How the new CBA affects the Clippers

First. And I almost teared up a little to read that Griffin is much more likely to stay.

I really do want to keep Gordon, and the only possible way I’d be OK with giving up either him or Kaman is if it got Howard to the Clippers. Howard and Griffin will win rings. If the Clippers can’t trade for Howard, they have to resign Kaman and trade DeAndre Jordan.

The Clippers don’t have to give up Gordan to get Paul or Williams, and they sure shouldn’t. Besides, I expect Paul will go to the Knicks and Williams will stay with the Nets, because they’ll pay him more than anyone else and will promise to build a team around him.

Howard won’t sign a deal with the Nets, and even if they trade for him without him signing, he’ll leave at the end of the season and the Clippers will sign him then. Howard wants to play for the Clippers because he and Griffin will win them a string of champioinships and that will make him a legend.

The Clippers main goal:
Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Harrison Barnes, Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe.

Even if no big star comes to the Clippers:
Chris Kaman, Blake Griffin, Harrison Barnes, Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe.
. . . plus whoever or whatever (draft picks) the Clippers get for Jordan.

Looking back, Paul has had a much better career than Gordon. Partly because he came in earlier. Looking forward, it is difficult to believe Paul will have a better career over the next 5 – 7 years.

Also, lumping Jordan in with Griffin/Gordon as the future of this team is silly. Jordan’s ceiling is to be an “average” starting center in this league. If his mentality were a bit tougher, more determined I might be willing to consider “above average starting center” but he’s a fun guy just looking laugh a lot, dunk and have some fun.

All this trade talk is nonsense as far as I’m concern the big three won’t sign an extension for a trade all three are going to free agency so stop talking about big blockbuster trades. We have minnies pick and we have a season. If all goes well we will make it to the playoffs and get one of the big three in free agency along with a deep class of sfs. If new jersey makes an offer we make an offer. If howard don’t want to be traded or sign an extension let him go. Otherwise we should go after d will. D will. Isn’t staying if the new jersey fails to get howard. Once that happens we all know they are going to free agency and we all know that we are going for willaims or howard nuff said

Brandon Roy most certainly will be amnestied by the Blazers. Thoughts on Roy temporarily filling our 3 gap?

Pluses: Will probably take a 1 year deal to prove he still has something. He will most certainly have a chip on his shoulder to do just that. He’ll be a 3rd option that can take over a game on a good night. Good mentor for Aminu and even Gordon.

Minuses: Won’t have the athleticism for great individual defense. Will likely miss games. Will likely get re-injured.

When you have a chance to acquire arguably the best PG in the league, known for his passing and captain skills, you go for it. I think it’s important to remember that getting two 3-star players worth $8 million a piece is not equal to a single 5-star player worth $15 million. 5-star players only come along once in awhile, and if you manage to lock him up, your franchise changes. The Clips have two options for a 5-star acquisition: a sure thing in Chris Paul or an uncertainty in the Minny pick (which I wouldn’t want to give up, but would be inevitable for acquiring CP3.)

About an hour ago, Paul’s agent has done the most confidence inspiring move for a Clipper fan by telling the New Orleans management that his client will not be signing an extension with the Hornets and wants to be traded to the NY Knicks. This means that Hornets will be trading Chris Paul. If NO has zero chance of keeping him, they are going to try and get some consolation value through a trade as opposed to just letting him walk for nothing at the end of the season.

Now, two characteristics of the Hornets can’t be overlooked: 1. they’re league owned and 2. they’re about to lose their two best players (CP3 and David West) and go into rebuilding mode. Starting with rebuilding, if the Hornets want quality young players to start the franchise anew again, they won’t have much success digging through the Knicks barren roster. The Hornets definitely don’t want Chauncey Billups’ massive expiring contract (nor the nursing home costs) and the other three players signed by the Knicks next year are Imam Shuphert, Toney Douglas, and Landry Fields. Unless the NY is willing to give up Carmelo or A’mare, there is no chance they have enough talent to execute a trade with NOLA. They don’t even have any first-round draft picks to offer up through 2016.

The factor controlling New Orleans moving CP3 to the Big Apple is that the decision actually has to be approved by David Stern since he is the Hornets’ current proprietor. There is absolutely no chance that DStern will be seen not just as complicit but a key figure in a deal that literally spits in the face of the entirety of the negotiations he oversaw. They didn’t include a “Carmelo Rule” (maybe we should have called it the “CP3 Rule?”) because both sides agreed that the balance struck in the new CBA would successfully disincentive players from screwing over small market teams by choosing their new destination. Plus, I certainly would call “nepotism” if Stern catalyzed a completely skewed trade to benefit his own city.

The important context of the above discussion is that there is an alternative that feed ANY of these criticisms: THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS. We are not a behemoth team (though our location is pretty nice) having had only 3 winning seasons in the past 25 years (or is it 26 now?). But the more patently obvious reason is that we have the pieces to trade that would be ideal for rebuilding. Like I said before, since Paul’s agent has declared his client unwilling to resign with the Hornets, he will be traded. But no to the Knicks.

So how can we convince Mr. Stern that we can send him a package that has the potential for growth in value in return for his marquee point guard. I have come to terms with losing the Minny Pick. It is the most desirable asset we have for a rebuilding team because it can morph into any position or can become the locus of the new team. I’m sensitive to those who don’t want to give up the pick (I had come to terms with a cancelled season by convincing myself that I would do with college ball because every game would just showcase another one of our potential draft picks). BUT, we are all just used to inhabiting the mindset of a rebuilding team which highly values draft picks. We are past rebuilding. It’s time to start looking at championships.

Also, if we give up the Minny pick, there’s a much higher chance of keeping Eric Gordon, which should be our second priority after keeping Griffin. If we have to give him up, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do when a player like Chris Paul is on the line, but I would really prefer not to. Which is why I would want to tempt New Orleans with a host of deals, all of which have EITHER Gordon or the Minny pick. Example packages:

Gordon/Minny pick
Bledsoe/Aminu
Kaman/ Jordan

We have no other picks to offer because we’ve already given up our 2012 pick to the Celtics. If we need to give up both Aminu and Bledsoe, I would call for Olshey head back to daytime television and to institute a Rahm Emanuel like GM, but I’d still be happy. How could I not? Griffin + CP3

Quick follow up: Paul may still be a free agent after a season with the Clippers, but ultimately, you just have to be convinced that playing with Blake Griffin will convince CP3 that he’s playing with a god. Just like all of us have been convinced.