Reports out of New York are indicating that the Knicks are slowly inching closer to finalizing a deal with Ramon Sessions. This thing has dragged on much longer than any of us could have expected, but if Sessions is truly close to becoming a Knick than it’s time to look elsewhere and see what’s left in the free agent market. K.A. already took a look at the best perimeter defenders available, so today we’ll break down some of the best unrestricted guards left on the market.
The Best Of The Rest:
- Allen Iverson – Nothing came out of the Iverson talks earlier this summer, but if Sessions is out of the picture the Clippers may rekindle negotiations with the 34 year old guard. The issues with signing Iverson have been previously addressed, and most Clippers fans remain terrified that Iverson will ruin team chemistry. Still, Sterling views Iverson as a big ticket draw, and Dunleavy has a history of taking on reclamation projects with big egos. If Iverson were to become a Clipper, it would undoubtedly need to be on a one year deal with an understanding that he would come off the bench. It’s pretty unlikely that will happen, but as long as Iverson is available, the possibility lurks.
- Bobby Jackson – The 36 year old guard is on his last legs, but by all accounts Jackson is a good veteran presence who could impart some of his knowledge on younger guards Sebastian Telfair and Eric Gordon. Jackson can play both guard positions and is primarily a scorer who has to rely more and more on his subpar outside jumper. Despite not being much of a distributor, Jackson is safe with the ball and rarely turns it over. It wouldn’t be the flashiest signing, but Jackson would come cheap and fill a need, without any of the drama.
- Rashad McCants- McCants is still young at 24 and has proven scoring ability. In his 2007-2008 campaign with Minnesota, McCants averaged 14.9 ppg while only playing 27 minutes a contest. McCants would stretch the floor and add instant pop off the bench, but is limited to playing just the 2 guard. By most accounts McCants is a poor defender, and his career average of 1.3 assists per 20 minutes is troubling. When McCants is on the court he’s out there primarily to score, which would seem to duplicate Ricky Davis quite a bit.
- Jacque Vaughn – If Dunleavy wants an unselfish 3rd point guard who will unquestionably run his sets, Vaughn is his man. The 34 year old’s value lies in his solid decision making on offense and his hounding of opposing point guards on defense. If he was good enough for Popovich and the Spurs, he’s worth at least a glance from the Clippers.
- Juan Dixon- Dixon is a combo guard who can handle some point guard duties, but is better suited at the two guard. Dixon is primarily a jump shooter who rarely attacks the basket, and because of his size (6′3, 165) he struggles with bigger guards. Dixon is now 30, which makes me question where the last 8 years of my life went.
- Gerald Green- Although he has ideal size at 6′8, Green is widely considered to be one of the worst defenders in the game. Green’s amazing athletic ability and great shooting stroke should translate into a solid NBA player, but his serious lack of basketball I.Q. keeps him from doing anything with his immense talent. Still, Green is only 23 years old and with the right coaching he might be able to make something of his career.
- Von Wafer- Wafer played in a Clippers jersey for literally 1 minute, and it’s probably the last we’ll ever see of him. Wafer is talented, but his attitude issues and clashes with Rick Adelman should be enough of a warning sign for the Clippers to stay away.
- Luther Head- Head is a career 39% 3 point shooter, but he’s undersized at the 2 guard and can be somewhat of a defensive liability. Still, Head played big minutes in the past as a Houston Rocket and is probably one of the best shooters left available. He doesn’t offer much positional flexibility unfortunately, as he’s not a natural point guard by any means. Of all the small 2 guards (McCants, Wafer and Dixon), Head is probably the one the Clippers should look closest at.
- Ronald “Flip” Murray – Flip can definitely score when given the minutes, but he does so inefficiently. Flip is a bit of a chucker for not being a great shooter, evidenced by last year being the first time he averaged a true shooting percentage of over 50%. Regardless though, if Dunleavy decides to place a premium on scoring for the open roster spot, Flip is probably near the top of the list.
- Maurice Ager – Ager was never able to receive substantial playing time for Dallas or New Jersey, so it’s hard to get a good read on him. He was always a good shooter in college, but his athleticism was only so-so. Ager is only 25, but it’s not a good sign that he couldn’t earn playing time on a bad New Jersey team last year.
