From HoopsHype.com:

Sources tell HoopsHype.com free agent guard Von Wafer signed this afternoon a two-year contract with Olympiakos worth $4.2 million without taxes – approximately $10 million gross. He has an opt-out clause to return to the NBA after the first season.

Wafer, a journeyman who has played with five NBA teams in four years, averaged a career-high 9.8 ppg with the Rockets last season.

Olympiakos signed Lithuanian forward Linas Kleiza earlier in the day for $5 million, also without taxes.

Mike Dunleavy met with Wafer last week, but there was little talk of Wafer actually becoming a Clipper. Wafer will leave the NBA this year and will team up with Clippers 2003 second round draft choice Schortsanitis Sofoklis. Olympiakos reportedly courted Allen Iverson earlier this offseason, but the Wafer signing will effectively end the pursuit. There is a newly imposed limit of 3 american players for each Greek A1 club, and Wafer will serve as the team’s third american. The other two american players are former Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress and former Washington State standout Thomas Kelati.

With Olympiakos out of the running for his services, Allen Iverson may seriously begin to consdier lowering his asking price. In return, some general managers may begin considering Iverson as long as the monetary risk decreases. At what dollar amount (if any) does the potential reward of bringing in Iverson outweigh the risk?

Reports out of New York are indicating that the Knicks are slowly inching closer to finalizing a deal with Ramon Sessions. This thing has dragged on much longer than any of us could have expected, but if Sessions is truly close to becoming a Knick than it’s time to look elsewhere and see what’s left in the free agent market. K.A. already took a look at the best perimeter defenders available, so today we’ll break down some of the best unrestricted guards left on the market.

The Best Of The Rest:

• Allen Iverson – Nothing came out of the Iverson talks earlier this summer, but if Sessions is out of the picture the Clippers may rekindle negotiations with the 34 year old guard. The issues with signing Iverson have been previously addressed, and most Clippers fans remain terrified that Iverson will ruin team chemistry. Still, Sterling views Iverson as a big ticket draw, and Dunleavy has a history of taking on reclamation projects with big egos. If Iverson were to become a Clipper, it would undoubtedly need to be on a one year deal with an understanding that he would come off the bench. It’s pretty unlikely that will happen, but as long as Iverson is available, the possibility lurks.

• Bobby Jackson – The 36 year old guard is on his last legs, but by all accounts Jackson is a good veteran presence who could impart some of his knowledge on younger guards Sebastian Telfair and Eric Gordon. Jackson can play both guard positions and is primarily a scorer who has to rely more and more on his subpar outside jumper. Despite not being much of a distributor, Jackson is safe with the ball and rarely turns it over. It wouldn’t be the flashiest signing, but Jackson would come cheap and fill a need, without any of the drama.

• Rashad McCants- McCants is still young at 24 and has proven scoring ability. In his 2007-2008 campaign with Minnesota, McCants averaged 14.9 ppg while only playing 27 minutes a contest. McCants would stretch the floor and add instant pop off the bench, but is limited to playing just the 2 guard. By most accounts McCants is a poor defender, and his career average of 1.3 assists per 20 minutes is troubling. When McCants is on the court he’s out there primarily to score, which would seem to duplicate Ricky Davis quite a bit.

• Jacque Vaughn – If Dunleavy wants an unselfish 3rd point guard who will unquestionably run his sets, Vaughn is his man. The 34 year old’s value lies in his solid decision making on offense and his hounding of opposing point guards on defense. If he was good enough for Popovich and the Spurs, he’s worth at least a glance from the Clippers.

• Juan Dixon- Dixon is a combo guard who can handle some point guard duties, but is better suited at the two guard. Dixon is primarily a jump shooter who rarely attacks the basket, and because of his size (6′3, 165) he struggles with bigger guards. Dixon is now 30, which makes me question where the last 8 years of my life went.

• Gerald Green- Although he has ideal size at 6′8, Green is widely considered to be one of the worst defenders in the game. Green’s amazing athletic ability and great shooting stroke should translate into a solid NBA player, but his serious lack of basketball I.Q. keeps him from doing anything with his immense talent. Still, Green is only 23 years old and with the right coaching he might be able to make something of his career.

• Von Wafer- Wafer played in a Clippers jersey for literally 1 minute, and it’s probably the last we’ll ever see of him. Wafer is talented, but his attitude issues and clashes with Rick Adelman should be enough of a warning sign for the Clippers to stay away.

