ClipperBlog Live: Roundtable

20 Feb 2013

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A special ClipperBlog Live is in store as we unpack some trade rumors before the deadline, evaluate the Clippers and their immediate future and chat about the NBA at-large. All this coming today at 3p PT.

Questions/comments? Leave them below or tweet us @ClipperBlogLive!

Patrick

The more I think about it the more it makes sense to do an Eric Bledsoe, Lamar Odom swap for Paul Millsap. Then we can move chauncey to be the bench point guard and move maybe Matt Barnes to the starting shooting guard position. Then we will have a good big man coming off the bench and one that Vinny would feel comfortable playing in crunch time. A playoff big man rotation of Griffin Jordan and Millsap would be formidable against the many playoff teams with only one decent big man. I don’t know if it makes us the team to beat in the West but it is definitely an improvement. The one thing that makes me double think the trade is can we even resign millsap and would resigning him at about 7-10 million a year be worth it with the new CBA restrictions. I’d rather not give up bledsoe for a 3 month rental. Thats the only and main hesitation I have.

Paul-Billups

Barnes-Crawford

Butler-Hill

Griffin-Millsap

Jordan-Hollins/Turiaf

P.S. Donald Sterling owes us after 25 years of giving us pretty crappy basketball. So the classic response that he would have to pay some tax for signing a good team isn’t a real reason. Every other big market team in the NBA is willing to go over the luxury tax to get a good team together. Donald Sterling is a very very rich man so 5-10 million dollars worth of luxury tax will not kill him.
- http://www.facebook.com/WammyGiveaway Alfredo Rodriguez
  
  Actually, you need to pay some kind of tax. Ever since the salary cap was introduced, not one team in the NBA has ever won a championship without having to pay extra. The Heat had to pay, Mavericks, Spurs, Lakers (they’ll be repeaters), Pistons, Celtics. Every team is willing to go over the cap just to win a title – except for the Clippers because of Donald Sterling. With the roster they’ve created this season, the Clippers could be the first team in NBA history to compete for a championship, win it, and not pay any kind of tax.
  
  Why is this possible? Chris Paul. He’s not just the best point guard and coach on the basketball court, he’s a very good businessman off the court.
  - Patrick
    
    Oh no Im saying we should pay the tax and I completely agree. I just wasn’t being clear. I was trying to say via my phone that a classic response for not signing player x or trading for player x is that we will go into the luxury tax territory. I was trying to say that is not a real reason for not signing a player. I will also clarify, Im not saying that Sterling has to go and spend 100 million dollars on signing players but just 10 million or so over the tax line should be expected if he’s committed to winning.
- JaySee
  
  Nope, it still makes 0 sense. Millsap would never resign unless we over pay him. It would hurt his career to resign and sit behind Griffin. He’s a starter quality PF. So you lose LO for Millsap who is smaller and solve absolutely nothing. The 4th quarter front would be Millsap and Hollins to shoot FTs? I’d rather have LO.
  - Patrick
    
    Obviously Millsap and Griffin. Thats the question like I said before, could we resign him. Blake Griffin can defend pretty much defend every center that isn’t Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard in the Western Conference but at the same time Odom can’t defend those players either. So in theory against teams like that Vinny would play deandre. Millsap is a far better player than Odom is at this point in Odoms career, Millsap can also shoot free throws, and Millsap can not be an offensive liability. But, yes, like I said before it all matters on whether we can resign him.
    
    If you base it only on this season it makes perfect sense but it becomes more blurry when you think about the chances the Clippers actually can resign him. I personally wouldn’t trade for him unless the Clippers felt confident he would resign.
    - JaySee
      
      Millsap is a far better SCORER than Odom, not a better player. Odom has better defense, rebounding, ball handling, and court vision. Millsap has youth and a better shot. And there is 0 chance of resigning him for the reasons stated before.
Andrew F

I am loath to give up Bledsoe. He brings more than his skills to the game. He brings energy, hustle, and some great defense to the rotation. Giving up the staring lineup of Billups and Paul together would hurt in the long run, as there is good chemistry there, and they play so well together. Billups as a shooting guard is a great option, as he is their best spot up shooter, and will get tons of looks(look at how many Willie got). The chemistry between this team is visible, and any change this year would disrupt a great thing.