- Kareem Rush – Rush is a good threat from deep, but that’s about it. His career 40% field goal percentage is cause for concern, as are his low rebounding and assist numbers. There appears to be better scorers out on the market.
- Desmond Mason – From K.A. – “An OSU standout, and big fan favorite in OKC, Mason has publicly stated that he’d like to stay with the Thunder. For a guy best known for dunkage, Mason’s greatest asset on the court is on the other end of the floor, where he’s your prototypical “long and quick” guy who stays in front of his man effectively.”
- Keith Bogans – From K.A. – “He carries the air of “wily veteran” at 29, and seems to be the kind of backup the Clippers would gravitate to this offseason. He’s got good size, can shoot from the outside at a reasonably efficient rate (TS greater than 50% each of the past three seasons), and defend intelligently. More important, Bogans can be bought on the cheap. This wouldn’t be a splashy acquisition, but it would be a smart one.”
- Rodney Carney - From K.A. – “Although he’s a bit of a ball-stopper on offense and certainly not a glue guy, Carney is nevertheless an insane athlete who has proven himself to be a capable defender in the NBA. Last season, he put up some impressive on court/off court defensive numbers. At 6-6, he’s quick enough to guard triple-threat shooting guards and big and long enough to handle more physical 3s.”
The Clippers current roster is at 13 men, with only two point guards (Davis and Telfair) and one shooting guard (Gordon), depending on where you slot Mardy Collins and Ricky Davis. Even though the 2/3 wing spot appears to be the biggest hole, Dunleavy may opt to bring in a combo guard who can occasionally fill in at point.
What say you, Clippers fans? If the Clippers can’t sign Sessions, what position should they look to fill, and who should they fill it with? Let’s hear it.
36 Responses
Go with Bobby Jackson or McCants
Stay away from Von Wafer
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Head or Vaughn should be the only two we look at if Sessions is off the table.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Desmond Mason. Enough said.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 2:49 pm
with what’s available, I would stick with Mardy Collins and Jones.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I would call Dallas and see if we could get Josh Howard for Marcus Camby
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 3:15 pm
No mention of Flip Murray? He had a very good season for the Hawks last year and can play both PG and SG. He can probably be had on a one year deal for 3-5 mill.
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D.J. Foster Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Excellent point- not sure how I missed him. Thank you for pointing that out, I’ll update the post.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Have we resigned Fred Jones? If not, I think he is a better fit than all these other players.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Sorry if it’s old news, but is Steve Novak still on the roster??
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Chris. Reply:
August 4th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
as a restricted FA who hasn’t signed any contract yet, but the Clips are expected to keep him I believe.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Nobody really jumps off this list to me. I’d rather see the roster spot go to a young guy that has some potential (however little) to be a future piece on this team. Everyone liked Nik Caner-Medley in Summer, he tore up the DLeague, why not give him a shot.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
What about the following:
- Desmond Mason
- Marquis Daniels
- Kareem Rush
- Maurice Ager
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D.J. Foster Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I updated the post to include some of the guys you mentioned and K.A. originally talked about- thanks for your contribution.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
As bad as it sounds, if sessions is taken, we should reconsider Iverson.
Hear me out…
1. Iverson’s ego has been hit with the way teams have been passing him up.
2. Now, the one time scoring champion/ NBA MVP/ Future H.O.F. has something to prove..AGAIN. This means he’s about to go off! I’m talking like 35-40ppg off.
3. Sign him for one year, get camby to help convince him to play along coming off the bench, then take over B-Diddy’s spot if he starts slacking. If Boom doesn’t step up, well have A.I. and E.G. as our starting guards. F* yeah!
4. SPEND THE 5.8 mill, why the hell not. I think we all forget how amazing A.I. really is. (Youtube highlights if you need a recap.)
5. A.I. would possibly help provide the pride and swagger we need (a’la sam cassell). If my theory on #2 is correct, A.I. knows he needs his teammates to win and prove a point to everyone who passed up on him.
6. Go over Foster’s list again. 99% of the guys on that list can’t even shine the patent leather on A.I.s kicks. (Other than possibly sessions if he lives up to the hype)
Am I a big A.I. fan? Not so much. I am however, a huge basketball fan. And I do know that this guy is about to tear shit up, especially if he comes to l.a. and is hounded by the media that he has to prove himself in ‘kobe’s town’.