• Luther Head- Head is a career 39% 3 point shooter, but he’s undersized at the 2 guard and can be somewhat of a defensive liability. Still, Head played big minutes in the past as a Houston Rocket and is probably one of the best shooters left available. He doesn’t offer much positional flexibility unfortunately, as he’s not a natural point guard by any means. Of all the small 2 guards (McCants, Wafer and Dixon), Head is probably the one the Clippers should look closest at.

• Ronald “Flip” Murray – Flip can definitely score when given the minutes, but he does so inefficiently. Flip is a bit of a chucker for not being a great shooter, evidenced by last year being the first time he averaged a true shooting percentage of over 50%. Regardless though, if Dunleavy decides to place a premium on scoring for the open roster spot, Flip is probably near the top of the list.

• Maurice Ager – Ager was never able to receive substantial playing time for Dallas or New Jersey, so it’s hard to get a good read on him. He was always a good shooter in college, but his athleticism was only so-so. Ager is only 25, but it’s not a good sign that he couldn’t earn playing time on a bad New Jersey team last year.

• Kareem Rush – Rush is a good threat from deep, but that’s about it. His career 40% field goal percentage is cause for concern, as are his low rebounding and assist numbers. There appears to be better scorers out on the market.

• Desmond Mason – From K.A. – “An OSU standout, and big fan favorite in OKC, Mason has publicly stated that he’d like to stay with the Thunder. For a guy best known for dunkage, Mason’s greatest asset on the court is on the other end of the floor, where he’s your prototypical “long and quick” guy who stays in front of his man effectively.”

• Keith Bogans – From K.A. – “He carries the air of “wily veteran” at 29, and seems to be the kind of backup the Clippers would gravitate to this offseason. He’s got good size, can shoot from the outside at a reasonably efficient rate (TS greater than 50% each of the past three seasons), and defend intelligently. More important, Bogans can be bought on the cheap.  This wouldn’t be a splashy acquisition, but it would be a smart one.”

• Rodney Carney - From K.A. – “Although he’s a bit of a ball-stopper on offense and certainly not a glue guy, Carney is nevertheless an insane athlete who has proven himself to be a capable defender in the NBA. Last season, he put up some impressive on court/off court defensive numbers.  At 6-6, he’s quick enough to guard triple-threat shooting guards and big and long enough to handle more physical 3s.”

The Clippers current roster is at 13 men, with only two point guards (Davis and Telfair) and one shooting guard (Gordon), depending on where you slot Mardy Collins and Ricky Davis. Even though the 2/3 wing spot appears to be the biggest hole, Dunleavy may opt to bring in a combo guard who can occasionally fill in at point.

What say you, Clippers fans? If the Clippers can’t sign Sessions, what position should they look to fill, and who should they fill it with? Let’s hear it.

• DeAndre Jordan continues to impress. You always have to offer a qualifier in Summer League, because many of Jordan’s easy routes to the hoop won’t be there when long, speedy NBA help defenders in the regular season slide over to cut off DJ’s path to the rim, but here in Vegas, he’s winning every race to the basket — by a mile. His post moves are far more refined. He’s pivoting middle, bumping his defender with authority as he backs in, and isn’t rushing his shot. He’s shooting 15-for-19 from the field over the two games. Equally impressive? The defensive strides. DJ is communicating with his teammates. He’s not dropping back aimlessly on the pick-and-roll.
• Blake Griffin is a far more versatile player than he was five months ago in a Sooner uniform: the interior passing out of double-teams and his range, in particular. So far as his work down low, his fundamental understanding of his strengths is unparalleled. A nice example of this came in the third quarter, when he was fed the ball underneath on the right block. The defense came quickly. Rather than travel or get flustered (which would’ve been the case for 65% of the PFs in the league), Griffin showed great control and patience moving his pivot foot for a reverse layup. Griffin’s obvious physical gifts jump out at you. But it’s his more subtle attributes –  balance and a good low base –  that will make him a dominant force. Even the most physical interior defenders are going to have a tough time knocking Griffin off his move. Defensively, he’ll have some work to do. He’s a great communicator and has the ability to read opposing offenses. Switch-and-recovery? Check. Driving point guards away from the screen on a trap? Check. But as a post defender, he has room to improve — and he will.
• Eric Gordon’s performance was encouraging in that he scored 22 points on 19 possessions without hitting a shot from beyond the arc. Obviously, you always like to see EJ light it up from the outside, but it’s not as if his shot won’t be there. What you do like to see is the expansion of his post game, something he utilized effectively against some of the Hornets’ smaller defenders. Eric’s defense was also a nice feature to yesterday’s game. He kept a crafty Darren Collison out of the paint on a couple of occasions, and I like the way he did it. Gordon employed an almost Battier-ish approach. Rather than overcrowd Collison, Eric instead chose to guard the paint rather than the man. Collison still had a productive game, though the bulk of his points came against other Clipper defenders.
• Mike Taylor needs to slow down, particularly on halfcourt sets. There’s nothing wrong with running out in transition to initiate the offense before the defense gets set, but Taylor’s frenetic pace is making life harder than it needs to be for the Clippers. He’s getting to the line at a good frequency, but his iffy ballhandling is costing the Clippers possessions. It’s not the turnovers, per se, but Taylor’s insistence on improvisation in the halfcourt, when he’s got weapons like Gordon, Griffin, and Jordan establishing position in the right spots. Taylor simply doesn’t have the vision to run a drive-and-kick scheme, which means that, except on breaks, he should be looking for his horses first.
• “We’re talking to a lot of guys,” was Mike Dunleavy’s response to a questions about Allen Iverson. He acknowledged that the conversations with Iverson and his camp are real, but that there are several point guards on his radar, Iverson being one of them.  “It’s in your interest to talk to everyone,” Dunleavey said. “That’s how you understand where the market is.” Speaking with a number of other executives and agents in Las Vegas, the vast majority of them put the likelihood that Iverson will be in a Clippers jersey come October at less than 50%.

