It’s too early to discern whether Vinny Del Negro has the command, tactical strength and creativity to build the Clippers into a respectable entity in the Western Conference. My preferences for Dwane Casey aside, enough smart basketball people I’ve spoken to believe that, despite his early struggles in Chicago, Del Negro’s learning curve has been steep. They maintain that getting out from under a Chicago management team that undermined him at every turn — and let his best shooter walk in 2009, then dealt the other perimeter threat at last year’s deadline — will allow him to prosper. A good coach knows how to delegate and Del Negro’s preliminary short list of assistants is impressive. There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical, but the beauty of sports is that these questions reveal themselves in due time.
The organization’s choice of Del Negro reveals some important realities that have little to do with Del Negro himself:
- Owner Donald T. Sterling still makes the final call on many vital basketball decisions. It’s important to note that this isn’t unusual in the NBA and most pro sports for that matter. While Sterling might be uniquely ill-equipped to make many of these calls, he who signs the checks makes the rules. Still, it’s disconcerting that basketball people aren’t empowered to make the final basketball decisions. Tonight, LeBron James will likely announce that he’s chosen the Miami Heat as his destination. The allure of playing with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can’t be understated, but it’s not incidental that if he lands in Miami, he’s chosen an owner in Micky Arison. Comparatively speaking, Arison is a hands-off owner who remains behind the scenes and delegates basketball operations to Pat Riley. Olshey, as a first-time general manager, hasn’t built up the equity and track record Riley has in his three decades as a championship head coach and executive. But Olshey has demonstrated early on that he’s aggressive, pragmatic and has good taste in talent. One source I spoke to about the Clippers power structure told me, “Neil has the potential to be very good at this job, but the question is, will ownership let him?”
- As disheartening as ownership’s claiming the right to make the final call on the coaching hire, Olshey got his second choice out of dozens of available candidates. Del Negro wouldn’t have been named a finalist if Olshey weren’t confident he could perform the task. Part of the job for any Clippers general manager is negotiating with Sterling — on hires, trades and signings. It took Mike Dunleavy weeks to cajole Sterling into dealing Zach Randolph last summer. Whether Olshey is given the authority he should to assemble the roster the way he sees fit will become apparent in the coming weeks. He conveys a very strong power of persuasion, more so than Dunleavy. On the flip side, Sterling has been generous with the checkbook in recent years and hasn’t seen much return on his investment, a dynamic that could potentially make him more reluctant to spend.
- Presence and charisma trump whiteboard acumen, at least with many owners. The Del Negro hire also underscores the advantage former players still have when teams make choose coaches. Del Negro plugged his tenure as an NBA veteran in his press conference yesterday. For all of Casey’s attributes, Del Negro’s ability to regal someone like Sterling with stories of his playing days and to tout how that résumé item translates into respect in the locker room and on the practice court is powerful — probably a little bit too powerful.
As we head into Summer League, a few other realities are surfacing. The free agent market is insane. Mike Miller has a lot of appeal as a small forward, but he’s likely to command a five year deal in the $40 million dollar range, especially now that teams like New York have been left with enormous cap space and nobody to spend it on. The Clippers would be wise to resist the temptation to overspend and forfeit their flexibility, whether on Miller, Kyle Korver or anyone else.
A more likely scenario — and a smart one — would be to fill out the roster with decent value players. The list of available 3s won’t dazzle you, but the Clips could do a lot worse than a guy like Ryan Gomes, or even Dorell Wright, for a short-term contract while Al-Farouq Aminu finds his sea legs. Both Gomes and Wright are strong defenders on the wing and Gomes has developed a nice stroke from the outside (Wright has proficiency from mid-range). Neither will vault the Clippers into playoff contention next season — and that might be frustrating to a hungry fan base — but both bring assets that would help the development process and not kill the Clippers’ cap flexibility.
