding that Gordon and Griffin are the building blocks of the future, how do you see this team emerging as an on-court product? What kind of basketball team do you think we will – or should – be watching in the coming years?
59 Responses
I respectfully disagree with many points on this post which seem to rely on the faulty assertion that “franchises that get themselves into trouble are those that suffer from delusions that if they can somehow add a piece here and there, they’ll be right back in the thick of things.” First off, Denver should be example enough to debunk this statement.
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D.J. Foster Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 10:48 am
I don’t think Denver debunks the statement at all. The Nuggets had been in the playoffs five years in a row before this year. They added a piece to put them over the top, not put them “back in the thick of things”. They were already a pretty good team, and the Billups trade made them a great team.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Sorry, your third and fourth sentence contradict each other…which is it?
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D.J. Foster Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
What I’m trying to say is Denver was always a contender, even before the Billups trade. They made the playoffs 5 years in a row. They were far from out of the hunt for a title like the Clippers were.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
We seem to be splitting hairs on Denver being/not-being a contender/serious contender. But my point is that his assertion is wrong. A piece here and there CAN get a team back into the “thick of things” (i.e. playoffs).
Remember the optimism just before Brand left? For that brief moment, the Clips with Baron/Brand were finally expected to be a serious contender in the west. That sudden change in expectations was after adding ONE player. Obviously it didn’t work out, but my point is that this over-simplistic statement which is being used to justify the rest of his reasoning is just not true.
andrew Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Are you saying that one realistic piece could get us into the playoffs ? please, do tell.
Andy Reply:
June 13th, 2009 at 2:59 am
Absolutely I do. If you give me Tayshaun for Kaman + avoid major injuries + everyone’s together for training camp + Blake isn’t a bust could easily equate to 40+ wins and a playoff berth.
Posted on June 11th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Second glaring bit: “My greatest fear about the current regime is that they see the arrival of Blake Griffin as an opportunity to win now.” Wait, what!? Heaven forbid that a perennial losing team has the gumption to try and win now! The goal for next year is to start winning, get into the playoffs, and earn back some respectability!
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D.J. Foster Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 10:57 am
The goal is to win an NBA championship. This team is nowhere even close to that. Yes, the *team* should try and win every game, of course. But management should be building for the future, because this current group of guys is nowhere close.
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andrew Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
a team that won 19 games the season before is in no position to win now. Teams start winning Gradually (mostly). If you really believe we should try to win now, we would be trading away our young assets for washed up veterans like vince carter.
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Andy Reply:
June 13th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Again, winning now and forgoing young talent are NOT mutually exclusive goals. I believe we should try to win now with our young guys while they are under rookie contracts.
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Posted on June 11th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I can somewhat agree with Andy here. I don’t see the Clips being a major contender anytime soon. It’s going to take many factors and some real good fortune (regarding avoiding injuries) for this team to evolve into a true contender. But what I’d like to see at least is a team that is in the mix for even a low seed as the season is winding down, occasionally beating a top team in a heated battle (and not becuse some major player is sitting). I want to be interested in my team in March. I want to see them playing full tilt trying to be that 7 or 8 seed if that’s the best they can do. Gotta start somewhere.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 9:50 am
2009 western conf. playoff teams: LA Lakers, Denver, San Antonio, Portland, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Utah. Out of these teams, I think New Orleans and Dallas are very vulnerable next year.
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Posted on June 11th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
The combination of Eric and Blake with Baron Davis makes me think theres going to be a lot of penetration, pick and rolls and, hopefully, run and gun. Blake is pretty fast for his size, moves well towards the basket and Eric is very built for his size and also quick as a whip. If Baron can get back to driving the lane and dishing to whoever loses their man, i see this team being able to take advantage of doubles with regularity.
This all assumes of course that Dunleavy can be more selective about the plays he does call and can let his guys find a rhythm on the court. Between Baron and Mike Taylor we can keep up a pretty grueling pace, if its by forcing the opposing team to play harder defensively using longer possessions, penetration and ball movement in the halfcourt, or by running them out of wind with Taylor at the point pushing the ball we can at least make the other team work harder. With better ball movement, more defined roles between 1st and 2nd units and smarter shots, we should be able to give teams a run for their money and look like an automatic W for the opposing club.
