From Lisa Dillman at the Los Angeles Times:

"It is what it is," [Dunleavey] said on Friday. "He called us up, gave us a couple of days' notice through his agent, saying, 'I'm just not feeling like I'm wanting to come in and play. I think I'll send in my retirement papers.'

"It caught his agent off guard. It caught everybody off guard. But like I said, it's better than bringing him into camp, taking a spot, working him in and then having maybe some disappointment."

Bottom line?

"He didn't waste our time," Dunleavy said...

"He's from West Virginia," Dunleavy said. "He could be like Brett Favre. And a month from now he could want to play again."

Dunleavy is from Brooklyn, and presumably everything west of the East River constitutes Appalachia.  Favre is from Kiln, Mississippi -- an 859-mile drive from Jason Williams' hometown of Belle, West Virginia. 

Who knows?  Maybe Williams thought the depth chart at the 1 was too crowded -- ironic since the Clips have resided in Bronsonia for the better part of a decade. But credit to Williams for not stringing the Clips along with a perfunctory showing -- not that Williams has produced anything other than perfunctory results since he left Sacramento. Jason Hart instantanously assumes sole possession of the backup PG mantle.  This could also potentially bode well for Mike Taylor James, who's on a make good deal. 

Dontell Jefferson, Jelani McCoy, David Noel and Curtis Sumpter all received invitiations to Clippers' training camp.  I always felt like Noel could've been a solid pro prospect if he had 2-3 more inches.  He was a defensive gem at Carolina, and I remember him locking up Anthony Morrow, Jeremis Smith and everyone else on the wing for Tech c. 2005 AD.  Still don't think Noel has a pro game, but it would be nice to see him have a good couple of weeks. 

Regarding Sumpter, not sure how I feel about a Vichy player coming into Clippers' camp.  First, Chris Kaman suits up for the Krauts, then the Clips start lobbing invites to collaborationnistes from the Vichy squad.  Next thing you know, the organization will christen the new training facility Phillppe Pétain Court.

 

A few observers have been posing this question, but it’s a canard and here’s why.  

Other than their shared tallness and ability to swat shots, Kaman and Camby share very few properties as players.  Though Kaman can step out for a 15-footer, he operates almost exclusively on the low block.  Camby hangs out around the elbow.  In fact, Elton’s position in the post was measurably deeper in the paint than Camby’s.  It might be a stretch to call Camby a power forward who happens to have a ‘C’ by his name on the game notes – but not much of a stretch.  A few Denver fans have grumbled that Camby is flimsy as a screener, but his 15-footer is generally the result of a pick-and-pop.  Kaman tends to operate in one-on-one situations without the aid of a screen.  In fact, you could argue that any deficiencies Camby has in the S/R is mitigated by the presence of Kaman – who has become a solid screen guy both up top, out on the perimeter. 

It’s obviously too early to tell because the Clippers are such an unknown quantity at this point, but the Clippers appear to have the makings of a quality spacing team: A classic low-post player with good mobility.  A mid-post guy who can shoot over defenders [particularly since he’ll probably draw opposing PFs…a lot of whom are 6’ 8” SFs these days].  A big perimeter SF who can slash and drive in islation…and hit from beyond, a big, freaky PG who can do pretty much anything in the confines of a halfcourt offense, and a league-average shooting guard who still needs to be monitored on the perimeter [or Ricky Davis, who I suspect will log significant minutes].  The Clips have always had size offensively, but for the first time in a while, they have the ability to score in bunches.  I still wonder if the absence of adept passers outside of Davis – and maybe Camby, who isn’t bad in that capacity – will hurt them against quicker teams, but we can reserve judgment until we get a good, long look at the offense. 

I’m still having a hard time staking claim to this team.  This isn’t an expression of disapproval.  Quite the contrary, I really like what the Clips have done this offseason to recover from Brand’s departure.  But sizing up the team’s prospects – or even imagining what they’re going to look like on a given night -- is difficult.   It’s sort of like poring over a blueprint for a new house:  You can study the plans, try to visualize the space, but there’s no way you can begin to sense the feel, texture, or essence of the place.  Not until it’s done and you move in.

