I point this out only because I was there, and attending a Great Alaska Shootout because I had nothing particularly better to do for Thanksgiving still ranks among the more ridiculous expressions of basketball geekdom.   Other notables on the court for the 2005 GAS Championship: Renaldo Balkman.

The Houston Chronicle:

The Rockets expect to trim their roster and their bloated collection of forwards on Wednesday by dealing Steve Novak to the Los Angeles Clippers, an individual with knowledge of the deal said Tuesday.

The Rockets will receive future draft considerations, likely the right to switch places with the Clippers in a second round. It is unclear which season that would be because both teams have future second round commitments.

The Rockets selected Novak, 25, in the second round of the 2006 season. A 6-10 forward, Novak averaged 2.7 points in 70 NBA games, making 44.1 percent of his shots and 42.7 percent of his 3-pointers.

The highlight of his two seasons with the Rockets was likely the buzzer-beating 3-pointer he made to defeat the Kings during the Rockets’ 22-game winning streak last season.

Ready for something interesting?  Novak's PER last season in 266 minutes of basketball was 17.20. Yes, a fair number of those minutes were in temps d'ordures, but Novak is a big, lethal shooter, and has a surprisingly good handle for a guy who's 6' 10".  He's sort of the anti-Radmonovic: Heady, good court awarness [all the clichéd attributes of a coach's son], but not much athletically. 

If you combined Brian Skinner and Steve Novak, you'd have one really good power forward.   

 

I have to confess that prior to very recently, I didn’t really care if the Clippers re-signed Shaun Livingston.  There were far more important items on the agenda and far more valuable players in the free agency pool.  I probably harbored the small, irrational instinct as a Clipper fan to allocate a little blame Shaun’s way for being yet another draft bust – even though there’s no evidence to suggests Shaun Livingston didn’t want to be the absolute best NBA point guard he could be. 
 
Not much has been said of Shaun, even though there isn’t much left on the market.  On August 1 – last Friday – the East Valley Tribune reported: 

“Shaun Livingston, still not cleared for basketball as he recovers from a devastating knee injury, appears likely to re-sign with the Clippers if and when he is able to play.”

Now that the full roster has fleshed out and we have a palpable sense of who the Clippers are going to be next season, I have a visceral need for some stability.  There’s very little to the team that’s recognizable.  That isn’t a bad thing.  There isn't much about the Clippers from year to year that you’d want to remember, or even get sentimental about.  But the seismic changes this offseason have sparked a strong desire for the familiar. 

Given that I wasn’t overly concerned with Shaun’s return back when it was all about pairing Davis and Brand – or even signing Kelenna Azubuike – it might be disingenuous of me to say I’d like to see Shaun succeed as a Clipper, but it’s the truth.  He’d be a welcomed reminder – and one of the few remaining – of 2006.  If by miraculous good fortune, the Clips put together an incredible season, it'd be a lot cooler if Shaun were a part of it.

Chad Ford at ESPN.com ranks the Clippers among the off-season losers:

The Clippers once held the coveted title of most dysfunctional franchise in the league and they made a lot of strides toward reclaiming it this summer.

Everything started off so well. They shocked many by quickly coming to terms with Warriors free agent Baron Davis -- filling a big need at the point. Pairing Davis with Elton Brand was supposed to put the Clippers on a course back to the playoffs in the West. Unfortunately, the team then inexplicably lost Brand to the Sixers a week later. Brand's people say the Clippers mishandled the negotiations. The Clippers point the finger at Brand's agent, David Falk.

Suddenly, the Clippers' dream team was a nightmare. At this point in his career, Davis making $65 million stretches credulity, even if he's motivated. An unmotivated Davis playing on a cellar dweller? Ugh.

The Clippers also lost Corey Maggette and tried to minimize all the damage by bringing in Marcus Camby and Ricky Davis. But I don't think they're a playoff team in the West with that crew.

Elton's departure probably places the Clippers on the minus end of the Winner-Loser continuum.  And had the Clippers been irreparably paralyzed by the Elton debacle, it'd be fair to characterize them as the dysfunctional franchise they were several years ago.  But it's important to recognize the creativity and decisiveness employed by the organization after Elton signed with Philadelphia.  Does the addition of B. Davis, Camby, R. Davis make them a playoff team?  I'm not sure.  But I think they'll win more than the 23 games they won last year.  By virtue of that alone, the Clips should be spared inclusion in the Most Loserish Offseason club.