Craig Smith has inked a one year deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, with the value of the contract yet to be revealed.
The return of Craig Smith means a few things for the rest of the Clippers’ roster. At this point it now seems highly unlikely that Sofoklis Schortsanitis, aka Big Sofo, will be joining the team this year. Although the environment in Vegas is far from ideal for big guys, Sofo wasn’t overwhelming with his performances in that setting. Craig Smith has proven he’s a quality NBA player over the course of his career, evidenced by a PER rating last year that was better than both Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman.
Technically the Clippers could have Sofo and Craig Smith on the roster, but they seem to duplicate each other’s talents quite a bit. Both are big, low post scorers who are limited on the defensive end and on the glass. Signing Sofo will likely take a little more money than the Clippers are willing to part with, especially when you consider they have Smith who has proven he can do all the same things.
After last season ended, I wrote an appreciation piece on Smith and what he brought to the team. One of the most impressive things about Smith was that he was a consistent contributor, even as the Clippers were going through chaos with their coaching staff and personnel. At the end of the day, Rhino got buckets, whether it was in a starting role or ten minutes off the bench, or whether it was in Kim Hughes’ offense or Mike Dunleavy’s. That ability to adapt and stay consistent no doubt appealed to Neil Olshey, who witnessed the carnage firsthand, and also to Vinny Del Negro, who must be craving accomplished low-post scorers after his time in Chicago.
Smith is a true professional, a hard worker who ups the intensity level in practice and is a proven scorer in the league. Those type of guys don’t grow on trees. Although he’s pretty limited in that he can’t play small forward or center, he’ll provide some nice insurance to Blake Griffin and be a reliable scoring option off the bench for the Clippers. It always seemed Rhino wanted to come back to continue playing in Los Angeles, and now he knows the feeling is mutual.
53 Responses
Nice! We need Rhino back!
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Great signing!
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
In a Mr. Burns kind of vocie ( Simpsons ) – Excellent !
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Love it! Now lets get TMac!
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Clippers won’t sign Sofo cus they’re cheap. Sofo will cost more money cus the euro team wants him. I’m all for signing sofo to see what he can do. No one can set screens like that guy. Maybe they can trade him
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
I really hope they get Sofo as well, him and T-Mac then the Clippers are set.
Can yo imagine DJ, Sofo, and Rhino in at the same time? Those three in at the same time would scare teams.
I disagree that Rhino can’t play SF, yes he’s a low post scorer, but that doesn’t mean a SF can’t be a low post scorer. He actually has pretty decent handles for a bigger guy (he’s only 6’7″ remember) and can easily start with the ball 15ft out. He’d then back down whoever was guarding him and most likely draw a double team at which point he could dish it to sofo, DJ, or either guard, whoever was open. These 3 would definitely dominate the paint and boards over any team in the league, especially against other teams’ benches.
BTW, as of now, if Rhino is the second string PF, who’s the third string? And don’t say Brian Cook, he’s more like a 4th string.
Josh Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
That would be a disaster. Teams would score at will on them as other teams’ arenas play circus music as they are constantly beaten or out of position, or late on help. You do know that they play on both ends of the court, right?
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Love the Rhino! Besides drafting and trading for Bledsoe and Warren, this is the best move the team has made this offseason.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Great News! He’s definitely a fan favorite, and I’m glad we’re going to get to see him play for another year.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Am I the only one who appreciated what Rasual Butler brought to the team? When we were close to .500 he was a nice compliment on the offense. I’m a bit stunned he hasn’t signed with a contender.
On the other hand, I have no problem with T-Mac or Flip Murray (although I think the latter would keep BDavis motivated).
Steve Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Yes
NRM Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
To my knowledge BUtler hasnt been signed by anybody…
Chris. Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
If we can get Butler on a 1 year deal too that would be awesome.
mario1p Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
i want butler back too
Martin Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Butler hit key 3s in a lot of games..
PDP Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Butler jacked up sooo many stupid shots, he was bound to hit a few 3s every so often.
NRM Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Also true, but the only quality SF that are available, to my knowledge at least, are he, TMAC, and Matt Barnes (who looks like hes about to go to the Raptors)
Josh Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
I like Butler, but he shouldn’t get that much run. Not opposed to bringing him back, but for 10-15 minutes on the wing a night. 20 if he gets warm.
