Why Caron?

08 Dec 2011

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After losing out on Tayshaun Prince to Detroit, the Clippers have made their move. According to reports, the Clippers have agreed to sign free agent small forward Caron Butler to a three-year, 24-million dollar deal.

A few quick notes on Caron Butler:

Butler is 31-years-old and is coming off season-ending knee surgery last year.
Caron Butler had the lowest assist rate last year among wings with at least a 25% usage rate. (HatTip to @tomhaberstroh)
Caron Butler is a career 31.9 percent 3-point shooter. He averages less than two attempts per game from behind the arc on his career. For reference, Ryan Gomes shot 34 percent from behind the arc last year.
Eric Gordon’s career usage percentage: 22.7 percent. Caron Butler’s career usage percentage: also 22.7 percent. Over their careers, Butler and Gordon have used the exact same percentage of available possessions. Butler’s usage rate last year was 25.1, 7th among NBA small forwards. He gets a lot of shots up.

Only two small forwards attempted more 16-23 foot jumpers last year in the NBA: Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. The good news is, Butler shot 45 percent from there. Can he carry it on to next year? It’s tough to tell. He shot right around 45 percent in the 09-10 season, but only hit 38 percent in 08-09. Butler has consistently ranked around the top 5 of all NBA players for attempts from 16-23 feet. The mid-to-deep range jumper is his bread and butter…but it’s also the least efficient place to score from on the court.

At a contract worth 8-million dollars per year, the Clippers now have 32.4 million committed to 6 players in 2013 — and that’s not including DeAndre Jordan or Eric Gordon’s contract extensions. (HatTip to @ZachLowe_SI)

Here’s my biggest concern with the signing. As currently constructed, the Clippers will be depending on Eric Gordon (who has missed 46 games in the last two years), Chris Kaman (who has missed 107 games in the last year 3 years) and Caron Butler (coming off knee surgery and has never played a full season in his career) to stay healthy for a playoff run. That’s not just playing with fire — that’s more like lighting yourself on fire. The Clippers probably aren’t done yet, but as the roster currently stands, it’s one of the more injury-prone ones of recent memory.

Here’s a question: Instead of competing against Chicago and a few other teams for his services, why not wait to see what it would have taken to get Richard Jefferson on a 3-year deal with an amnesty bid? He’s a much better 3-point shooter and likely a better fit for Del Negro’s offense. Over their careers, Jefferson and Butler have put up similar raw numbers, except Jefferson has only missed two games in the last four years. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable making a long-term commitment to him? And is there any chance, with limited bidders, that Jefferson goes for 8-million a year?

That all seems null and void at this point, as the Clippers are ready to move forward with Caron Butler as their starting small forward.

http://www.barmapla.com FD

I actually like this because Olshey isn’t a good enough GM to get anyone else. If Sterling isn’t going to fire Olshey, this is all you can ask for.
- BG 2012
  
  Can we get some Clipper-slanted updates on the following:
  
  DeAndre Jordan being offered more money for less years by GSW. How might Tyson Chandler’s signing impact this?
  Chris Paul’s availability at all, thus impacting our free agency/trade search…
  - RGC
    
    All i know is, Deandre is not a “sign at all costs” player. If the Warriors or whoever want to overpay, they can have him. I know there are many DeAndre fanboys on here, but he’s a modern center version of Charles “Bo” Outlaw, for you Clipper fans who existed before 2005-06. He has zero offensive accumen, a huge liability at the line. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t necessarily dislike DeAndre, as he does a few things real well, and is a good clubhouse guy, and perhaps more importantly is a connection to Blake, but if the bidding gets to 10+ mil per year, I’ll pack his bags.
    We still have a pretty viable center in Kaman, who we still have some time to figure out what to do with.
    - BG 2012
      
      I don’t think anyone is advocating a “sign at all costs” strategy for DJ, but that isn’t to say that resigning a 23-year old, true Center with unreal potential (may or may not come to fruition) and a huge team chemistry guy isn’t worth around $10-11 mil a year. I wouldn’t be caught dead paying an aged Tyson Chandler $58 mil over 4 years, but that’s the price of doing business when there are only a handful of actual Centers.
      
      There hasn’t a been well-structured and maturely engaged (read: Demote Deandre gets involved) about the true value of DeAndre within a system based around Mo at the point, Gordon and Butler at the wings, and BG at the 4. While I’m not sure of the immediate applicability of usage rate when a player joins a new team with a new system, it is incontrovertible that our PG through PF all need the ball in their hands a boatload in order to get work done. I certainly hope that Mo and Caron can be somewhat effective next year while playing second fiddle to the EJ/BG tandem, but I wouldn’t bet the house on it. Now, imagine if Chris Kaman, not DJ, is our Center. The three starters who should be least inclined to shoot, are actually the most inclined to shoot. 9 out of every 10 trips down the floor would lead to a contested midrange jump shot (and Kaman, when he’s not shooting from 12-15, is waiting to be tossed the ball within the 12-15 ft range, so he won’t be in position to gather all those misses. That will be left up to our buddy Mr. Griffin).
      