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bongstradamus Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 2:22 am
I meant not look like an automatic win.*
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 2:22 am
Griffin aint no joke, he works and wants to win period! That will definetly rub off with the young guys on the team. I think they will win about 40 or more games this season. Baron Davis is not at the gym right now for nothing, he has something to prove.
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 8:04 am
I agree with Andy to the extent that we should try to win now, that’s the whole point of competing in basketball, but not to the extent that trading the entire team like we did last year was a wise decision in hind sight. However, i remember last summer thinking we had everything on paper and mistakingly liked the addition of Randolph and his scoring, but sometimes things don’t work out the way you hope (we as Clipper fans are used to this). Unfortunately with Dunleavy as our coach, he doesn’t change his style to the players talent and another bad season may finally mean goodbye as a head coach to him which I’m willing to sacrifice sadly. Next season can’t get worse or there will be nobody buying tickets anymore and Sterling doesn’t want that and Dunleavy’s job can’t afford it so I expect them to try something to win now and I’m all game for it.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Exactly! Before we start building around young players and possibly forgoing the here and now, let’s see what we got and what we can do. Portland has some great young pieces AND they’re in the playoffs. This is despite the fact that the mighty Greg Oden has so far been a bust…this should be a cautionary tale before we start putting all of our hopes onto Blake Griffin. If he can’t beat out ZBo for a starting spot in his first year, then so be it.
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andrew Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Are you SERIOUSLY trying to say a 19 win team can suddenly become a 45 win team ? its not happening. We already know what we have and we know what they can do. We have a nice fantasy roster that doesn’t play defense, or offense nor do we have a good coach. Just because you want to win now doesn’t mean we can. Are you implying we wern’t trying to win last season ?
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Andy Reply:
June 13th, 2009 at 3:10 am
This particular 19 win team with all of the new faces that haven’t played with each other much and the ridiculous amount of injuries it had to deal with last season can definitely become a 45 win team next season. They don’t lack talent, they lack consistency right now. If you’ve been watching some of the great playoff games this year, I think you’d agree how one player or even one play can mean the difference between winning and losing.
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Andy Reply:
June 13th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Miami rebounded from a 15 win season to 43 wins and the 5th seed. This team made a few small improvements (including a top draft pick), got Wade healthy again and there you go – it can be done! The Clips can achieve something similar next season.
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andrew Reply:
June 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
yeah, we dont have d-wade.
You sound like Mike Dunleavy trying to convince clipper fans. Your living in a perfect world. No, our team does not lack talent, we lack the talent that fit togther and play together. We lack a decent coach and the ability for players to play hard.
Andy Reply:
June 13th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Nice side step when I offer a great example to the contrary and you resort to labeling me as some MD cocksucker. Please, I want him out as much as anyone. There’s really no point in arguing any more, I’ve had my say and stand by it.
Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 8:18 am
What KA says here makes a lot of sense to me. You can talk about wanting to win now…which i would love to do…but the Randolph acquisition is an example of wanting to win now–and although this may be an overly dramatic example, making moves that cost them payroll flexibility (and draft position) in order to win 35 games instead of 30 this year doesn’t make sense.
Also, unless I’m mistaken isn’t mdsr’s contract up in 2010? I couldn’t find its terms online…could be 2011.
Outside of the Randolph contract it seems like we’re in pretty good shape. Lots of expiring contracts, good young talent…it seems we have most of the parts to be the next zombiesonics or trailblazers. I’m not against getting better players, but I think we need to do it in the context of building a team for the future, as opposed to trying to win next season.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 10:58 am
You and KA assume that building a team for the future and trying to win next season are mutually exclusive goals. I say bonkers to that. The Lakers got Gasol, now look at where they are. Nuggets get Billups – serious contender. Celtics minus KG? The champs get bounced. Winning and losing can really be about adding (or losing) one or two guys contrary to KA’s initial premise.
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D.J. Foster Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Do you really think that this current group of guys, plus one piece, can be a championship contender?