Tayshaun Prince would be a plus at the small forward spot, but only if the Pistons are reasonable with their demands. Absorbing Prince’s $11.1 million salary would still leave the Clips with more than $7 million to fill out the roster with another combo guard (Randy Foye, Shannon Brown, Roger Mason). Again, these aren’t flashy names, but the primary goal remains developing the five young players. Baron Davis and Chris Kaman will claim a ton of possessions. The Clips need to allocate the remaining opportunities to Griffin, Gordon and, when they’re on the floor, Aminu and Bledsoe.
As disheartening as the summer might be, don’t undervalue the importance of the long view. Griffin could be a star. He and Gordon have enormous potential as an inside-out threat. Be patient, allow success to materialize in due course. Winning now isn’t realistic, so plan for 2011 and beyond.
57 Responses
“Winning now isn’t realistic, so plan for 2011 and beyond.”
i suppose its never realistic with us. oh well, im still young
MN Clipper Fan Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
“Winning now isn’t realistic, so plan for 2011 and beyond.”
Isn’t that the case every year?
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Patience is a virtue, and Clips fans will have to be patient with this team. Play the kids, back them up with veterans who play the game the right way, and shoot for 2011-2012 to contend for a playoff position. Have patience that a more realistic target to make the playoffs is 2012-2013 when it’s year 5 for EJ, year 4 for BG, and year 3 for Aminu and Bledsoe.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Wait…just because we didn’t sign D. Casey all of a sudden winning isn’t realistic for this year? geesh, you are a total downer! we have yet to even get a glimpse of the impact of B. Griffin (last years #1 pick mind you!), Aminu, Bledsoe, SOFO, and VDN but you ALREADY believe winning isn’t possible? i need to stop reading this blog, it’s starting to feel like the mainstream media’s perspective of, “it’s the Clippers, they’ll never win!” i’m out K.A.!
Tino Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:49 am
furthermore, all we need is a SF with a decent outside shot and we can be an above average team! Miller, Korver, or Gomes, are all still available! Please don’t mail in the whole season BEFORE we play even one summer league game!
Tino Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:50 am
oh yeah, Tayshaun Prince might be available as well!
FD Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Every person you mentioned hasn’t played a game in the NBA.
Tino Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 10:03 am
that’s EXACTLY my point! let’s see what the kids can do BEFORE we give up on the season!!!
Tino Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 10:14 am
and PLEASE don’t create a fire VDN website until he get’s to coach at least 1 game! lol
FD Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 11:29 am
I’ll give him 1/2 a season at least. I’m not on board with him, and tend to agree with the yahoo article, but I’ll wait to see how he does. There’s probably not much he can do anyway. I just hope it’s not a long term contract.
VH Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
actually VDN played in the nba for 12 seasons…
kenji Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 10:02 am
i gotta agree. i’ve noticed posts in this blog have become increasingly pessimistic and showing symptoms of the “it’s the clippers” mentality. When i first started visiting this blog up until a little after K.A. got his espn spot, i’d leave this blog feeling hopeful and upbeat, and agreeing with alot of what is written. Now, as a fan, i leave wondering if it’s clipper fans writing these articles/posts, or just somebody feeding into what everybody at espn says about the clippers. telling us that the clippers won’t be in a place for a chance of winning until the ’11-’12 season or later, essentially saying not to expect anything more than what we saw last season, it something a espn flunky would write, and not a person addressing the clipper nation would.
disappointed.
Pez Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 11:52 am
We all know we have a ton of young potential…but guys that haven’t played in the NBA don’t win…it just doesn’t happen.
KAs tempered expectations of the coming season aren’t because “They’re the Clippers”, they’re b/c this is a 29 win team (most of those coming when we played respectable defensive with Camby) who have so far added 5 guys featuring 0 NBA games of experience to the roster.
Adding 5 guys with 0 games of experience is NOT likely to make us a better team. KA knows basketball as well as anyone, and he’s not going to ignore this fact so he can spout “These rookies will give us a good shot at the playoffs!”.
When it comes to smart realistic coverage we’re spoiled by the best there is here…blind optimism is another matter.
Tino Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Yeah, lebron James, Dwayne Wade and k durant were horrible when they came into league!
Pez Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Kevin Durants first two years combined OKC won 43 games.
Lebron’s rookie year Cleveland won 35 games.
Wade’s first year was better…they won 43 games.