Steve Reply:
July 21st, 2010 at 11:28 am
Which of the 28 games that we won did he hit “key” threes? Agree with PDP, throw enough crap at the wall sometimes it sticks. He’s not worth decent money. If we can get him for a bargain, ok.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
let’s get Tmac for 20 mins a game maybe help us close it out and we’re heading to the playoffs. I have no problem with any of the moves the clippers have made so far. Nice deep bench man this should be fun. We have enough guys to run and a coach who says that what he want to do. I can’t wait!
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Keep him away from Griffin.
Nearly one dimensional player by scoring inside (don’t we already have that?). No outside shot. Marginal rebounding and defense.
Didn’t Hughes have issues with this guy last year?
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Cant CS play some Center? He did for me in my fantasy league last year…
Anyways, that 1 year thing has me guessing… dont tell me were saving up for Carmelo Anthony next year… I think Rhino deserved at least 2.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Rhino was one of my favorite Clippers last season. On a roster full of guys who didn’t bring it every night, Craig Smith to play with heart and hustle. The dude can get buckets, and every team needs a guy like him coming off the bench. The fact that he’s a good guy and actually wants to play for the Clips is a bonus.
Welcome back, Rhino.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Love the resigning of Craig but now we need to get Rasual back. As far as Sofo if you seen him play in Las Vegas you would be glad the team brougt back Craig Smith, all Sofo can do is set screens I seen no post game from him, he should have been dominating with his size.
ClipperMarc Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
I agree Sofo was a little disappointing. Welcome back Craig.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Any one have any idea how much cap space the Clippers have left?
JP Reply:
July 21st, 2010 at 12:43 pm
By my math they had approx $10 to $11 million to fill the last two spots. As soon as we know how much Rhino got paid, we can figure out how much is left to offer Tmac. Rhino made $2.3 million last year and my guess is he’s probably making somewhere between $2.5 and $3 million to accept a one year deal.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I liked Casual on the team last year. He seemed like a good all around professional, good team guy. The only thing was that uhhhh shot just didn’t fall often enough for my tastes….
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
i dont think any real Clipper fan dislikes Craig Smith in anyway….
he is small but what he lacks in size he makes up with his strength….he goes up scores….floaters…shots….hussles he is really everything the rest of the Clipper players were….
anytime he was brought in a game he contributed, when we couldnt score he would give u sa bucket ….this is a GREAT signing and im excited if we could sign Rasul i would call this a successful season….
Man i am excited Craig is great!!
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
All i know is Rhino OWNED the Lakers last season! NONE of their bigs could stop him in the post!
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Great news. Now sign T-Mac and call it a summer.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Probably my favorite move of the off season. great wed present for me. loved to come home and see this news.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Is it possible they featured Deandre Jordon so much in the summer league cus they want to trade him? They might be able to get a SF if you package him with someone else.
NRM Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 10:14 am
Im ok with that. It would be great for DJ too. Put him on a weak(er) team and watch him grow.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Aminu is more ready to play the 4 than the 3…he’ll have to adapt to the 3 pretty quickly now if we’re gonna get him and Smith minutes.
That said, very happy smith is back.
Posted on July 19th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
thank ya jesus! now our bench can score
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 1:08 am
Petey, I hate to say this but if The Rhino is the ying, T-Mac is the Yang. Rhino brings his lunch bucket to work, T-Mac may not even show up for work.
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 1:16 am
Craig Smith gave 100 percent even when the rest of the damn hacks on our team last year didn’t even look like they cared. In many of the later games, he WAS our bench. We need this guy.
And to the people up there talking about Butler, FORGET BUTLER. He was a disappointment all around. He shot nowhere near as well from 3 as he did on the Hornets and he can finish at the rim. Hes just another two dribble and then chuck it up, like Thornton was.
Josh Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Amen to what you said about Rhino. A pro. He deserves better teammates.
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 1:46 am
welcome back rhino!
good move.
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 2:03 am
Rhino is back. NICE! This dude will bleed for us. I still remember when he took a charge and got hit right in his Nads! That’s the kind of soldiers we need to round BG with.