      DeAndre Jordan is the complete OPPOSITE of the other four starters. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be productive. In fact, he’s most productive when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. Even if DJ doesn’t get a better handle on his freakish athleticism, his offensive threat is his ability to snatch the ball off an O-Rebound and either slam that shit home or get fouled (I really hope he spent a lot of time at the line during this protracted offseason.) He fits with our team and most importantly, when we’re up against a weak front court, BG doesn’t have to compete with someone to make some low-post offense. A necessary condition for a strong relationship amongst teammates is that they don’t fill the exact same roll, lest it become competitive instead of team-based.
      
      Please resign DJ. I can’t watch another season of Kaman complaining getting stripped right under the basket.
kamonster

write something happy. i’m only tasting sad, and contrary to what Michael Bluth says, it doesn’t taste like happy.
akram47

Im not down for this trade. Im just a fan and can see we need a 3 that can pass, play defense and spread the floor with his shot.
Josh Q.

“The Clippers probably aren’t done yet, but as the roster currently stands, it’s one of the more injury-prone ones of recent memory.” –> LMAO

Well hopefully they can get some health playing with Blake, who did have season ending injury in 2009-2010. Hopefully Butler is more of an outside threat this season, than his career numbers show.

Also, Butler’s usage rate should go down, since the Clips brought him as a complimentary piece for BG and EJ, not as the number 2 guy, like he was last year in Dallas. Hopefully he knows his place in the team.

Another thing, it’s good to bring someone who is not scared to shoot the damn ball. If he misses, we have BG an DJ to get an offensive rebound. At least he shoots, not like Gomes!!
Chris

I like the move, but understand the injury concerns that you and others may have.
Also, you must have misread the numbers for the past 3 seasons, He played 74 games in 2009-10(47 for Was-27 for Dal)
As for the low assist rate, I think that has a lot to do with him playing with Jason Kidd. In his wizard days he had a more than decent assist rate.
- http://www.clipperblog.com D.J. Foster
  
  Thought that looked funny — thanks. Fixed now.
http://www.clipperblog.com Charlie Widdoes

I realize that what would concern me the most about this move.

It is not the health (although that makes me very uneasy), or the seeming lack of fit within the offensive structure, because I believe that both the player and the tram can make adjustment to overcome that stuff. I don’t like the years one little bit, and the money is concerning because it is for a 31-year old with the aforementioned injury history.

But the thing that would concern me the most is the fear that comes when the team makes a move that doesn’t make sense to me, that the team doesn’t know what it’s doing. I’m not saying that I feel that way — I have actually felt the opposite of that way in recent years — but the timing of the move (before Jefferson gets amnestied and before the DeAndre and Gordon contracts are settled, for example — is funny. I wonder if it’s a precursor to a trade, which would only increase the worry based on a lack of faith in making “the right” move.

As I said, I’m really still not sure that I don’t trust Olshey and company to steer the franchise in this time of unprecedented optimism and potential, but this does absolutely heighten my concern. Like DJ, am a Caron Butler fan in principle, but question how he fits here. What concerns me the most and evokes a more emotional response, is how his 3 year contract and $27 million fit into the bigger picture. Hopefully we will gain clarity on that sooner than later, and hopefully that clarity doesn’t come in the form of Eric Gordon being traded. We shall see.
- http://www.clipperblog.com Charlie Widdoes
  
  Should add: the feeling I’m describing should be familiar to Dodger fans, who feel it at every trade deadline and during every offseason.
Nick_C

Umm, actually, Butler played in 74 games in 2009-2010, and 67 games in 2008-2009. He’s also only had two seasons at less than 2300 minutes (last season, and his second season in the league).

Apart from that, I’m not going to argue much with you. He certainly isn’t a deadly three-point shooter. Although, I would note that according to synergy sports, he did shoot 47.2% on spot ups, and 46.7% on spot up 3 pointers last season and I don’t think he’ll be asked to be much more than a spot up shooter when he’s on the court with Williams, Gordon, and Griffin. I don’t know what his career number for spot up shooting is, but it can’t be worse than Gomes (34.5% 2pts, 32.5% 3pts) or Aminu (30.4% 2pts, 33.1% 3pts) last season.

Final note: Jefferson’s USG% (24.6) and AST ratio (11.7) in his last year before going to SA weren’t much better than Butler’s in Dallas. So, the question is really whether Butler can learn to adapt when he’s on the floor with Gordon and Griffin. When Gordon and Griffin are out, the Clippers could do much worse than having Butler as their first option.

The signing certainly has risks. Namely, is that knee fully healed, and is he really worth a three year deal at this stage of his career? But, considering that it appears that Battier and Prince were off the market by the time of his signing, it seems like a solid risk to take.

(Stats from mysynergysports.com and basketball-reference.)
- randomclipsfan
  
  good points. your comment actually makes me feel a tiny bit better about this signing.
- http://www.clipperblog.com D.J. Foster
  
  Fixed the games played stat — my bad. Ran with the wrong numbers.
griffin

Chris kaman is nothing more then trade bait. Seeing how hornets don’t want kaman bledsoe and willaims. I say now focus all your attention on howard. I’m sure by some mircale clippers will stay healthy and I will keep faith
Dan S.