My two cents.
http://twitter.com/Albeanu Timmythetooth

Bledsoe if traded has to be turned into a shooting guard or small forward. That is the greatest need going forward. Giving up on DJ in a package deal after the huge leap he made this year would be very short sighted. Did anyone expect him to improve this much over the summer? Can you imagine if he continues to improve? It’s common knowledge that big guys take longer to develop. It’s safe to say that he’s improved in a few year more that a guy like Kendrick Perkins has improved. Plus DJ has the athleticism that every team drools about. I feel safe saying by the end of next year we will consider DJ to be a bargain at 11M.

Bledsoe too is improving and with that so will his value. Why do we have to trade him this year or even next year when you can look into doing a sign and trade in two years and actually do a 1 for 1 type trade? Butler’s contract would be up and trading Bledsoe for a 2 or 3 would fit nicely into his salary slot. Unless a team comes with a trade that blows the Clippers away Bledsoe is more valuable to the team this year and more valuable next year when his trade value rises. And say something crazy happens like Bledsoe develops a consistent jumper this summer. Doesn’t he become even more valuable to the Clippers as a possible starter next year. Its time to consider Bledsoe not as redundant player to CP but as asset that many teams can only dream about. Rather than have a huge drop off when the starter goes to the bench we have a starter level player ready to go. Let’s be patient and remember how devastatingly good Bledsoe was in last years playoffs.
- FD
  
  What if DeAndre and Bledsoe both improve next summer and CP3 doesn’t re-sign and Blake Griffin gets injured. The thought behind the trade is to win now because the Clippers have a realistic chance.
matt

Question for the panel, if the Clippers were to trade Jordan, why not: Bledsoe + Jordan + Draft pick to the Knicks for Tyson Chandler?
Brandon Tomyoy

I know it’s difficult to quantify chemistry, but it made me curious to go back and see what teams in the past have made a big move at or near the trade deadline to shake up their starting roster and managed to reach the NBA Finals in the same year.

Going back to ’99 (the first year of the Soft Cap and Luxury Tax), only three teams have done it:

2000 – 2001 Sixers: Dikembe Mutombo at trade deadline (lost to Lakers)
2003 – 2004 Pistons: Rasheed Wallace near trade deadline (won vs. Lakers)
2007 – 2008 Lakers: Pau Gasol near trade deadline (lost to Celtics)

That’s three teams out of 28 finals contenders. Only one of them actually won it all. And if you look at the contexts of those trades deeper, none of those teams gave up a significant amount to get those players, with Toni Kukoc probably being the best player traded away (traded in the Mutombo deal to the Hawks) in the above three deals.

It seems quite possible that the time left in the season after the trade deadline isn’t enough for the team to jell together with the new roster additions.

In a vaccuum, a strong head coach might be able to counter that with the culture he creates, and while VDN has improved this year, he is nowhere near the level of Larry Brown or Phil Jackson, the two coaches from the teams above that managed Finals appearances after these big trade deadline maneuvers.
http://Mikeylito.com/ Mikeylito

I’d rather not see Bledsoe traded. Billups has played 27 out of the last 122 games over the past two seasons. Finish out the season as is and develop Bledsoe to play alongside CP3 next season. Opinions?
Killian

I think Bledsoe left CAA to join LeBron agent… I might be wrong but I think I am right
Killian

Also, we are at the cap limit. Draft pick would save much money on that aspect instead of picking a multi million superstar putting the Clips over the cap.
Killian

If we talk about draft…. Think is a question I’ve been looking for answers for a long time. What is Bledsoe’s value on this year draft ? Top5?Top10? Cheers from Paris !
http://twitter.com/DeeNeumann Daniel Neumann