What’s it going to take to make the playoffs in the west next year? Probably 45 or 46 wins.
It takes young players time to develop. Believe me, I’m not trying to be pessimistic about the coming year…I’m simply stating that your accusation against KA of joining the mainstream media’s prejudice against the Clippers due to his realistic expectations is completely unfounded.
dawool Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
lebron, dwyane, kd especially, had horrible to average players around them.
we have an all star on the block with griffin, a veteran pg, a solid sg, and promising rookies.
its a different situation we can easily win 46 + games barr injury
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Why doubt VDN? I think he’s the best thing happened to Clips after Sam Cassell.
He’s only 43. He values his job more than money(proof: he’ll lose $2mil. from Chicago because he saw more value in coming to Clips) DTS is going to trust him with most player related decisions. And VDN has the skills & experience to assemble the right pieces as he sees fit.
The job of Neil Olshey and Andy Roeser is going to get much easier. VDN has the right aattitude to work diligently with Olshey & Roeser. The TRIO can and will get things done for DTS & the team.
Steve Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
This is just crazy talk. VDN didn’t “see value” in coming to the clippers, he got fired by Chicago and needed a job… And what exactly does he have as far as skills and experience to assemble the right pieces? This is again just rambling…. Bottom line we are going to end up without a marquee free agent, an unproven coach who was fired previously and most importantly the same ownership…. Not a good recipe for success. I am all for tempered expectations but come on!!! How many more summers do we have to frigging suffer through?
LLSC Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Chicago owes VDN $2mil for final yr contract(if is not working). VDN choose to work rather than take a vacation and $2mil. from Chicago.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 9:56 am
The projections for a winning season have less to do with the coach, and more to do with Free Agency. No one was expecting the prices that this free agent crop would command. NO ONE. The Clippers are now faced with having to fill a roster with an overvalued market. Yes, they could pay Mike Miller 8-10 mil per year, but WHY?
The important thing to remember is that the CBA will look drastically different next year. There may not be any players left in the league, but that’s another discussion topic.
If the projections pan out, player salaries are likely to be headed sharply downward. Why over pay now?
Next year, the max salary may be adjusted to $10million per year, as opposed to the 16+ that can be offered now.
That means that if you are an owner that signs Mike Miller, you may have him on the books as a max contract player next year.
Now you have ZERO leverage in trading him down the road.
Further more, now the salary cap is likely to be reduced as a reflection of that downward trend in contracts.
To overpay for a player this year is SUICIDE. If your team has a chance to win now, sure. But Baron’s already on the books and he’s not getting any younger.
This is not the Spurs. This is the Clippers. They’re rebuilding again.
The upside, is that with a young team, they should be much more exciting to watch this year. With the power and flexibility of retaining a low roster, that means that once the team knows what they have, they can target the RIGHT player when the time is right.
Frank H Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Totally agree- it’s like the crazy real estate market of recent past; same concept here; buy when the market is low! anyway, as it stands, we have a very good team right now and have a chance at the playoffs (suns and utah just got worse)
Bongstradamus Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Its my opinion that salaries will go up and not down. Sure owners want to use this next CBA as a way to reduce their payroll, but there are facts on the table that paint the opposite picture.
Josh Childress for instance, went to Europe to get paid instead of continuing his career in the NBA. He can always come back, but if he still gets offered decent deals and gets the freedom of being in Europe he could potentially stay there for his career and be completely happy about it.
The league has gone global, and it wont be long before some Chinese investor realizes that paying LeBron James $100M a YEAR is a worthy investment in all the cross marketing opportunities that would exist for signing someone of that caliber. Whether its team merchandise, TV rights, or what have you, there is someone who could make that work. We are no longer competing with 29 other teams, we are competing with the world for talent and soon enough there wont be any stigma associated with playing overseas, there will be more money available and the natural evolution dictates that in a league where most players view themselves as max players, talent will go to where the money is being spent. If we dont pay these guys, theyve already shown us someone else will.