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Yes. Give me Lebron. =)
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:25 am
You can’t attract big talent to your team unless they can see how adding them = championship. It’s probably why we were at least considered by Kobe a few seasons ago when we had Brand and company…
Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 10:20 am
I can’t really understand why this guy is so anti-Randolph. We actually got better last year with him on the team than we were without him. I believe anyone who can do something well with consistency can be an asset to a basketball team. Randolph can score and rebound with great consistency. This notion that his mere presence immediately invalidates any team’s prospects is getting a bit tired. The problem with Randolph has been that all of the teams he was on had no structure and nobody running the show, thus he became the de facto chucker. If you put him on a team that is organized and give him a point guard that will control his touches and find him in good positions to score, along with his rebounding prowess, he could be a very useful player. Few guys can score as effortlessly as Randolph. The other thing too, is that you CAN play him with Blake Griffin. Zach can play the 3 on offense because he can spread the floor and his shooting creates mismatches, while Blake can play the 3 on defense because he can guard small forwards. In fact, think of the rebounding rate a lineup with Camby, Griffin, and Randolph could yield. That could be a huge advantage for us.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Agree. Somehow he’s the root cause of the Clips failure last year. Not even close.
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bongstradamus Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Zach was originally a 3, but I think too many Krispy Kreme runs as a rookie bloated him into the gravity well he is today. After his brief stint as the point guard on the Knicks and his antics from the 3 point line with the Clippers during crunch time, I think most people wrote off Zach as a 3.
But I like Zach. Seriously. If I was at a bar and talked crap on someone, I’d hope I was with Zach. Other than that though, its not like I want Zach as my best man at my wedding. Hell I dont think I’d even wanna go to the movies with the guy.
So I guess, yea, Zach can be useful in situations. But he’s not the “My Buddy” you wanna take wherever you go like Elton was. And you surely dont wanna pass out with Zach at your house unattended after a night of drinking and definitely dont want him being your designated driver. Zachs great for some things, but just dont expect him to be mature or a leader or a role model for your children.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 11:57 am
This comment is all kinds of awesome.
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D.J. Foster Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Imagining Zach Randolph give a best man’s toast just about killed me.
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jon y Reply:
June 13th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
hahahaha
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bootstrenf Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
it’s not that randolph is cause of all our problems……the clipper’s problems run much deeper than just one player…..
it’s the fact that the longterm financial flexibility of this franchise was compromised for a player who is simply not worth it…..
a player like randolph will get us just enough wins to bump us out of the lottery, but not enough wins to get into the playoffs……and to top it all off, with a horrible contract to boot……
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I have been a clipper fan since the start of our bad drafting (bo kimble,that russian guy etc)and the hopes of making a overweight big guy who has talent into an all star(stanley roberts etc)We have never gotten a real good free agent and please do not say cat mobley he was old like nique was when he got here.We’ve never had a great coach I take that back bill fitch alvin g even mdsr was good hell he took sedale threat to the playoffs with the lakers.But the bottom line is this.Even if your a playoff contender you always strive to get better even after one of your players hold the o’brien .So the clippers need to win now and plan for the future at the same time.Because you only get better by winning once you taste it you want it all the time if you continue to lose you become a loser like mdsr. (who was once a great coach)so the clippers need to strive for the playoffs every year.So maybe a real free agent who could be are one player away wants to sign.
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I recorded a handful of games last season.Slowly I have deleted them one by one like a sniper picking off the enemy.Im down to Cavs @ LA, Celtics @ LA, Rockets @ LA, LA @ Portland and LA @ Mavs.
What I noticed in these games is that the Clippers Played hard on defense and were energetic on offense. Lots of steals leading to fast breaks led by BD or EG ending with lay ups or dunks.
I think if no trades or other moves happen, LA can still stay around .500 for most of the season. I am hopeful that every one comes back motivated especially BD. He played well most of the mentioned games.Against the CAVS and MAVS , LA was up 15+ pts and fell apart in the 4th qtr.Other than that Clippers won the others.
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Drew Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
how do you not still have the game with novaks game winner? that was one of the few good games last year.
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Andy Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
The two Al Harrington/NY games were awesome…
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
The Clippers will NEVER attract big free agent talent because of one simple reason…THE OWNER HAS NO COMMITMENT TO WINNING. Never has and as far as I see, never will. If you were a big time player and had similar offers from the Clippers and just about any/every other team where would you go? Why sign up with the laughing stock of all sports? Sorry guys, but this nightmare will only end the day that Donald Sterling sells the team, they change the name and move to another city. I wish it weren’t true, but the culture of losing is too deep within this current ownership. Why hasn’t any of the teams upper management been fired? Andy Rosen? Please. Exactly how inept does someone have to be to be replaced on this team? He will never get fired for one reason…it doesn’t matter. You could put a monkey in his position and it couldn’t be any worse. IT DOESN’T MATTER. Sterling makes his 10 million a year profit and schmucks like us keep buying his bullshit team. You people can keep debating players and plans until your tongues fall out, but this is never going to work. It was never meant to work, just make money. And this is a sin the NBA needs to address. It’s the moral, cultural and emotional rape of a desperate fan base.