Here’s supposed to be a good locker room guy as well. If he really commits to his role as the #3 option and plays good D it could work out. Hopefully that knee is in good shape.
DeMote DeAndre

BOOO!!!

OK, it does make the Clippers a little better, but it sure doesn’t make them anything special.

What I don’t like about it . . . wastes $8 million a year of cap space that could have gone to Dwight Howard. If they sign Jordan and don’t trade him, then this is likely what the team will be for the season. They’ll probably get to the first round of the playoffs and that’s it.

Could be the beginning of a huge missed opportunity.
DeMote DeAndre

I’d rather the Clippers didn’t get Chris Paul if they’re going to shoot themselves in the foot and give up the Minnesota pick to do it.

No way can they trade the Minnesota pick for Paul. Harrison Barnes is not as good of a small forward as LeBron James, but he is as good of one as Paul Pierce. Barnes is young and will be on an inexpensive roookie contract and he’ll be able to play for the Clippers at an all star level for a decade. Trading that pick for anybody short of Howard would be a huge mistake.

That it could be for a one year rental of an often injured player with a bad knee . . . well, how could anybody not think that’s a disaster.

One of my worries about signing Caron Butler is that it may indicate the Clippers think they now can trade the Minnesota pick because they no longer need a small forward. BOOO!!!
- clippers are a jooke
  
  “Harrison Barnes is not as good of a small forward as LeBron James, but he is as good of one as Paul Pierce.” gotta love clippers fans, they always make you laugh
  - http://clipperblog.com ucsbstevo
    
    1. DeMote DeAndre doesn’t speak for all of us.
    2. Why don’t you go hate on some other team’s site. You’re the joke.
Will

Caron Butler is exactly what the Clippers need in a starting 3. He’s got a fierce mindset, relentless defense and a can-win attitude. All of his former coaches have loved his heart and work ethic ..something that is not to be undervalued around such young players in a setting like Los Angeles. It’ll work out great, as long as the knee surgery doesnt cause a setback in his game.

Also DJ, San Antonio was rumored to have gone after Butler to replace Jefferson..San Antonio has long been known for smarter basketball management and player evaluations.

Corey Maggette, Al Thornton, Rasual Butler – Your antithesis is finally here in LA. Would Jefferson really be that much better, DJ?
- http://www.clipperblog.com D.J. Foster
  
  It’s true — San Antonio has the track record, so it’s probably smart to trust them in valuing Butler over Jefferson.
  
  I think Jefferson is a better fit, but it’s not a substantial difference. But what if you could have Richard Jefferson at 4m/y compared to Butler at 8m/y…guess we’ll find out soon what he goes for.
  - Will
    
    I really do believe its a substantial difference, though. Carons’ defense can be game changing while RJs can be detrimental. Butler isnt a 3 point specialist but the gap is much wider between the two when you start talking defense rather than longball.
    Clipps outside shooting will improve anyway next year with Mo Williams being more familiar with the team and EJ being healthy. They needed a serious upgrade in the defensive output the forwards give last year – Butler is the answer..not RJ.
    
    8mil may be overpaying a little but it’s closer on the spectrum to a fair deal than overpaying. I think Neil realized that it was either Butler or have his fingers crossed that AFA and Gomes made an unremarkable leap over the lockout.
  - Newton
    
    Ryan Gomes is also 4M a year.
    
    I’ll take Caron @ 8M.
    
    Jefferson is on the decline and San Antonio must see something to want to get rid of the guy.
clippers are a joke

Its funny how you go to espn chicago, espn boston, espnLA, go to the lakers section, the bulls section, the celtics section, notice how the clippers have the most broke as page out of all of em lol just get rid of this page, caron butler lol nice good luck with that
- griffin
  
  I guess clippers doing something right cuz now we have clipper haters. Now we have actual haters. Go clips
- sean
  
  You must feel really good now. Notice your the only one who invested time to come by and talk smack. Fucking loser.
- http://clipperblog.com ucsbstevo
  
  get a life douche bag.
j-man

So let’s say we don’t sign Caron and the Bulls or Spurs do. Battier goes to Miami. Prince stays in Detroit. We try for Jefferson, but get out bid. We start the season in the same place as we ended it last year…without a quality starting SF. Isn’t that what everyone has been complaining about for an entire offseason, that we need a starting SF? I’m just a little confused, but I guess fans will find something to complain about on every single player. It’s the nature of the game and of being a fan I guess, it’s just a little frustrating to always hear so much negativity and focus on the possible bad instead of the potential great.
- http://www.clipperblog.com D.J. Foster
  
  It’s a panic move. Jason Richardson, AK47, Grant Hill, Thad Young, Reggie Williams…there were still guys out there.
  - JaySee
    
    Agreed! This is definitely a panic move. This contract is horrible. The Clips were better off staying where they’re at and making bids for Jefferson, Richardson, Hill, and Young. Even if the Clips didn’t land any of them, we still have Kaman to make a trade.
  - J-man
    
