From my column at ESPNLosAngeles.com:
After a stagnant offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers quietly made a few moves to round out their rotation by signing free-agent guard Randy Foye and forward Ryan Gomes to multi-year contracts on Thursday night.
Instead of overpaying in an inflated free-agency market, general manager Neil Olshey picked up two under-the-radar type players to mesh with the team’s young core, while maintaining future financial flexibility. Although the moves are less than splashy, Foye and Gomes will provide the team with versatile skill-sets that can help them win games now while not sacrificing anything for the future.
On the perimeter
With the exception of Baron Davis and Eric Gordon, the Clippers employed no player who had ever hit an NBA 3-pointer. Obviously, addressing that issue was a priority in free agency, so Olshey went out and nabbed two guys capable of hitting outside shots.
Foye, a 26-year-old combo-guard and former lottery pick, is one of the better guys in the league at shooting off the dribble and is a career 36.8 percent 3-point shooter.
Gomes, a 27-year-old small forward, has been almost as good with a 36.1 percent career average from deep. To put things in perspective, Rasual Butler, the Clippers’ single-season record holder for most 3-point field goals, shot just 33.6 percent from beyond the arc last season.
Many of the Clippers’ offensive problems last year stemmed from bad court spacing due to a lack of capable shooters. Defenses were able to pack it in and cut off driving lanes for Eric Gordon and Baron Davis and suffocate Chris Kaman on the block. By adding accomplished shooters like Foye and Gomes to the mix, opposing defenses shouldn’t be able to play off the wings nearly as much. As a result, things should open up for Gordon and Griffin, something necessary for them to further develop their offensive repertoires.
Versatility
By signing Foye and Gomes, the Clippers added some much needed flexibility to a rigid rotation.
At 6-foot-4 and with a solid build, Foye can play and defend both the point and 2-guard position. The ability for the third guard in a rotation to switch between both spots is usually a luxury, but the injury history of Baron Davis and the inexperience of the lone remaining point guard on the roster in rookie Eric Bledsoe made it a serious need.
Like Foye, Gomes is another classic tweener capable of playing both the small forward and power forward positions. Although he was more of a post-oriented player in his first few years in the league, Gomes has been able to make the transition to a wing player thanks to the expanding range on his jumper. As a solid rebounder with a big frame, Gomes makes up for Eric Gordon’s deficiencies on the glass and still meshes well with Griffin and the Clippers’ other big men who aren’t proficient jump-shooters.
To read the rest of the breakdown on Foye and Gomes, go here.
73 Responses
In my opinion, I think these are actually excellent moves for the Clips, both short term and long term. When you think about it, Foye and Gnomes will add quite a bit of depth to the roster; similarly, they’re on 2 and 3 year contracts respectively at $4 million a year each. Since having cap space is all teams want right now, in a year or two, Foye and Gnomes’ contracts will be very appealing to teams around the league. Not to mention, I have a sneaky suspicion that Olshley is trying to accumulate a handful of similar contracts to make a trade for a decent SF… maybe T. Prince? But that’s just a hunch.
Let’s face it, the only SF worth a max contract in this free agency is Lebron James and obviously we didn’t get him. Rather than blowing all our load on who is left: i.e. Korver and Childress, I’m rather happy to see the moves Olshley is making right now.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 12:27 am
To top it off, we might even be able to make free throws next year! It always helps to have a good FT shooting team, but somehow this is often overlooked when signing players.
D.J. Foster Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:01 am
That stuck out to me as well — nice getting two guys who knock down their free throws, even if they don’t go there very often.
chris. Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:38 am
It’s definitely going to help because free throws aren’t DJ’s strong suit. I like the additions, young-ish players with something to prove like the rest of the Clippers on the cheaper side for minimal years. Good move, Olshey.
TNT57 Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
How is it good to have them be ‘able’ to knock down the free throws if they ‘don’t’ get to the line very much. Does that make logical sense? Wouldn’t you want ‘good’ free throw shooters who ‘get’ to the line? I can’t imagine Pat Reilly or Phil Jackson picking up 2 players like this. It seems to defeat the purpose of being a good ft shooter.
Newtybar Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Hello Mr Negativity!
Curtis Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Nom Nom Nom Trolls!
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 12:44 am
Good moves, We really needed to open the floor, but i can’t help it to feel somekind of emptiness after soo much talent was moved around.