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Rashard lewis has a giant contract like randolphs’s, and he can play the three and the four. Would it make sense for both to clippers and the magic to make that trade so the clippers can put lewis at the three and griffin at the 4?
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andrew Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Orlado would hang up the phone and start laughing at the words “zach” and “randolph.
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Clipper Derrick Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I’m not a fan of Rashard Lewis … at all. He should stay in Orlando …
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I should probably clarify what I mean by “winning now.”
“The goal for next year is to start winning, get into the playoffs, and earn back some respectability!”
Sure. The Clippers should make every effort to win every night. But what they shouldn’t do is make basketball decisions more mindful of winning next year than in 2011-12. Again, it’s the Portland and Presti models.
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Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
KA is right – we should be shooting for one of the 6-8 seeds in the playoffs in the 09-10 season, but not at the cost of taking on a long-term deal that hurts our flexibility. Actually, I think a more realistic expectation is something similar to the 3 year ascension we had from 2003-2006, when we started over with the Dunfather and Kaman after the Andre Miller experiment ended poorly. In 03-04 we won 28, moved to 37 wins and outside playoff contention in 04-05, and then added Sam and Cat in 05-06 to get us 47 wins and the 2nd round.
This strategy rules out trading for guys like Gerald Wallace (owed $40M through 12-13), Luke Walton ($21.6 through 12-13) and Deng as KA mentioned. I also agree with KA and Steve that we should hold Camby until closer to the deadline. With that in mind, preseason trades that make sense and would net us a 3 to play in front of Al:
Kaman ($33.9M through 11-12) for Prince ($21.5 through 10-11). Too good to be true.
Kaman for Diaw ($27M through 11-12)
Randolph ($33.3 through 10-11) for Jefferson ($29.2 through 10-11), although Milwaukee would probably want us to take Charlie Bell in the deal ($11M through 11-12). With Bell in the deal we may be able to include Ricky D. That would clear a path for Griffin and satisfy those who want to keep Kaman. Tough to see Randolph or Ricky fitting in with Skiles.
Randolph for Kirilenko ($34.2 through 10-11) – maybe Utah would do this if Boozer leaves, but it is tough to see Sloan and Randolph coexisting.
A couple salary dump options that would clear minutes for Griffin:
Kaman to Dallas for Stackhouse ($7M for 09-10, but $2M buyout by August 10) and spare parts to make it work (A. Wright at $2.1 for 09-10). If we cut Stackhouse, that saves us $6.1 in 09-10 that would give us flexibiilty to maybe get Ariza.
Randolph to Cleveland for expiring and maybe retiring Ben Wallace ($14M for 09-10) and whatever else is needed to make it work. Could Z-Bo help Cleveland matchup better with Dwight Howard?
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RL Reply:
June 14th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Zach Randolph for Jefferson would be AWESOME… or.. Zach Randolph for Wally Sczerbiak and his gynormous expiring contract?… ding! ding! ding!… winner winner chicken dinner!
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RL Reply:
June 14th, 2009 at 3:36 am
Randolph for Wallace sounds good too.. though Charlotte would be dumb to do that…
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John Reply:
June 14th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Well thought out response Speakeasy. Of all the trades you run through here I’m not sure how many fall both under the making sense and entirely plausible category…certainly the Jefferson one does seem like something that would help this team a lot now, or prince if it were possible.
I like Diaw on the right team…but as he seems to be a player who disappears when in the wrong system, and the clippers are always the wrong system, I cant assume he’d be much help.
I personally do like Kaman a lot, but maybe the stackhouse trade you bring up would actually be something that would help the clips in a couple of years.