    Butler is better than any of those guys you listed, other than arguably Jefferson, and there was no guarantee we would get him. And if you want to talk about injury risk, look no further than Grant Hill who was kept alive magically by the Suns training staff
  - Jgroove
    
    DJ, come on. Richardson is not a 3. He’s a 2. AK47 is going to Utah or NJ. Thad Young is a RFA and going back to Philly. Reggie Williams? Really? This was not a panic move. Overpaying for J-Rich? That would have been a panic move.
  - http://Clipperblog.com Al
    
    JRich (past his prime),Ak47 (washed up),Thad Young (Staying in Philly) Reggie Williams (played with the clips in 89). Kaman’s contract comes off the books and Butler’s deal will look cheap a few years from now. As long as the nucleus of EG and BG stays intact! But I understand, there is room for concern about age and injury. But, I like the move !
DeMote DeAndre

Adrian Wojnarowski reported to day that “the bidding to sign Clip’s DeAndre Jordan to an offer sheet Friday likely to include G-State, Houston, New Orleans and Denver”

Well, the most encouraging thing about that is New Orleans. If New Orleans wants Jordan enough to pursue him as a free agent, then a person sure would think the Clippers could match the offer sheet he gets (even if it’s not from New Orleans) and then work out a Jordan – Paul trade with New Orleans that still keeps the Minnesota pick.
- DeMote DeAndre
  
  Too late for that one.
Clipper Derrick

If the NYKs let go of Chauncey Billups, I want the Clips to pursue that. Imagine:

PG: Billups
SG: Gordon
SF: Butler
PF: Griffin
C: Kaman
B: Mo Williams, Willie Warren, Ryan Gomes, Randy Foye, Brian Book, DJ

I’d be excited to see that team play.
- j-man
  
  Was literally thinking the same exact thing when I saw the knicks were maybe getting rid of Billups…Clips give him a big city, and a great chance to win. Billups would be an incredible mentor to Bledsoe too, but we’d have enough room to get him only if we amnesty Mo I think…but I could be wrong on that.
  - californiaboy3
    
    Billups looked shitty last year. Give me Mo any day and every day. Besides, Biillups wants to go to Heat.
    - Chris.
      
      If Billups gets amnestied then he has no say where he goes if he gets picked up. Not sure how much the Clips would still have left to offer him but it would be for 1 year since that’s all that is left on his contract.
      - Josh
        
        Chauncey can’t guard me right now, but neither can Mo. I’d take a flier on him, but not to sacrifice Bledsoe’s minutes.
- Bigstakk
  
  Good move by the Clips! They were in obvious need of a quality SF and they got one for a pretty good deal. It was very important not to panic and trade away the future for CP3 (ie: include Gordon or Jordan in any deal for him) when they can stand pat and wait it out to free agency next summer and pick up Deron Williams or CP3 in the open market once Kaman’s salary comes off the books. In reality, the Clippers need to turn their attention now to signing Chauncy Billups quick, but only if it is for 3 years or less and for less than what Butler just got. The following line up would definitely be a legitimate threat:
  
  PG – Billups/Williams/Bledso
  SG – Gordon/Foye/Waren
  SF – Butler/Gomes
  PF – B. Griffin/Aminu
  C – D. Jordan/C. Kaman
  
  Some other free agents worth a one year deal that should be considered are: Troy Murphy, Craig Smith, Ike Diogu, Jamarion Moon, Jeff Green (pretty unlikely). Each deserving different size contracts but nothing crazy (ie: $750K-$2.5M)
rgc

People will always find something to bash. The guy hasn’t played a minute yet and it’s a ? deal for some people. Not ignoring the numbers, but at the end of the day, this is a HUGE upgrade any way you slice it. The market was thinning; Butler, if not signed here, would be inked up with someone by the weekend, which would leave nothing at SF, except a shot at Jefferson. If that didn’t play out, we’d be stuck with the mess of Gomes/Aminu again. I’m content with this, especially since Paul is just about a Laker ( for Odom and Bynum apparently ). Once again the Lakers end up with the prize.

maybe we try and throw the farm at Howard now.
- vito
  
  keeping that first round pick is crucial –even if we don’t get Barnes, Kentucky has major first round/lottery talent that looked almost as promising as Barnes. I would not be surprised if Gilcrest and Davis even wind up better then Barnes.
  - griffin
    
    Yep deep draft as bongstradmus said deepest draft since 03 abd we all knew he came out of that draft
Average Jose

With Butler as the starter and Gomes as a back up, will there be any chance at all for Aminu to develop? Aminu needs minutes. If we can’t give him minutes we need to send him away in exchange for a pick.

Either that or we have to send Gomes away and hope Aminu can be the back up
- Newton
  
  Use Gomes as the backup 4, Caron can shift to backup 2 as well.
- Renato S.
  
  I think that Aminu needs guidance.
  
  He was a PF at College, he needs a vet to teach him more about the position and let’s say that Gomes wasn’t that good or even a vet. And I think that Aminu is capable of, he showed that in the beginning of the season, until other noticed he could shoot 3s and they guarded him better.
  