The unknown precipitates a whole lot of questions.  Another one the Clips face: 

Is Al Thornton ready to be a primary offensive option?

If Baron Davis is the departure point of the Clips’ 08-09 offense, then Al Thornton will have to be the terminus.  Clipper fans celebrated Thorton’s surge last year as a bona fide scorer.  Some nights he was more efficient than others, but Al learned how to engineer production in the halfcourt.  He got to the line and learned to take advantage of mismatches [particularly against slower big men who found themselves assigned to Al at the 4].  

The question going into this season is whether Al can build on his progress as he transitions over to his natural position at small forward.  Whereas last season he was able to freelance in isolation as the mystery guest in the Clippers’ offense, this season, faster, more instinctive small forwards will more diligently follow him off-the-ball.  This season, Al might not be able to create the kind of separation between himself and his defender he managed last season.  

Al’s a pretty big small forward, and Dunleavy will be tempted to post Al up, even though there are two bigger guys in the Clipper offense.  It’s not a bad instinct, but it would be a much better strategy if Thornton can learn to pass out of a double-team – something he never really had to do last season.   

Naturally, the Clips will probably try to work some opportunities in iso.  Imagine a high screen from Camby; Thornton draws Camby’s man on the defensive switch – then goes to work.  Again, we’ll see how effective Al can be dishing the ball to Camby off the roll for one of Marcus’ patented 15-footers [particularly since Camby will have Thornton’s man on him].  

The nicest surprise in Thornton’s game toward the end of last season was his ability to drill shots from beyond the arc.   Will Al be able to get the kind of open shots he got last season from the perimeter?  That depends, in large part, on Chris Kaman and Baron Davis and their ability to draw double-teams away from Thornton.  I suspect Dunleavy will position Kaman in the halfcourt on the right block, with Thorton on the strong side arc.  That two-man game will be pivotal to the Clips’ – and Thornton’s – offensive success.  Again, Thornton will have to be able to execute entry passes into the post and move without the ball.  But that interplay between Al and the big guys will be a big factor in measuring Al’s value in the offense, beyond his isolation.  It’s the difference in striving to be a complete, multi-faceted perimeter forward, or a prolific scorer with a limited skill set.  

The fanfare of the Clippers’ frenetic offseason is behind us.  Baron Walter Louis Davis (Crossroads ’97) has arrived home.  Elton Brand is gone.  Eric Gordon is the chic pick for Biggest Draft Day Bust…two months after Al Thornton emerged as The Best 2007-2008 Rookie Not Named Kevin Durant.  Marcus Camby is pissed.  Chris Kaman is German…

So what does it all mean?

It means the Clippers head into the 2008-2009 season with the most elastic of expectations.  A healthy and harmonious Clippers team could conceivably match the Clippers 47-win total from 2005-2006.  A crippled and dysfunctional Clippers squad would surprise no one if they finished in the Pacific Division cellar.  

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll try to identify – and address – some unanswered questions.  

Item One…

Who’s going to pick up the really tough defensive assignments on the wing?

Looking ahead, this is arguably the peskiest and most persistent question for the 2008-2009 Clippers.  Defensive flexibility was one of the hallmarks of the Clippers’ 2006 run.  On any given night, Mike Dunleavy had the flexibility of assigning Quinton Ross, Cuttino Mobley, or the long Shaun Livingston to the likes of Carmelo Anthony. This allowed the Clips to absorb the defensive risk of Corey Maggette on the opposing wing.  It also took a lot of pressure off the Clippers’ back line at a time when Chris Kaman was still struggling to pick up help defense.  

However miserable the past couple of seasons have been for the Clippers, they rarely got torched by opposing scorers out on the perimeter.  Instead they lost basketball games in a much more workmanlike fashion on the offensive end by a simple inability to score.  Even at their nadir during the dark Smushian days of last winter, the Clippers remained, at worst, an average defensive team and, on most nights, measurably better than that.

This year, the Clippers don’t have a lot of choices.  Al Thornton will the start the season at small forward.  Maybe Thornton will be a quick study; there’s precedence for a steep learning curve.  Dominique Wilkins entered the NBA as a clueless perimeter defender.  By the time the Hawks came of age in 1985-1986, he was excelling defensively under Mike Fratello.  Thornton improved down the stretch last season, but an Anthony-Thornton…even a Maggette-Thornton matchup probably gives you pause.