Vinny From the Black has his hands full with all of these young talent but biggest issue is to stop stubborn baron from shooting 3′s and kaman from shooting jumpers. hehe
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 2:35 am
Sorry but I’d like to know what you were talking about when you said “After a stagnant offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers quietly made a few moves etc.” No players could be approached till one week ago July 1, and no deals could be made till yesterday, Thursday when these deals were made. A coach was hired Tuesday so where exactly was the “stagnant offseason”? Actually following within about an hour LeBron’s announcement of his destination the Clippers were significantly in motion showing their fans that this a new Clipper administration. Oh, maybe you mean they were stagnant while Blake, Outlaw and Gooden made deals? But then of course they would not have been in a flexible position to make a deal if LBJ had pulled the name LA Clippers out of the hat. So, in reality the Clippers actually moved with great speed. I think Olshey is going to be a terrific GM and his moves today were very timely and smart.
chris. Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Plus the Gooden & Outlaw deals are ridiculous for the amount and years they are getting. I too am glad we got something done quickly with only a few more pieces needed to finalize the team.
D.J. Foster Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
I meant that everything happened so quickly after a long stretch of basically nothing — a coach was hired, an assistant was rumored to be signing on, and two players were brought in in the span of 48 hours. Before that it didn’t feel like there was a whole lot going on, ya know?
Clipped Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
If you’re working for a news agency, you’re right. But that’s your side of reality.
And there’s a real side of the story which doesn’t leak to the press. The press often gets the controlled access to news story. What the press reports is only 1% of real stuff going on behind the scene.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 3:25 am
I like these two players. Good job Neil. We still have room for Rhino!!!!!!!!!
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 6:11 am
NEXT MOVE:
RICHARD JEFFERSON (born in LA)
3 Years $21M Contract (player option on the 3rd Yr in case he doesnt work out by the end of year 2 might be able to convince him to part ways)…Quick…just a shade over what the Spurs are reportedly going to offer (about $6M/Yr) and probably worth it, as he would be a good fit until/if Aminu develops into the next starting 3…and likely decent trade bate in year 3…
TRUST
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 6:36 am
5th year in a row we have no 3pt shooting. Great.
BTW, good for Lebron to get away from that psycho, facebook-childish owner in Ohio. what a f’n trainwreck.
chris. Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:43 am
uhg, did you not read that they are both better 3p shooters than our team’s single season record holder for 3′s? Also, to call Gilbert childish when your name is Beard the “Curse” is a bit ironic.
These are good pick-ups considering the years and money. At least Gilbert shows passion and speaks his mind (that I agree with too.)
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 7:16 am
we need a knockdown 3pt shooter in the starting lineup. let’s sign kyle korver. sure, he’s not the flashy big name guy anybody thinks about in a starting 3, but from what i’ve read not only is he obviously a great shooter, but he is highly intelligent when it comes to analyzing defenses to get open, and his defense is stronger than most suspect.
we desperately need a shooter like korver in the starting 5 to take pressure off of eric, and create space for blake.
Bruce Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 9:29 am
Korver as a starter on this team really? He’s more of a 2 than a 3, an awful rebounder and isn’t much of an on the ball defender. He’s a fabulous shooter and would be extremely valuable on the right team but the clips aren’t it. Not when the starting 2 is the size of a 1, can’t rebound or play defense against longer 2s. A team can get away with having a below par defender and rebounder at one of the wings but no both. Gomes while not the shooter that Korver is, is more than competent and complements Gordan much better. Why sink a ton of money on a player which Korver is going to get on a player you hope not to play more than 15-20 minutes a game after this season (when you move your first round draft choice into the lineup).
mark Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Korver is going to sign with his boy boozer
Cassellmania Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:26 am
I’d rather have Barnes, J Howard, or Prince. Solid 3 and D guys.
LoyVaught Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 9:31 am
blake signed with the lakers.
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:38 am
blake griffin buddy.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 8:18 am
Ricky Davis shot 38% for us last year and was at 40 the two years before the Clippers.
Chris McD Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Haha. Well if someone takes two 3 pointers the entire season and makes only one of them, that makes them 50%.
FD Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 9:38 am
The two years before the Clippers he took, 333 and 310 3s. The guy can shoot.
mark Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Rick Davis and skinner are going to Miami
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 9:20 am
How much money do the Clippers have left?