$10M for Mike Miller is market value. The guy is a sharp shooter, was a Rookie of the Year, 6th Man of the Year and shoots 40% from the three point line over his career. He also has averaged 5.5 rebounds per game. We keep talking about needing a guy who can space the floor and can grab rebounds and play his role….thats Mike Miller to the letter. Sure hes not flashy, but based off his performance, $10m a season is not overpaying. Its market value.
Tino Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Agreed! Get M Miller if at all possible!
Tino Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Agreed! Get M Miller if at all possible!
Frank H Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
All excellent points. You may definitely be right; the only thing that gives me pause is the feeling that everything has to happen now. We already have large scale changes to our team. Every year, trades happen throughout the year, teams feel financial strain and most importantly, opportunities for trades or other transactions open up. The chance to improve your team continually exists if you have the flexibility. The points about the NBA game becoming global are well taken and certainly this may mean that the cap will continue to go up. My point is that, right now, this summer is crazy. But that doesn’t mean that in 6 months, a fantastic opportunity could not open up and allow for a significant improvement to our team. Cap flexibility is certainly an important asset.
VH Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
More over, the dreaded drop in the salary cap didn’t happen and teams have spent over 30 million on players like Darko, Frye, Amir Johnson, etc… the NBA will be hard pressed to say that they don’t have enough money to pay the “big” contracts.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 10:04 am
wasn’t the recently released salary cap actually MORE than anticipated! it’s appx $58 mil as opposed to the $56 that was estimated!
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 10:07 am
I personally think if the Clippers can stay healthy for the most part of the regular season then they have a real good shot at making the playoffs. We are well under the cap and I know there will be teams that will be willing to trade players just for cap relief whether it be now or during the trade deadilne. I don’t think it’s time to throw the towel on the season.. a lot of the powers have shifted from the west to the east. We have a stud in Blake Griffin, a shooting threat in Gordon, and a point guard that can play at a very high level if motivated. Our team is very talented and if VDN can work some magic to get everyone invovled and motivated to achieve a specific goal then I think our chances are very good. I’m really digging what Olshey has said… Like K.A. said though, in the end it comes down to DTS but for the most part it seems like Olshey has done his homework. Something that stood out was when he said he wanted players that wanted to play for the Clippers for the RIGHT reasons.. in other words.. not just to blow up their stats or for the LA night life. He wants players who are going to perform day in and day out for this franchise. I’m very excited about our team (as i am every off season) but for some reason I feel like we have nothing to lose and a lot to gain out of this.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 10:26 am
While we might not be competing for a title anytime soon we do need to change the attitude amongst the players and fans. It’s important to change the narrative. Address our needs aggressively and fight and claw for a winning season. While I wouldn’t suggest paying 50 mil/5 yrs that apparently the Knicks are offering Miller, we should be willing to spend more than the average club (Face it, until the Clips have respect in this league we’re gonna have to overpay ). Patience is all well and good, but the cost of mediocrity for this club is steeper than most organizations. It’s a death knell.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Tayshaun Prince and Roger Mason would be a FANTASTIC Plan B. Hearing Mike Miller may get 5/50 from New York. 10 mil per for him? No thank you. Mason can back up EJ and Prince, Aminu can back up Prince and Griffin, and Sofo can back up Kaman and Griffin. Teams win when multiple players can play multiple positions. Would love to see this happen if LeBron doesn’t choose us…….but I am remaining hopeful until it’s definitely over.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Ray Allen / 2 yrs at 20M – is an excellent value for an All Star .
Clippers will be on the right path to mediocrity and beyond. I think adding some depth to the team and having a good rotation ( injuries aside ) will limit wear and tear.
chris. Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
He’s already re-signed with Boston.
Petey Pablo Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Sorry, I was using Ray’s deal as a comparison to the 5yrs/50 that Mike Miller was being mentioned of getting.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Honestly, I really want to see the Clips in the playoffs next year, whether it’d be the 8th seed or 1st seed, I want to see it happen. But above all else, I want to see a winning record on this team. If they miss the playoffs but achieve that goal, then it’s enough to get me excited for the future and wanting to come back for more. Nonetheless, we have a great club right now, and with a bit of luck, I don’t see why we have to wait until 2011 instead of now.