Last night’s showcase of Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon at the Thomas & Mack Center should have been the halcyon moment in the Clippers’ rebirth as a franchise. With the Clippers’ brass beaming on the sideline, the team’s featured 20-year-old offensive stars ran a clinic, establishing themselves as one of the league’s most potent big-small duos.

After the game, the G-Force’s mutual admiration society spoke glowingly. “It’s easy to work with [Gordon],” Griffin said. “All I have to do is set a pick and just wait. He’s so strong, he either gets to the hole, gets fouled, or passes it to me.”

Gordon was similarly ecstatic after the game, smiling widely as he talked about how the Griffin-Gordon pick-and-roll should be featured weapon of the Clippers’ offensive attack this season.

“That should be the bread and butter this coming year,” Gordon said. “We’re both young guys and we should have a great chemistry.”

Yet the morning after the Clippers’ auspicious performance, which included a solid showing from 21-year-old DeAndre Jordan, the Allen Iverson rumors are gaining traction here in Las Vegas.

By any measure, the Clippers have had an incredible offseason. They lucked their way into the Griffin pick, then somehow got Memphis to accept Zach Randolph, overnight transforming the team’s halfcourt look, spreadsheet, culture, and future.

Jordan appears ready to step in as a rotation contributor. Gordon, once shy to the point of standoffish, brims with confidence in public. He speaks aspirationally, of what he wants to build in Los Angeles. The team still has a bevy of question marks. Al Thornton could be a productive bench scorer, but doesn’t offer the Clippers a longterm solution at the 3. If the Clippers want to run the ball, they’re going to need more defensive stops and rebounding from their wings. They’ll also need a motivated Baron Davis to marshal his competitive instincts. Still, these are all manageable challenges for a team a couple of years away from being a serious factor in spring. For the first time in three years, the needle is moving in the right direction, which is what matters.

********

With a couple possible exceptions, Allen Iverson might be the most examined NBA personality of the past 15 years. I’m not really interested in surveying his public persona. It’s dull work. What should be appraised is how Iverson’s strengths and weaknesses as a player conform to the Clippers’ needs — even on a one-year deal.

Let’s start with the Clippers. Their foremost need is a starter at the small forward spot who can rebound, defend, and provide an offensive fulcrum for the Clippers’ inside/out attack  — but that’s not something they can acquire between now and October, so let’s look at the more pliable stuff they can accomplish over the next ten weeks:

• Backup point guard
• Wing who can defend multiple positions and help the team’s abysmal rebounding rate.

It’s safe to say that in no non-NERF basketball universe does Iverson address the latter need, so let’s focus on the first.

In Iverson’s defense, he puts up far better pure point numbers than you might think. Even at a career-low 23.1, his assist rate was still quite good in 2008-09. And given the amount of time he spends with the ball in his hand, his turnover rate is also respectable at 12.9. The Clippers could conceivably plug him in as their backup point guard, run him out there with the second unit for 25 minutes a night, and have a potent starter when Baron Davis is afflicted with whatever it is that afflicts Baron Davis.