  Gomes couldn’t play 4, besides the Clippers are better with Cook, Smith or even Diogu than Gomes at 4.
Dan S.

The big knocks on Butler are that he might shoot too much and might miss games. On the bright side, those two things can’t happen simultaneously.
http://www.barmapla.com FD

So the Lakers gave up Pau and Odem for Paul in the 3 way deal. They didn’t have to give up Bynum, so the can still get Dwight Howard. Just great.

Clippers should have given up Gordon for a year of CP3 just so the Lakers wouldn’t get him. There is so much out there and Olshey only gets Butler.
AH

If the Clips were going to sign a FA SF it needed to be before RFA offers open on Friday. This is because if they intend to match DeAndre Jordan’s offer sheet, then his cap hold would eat up the available cap space preventing the Clippers from using that space to sign a FA.

Now the Clippers can match Jordan’s offer sheet by exceeding the cap (Bird Rights) and still have their cap space preserved because it was used on Butler. Regardless of the thoughts on Butler (I’m not enthused), the Clippers needed to use the space before Jordan got offers or else they would simply lose the space.
- clip4life
  
  understood, is there anything else we can do at this point or are we done?
  - AH
    
    I would match DeAndre and see what could be done to get Rondo from BOS. Maybe a Bledsoe, Gomes, Kaman deal for Rondo and the corpse of Jermaine O’Neal + lift protection on 2012 LAC 1st rounder that BOS owns. Then see if I can trade Mo for picks.
    - rgc
      
      Celts want a player that can help them win now, which is why they were willing to part with rondo for paul. That package does nothing for them unless Ainge decides tomorrow to blow it up
      - AH
        
        You’re right, but I think Kaman would be a big upgrade for them at C. Looking at their roster they have no one and last year they rolled out an out of shape, injured Shaq and a dead Jermaine O’Neal.
      - AH
        
        Forgot to mention that this was also contingent on BOS feeling they have to move Rondo because he’s upset about them constantly trying to trade him.
- DeMote DeAndre
  
  OK, I see that part of it, but I don’t like signing any small forward to anything more than a one year deal, because I want the deck clear for Harrison Barnes (or one of the other super small forwards in the next draft).
- Renato S.
  
  I agree with the need of doing it NOW I just don’t get why not Prince? Basically same numbers, same age, better defender, more durable, more experience. ESPN said that the Clippers only offered 1-yr deal for Prince, isn’t it backwards? Shouldn’t it be a 3-year for Prince and 1-yr for the uncertain off-surgery injury prone Butler? He doesn’t even have a full 82-season in his career! Prince has plenty. I don’t get it unless Prince didn’t want, but they should at least offered a better deal than 1-yr for him. Besides that, for all that Butler has been overpaid. I wish the best for this deal, but it just doesn’t seem that it was the best one.
  - Renato S.
    
    Oh, they corrected it, it seems that Prince that decided to stay in Detroit.
  - griffin
    
    I like prince better too but prince resign with detriot grant hill with the knicks battie with the hawks or heat I think. So the only player left would be richardson butler and jefferson and u really want to wait for jefferson and the chances of getting nothing
http://Lou louis

Doesn’t the Hornets belong to the NBA, Doesn’t the NBA need a strong Lakers team for TV ratings. Therefore CP3 will end with them. The same old story when the minnies gave up Garnett to Boston and Gasol to the Lakers. I still believe in conspiracy. Regarding Butler is a good signing, the issue here is the third year. The Clippers need to convince the rest of the League that they are serious otherwise the guy might have signed with the Spurs or Bulls.
bzoooty

Clips/Suns: Mo Williams + Minny pick for Steve Nash. Get it done.
- griffin
  
  yeah if nash was 5 yearfs younger he be worth the minnie
- http://Clipperblog.com Al
  
  Nash is 37 years old and a free agent after this season. Plus giving up on a potential number #1 pick in the draft for a one year vet rental doesn’t sound so enticing. If this was a ten years ago Steve Nash ? Maybe
BG 2012

AH has got it right. If we wanted to sign a free agent SF, we would have to do it before our offers for DJ go onto the balance sheet. If we started playing ball with DJ, and it would hamstring our offers to SFs. Regardless of whether I like Butler or not (I think if he plays unselfishly on offense and hard on defense, it will add a really strong layer to the team), we needed to upgrade at the SF in a very timely manner, lest we be left with the misery-inducing Gomes as our starter.

I understand the perspective of those wanting to wait for a RFA, but if we’re going to, we’d have to go all-in. Not hope we can get a bargain deal for Richard Jefferson (?!) for $4mil. I still wouldn’t be opposed getting rid of Mo’s contract and going after Billups. He’s literally the same player as Williams except slightly better at everything.
DeMote DeAndre

Paul feeding Bryant will be good. Paul feeding Bryant and Howard will be even better. Well, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Stern and the NBA (Hornets owner) like the Lakers to be a super team.

Bryant probably made sure Gasol got dealt after Gasol stopped speaking to him in the finals last year because Bryant’s wife squealed on Gasol for running around on his fiance and wrecked his engagement.