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Rasual Butler re-signing with the Clips?? What is his $$ value in the market?
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:39 am
please tell me you’re joking. i absolutely do not want to see see rasual back with us.
Clipper Derrick Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 11:02 am
link please!
Martin Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I meant to say…You think Clips are thinking about re-signing Butler?
Probably not…
But, how much money is he demanding? How much money did he make last year?
Just wondering.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 10:07 am
OK, I’m actually fine with Roye. I think he’s a bit underrated and is probably the best veteran back up we’ve had since Jason Hart (and he’s certainly better than him). Unfortunately, I’m not so keen on Gomes. Gomes is a loser. He’s lost everywhere he’s gone. And lost BADLY. This is not the type of guy you want to keep bringing on your roster. You want hungry, confident players who only want to win. That is what is most disturbing about these moves. I also feel we could have waited and gotten a better option in a trade with all our cap space. Why not Prince or even a S&T for Jefferson. If we win 33 games next year I’ll be shocked.
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:57 am
i’ve never been a particular fan of prince, but i do recognize his skill set. just worried about hm being so injury prone. we don’t need to bring on another high priced guy who is frequently injured.
Chris Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Actually Tayshaun is one of the most durable players in the NBA, despite his slender frame. Last year was the first time he’s missed significant time due to injury, and in fact had played in all 82 games for six seasons in a row. That’s pretty incredible…
fluke Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Uh, hate to tell you buddy, but Foye has lost on every team he’s been on as well. Oh, but lets overlook that, because obviously the t’wolves failures were all Gomes fault, not the GM drafting over 9000 point guards.
jgroove Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
That’s an excellent point, except they lost before last year’s moves. I guess I was trying to find “some” positive. But it’s very hard. If there is any way we can sign Jefferson, I would feel, much more enthusiastic about the upcoming season.
And maybe if Del Negro got a haircut post 1988.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Check out my thoughts on the fallout from LeBron’s decision, the Randolph-Lee trade and NBA Summer League.
sportsaccordingtome.com
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Ryan Gomes is not an acceptable starting SF.
We still have 12 mill in cap space remaining after the Gomes/Foye signings………we need to find an acceptable starting SF or this off-season is a complete failure.
Mediocrity is not acceptable, we need to hold our management to higher standard than this.
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
I think you mean approx 8 mil. gomes and foye are 4 mil per year each, not combined. What starting SF are you suggesting? you’ll be hard pressed to find on on the FA market, or any that are available in trade that would be worth it.
fluke Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Dude, free agency isn’t over yet. Even with Sofo, if we assume he finally is on the roster this year, they only have 11 players. You need to be realistic, we are going to be a inside-out team next year with two studs. Plus Griffin is more of a faceup bigman so he will probably be a PF-SF hybrid. Just calm your stuff, broseph. We aren’t exactly expecting to go win the title next year, just make the playoffs and be competitive and not f-up anything for the future.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
still waiting to hear something on clips going after guys like:
matt barnes
al harrington
josh howard
all can be had within our cap space, and worth the flyer. we gotta step up and take some chances.
Chris McD Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I’d be happy with any of those guys.
hans Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
al harrington? that guy was the guy that lost 2 knicks games to us for hanging on the rim in both of them.
as a guy who watches the warriors a lot, he is terrible.
howard or barnes… sure, good signings if they arent super long term or expensive. but not “small al” as people like to call him in the bay area.
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
i wouldn’t characterize harrington as terrible by any means. he’s better than a lot of the FA’s out there still. I won’t argue that he makes stupid decisions, but we can deny that the skills he possess can really help us.
Bongstradamus Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
All 3 of them are talking with Miami. Riley’s having a clearance sale on NBA rings and all the players are willing to take minimum for a year just to be part of history. Once they get through a season they can be re-signed on a bigger contract.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
This is what I have:
Davis 13,000,000
Kaman 11,500,000
Griffin 5,357,280
Foye 3,900,000 (approx)
Gomes 3,700,000 (approx)
Gordon 3,016,680
Aminu 2,136,100
Bledsoe 1,237,500
Jordan 854,389
Min Hold 473,604
Min Hold 473,604
Min Hold 473,604
—————
Total Payroll: 46,122,761
Cap: 58,044,000
—————
Cap Space: 11,921,239
Adding Sofo at 2.5 and subtracting a min hold leaves us with about 9.8 mill in cap space.