We could be passing up something huge here. Besides, its one year! So what, lets put the future hall of famer in a clips jersey. I have a strong feeling it will work itself out.
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Ben S. Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
i agree for the most part with what you said…..
the biggest thing that i see as a positive is that A.I is automatic offense he wills his way to the hoop
or just scores when his team needs it…
all the “cancer’ stuff aside….
i really think thats where he will help us …and hey wouldnt it be more fun to see clipper games sell out?
those damn stretches we have that make ralph say “oh me oh my the clippers cant buy a hoop”
where we either give up a lead….or go down double digits…
well A.I can help aleviate some of that…..
I SAY DO IT
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Gabby Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Man-I got goosebumps from reading this but still not fully convinced
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SamMays Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 pm
AI’s need to prove himself will manifest itself in a ton of shot attempts, shutting down the offense, his teammates standing around watching him play one on five. He’s be chucking up a lot of ill-advised shots at a very low percentage when we already have Baron for that.
When things aren’t going his way, he pouts or fakes injuries so he doesn’t have to show up. He is not the guy to set an example for Griffin or Gordon and would quite possibly be the worst guy we could consider bringing in… Also note that in recent years his teams were better before his arrival and were better again after his departure.
Hoopsworld posted their five most overrated players in the NBA… Baron, Iverson, Zach, Marion and Bogut… We just got rid of one. Let’s not bring in another.
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Cp3noodles Reply:
August 4th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
You make it sound like iverson is a quitter. He shut it down in detroit but no one has probably played hard regardless of dire times than him in the past 13 years. His warrior iimage has been destroyed by his season in Detroit.
I say take the chance. His teams make the playoffs 70% of the time.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 5:28 pm
hmmmm
Al is our only decent sized small forward
…i dont really trust ricky davis
and if im correct we have Fred Jones (he was pretty great for us last season)
so if we dont get another legit SF i guess ricky davis would have to get some pt there…
hmmm
i say if possible we sign bobby jackson or mcants
OR BOTH…..
we need a PG that can shoot the J consistently….(we all know what Sam helped us do with that ability)
and a shooting guard that slashes and gets us free throws when we go on those damn dry spells
LETS DO IT!!!
LETS GO CLIPPERS!
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Bring back Pedrag Drobnyiak. I hear he’s been workin on his handle.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:05 pm
why not a guy that can backup the 2 and 3. My vote’s for carney — although, i must admit, i’ve not seen him play since college.
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bongstradamus Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:58 pm
I like Carney too, i think hes got the most upside of the bunch.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Iverson’s “ballhogging” and “chemistry killing” is vastly overstated.
He averaged 18 shots a game (and 7+ assists) in Denver and what 13 shots a game in Detroit?
The guy has taken his teams to the playoffs what 10 times out of 13? You have to take that chance. Imagine Gordon, Griffin, and AL getting playoff experience already.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Only birng AI if he commits to come off the bench.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Let’s get A.I. here and start him over Boom Dizzle! Why not? In my eyes, Baron has not proven sh*t to the clips. Bring his ass off the bench and have Telfair 3rd option. Sounds pretty strong to me.
Best case scenario: We have one of the top scoring backcourt duos in A.I. and E.G.
Worse case scenario: We have one of the worse rebounding defending backcourt duos in A.I. and E.G.
But wait, I forgot how much of an ass the Dunce is. No way he would swallow the criticism since he brought Baron’s J-Craig ass over here. There goes my argument.
I’m posting this on yardbarker so Baron can try to prove me wrong.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 11:05 pm
I’m not as optimistic about Iverson as J’Rock is, but with Sessions going to NY and the waiving of Taylor, AI seems likely to be the next move. Sterling wanted him, and Dunleavy talked him out of it by telling him AI would still be around for a while. Dunleavy took a shot at Sessions, didn’t get him, and now AI is the most attractive free agent remaining who also happens to fit the need for a backup 1/2. Dunleavy has the ego to believe he can coach an alleged problem child like AI, so I doubt anything he heard from George Karl or the Pistons would scare him off signing AI. The only thing that’s changed with AI since his heavily rumored Clips flirtation a few weeks ago is the alleged Olympiakos offer for $10M over 2 years. This means that AI can likely still be had for the full MLE on a 1 year deal if he wants to stay in the NBA. So, I expect the Clips to use the MLE on AI and fill the void at the 3 using the trade chips (TPE, Ricky D., Madsen, Camby, Collins, or Novak in a S&T).