Marc Stein’s latest Post—Just under 20 hours left before trade deadline for stances to change, but mostly standing-pat rumbles coming from both Clipperland and Utah
Joey Nargizian

Been watching games and wondering the same thing every fourth quarter. Why is Deandre not in? Why doesn’t VDN trust him? Free throws? Isn’t Lamar’s free throw % atrocious?
- FD
  
  My guess now is that they plan on trading him, so they want to get used to LO in the 4th
  - Joey Nargizian
    
    Doesn’t look like they are trading for KG, so what would the trade be?
    - FD
      
      Well I can’t explain why he isn’t playing in the 4th either, this is the only case where it would make sense for him not to.
Joey Nargizian

VDN can’t outcoach Pop or Brooks, and in the playoffs that’s what it will come down to. Chris Paul is amazing, but can you expect him to be player and coach every possession?
- http://twitter.com/Albeanu Timmythetooth
  
  I would reject the idea that he can’t out coach Brooks. I think VDN and Brooks are essentially the same coach. Their weaknesses are covered up by superstar athletes. If you switched coaches would the record be any different?
  - Clips4
    
    I think so. OKC actually runs plays to put their guys in the right spots. Is it creative, not so much but their players get easy looks.
  - Clips4
    
    Plus, in terms of teams, LAC is more of a complete team vs. OKC where they have no post presence.
  - Bongstradamus
    
    They traded Harden and barely skipped a beat.
    
    CP3 was out for 12 days and we played mediocre .500 ball.
    
    You would think missing a major piece of your team would cause more turmoil, but OKC seems to be clicking extremely well. We still have some issues with our 2nd unit and CP3 is back.
- FD
  
  VDN doesn’t need to coach that much. He just gives it to CP3 and he makes a play. That works great when the Clippers win by 20 and it’s better than Dunleavy who would call every play. VDN will probably cost the Clippers 1 game in the playoffs, maybe 2. Clippers are just gonna have to live with that.
Bongstradamus

Indiana is a fringe contender with the right move.
JaySee

I thought up 3 team trade that works for all teams. The only details I don’t know are Houston and Utah’s collection of draft picks.

Clippers get Parsons from Houston and picks from Utah and Houston

Houston gets Millsap from Utah

Utah gets Bledsoe from the Clippers and Aldrich from Houston

Clippers get the athletic 3 we need, plus picks for the future.
Houston gets the starting PF they need.
Utah gets the PG they need.
- JaySee
  
  Here’s another with the same 3 teams.
  
  Clippers get Parsons and Aldrich from Houston and Hayward from Utah
  
  Houston gets Millsap from Utah
  
  Utah gets Bledsoe and Butler from the Clippers
  
  Clippers get a young long 2 that can shoot and the athletic 3 we need. Probably trade Aldrich away for a pick.
  
  Houston gets the starting PF they need.
  
  Utah gets the PG they need and a starting SF to put in for Hayward.
http://twitter.com/DigbyHowis Digby Howis

I used a Rocky analogy in my Clipperblog email responding to Kevin Arnovitz. Do I get icecream?
doodet

if you trade Jordan. you just messed up Blake Griffin. the two have formed a chemistry. don’t mess with it even though Jordan is behind in his development. the 2 will only get better
dooder

NO MOVES! You keep your young core 3..Bledsoe? To be continued…Let’s see who put’s up and who shuts up come the post season. Deandre needs to get physical and be more of a defensive presence. I still think Chauncey being healthy is the key. I have a feeling the Clips are waiting to explode come the playoffs. Especially after last years rude ouster. Spurs don’t want none! Thunder/Clippers will be epic. Tonight will be a good gauge to see where the Clips are at. I am excited to see possibly the start of a good run for this Franchise. Just feels a lot like the start of really great things to come. Love this squad. Hope they go get it!

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