If Willie Warren or any other players are signed for the min salary then they shouldn’t count against the cap since we can go over the cap to sign them after our cap space is used up.
We should at least be able to make a run at Josh Childress…….
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
if your calculations are correct, then things are lovely. i say we go for al harrington. he’s a guy who can play SF/PF/C, and knock down 3′s, and a decent rebounder. His positional versatility would be great to have against small ball teams. His familiarity with baron would also be a plus.
of course the price has to sense.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I’m stunned that the Clips clear all this cap space, announce they are going to pursue LBJ, RUDY GAY, J. JOHNSON, etc than sign FOYE and GOMES and some people are lashing out at me for being so negative because I say it’s not enough. I guess some people still don’t understand that the fan, the ticket buying fan, has ALL the power. WE don’t go, the team is forced to react. My point has always been these types of moves are pointless. Go after impact players, make big trades, fail big! Or succeed big! The Clippers have NOTHING to lose and EVERYTHING to gain. JIM GRAY said Lebron really wanted to be a Clipper when he spoke to him at the beginning of this process, but that for whatever reasons the team just didn’t step up enough. This is Gray quoting LBJ. Not my words. This is a once in a decade opportunity. Hell, Sterling didn’t even bother making the trip. How much can you guys take? I guess my threshold for B.S. is lower that some of you other people. Then, the first move is this?! Just start your rookies. One of these guys was released outright. And we’re supposed to sit up and clap our hands and say, “Thank you Donald for being so good to us. Here’s my check for 8 thousand dollars, keep up the good work!” I’m not being negative. I’m pissed off and I’m tired of being DTS’s punchline. I’ll keep barking and criticizing and badgering this group until they stop selling us short as fans. This isn’t Cleveland, folks or Toronto…it’s Los Angeles. We deserve much, much better.
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
even if lebron had the clippers as his number 1 spot, i believe that once bosh and d-wade announce they’ll be in miami, lebron still wouldn’t have passed up that chance to play with those guys.
mark Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Those guys were never going to leave.
FD Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I agree with you. This has been a total failure by the Clippers.
The ticket reps were telling people they expect someone like Gay, Bosh or Johnson. The ticket rep I talk to called me yesterday and I told him now I have ZERO interested in seaon tickets now and to take me off the select a seat day.
It doesn’t matter that they tried their best or Oshely did everything he could. They failed. I’ll now root for them and go to some games now that Dunleavy isn’t dragging them down, but I don’t expect much.
Clipped Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
LeBron brings too much drama. I don’t think Clippers are ready for that kind of change. LeBron brings a lot of baggage. Some good and some bad. By going to Miami he probably opened the door of diminishing opportunity for a long time to come.
Miami has no chance of making it big with B-L-W team. Their success would be limited to regular season games.
clippafan4life Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
U r right on man this is horrible we deserve better I’m officially switching to another sport if this is what we r settling for. clippers org has no respect for us as fans with this kinda lame attempt at big free agents. Even minnesota is gettin beasley and he would work on our team I think fuck 3pt range we need good players who wanna win not cheap fill ins
Curtis Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Yeah, because Joe Johnson is really worth $120 million for 6 years, and when the Grizzlies gave Gay a max contract, there wasn’t anything any other teams could do. You know why? Because he was a restricted free agent.
Of all the other free agents available, most were PFs and we already have Blake Griffin. I’m not entirely sure what else you expected out of this Free Agent bonanza, and I’m actually really glad the Clippers remained patient and managed to sign some good back up that’ll become valuable trading chips in the near future.
As well, we have Griffin, Gordon, Aminu, Jordan, and Bledsoe. That line up fills every line up on the court and they’re all under the age of 21! With the guidance of Baron Davis and Kaman and a bit of luck, this team is onto greatness.
I know it’s frustrating because we didn’t land one of those marquee free agents, but there’s nothing anyone could really do. So step off your pedestal, everyone’s tired of reading your rants and flame posts.
TNT57 Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Be happy dude WE HAVE BRIAN COOK! This is now past absurd into creepy.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Breaking- Marc J Spears reports Clippers sign Brian Cook for 2 yr 2.5 mil deal. I’m assuming Cook will be the veteran frontcourt ‘stretch 4′ off the bench.