If the Lakers don’t get Howard (though I assume they will) then the Lakers are now *very* thin up front, especially if Bynum goes down again.

The good news in this deal is that now the Clippers won’t be trading the Minnesota pick for Paul. That really is a big plus, even if people don’t yet how it.

Well, I still want the Clippers to get Howard. They still have a lot of pieces to make that trade, and now with the whole Paul thing over, they might be able to get it done.

How would the Lakers trade for Howard now anyway? All they have to trade is Bynum, and that’s not enough. Surely the Clippers can beat that.
DeMote DeAndre

Hey, maybe this is a good thing for the Clippers after all. Maybe it means the Laker no longer can get Howard and that then opens up the door for the Clippers to get him (centered around Kaman, Jordan, and Aminu, and not including the Minnesota pick.)
- rgc
  
  you wont sniff Howard without the Minny pick. If you have to give up everyone and every asset not named Gordon or Griffin to acquire, perhaps the BEST player in the NBA, you do it. A future pick is speculative at best. You never know what that will net, especially with the Clippers luck. The Clippers need to do something… We have all these assets and flexibilty, and if you can sniff the possibility of adding a thrid elite player to the two you already have, they need to do it, even without a committal of an extension. Give Bledsoe, Aminu, Minny pick, Jordan and or Kaman if necessary for Howard, and your still left with a pretty formidable starting 5 that i dont see how it could not win 55-57% of it games next year and make some noise in the playoffs. Then throw a max deal at Howard and force him to turn away from a young team on the upside with max money and see what happens…
  - bzoooty
    
    agree 100%
- kamonster
  
  Not true at all, unfortunately. Howard to the Lakers may even gain speed, as he may try to force his way there the same way Paul did (by not committing to sign anywhere else). Also, the Lakers held onto Bynum to use to get Howard. This is not looking good.
Clipsrule

Is it too soon to use the Amnesty clause on this deal?
Guido

What all these stats fail to provide is Butler’s heart, character and leadership. you couldn’t have asked for a better chemistry guy in this free agent market.

I get all the usage stats, blah, blah, blah. Why can’t we assume he is willing to take a lesser role? He’ll be the third or fourth scoring option on most possessions unlike in Dallas where he was usually second (same in Washington).

I think it’s a great signing… and yes Olshey overpaid, but you have to pay to play! You can’t let players YOU WANT go to other teams.

As far as Richard Jefferson goes, that guy doesn’t play anywhere near as hard as Butler does, lacks leadership qualities and is a boderline headcase. Anyone who leaves their bride-to-be at the alter has serious life issues.
- Old Skool Clip Fan
  
  Exactly, Guido. Butler has presence AND personality on the court. He is no shrinking violet like Gomes, Jefferson. Good guy, good upgrade and lastly – you never know what is going to happen with CHEMISTRY. A hard nose like Caron could be just what we need. I like the signing.
- Josh
  
  Right. Caron Butler is the right kind of player. His presence will make Gomes, Foye, and Aminu better, because they will have to compete for minutes much harder, and make them count now. He’s not perfect, but if the Clippers didn’t sign him, they would have been ripped for not upgrading. Butler’s the best FA now. if healthy, he’s not too much off from Iggy. We still have Kaman to push DJ (presuming he is resigned) or to use as trade bait.
  
  The team got deeper and better with the right kind of player. Good, not great move. But certainly not a bad one.
joeluis323

If the Bynum for Howard trade happens, then Im riding the Conspiracy Wagon!! This is B.S.!!

You said it right Louis: ‘Doesn’t the Hornets belong to the NBA, Doesn’t the NBA need a strong Lakers team for TV ratings’
- joeluis323
  
  bringing CP3 to the lakers just makes sense if they also get howard which is what will happen most likely.. cus bynum is a headcase and very injury prone..in no way shape or form ic the lakers being a championship team without Howard. This is soo frustrating to c that the Flakers get it all! (i hope im wrong and howard sees the clips potential).
Metal Matty

For the record, I like this move a lot. The upside on Butler vs. Jefferson is night and day and I believe Butler has a lot more left in the tank and is just young enough to still play up tempo. He’s a slightly undersized but athletic SF but I think the way this team is constructed his size is no issue.

For the record, I too fear the next move. Best move would be to sign and trade DJ and move Kaman back to his rightful place as the starting C. But if they don’t go that round I am ok, so long as they are not foolish enough to both trade Kaman and trade Gordon.
DeMote DeAndre

Paul to the Lakers is a good thing. It takes Paul off the market so the Clippers can’t throw away the Minnesota pick on him, and it ties up the Lakers so they don’t have anything to give Orlando for Howard.

But . . .too bad, the NBA apparently has just killed the Paul to the Lakers deal. Owners got mad about the NBA owned Hornets shipping Paul to the Lakers and turning them into a super team (especially right after the locknout which was about not doing thes things), and the owners then put pressure on some NBA board that has the power to kill deals, and they killed it. Now Paul has to report to the Hornets camp tomorrow. He’s suppose to be really mad about the sudden turn, as is the Hornets GM who’d put together the deal. Me too.