Also, I kind of like the idea of Shannon Brown joining the Clips. A young, entertaining guard back up to EJ could be a ton of fun to watch.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 11:05 am
So basically we’ll be left with the scraps of free agency once again? Travis Outlaw is going to New Jersey. Josh Howard and Tracy McGrady will likely sign with teams they can win with and we’ll be left with Ryan Gomes and Dorell Wright? Not very good considered Roeser said they’ll spend money. I’d still try to get a small forward like Prince, Turkoglu or even Deng via trade and solidify that spot going forward.
chris. Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Chicago won’t need or want to trade Deng after they lose out on Lebron. We don’t want Turkoglu’s attitude and bad contract when he likes to sit out games and go out to clubs. Prince would be the best option, Detroit has 10 players under contract and even adding 2 minimum guys will put them over the salary cap so maybe they want to send us Prince for trade exemption for a year. Best case scenario for the Clippers.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 11:18 am
I’m down with the long range plan but will be looking for Blake to chase the R.O.Y. nod and the team to at least be mathmatically alive for a spot with a month to go.
Would like to be going to games in Jan. and Feb. that are worth watching.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I wonder if the Clippers will adjust the season ticket prices to reflect that they didn’t get a big name free agent. They need to cut them in half
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Clippers are pathetic. They have room for a max player and they can’t even sign a top 20 FA in the “summer of 2010.”
The Clippers not only suck they are boring.
Wall and Cousins will steal the spotlight from Blake Griffin.
Maybe they’ll get Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva in the future!
chris. Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Nice positivity there. Considering 2 of our 3 targets signed with their original teams (Gay & Joe Johnson) and the 3rd is in limbo for a few hours, this summer isn’t a waste. All the other players are getting big deals when that’s not the best scenario for the Clippers because a 30 year old with a loaded 5 year contract does nothing with our young stars.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 11:42 am
I am tired of always and I mean always hearing about “next year.” I have been a season ticket holder since the Clippers arrived in LA and every single year (but three) it has been we’re only a year away. That is BS! Plain unadultared BS! This is a ruderless ship that appears to have few keen basketball folks (Neil is unproven) on board.
Yes there is talent, there almost always was talent, but there has also always been a disconnect for some reason. You cannot fault Donald recently for not spending, but maybe the key is we need a keen basketball mind, a Jerry West, Kevin Prichart or other basketball “lifer” to come in and take control. Unless or until that occurs, we are doomed to be a bottom feeder that merely picks up the leftovers off the scrap heap.
And do we think BD will actually be jumping for joy over the changes/additions this year, nope. You can expect after the first 3-4 game loosing streak that he will again and as usual go into a “funk” and revert to the BD of past Clipper years, bad shot selection, ball hogging and few assist.
Gee, it’s going to be another fun year for Clipper fans – NOT!
Chris McD Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
I never got this. Why buy season tickets when all you’re going to do is “wait next year”? Just follow the games on TV or something.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Baron Davis and Kaman are big names. if they were free agents now how much they will get!
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Another piece of disappointing news for the Warriors. Check out my thoughts on the NBA offseason thus far:
sportsaccordingtome.com
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
uh.. why did we get rid of camby then?? notice how teams like the Lakers, Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix.. dont do patience.. they spend spend spend until the wheels fall off.
As soon as Orlando drafted Howard they started surrounding him with players.. Howard is looking like he may have gotten as good as he’ll be, but they’re still in the ECF for the last 3 years, because the owner spends..
Going the Thunder route doesn’t always work.. they got a guy who could possibly be the best offensive player ever, a good coach, a good gm, and a good owner.. we don’t have any of those things. if the clips cant go .500 this year, i’m done
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
What could be more comfortable for a Clipper fan then sidling up to the idea that it is a good thing for Donald Sterling not to spend money?