Still have room for a starting sf. . .get on it Olshey!
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
The Clippers all of a sudden have a very promising bench – something you really need in the West. I think we need to go after Mike Miller hard and offer him something like 5 years $35-38 million. Then we could add Udonis Haslem for more depth as a hustle, rebound, defense guy off the bench that gives us some amazing depth behind Griffin.
Maybe if we surround B-Diddy, Gordon, and Griffin with enough very quality role players they will all perform a lot better than we expect. I think we have the talent but we need chemistry and depth. I’m LOVING what Olshey is doing and he doesn’t seem like a stupid GM.
I love that we didn’t get Rudy Gay for a max contract and instead have some flexibility and really improve our bench while adding two promising prospects in Aminu and Bledsoe.
We are doing so many things well. We are getting younger. We are adding experience/leadership. We have the franchise cornerstone as long as he can stay healthy. We aren’t screwing ourselves for the long run. We have a good head coach.
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
are you happy with throwing away $1M+ on brian cook this year?
Cassellmania Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Clips don’t have enough $ for Miller AND Haslem. Miller is likely going to miami anyway. . .we should make a hard run at Barnes or J Howard now.
kenji Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
should’ve used the money wasted on cook to make a deal with haslem so that we have a strong backup to blake. then used the leftover money on barnes.
TNT57 Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Brian Cook isn’t a promising anything. You just love that we signed nobody like you’re getting a refund or something. SPEND IT ALL. EVERY PENNY.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Brian-freakin-Cook???
Are you kidding me Olshey?!?!
Instead of wasting money on a player that will play the brian skinner role, why don’t you sign somebody that will actually help our time!
Martin Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I agree.
I wanna see what Sofo can do..
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
the more we wait the more Barnes makes sense to me and the more i think we’re not doing anything to acquire him. aside 3pt shooters we need “d”. barnes will bring D and mesh well with the team. Al harrington missed a dunk! vs clips haah, that guy is cursed dont want him but i’d take him instead of nothing.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
The clips are actually doing the smart thing. While other teams are over spending in this year and will eb regreting it two years from now. The clips are signing role players leaving them the cap space to keep thier young stars and also but them in a situation where they can continue to grow thier team after the new cba. Where many teams will get stuck with over paying amare, jefferson and childress.
Clippers fans need to be happy that the clippers finally ahve a gm with some restraint who isnt out throwing money at peopel taht aint worth it. They are trying to develop thier young core and brought in a coach that can do taht in the long run. Everyone wants a quick fix i say develop our core (Griffen,Gorden, jordan, aminu and Bledsoe) and keep them for years to come. Dont waste teh money on peopel liek prince and RJ that are nearing the end of thier prime
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
and yes i can’t type
TNT57 Reply:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
I’d rather have SAM I AM back than Cook.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
I don’t know what the big deal is. Brian Cook is going to tie up less than 2% of our salary cap? He’s going to be the 10th, 11th, 12th man on the team.
Here is what I am thinking.
According to HoopsHype.com we are now at $33m (58m cap). We just added Foye and Gomes at appx. $4m/yr each, so now we are up to $41m. Add in Aminu and Bledsoe’s contracts and that becomes $44.5m.
If we got get Mike Miller and offer him $38m over 5 years (7.6m/yr) then that is appx. $52m.
We would still have another $6m to play with to round out our team which would then have 11 on it (Davis, Gordon, Miller, Griffin, Kaman, Bledsoe, Aminu, Foye, Gomes, Collins, Jordan).
This would leave us with about $6m in salary cap space to get more players, so yes you are probably right that we couldn’t get Haslem, but you never know.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
I forgot to factor in Cook, but he’s honestly only around $1-1.5m against the cap and I think he is just a practice body.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I just don’t see how Miami can afford Mike Miller either. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh will probably tie up $50m of their team’s cap and then you still have to pay 10+ other guys. They can’t afford Mike Miller at $5-7m per year.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
The big 3 have cut 15 million off the term of their deals and that’s for MILLER. Though there’sca report that D FISH is meeting with the HEAT. I guess his kid got better so he whore himself out for another ring.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
The Big 3 in Miami are taking a lot less money than I thought. Looks like they can afford both Haslem and Miller.
Posted on July 9th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Hmmmm
Posted on July 24th, 2010 at 12:36 am
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