Put differently, signing AI gives Dunleavy cover, assuming Sterling still wants to spend the MLE to get AI. If it works out, Dunleavy is mentioned in the same breath as Larry Brown. If not, he can always tell Sterling “I got AI like you wanted and he sucked.”
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Clippers to Meet with Wafer
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/nba/090803_clippers_wafer_meeting
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Clipper Speakeasy Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:34 pm
After re-reading DJ’s comment on Wafer, that seems like what the Clips would do.
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ClippsUK Reply:
August 4th, 2009 at 4:26 am
I like D Mason but the Von Wafer move wouldn’t be bad either. Gives us some nice scoring off the bench as cover for Eric. If they get him, I like the way the roster is slowly taking shape.
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Posted on August 3rd, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Wafer could be a contract year flop, once he gets his contract he’s going to come back down to earth and be the pre Houston Von Wafer.
What about Sun Yue? Let’s give this guy a shot.
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Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Bring back Marco Jaric– Memphis might be willing to let him go.
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Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 9:38 am
I think if you can’t have a hard-nosed, Championship basketball team at least have a kick as reality show — WELCOME TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL ALAN IVERSON!
At least it will never be dull. Imagine the dramatic scowls and snears as the team enters the month of March a mere 25 games behind the hated Lakers and Dunleavy summons A.I. into the 4th quarter as our beloved Clippers trail the Memphis Grizzlies by 16. As Baron, Chris, Marcus and Griffin watch in street clothes, the steely eyed A.I. taps Mike Taylor on the shoulder (oh yeah, he’ll be back) and proceeds to lead the team back only to watch helplessly as DeAndre Jordon launches an ill advised 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and the Clips lose by 2.
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Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 10:37 am
mike taylor > telfair and mardy collins. why did they let him walk? i don’t have the time to look it up, but HONESTLY i think that mardy collins is the worst player in the nba.
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Posted on August 4th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Oh come on…AI might be trouble, but he’s still capable of scoring big! Imagine him coming of the bench for 15 ppg! We struggled all year with bench scoring, so we need some points there…Ricky Davis would never deliver and mediocre players like McCants and Wafer would never fit in! We needed Sessions as our guard of the future, but if we can’t get him just sign AI or Bogans for a year and get a 1/2/3 FA next summer!
GO CLIPS!
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Posted on August 5th, 2009 at 3:19 am
clips get AI and they a big percentage they will be much better.
clips need to take this risk..it will either be very bad or very good..
cuz AI needs to prove himself just like the clips need to..so the team and clips will work hard together and get to the playoff..and the clips can move on from there..if AI do nt work they will just hav to work again the next year..TAKE AI cuz clips do not really hav much to lose so why not give it a try for one of the best player in nba..
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bongstradamus Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Theres a host of reasons why you add AI:
1. Ticket Sales
2. He’s going to the Hall of Fame
3. He knows how to score at will.
That being said theres also many reasons why you dont sign AI:
1. Chris Webber, Carmelo Anthony, Richard Hamilton, Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, Glenn Robinson and Dikembe Mutombo couldnt co-exist with AI over his 13 year career. What makes Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin different and somehow able to thrive with AI than the list of prior All-Stars and future Hall of Famers?
2. Eric Gordon is our starting Shooting Guard and AI wants to start. Why hamper Eric’s growth?
3. AI is 34 years old. The average age of our team is 26. We’re a young team, we need to add peices to the core, not rent a mascot for a year.
4. AI has butted heads with every single coach he has played for. Larry Brown included.
5. Drama. We dont need it. AI brings it. This is a basketball team not an acting troupe. Sure we’re competing for a trophy, but not an Oscar.
6. Even with something to prove, 13 years of the same AI doing the same thing doesnt instill confidence that he’s going to miraculously be the team player we need. We can however almost bank that he will try and shoot the ball 20 times and might decide to drive the ball to the hoop himself and lob it in than hit the open man.
AI just doesnt make sense as a Clipper unless he’s selling tickets. He hinders the growth of our young players, needs $5M for his rental fee, and will probably take shots away from the guys who need em most. Its just a bad idea. If he was 28, maybe it’d be worth the risk.
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Posted on August 6th, 2009 at 9:18 am
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