Cuttino Mobley turned 33 on Labor Day.  The durable Mobley, whom John Hollinger once called “The Steve Trachsel of the NBA” – Trachsel was baseball’s consummate innings-eater -- started to show the creaking wear of age last season.  Even at his advanced age, Mobley still isn’t the first guy an opposing shooting guard wants to see alongside him at tipoff…but he’s not the last either.  

Where does that leave the Clippers?

Scouting reports describe Eric Gordon as a capable man defender.  The Clippers would be well-advised to make Gordon’s transformation into a lockdown defender among their first priorities in his development. Because unless Thornton can hone some instincts denying his man the ball – and stopping him once he does -- and unless they install a fountain of youth at the practice facility, the Clippers will be reminded that things actually could’ve been worse these last two years.   

Barring any unforseen roster moves, the Clippers' depth chart for the 2008-09 season has settled into focus: 

PG	Baron Davis	Jason Williams	Jason Hart	Mike Taylor*
SG	Cuttino Mobley	Eric Gordon
SF	Al Thornton	Ricky Davis	Steve Novak
PF	Marcus Camby	Tim Thomas
C	Chris Kaman	Brian Skinner	DeAndre Jordan

*Make-good deal.
**Steve Novak slotted as a 3/4 because, well...his skill set is essentially that of a small forward.

Imagine you asked an informed Clipper fan in June 2006 to tell you what kind of offensive scheme the Clips would be running in the fall of 2008.  Following the playoff run that season, the thought was that, going forward, the Clips would be a post-oriented offense with two capable big men [Elton Brand, Chris Kaman] propelled by a dynamic point guard [Shaun Livingston].  They'd need to add a proficient shooter on the wing -- preferably one who could play some defense -- to replace the departing Corey Maggette.  But the bulk of the offense would originate on the block, precipitated by Shaun Livingston's ability to penetrate.

Fast forward two years, and the landscape couldn't be less familiar.  The Clippers are an entirely new collection of players.  Of the anticipated offensive lynchpins, only Kaman remains.  He's flanked by a power forward who couldn't be more different than Elton Brand.  Marcus Camby's center of gravity on the floor is at the elbow, and he generates most of his points as an ancillary offensive option.  He's a nice complementary player for Chris, but his presence leaves all the heavy lifting on the low block for Chris.

Baron Davis is undoubtedly the focal point of the Clips' new offense.  Davis' usage rate last season with Golden State was good for 17th in the league, and we can expect that number to climb this season.  With Davis, Mike Dunleavy gets something he loves -- a big, physical guard that can post and defend -- and something he's never had in Los Angeles: An expert passer. 

There are a ton of reasons to be excited about Davis' arrival, but none more decisive than that one.  The Clippers haven't had a starter who can pass the ball with ease since Lamar Odom signed with Miami.  Brand, Cassell, Maggette, Mobley, Kaman, Ross, Thomas, Thornton, etc, etc...all below-average passers at their positions.  Livingston has a preternatural ability to find teammates, but, alas, if we're fortunate enough to see him do it, it will be in another uniform. 

Davis' ability to pass the ball will benefit Al Thornton most profoundly -- both in transition and in the halfcourt.  The bulk of Thornton's offense last season came in isolation and on late-in-the-clock perimeter attempts.  The Clips never learned how to run an effective set for him.  Now, Thornton has a lot to learn about working off the ball in an NBA offense.  But a good passing PG can do a lot for an athletic wing.  Chances are in a given set, the window of separation between Thornton and a defender is a nanosecond.  Unless there's someone on the court who can find him, Thornton will instead get the ball with :04 seconds on the shot clock and a weak-side rotator coming at him.  And that's the difference between an inefficient scorer who averages 15 PPG shooting below 42% on stuff that's manufactured instead of created -- and a potent SF who is getting most of his shot attempts against mismatches or finishing on the break.