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Clipper Speakeasy Reply:
June 14th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I’m not sure any of these proposals make complete and total sense for the other teams involved – it really depends on how desperate they are to add a big man and/or save money. For example, Milwaukee saves $5M in a Randolph/Davis for Jefferson/Bell deal. The larger point is that the Clips shouldn’t be trying to unload Kaman or Randolph at all costs, such as taking on a bad contract. Make a deal that fits the Clips needs or don’t make one at all. That said it would be nice if a deal could be made before training camp – I don’t want to hear that chemistry excuse again.
You might be right about Diaw, but if the Clips are ready to pull the plug on Kaman they’d save $7M in that deal.
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Posted on June 13th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I understand that the team is packed like the 101 on a friday night at 4 and 5 but why not just keep the team that together.So bg can learn how to shoot the ball from zbo and learn some post moves from kaman cause we know camby has none.And just let bg come in to work for his minutes and not have the pressure right on him bring him along at a good pace.And if the team does well and is in the playoff picture by the trade deadline.which they should be then trade one of the bigs not name blake after there value goes up.For a wingman who can play and make a jumper.All this talk about getting ariza is a horrible idea he’s just like vuja-suck.He plays in a system and on a team that gets away with holding and everything else you can do in mma.Remember how vuja-suck was a lock down defender or ronnie or mad dog etc.If you play for the la-kobe you get away with bs and thats why ariza is a bad idea rj good idea maybe even go after ginobilli.With kaman and the unprotected timberwolves pick.
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Posted on June 13th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I would trade Kaman for a bag of peanuts and a coupon to Arby’s.
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bootstrenf Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 9:56 am
i would kill for an arby’s beef and cheddar right about now……those things really hit the spot…..one of the true underrated burgers around……
my absolute favorite hamburger has to be the McRib……why in the hell do they not feature it as a regular menu item???
the McRib is like the Jordan XI’s of the burger world……so damn hard to get, but all the much tastier when you do get it…..
hmmmmmmmmmmm………jordan XI’s………….oops, i meant McRib…….oh wait a minute, i meant Beef and Cheddar…….
damn, i am starving……starving for a good team that is…….
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benoit benjamin's two left shoes Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
What would Arby’s want with Kaman? ;-]
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Posted on June 15th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Kaman has the basketball IQ of a McRib. Why do Americans eat poison and then complain about the high cost of health insurance? These ‘food’ items are the reason we’re a third rate country full of obese slobs that think they can shove any garbage down their throats without consequence. Well, I’m 52 years old and I’m here to warn you that this behavior is not without a big price. Why not eat healthy, stay fit and live a long and enjoyable life? You’ll wish you had when they’re crackin’ your chest open with a rib spreader and replacing your once vital heart with a machine. Just a friendly warning…take it or leave it at your own peril. And the Clippers still stink.
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bootstrenf Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
“Kaman has the basketball IQ of a McRib.”
that is an insult to the great McRib sandwich…..kaman is not even worth the box that it comes in, much less the McRib itself…..
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Posted on June 15th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I’m still waiting for the “How Stan Van Gundy Pulled a Dunleavy” post-mortem on the Finals.
I found it ironic that Orlando lost the Finals series by putting their coldest guy on the playoff roster and expecting a miracle.
Skippy was Van Gundy’s Maggette.
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Posted on June 15th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Come on guys.. Everybody seems to forget most of our team this past year has been HURT!! Why panic and move any of our vetrans!!! IF We are healthy.. we will be fine and make it into the playoffs..!!!! Losing Brand didnt kill us. in fact we have a serious front line even without the upcoming draftee
We have a great front court as well and very DEEP when they are healthy.. I lik our current front line line up better than when Brand was here !!!
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D.J. Foster Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
The problem is injuries should be expected on a team that has Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, and Zach Randolph.
The chances of the 4 of those guys playing anywhere close to a full season together is extremely slim. Pinning playoff hopes on the stipulation that we stay healthy is a dangerous thing to do with this bunch.
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Clipper Derrick Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I agree. The talent is there, but health remains, in my opinion, the main concern. I’m willing to bet that you can expect each of the above mentioned players to miss between 5-10 games throughout the season. It’s tough to build chemistry and flow when you’ve had to adjust, readjust and do more adjusting to the starting roster throughout the year. We need someone like Richard Jefferson … a tough player, who plays the game right, and who HASN’T missed ANY games in the past two season. I’d pull the trigger on a RJ trade.
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Posted on June 15th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
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