The reason I don’t like it is that now the Clippers are likely to go after Paul, and that means there’s the chance they’ll foolishly trade away the Minneosta pick. It also means the Lakers are in better position to get Howard.

All in all, this latest turn is a bummer.
- http://www.barmapla.com FD
  
  You’re obsessed with that draft pick. Draft picks for the Clippers are not that great. 1st the Clippers don’t draft well, 2nd players tend to want to leave the Clippers as soon as they can. In most cases, the first 2 years a player isn’t really going to contribute to a team’s playoff run. Then you’re just left with 2 years with this player and maybe it takes him even longer to develop. It’s much better to get a good free agent than saving a draft pick.
  - Renato S.
    
    How can you say that then they acquired Gordon and Griffin?
    
    Besides that with Griffin/Gordon/Jordan the Clippers finally got some leverage so players wants to stay and come to the Clippers.
    
    What you are saying doesn’t make sense.
    
    It’s a protected 1st round pick, the 2012 draft will be quite good, there is a good chance of getting a nice player.
    - http://www.barmapla.com FD
      
      Huh? Gordon is very turnover prone and has all-star flashes, but isn’t consistent. His best years are a couple years away. Same thing with Griffin. You’re not getting these guys at their prime when they could lead a team to a championship, not a dunk contest.
      
      I doubt Gordon or Griffin stay a Clipper. They’re counting the days until they’re out.
      
      What players want to come here? I don’t know what you’re reading. Last time I checked CP3 wanted to go to the Lakers and Dwight Howard wanted to go to the Nets.
      - http://Clipperblog.com Al
        
        Your really a Clipper hater and a Fakers fan? IMO
      - Renato S.
        
        Oh, I got it, you are just a troll that doesn’t worth much attention… hahahaha…
        
        Piss off kid! So young and so stupid… kkkkkkkkk…
        
        I mean, I can accept what you are saying and doing if it’s on purpose, but if it’s your real thoughts, well, I don’t have all my life to make you understand things that you will never be able to… hahahahaha…
        
        So long, F ckin Dumb!
  - Bongstradamus
    
    That draft pick is worth obssessing over. Have you seen the players that are available in next draft? It’s a treasure trove of talent.
    
    I was hoping we’d make smaller trades for shorter term deals and stack draft picks for next year. Right now it seems most teams are trying to swing big trades, hopefully making them more open to trading picks. I kinda wanted us to ship Kaman to Houston and steal their picks and maybe sign and trade Hayes packaged with Flynn to give us coverage at the 1 and a backup FC. Flynn can be dropped next year if he doesn’t work out and its hard to imagine Chuck Hayes not playing his guts out.
    
    As much as I appreciate Kevin McHale and his history in the league, I don’t know that he can do much with the Rockets this season.
Pbrady

Whoa can you guys believe Stern put the kibosh on the CP3 trade? I know it is wrong for Stern to abuse his position and stop the trade when it was actually relatively fair, but with it happening to the Lakers I really can’t stop laughing. Too funny.
Renato S.

I have the same concern. I don’t know why the Clippers didn’t go harder on acquiring Prince. ESPN reported that they offered him only 1-yr contract. Why?! It should have been the other way around! 1-yr to the-off-surgery-injury-prone-Butler and a 3-yr deal for a better-defender-more-durable-Prince!

It’s said that Prince went for a 4-year 27$mi deal, I think that 3-year 24$mi tops that, right? Why didn’t they offer the same deal as Butler to Prince instead of a 1-year contract?

Butler is yet to have a full 82-game season in his career and Prince had that around 6 times. Clippers have injury problems by simply having it, why committing to a injury-prone player taking such a risk?

I also like the Jefferson deal, but I don’t know if it would have worked because you can’t really afford to wait for IFfies. As soon as FA starts, players will fly all across the NBA, if you don’t grab your soon, you might end up with nothing – which is why there will be lots of overpaid players, just like Butler, I even read about 60mi$/4-yr for Chandler, that’s just madness. Even more when the overpaid/bad contracts were one of the main reasons of the lockout.

This deal doesn’t seem like the most reasonable and counting on Clippers luck doesn’t help but I hope this works, I feel for the Clippers since they couldn’t show that they are a playoff team – basically because of the cold start AND INJURIES.

The question now is what is gonna happen with Jordan/Kaman/Williams thing, will Kaman stay? Is he healthy? Will Mo be traded as well? Is Cook healthy?

As an intense player, playing at 100mph all the time, being a big man and the most important player, Griffin has to play less minutes. Last season minutes are deceiving because of the slow start, but Griffin played severam 40+ minutes games in the second-half of the season, even more when Gordon and Kaman were injured. And Griffin needs to learn how to control his pace. It’s just like Barkley said, when he gets that, no one will stop him. He needs to use his athleticism efficiently or he won’t last and that will shorten his prime time.
- Renato S.
  
  Oh, they corrected it, it seems that Prince that decided to stay in Detroit.
  
  So yeah, I think that this was one of the best deal possible, the third year was forced and Butler is overpaid, but let’s hope for the best, I hope he is fine, since he has not played for a whole year and had enough time to recover and get in shape.
  