This isn't to bury the lede: Davis will help the Clippers because he's a strong, lethal scoring guard with limitless range, and is certain to be their top PPG man.  But for this new offense to operate proficiently -- for Marcus Camby to get that open 15-footer off the S/R, for Al Thornton to be mature as a wing scorer who can torment opponents not only in isolation, but in the context of a unified offense, for Chris Kaman to get the ball precisely where he likes it -- Baron Davis will have to orchestrate it. 

 

From Chris Tomasson in this morning's Rocky Mountain News:

A lot of people were wondering what Kaman was doing when he decided to play for Germany in the Olympics. He's didn't speak a word of German, and he only had been to the country changing planes in the airport.
But Kaman was eligible because his great grandparents were from Germany before emigrating to the U.S. Even Kaman's father had reservations about him playing.
"My dad is kind of negative, (saying), 'You're not German, you're American,''' said Kaman, who scored 24 points for the Germans in the opener while teammate Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas star, added 23. "I had to get in his face a little.''
His employer also wasn't happy. With Kaman recovering from an ankle injury sustained late last season, he said the Clippers didn't want him to play.
"The Clippers made it very difficult for me to go over here, with the insurance, with them not wanting me to go,'' Kaman said. "I was a little disappointed in that at the time with the way they handled stuff. They lied to me a couple of times.''
Kaman declined to say in what manner the Clippers lied. But he said he's now on better terms with them.
By joining Germany, Kaman never can play for Team USA. He said he doesn't have any immediate regrets, but doesn't deny he could have some down the road.
"I still have citizenship in the United States, so it's not like I'm a traitor,'' Kaman said.

You can understand the Clippers' concern about their starting center -- who missed 26 games last season -- risking injury by playing in the Olympics.  Kaman's comments suggest that if he were to go down, the Clippers' insurance policy might not cover any of his 5 years/$52.5M contract.  And Kaman, it's fair to say, has some puerile instincts.  Chris' flakiness makes him endearing...but it also renders him a little dim. Having said that, whether they have a reasonable cause for concern, the Clippers have a propensity for pissing off their players, whether it's Andre Miller, Elton Brand, Chris Kaman, or others.

On the matter of Chris playing for the Germans -- beyond the implication to his health and readiness for 2008-09 -- who cares?  The premise that he's disloyal or treasonous for suiting up for another country in an athletic competition is...quaint, I guess.  Call me a post-nationalist, but when I look at Chris Kaman, I see a guy who has an armament subsystem in his home, hunts any chance he gets, and traveled the continent in an RV last off-season.  What's more American than that?  

The Clippers add Jason Williams:

The Los Angeles Clippers made arrangements Thursday to bring in yet another new player by reaching terms with free-agent point guard Jason Williams. Williams' agent, Bob Myers, told ESPN.com that the 32-year-old -- who spent the past three seasons with the Miami Heat and who started at point guard for Miami's title-winning team in 2006 -- has signed with the Clippers.

Financial terms were not immediately available, but NBA front-office sources said Williams is receiving a one-year contract.

Williams will thus become the ninth new player acquired by the Clippers in the wake of a disastrous 23-59 season, which was followed by Elton Brand's free-agent defection to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Los Angeles native Baron Davis headlines the group of newcomers, which also includes center Marcus Camby, Williams' former Miami teammate Ricky Davis, first-round draft pick Eric Gordon, veteran forward Brian Skinner and sharpshooter Steve Novak, whom L.A. landed Wednesday in a trade with the Houston Rockets.

Williams is the third point guard to join the Clippers this summer, along with Davis and Jason Hart, who was acquired from the Utah Jazz in a July 23 trade for Brevin Knight.

The addition of Williams -- who recently attracted serious interest from Israeli giants Maccabi Tel-Aviv before Maccabi signed Orlando Magic free agent Carlos Arroyo -- all but ensures that the Clippers will not re-sign point guard Shaun Livingston. L.A. renounced its free-agent rights to the injury-plagued Livingston on July 9 to help create the requisite salary-cap space to officially sign Davis to his five-year, $65 million contract but the Clippers did have the option of trying to re-sign him.

As the report indicates, this effectively ends Shaun Livingston's career as a Clipper.