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
I’m with you rk. We original season seat buyers need to be rewarded. How long do we have to wait before we have a consistently competitive team. I think with a few correct moves (Miller and Rhino maybe) we should be able to make the playoffs this year. You are right. Waiting till next year has been getting older every year.
arbie Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Ditto. I have high hopes for Blake Griffin, But I also had high hopes for Danny Manning, Shawn Livingston, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Darius Miles, and Maurice Taylor. (I never had high hopes for Olowakandi.) But there have been two consistent results over the years: the Sterling ethos promotes selfish play, and players who want to win don’t re-sign with the Clippers. Griffin may indeed make everyone forget LBJ one day, but if that happens, the Clippers won’t be able to re-sign him, because by that point, he’ll be tired of losing, tired of a psycho owner, and tired of having a new coach every year. Or, he’ll get the message that being a team player isn’t rewarded by this owner, and we’ll all be sitting here in three years saying “how’d that guy become so selfish?” I’m a 20 year season ticket owner, and a die hard fan, but I’ve never been less optimistic about this team. You can’t rely on a “rebuilding” strategy with a team that is incapable of building in the first place.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Why should the Clippers avoid overpaying for Mike Miller to reserve “cap flexibility”? They gave away Marcus Canby to create this flexibility that has gotten them nowhere. I’d rather be up to my ears in salary with no cap space but winning lots of games.
Since the Clips have at the end of the day received no players and no salary for Marcus Canby, why not use the $9 million that they would’ve had to pay to keep him (or the Portland players that replaced him) and apply it toward a free agent that can help them today…………like Mike Miller. Now, the $10-12 million per year that they’ll have to pay Miller doesn’t sound nearly as high.
P.S. Do you guys think that Detroit would bite if the Clips offered them Baron for Gordon’s contract that suddenly doesn’t look as ridiculous as it did a couple of months ago? The Clippers would then have their shooter and they could go find another PG.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Relax people,
The Clippers have decided to wait until after Lebron makes his decision. They are going to live by the sword or die by the sword in that scenario. If nothing happens within the first few days after that, then it can be time to throw the dagger but this was the plan all along and they haven’t deviated from it.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I completely agree with R. Lehrer in that the Clippers really do own something to the fans and Clipper fans are pretty loyal. They should spend every “fricken” dime of cap space to build something that is enjoyable to watch. Whether it is M. Miller or Korver, who cares if they overpay at this point in their infamous rise to annonimity – we the fans deserve something better. Sterling probably has never lost money and now is not the time to save for the inevitable future that never seems to arrive for Clipper fans.
Until we establish a winning tradition, we are doomed – spend the damn money and bring in some dynamic mid-level players who we overpay for, but can deliver!
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
If they come out with nothing, they need to offer something to the Season ticket holders who were promised BG last year (they hid the severity of his injury) and then were promised a big name FA this year.
If there is no LBJ, we shouldn’t overspend on mediocrity, but they need to give back to the loyal fans in some way.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
I think we’re gonna be OK. Hoops is a young man’s game. Winning in the postseason isn’t, but I think we’ll run most of the lousy teams off the floor nigh-in, night-out, with VDN’s free-wheeling style. The Boom will be back to his old self with a young, athletic squad. And, if you think about it, the comp has actually gotten weaker.
Think about what’s happened in free agency already. Two stalwarts (Boozer, Amare) have fled East. That helps, right? The Jazz don’t have Okur or Boozer (Achilles surgery takes a year to heal, as we know, so they don’t have Okur) and PHX is gonna struggle mightily – they waaaay over-achieved.
The locks for WC playoff action are likely LAL, DEN, OKC, POR, SAS, DAL maybe HOU. There’s room for one or two teams.
MIN, GSW, SAC are still suck and MEM, NOR haven’t gotten better. UTA and PHX are weaker. Here comes LAC. And you know what happens when Boom Dizzle does his thing as the #8 seed…
Believe.
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
How sad it is that Clipper fans think making the playoffs is “winning now.” The only thing that counts as winning is a championship. I’d rather not make the playoffs until we get a chance to actually WIN.
neiljlax Reply:
July 8th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
does that mean that every year only 1 team has a season that counts?
Posted on July 8th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Winning is only realistic with teams that have competent ownership!
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 12:00 am
At least we know Kaman is working out hard this summer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au008ZqKbyc
Posted on July 28th, 2010 at 7:37 am
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