  I assume they tested him before making the offer, right?
  - Josh
    
    So, I’m guessing I am the only one who had the Butler injury. Patellar tendon tear. Not an ACL or MCL. More painful, but less structurally important for a baller. Hurt like hell, but 20 years hence I haven’t thought twice about it. Hurt a TON at the time, though. I’ll bet Caron is 100% and ready to go earn a ring and prove he can.
    - Renato S.
      
      I can understand that. The problem is that that’s not the only injury he had. I think he is in the league for about 9 years and he have never had a full 82-game season. The most he played was in his first and third year, 78 and 77. In the other season never more than 70. He has played 56 of 164 possible games in the last 2-yr and only 47 3 years ago.
      
      I’m relieved that this is not as serious as ACL, but do you get his injury history? But as I said, I hope he pull this off and have a healthy season it just doesn’t seem so likely – talking about Butler itself AND the Clippers history as well.
    - mikep562
      
      cb’s knee is fine and the clippers needed a sf. period.thats why they signed him.he is tough,plays good d and gives us that extra scorer when superblake is doubled or trippled up on.its a great signing.now sign dj a young up and coming big, keep the pick, pick up one more vet i.e. billups with bledsoe out and we good.paul going to lakers, howard going to nets or lakers.lets be happy with what we got.it will the best clipper season in a long time.lets not worry about lebron and all this other stuff.heck he just signed with miami last year.smh.
      - mikep562
        
        in addition anyone else remember what happened last time we picked up a half way descent fa(cassell)?2nd round of the playoffs baby.sky is the limit with this roster.
        one more thing on my wishlist, resign craig smith, tough and like his energy off the bench.always liked that dude.
        we already signed our draft picks which would probably indicate that there will be no more major aquisitions other than dj.
JaySee

Anyone else wish the Lakers/Hornets/Rockets trade went through? I think it would’ve knocked the Lakers right out of the playoffs. Their 3 best players would’ve been injury prone during a shortened season with lots of back to backs and they would have no frontcourt.
- Renato S.
  
  I agree. I don’t know why they stopped it. The Hornets would end up with a nice deal in Luis Scola, Odom, Martin and Dragic. They would still be able to get another PG for Odom or even sign-and-trade West.
  
  The Lakers would only have Bynum as a big man, they would have lost both their PF, Bynum is injury-proned and would have no backup C – and he has a 5-game suspension to pay. Even if the Lakers magically got Howard, how would they fill the rest of the roster?
  
  The owners and Stern just panicked ofr nothing, just because they heard Kobe and CP3 in the same team, what about the rest of the team? It wouldn’t be a automatic winner without further players and that without so much cap space to work with.
  
  I think it’s hard for them to go back again to the deal, but they should. How horrible it will be for CP3 to show in Training Camp tomorrow after all that??
  - Newton
    
    I bet D12 to the Lakers was in the works and the owners can’t stop that since they don’t own the Magic.
    
    So they axed the CP3 deal because they were scared of a CP3/KB24/D12 combo.
    - Renato S.
      
      Scared of CP3/Kobe/D12? With no depth? That thought is too simplistic.
      
      The Lakers are over the cap, they won’t have much to offer to FA or even in trades. Who is gonna be the backup SG? or C? They have practically no PF. Will they play 48 minutes in about 15~20 B2B including B2B2B?
      
      I can’t see the logic behind this claim. Besides that if one of them get injured, what happen? They sit and cry?
rgc

not to concerned with the lakers either way.all I know is the clippers have a second chance at getting Paul.
- Renato S.
  
  The major problem for the Clippers is that CP3 doesn’t seem to want to sign an extent with many teams – including the Clippers.
rgc

you take the chance to acquire a game changer and force him next year to bail on max money with a team on an upswing.
Clips4

do we have a chance at cp3 now?
Josh

No. He’s not going anywhere, unless they let that trade go through.
Yaroslav Korolev

I think butler is a good option, the other names out there can’t score like him which well need those games where blake or gordon aren’t feeling it. But anything is better than Mr.Gomes goofy ass.
MJ

Let’s not get things twisted here… he is an upgrade at the 3 position. But more importantly he is a former all-star free agent who WANTED to sign with the Clips. Nobody EVER wants to sign with the Clips as a free agent, so it is a good sign that the culture is starting to change for Clipper Nation!!!!
- Chris Wilcox’s Socks
  
  Agreed. Maybe this will start a trend of players WANTING to play for the Clippers!
  - Yaroslav Korolev
    
    *cough cough* Deron Williams!!!
GEM ONE

Butler is a really good fit with this current roster, and I am anxious to see the upside and growth of DJ. Start him and have Kaman, Aminu, and Bledsoe in the rotation. Chris can shoot the jumper and even play along side of DJ. This will be an up tempo young team that can make the five or six spot in the playoffs. The Minny pick will bring some talent, and free agents will want to come here. Dont trade anyone. This will be an exciting team.
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andrew

there’s no way Butler joined this team thinking he’s #1. I think he will fit in fine if he knows his place.

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