In that scenario, a couple of questions:

• Who is Iverson defending? Most often, nobody. Iverson is small, older, and perpetually disinterested on the defensive end of the court. Where he excels — better than any player in my lifetime I can remember — is looking like he’s applying himself on defense. On screen-roll plays, Iverson functions as a crash test dummy, slamming full speed into the screen man with no intention of recovering.  Ever.  When he’s playing the ball, he’s a selfish gambler, routinely overplaying (again, it’s the patina of tenacity, not actual defense that counts for Iverson) for the steal. Once Iverson overcommits, it’s 5-on-4 halfcourt basketball. Want to know how a traditionally stalwart Pistons team drops from 102.9 in to 108.0 in defensive efficiency over one season?   That’s how.
• How does Iverson effect Gordon, Griffin, Jordan, and, to a lesser extent, Chris Kaman? This really should be up top as the primary question, for the simple reason that the Clippers aren’t going to host a home playoff series in April 2010.  The only thing that matters next season is the development and maturation of this core group, and the extent to which Iverson — or anyone else — helps or hinders that process. I suppose you could stretch and say there’s value in DeAndre Jordan learning how to lay out screens for a perimeter speedster like Iverson, or use him as a Gordon proxy in various offensive schemes. But do you really buy that? And if that’s what you’re after, why not bring in Bobby Jackson for a year?
• The peripherals I try really hard to posture myself a textualist on these matters, but it’s hard to look at what transpired in Detroit last season and reason that it’s a good idea to bring Iverson to a place where the inertia of the franchise is the foremost priority. Does he sell tickets? I suppose, which probably means we have to assign him some added value if it means ownership will be more likely to spend next summer if receipts are higher this season. In that line of thinking, Iverson is an agent of the future, and you tolerate him as a necessary evil to bolster your franchise in a recession. Okay. But I’d counter that you’re screwing with your brand. By sheer good fortune, the most personable, freakish power forward in a decade just landed in your lap. You have an increasingly confident young shooting guard who happens to function similarly to Iverson in your offense. You’ve got a couple of borderline personalities who can have the potential to swing either way in mood and resolve.  Does Iverson do anything to defuse that dynamic, or does he inflame it? Richard Hamilton has a track record as a champion, and a generally unselfish teammate who’s really hard to piss off. Yet even he was gnawing at his limbs last winter when Iverson came over from Denver and complicated the rotation and the distribution of shots.

The usual counterargument that Iverson would be on a one-year deal doesn’t hold any water because Iverson landed in Detroit in his contract year, yet still managed to fall so far out of favor that …well…at 34, he’s being discussed as a one-year, mid-level option for teams like Memphis, Miami, and the Clippers. In the Clippers case, they should abide by some Groucho Marx wisdom: They shouldn’t sign a veteran malcontent — even one as talented as Iverson — who would want to sign with them.

It’s time to grow up as a franchise — for the sake of the kids.

Turn the page, sign a Bobby Jackson to fill the backup PG slot, and move on.

From ESPN.com:

The makeover of the Los Angeles Clippers may include a former scoring champion.

The team is in “very serious” talks with Allen Iverson on a contract, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported on Sunday that the Memphis Grizzlies have been pursuing Iverson, but owner Michael Heisley thought the Miami Heat had the inside track. The Charlotte Bobcats were also reported to have interest.

Iverson is a 10-time All-Star who has led the league in scoring four times. He has averaged 23.5 points and 5.4 assists per game over his 13 seasons but posted a career low 17.4 ppg average last season.

A bad back limited Iverson to 57 games last season between the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons. He was also embroiled in controversy when he bristled at coming off the bench for Detroit.

The Clippers may be prepared to offer their full mid-level exception of $5.8 million on a one-year contract. The Grizzlies are reportedly willing to offer something in the same neighborhood, but the Heat are thought to be interested in paying him less than half of that figure.

Assistant General Manager Neil Olshey has denied these reports to Clipperblog.

Early on, the Clippers show they have the capacity to play quality basketball.  They take their first lead at [1st, 4:36] when Baron Davis throws it into the post for Chris Kaman against Birdman Andersen.  Kaman hasn’t done a lot right offensively to start the season, but when he sees Kenyon Martin slide over to help Andersen, Chris lasers a pass through the double-team to a diving Tim Thomas for an easy 2.  It’s a beautiful set, with great recognition all the way around. 

There were a bunch of satisfying things to take away from the first half.  Even after Baron left the game following a nasty fall three minutes into the 2nd quarter, the Clippers execute some smart, creative possessions.  Eric Gordon plays only two minutes, but at [2nd, 8:59], he perfectly times a baseline cut from the weakside corner to the right block [credit Mobley here with a nice cross screen].  Tim Thomas beautifully threads the needle from the arc, and Gordon gets an easy layup. 

It’s working on the other end, too.  Al Thornton — who will probably never be a super perimeter defender — reads and fights through Kenyon Martin screens to stay with Linas Kleiza [2nd, 5:59].  The Clips defend against back door cuts [i.e. 2nd, 5:08].  Mike Taylor deftly defends the S/R.  And the Clips control the glass. 