Not sure what this means, other than the Clippers have determined after years of Brunson, Parker, et al, that you can never have too many point guards.  Williams hasn't been effective for a few seasons now.  Last year with Miami, he shot below 40% from the field, and hasn't averaged more than two FTA/G since his second year in the league.   He's an awful defender, and one of the worst rebounders in the game.  But as sentient beings go, he's a better option than Smush Parker -- his turover and assist rates confirm that.

UPDATE: From Lonnie White's report in Friday morning's LAT:

Livingston, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Clippers after the season, recently turned down a reported one-year guaranteed deal from the team.

"At this point and time, we had to move on," Baylor said about re-signing Livingston. "Shaun is not ready to make a commitment."

As we mentioned, with the exception of the imbalance in games played vs. Western Conference opponents, the season schedule is a fixed entity.  But the contour of the schedule can have a huge effect on how a season proceeds.  A successful trip back east can energize a team.  Getting off to a slow start can ignite turmoil and self-doubt.  Too many blocks of four-games-in-five-nights can exhaust a squad.  

So what does the 2008-09 schedule have to offer the Clippers?

FIRST TEN

10.29      Lakers

10.30      Denver

11.01      @ Utah

11.02      Utah

11.05      @ Lakers

11.07   Houston

11.09   Dallas

11.12   Sacramento

11.15   Golden State

11.17   San Antonio

The Clippers will play nine of their first ten games at Staples.  But they start the season with a brutal stretch and will likely be the underdog in each of their first seven games, Home-Denver being the possible exception.


FOUR GAMES IN FIVE NIGHTS

12.02      @ Dallas

12.03      @ Houston

12.05   @ Memphis

12.06   @ Minnesota

03.14   @ Denver

03.15   New Jersey

03.17   @ Golden State

03.18   Washington

The Clips had only one 4-in-5 block last season, March 25, 26, 28, 29 (@DAL, @SA, @UTA, MEM).  They went 1-3 on the trip (W vs. MEM…go figure).

THE RUGGED EAST COAST SWING

01.30      @ Cleveland

01.31      @ Washington

02.02   @ Miami

02.04   @ Orlando

02.06   @ Memphis

02.07   @ Atlanta

02.09   @ Charlotte

The kind of east coast trip the Clips could feasibly rack up a respectable 3-4 record. 

 
THE LONG HOMESTAND

01.11      Phoenix

01.14      Atlanta

01.17      Milwaukee

01.19   Minnesota

01.21   Lakers

01.23   Oklahoma City

Before the 2006-2007 season, we highlighted a “get fat” stretch.  Unfortunately, this year’s Clipper model can’t be regarded as a home favorite almost every night.  Still, you’d like to think the Clips could go 5-1 on a stretch like this one – beating the likes of ATL, MIL, MIN, OKC, and splitting with PHX and LAL.  And for the Clippers to contend, they’re going to have to.


THE PLAYOFF STRETCH

04.07      Minnesota

04.10      Sacramento

04.11      Portland

04.13   @ Utah

04.15  Oklahoma City

You couldn’t ask for a more generous final five games.  At Utah is a probably L, unless they’re resting guys, and Portland is vastly improved, but the sequence still offers home games against four non-playoff teams. 

You can find the complete schedule here.

Since the league expanded to 30 teams, the same structure has prevailed:

Divisional Opponents: 4 games [2H, 2A]
Eastern Conference Opponents: 2 games [1H, 1A]

The floating variables come with non-divisional conference opponents.  As usual, the Clips will play six of those 10 teams four times apiece [2H, 2A].  But they'll face four of those 10 teams only three times each.  This season, it works out like this:

Utah: [1H, 2A]
Minnesota: [2H, 1A]
New Orleans: [1H, 2A]
Memphis: [2H, 1A]

Losing a home game each against Utah and New Orleans is somewhat of a break.  On the other end, though, the Clips will have the misfortune of one fewer game each against Minny and the Grizz -- arguably the two weakest teams in the conference.

More dissection to come.

 

Mark your calendars: October 29.  

Elton Brand and the Sixers will spend New Years Eve at Staples Center.

The full schedule will be released later this morning.