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 2:59 am
Very pleased the Rhino is back. Excellent hustler and a player opposing bigs hate playing against. Just keep him away from Blake in practice!!
Roster looking decent with cover at PG/SG/PF
Am worried about Kaman getting injured though cos DJ is just not ready to play big minutes (not sure he will ever be). Also like us to take the risk on T-Mac. Just for a 2 year (2nd yr team option). Low risk, medium reward I think and more importantly, it boosts fans excitement a bit. He may be washed up but he was a quality player and that quality doesn’t all leave.
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 2:59 am
love seeing Rhino back…just keep him away from Griffin during practice…and games
i still want to see Big Sofo sign…
Smith, Sofo, Jordan at the same time…. wow
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 8:33 am
best signing of the summer! now we just need to figure out who our starting SF will be. I’m down to re-sign Rasual or give T-Mac a chance if he checks his attitude at the door and doesn’t demand the ball to be in his hands all the time.
I heard Philly might want to move Kapono… that would be a nice upgrade from Novak. Although I’d love to have Novak back on the team. We just need someone who is a pure shooter that will consistently hit wide open jumpers when he gets the ball kicked out to him when the guard drive the line.
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Welcome back, Rhino. Everyone loves you because you play hard all the time. Keep up the good work.
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Question for DJ Foster.
In your praise article about Rhino you wrote, “Smith shot 56.9% from the field this season, had the second highest adjusted +/- number on the team, had a PER rating of 16.9, was the best offensive rebounder on the team, and posted the second best defensive rating of all Clippers.”
What measuring tool were you using to determine Rhino was the second best defensive rating of all the Clippers? I saw all year Rhino was amazing on offense, and could single handily shoot us back into a game with just a few minutes of playing time off the bench. However, I also noticed other than solid rebounding Rhino appeared to be more of a defensive liability because of his height (6ft 7in) and his limitations to only play PF. Please advise what measurement system you used as I’m interested to see if Rhino was actually good on defense, or if the entire team was that bad outside of Camby.
D.J. Foster Reply:
July 21st, 2010 at 3:29 pm
JP:
I definitely should have included where I got those numbers — my mistake.
I used basketballvalue.com for those ratings. Here’s the link: http://basketballvalue.com/teamplayers.php?team=LAC&year=2009-2010
Basically, the Clippers allowed 4.08 points less when Craig Smith was on the court as opposed to off. It’s in the unadjusted defensive rating column in the link there. I didn’t include Camby because his numbers from Portland were factored in.
ChaseB Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I was suprised to see Kaman’s defensive rating so high. He really could be a great player if he had better shot selection.
D.J. Foster Reply:
July 21st, 2010 at 3:31 pm
By the way…while we’re here:
McGrady’s unadjusted defensive rating was 8.29, meaning that the Knicks were a significantly worse defensive team when he was on the floor as opposed to off.
Posted on July 21st, 2010 at 12:49 pm
SMITH IS AYE GUD BACC UP PF NOW WE NEED TO SIGN T MACC TO A 2 YEAR DEAL OR RESIGN BUTLER IF WE GET T MAC WE WILL MAKE THE PLAY OFFS NEXT SEASON WITH DEL NEGRO ASS ARE COUCH MIKE WAS A WACK COUCH BARON DAVIS GORDAN T MAC GRIFFIN AN KAMAN WOW WE WOULD BE JUST AS GUD ASS MIAMI NOW JK LOL BUT WE WILL BE AYE TREAT TO THE WEST
Posted on July 22nd, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I will never understand why you guys want Mcgrady and Sofo. Show some numbers!
Posted on July 23rd, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Yay, Captain Turnover is back!!! Can’t wait to see him mishandle the ball more this year!!!
Posted on July 25th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
yes. craig smith works hard every night, win lose or draw. glad to have him back.
and butler is a gamer too who can drain the 3.
now we just need kaman to play hard every game, works his butt off on man-to-man defensive schemes and set a decent hard pick, not the lame hand in front of the balls wussy screen and the clips might be OK.
deandre needs to be moved. his whole game is a slam dunk. clips can’t afford to have a one trick player playing quality minutes. yes he gets rebounds but i could too if i was 7 feet
290.
Posted on July 25th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
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