The second half, obviously, is an entirely different story. The Clippers come out of the locker room flat.  The first possession? An ill-advised PUJIT attempt from Mobley.  The Clips convert only one of their first six FGAs in the second half.   And they start to spring some leaks on the defensive end — most of it in the interior.  Nene and Kenyon Martin start getting easy looks inside of 10 feet.  Even Anthony Carter is able to weave his way to the basket in a slow-down halfcourt set at [3rd, 8:29].  Chris Kaman has improved his standing as a defender in man-to-man post situations, but he has a tendency to lose track of active big men — ironically, guys with his kind of mobility — as they roam the floor.  That’s how Nene puts together a 10-15 shooting night from the field. 

In the 4th quarter, the Clips defensive fortunes don’t improve.  At the outset of the period, J.R. Smith eats Ricky Davis alive. With Baron Davis out of the game and no Marcus Camby, the Clippers are left with only a few offensive options.  Two matchups that emerge are Tim Thomas against Kenyon Martin — which worked in the first half.  The other option, of course, is Al Thornton — first against the much slower Linas Kleiza, then later in the final minutes of regulation against the much smaller Anthony Carter.   In the first four minutes of the 4th quarter, the Clips actually extend their lead.  But after Jason Hart clanks in a 17-foot jumper at about 8:00, they don’t hit another hit another FG until 0:16.  

How come?

In order of sequence…Tim Thomas decides to drive into a double-team and has the ball swatted away as he goes up instead of kicking out; Ricky Davis fires up an off-balanced fadeaway from about 18 feet; Jason Hart drives the paint — but has his attempted layup stuffed by Dahntay Jones; TT takes on Nene one on one at the top of the key and inexplicably launches an off-balanced fadeaway shot that’s nowhere close; Chris Kaman works a high-percentage 7-foot shot on the right block against, but simply misses it; blanketed by J.R. Smith, Mobley heaves an off-balanced jumper from 18-feet that clanks off the back of the iron; his 10-foot turnaround in the post against Smith a minute later is only slightly better…

While all this is going on, Denver has converted multiple shots inside of 10 feet.  Nene continues to batter Kaman down low.  J.R. Smith finds his way to the hole, and now Allen Iverson is poised to become a factor. 

• With about 1:20 left in the game and the Clips up by a deuce — they haven’t relinquished the lead yet — Denver marches upcourt.  They run a high S/R for J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin.  The Clips wisely double Smith with Mobley and Thomas.  Smith dribbles nowhere fast, which allows Thomas to catch back up with Martin.  Good defense on what should’ve been a much cleaner S/R for Denver. Smith eventually hands off the ball to Martin in the mid-left post against Thomas.  K-Mart puts the ball on the floor with his left, lowers his right shoulder and — in his best Vince Carter fashion — powers his way to the hole right past TT for an easy lay-in.  Thomas, who, with Mobley, has defended the pick-and-roll to so well, loses the one-on-one game to a mediocre offensive player. The game is tied.
• We’re inside a minute now.  Anthony Carter is on a much bigger Thornton and everyone in the building knows the Clippers are going to work it into Al in the post.  Mobley dumps it in, but Thornton fumbles the entry pass.  He recovers, but instead of being on the edge of the lane, he’s way out on the wing.  Not good.  Thornton takes a jab step, but can’t work himself any space against the scrappy Carter.   Al becomes impatient and with a good :10 seconds left on the shot clock, he fires up a 23-footer.  No good.  Thornton shows flashes of brilliance tonight, but this is an immature possession at a crucial juncture. There wasn’t a whole lot of great stuff materializing, but Kaman had come over to give Al some space, which would’ve given him a shot closer in.  In addition, Mobley was on the perimeter with Smith a ways off him.  A little patience might have yielded a better shot.
• Denver doesn’t screw around.  It’s an iso up top for Iverson against Jason Hart.  Iverson drives right from the top of the arc, stops and pops from 10 feet.  No good.  Good ball defense from Hart.
• With about :30 seconds remaining, this time the Clips go to the left block for Thomas against Martin. Thomas patiently backs him in, turns around, and hits the 12-footer over Martin.  Clips by a pair. 
• A strange possession.  Kleiza inbounds the ball to Iverson, who gets a high screen from Nene.  Kaman picks up Iverson on the switch.  The Clips defend this very, very well.  Kaman stunts Iverson for just enough time to allow Hart to recover.  Who’s got Nene?  Tim Thomas has rotated up to make sure the big man doesn’t get an easy dive to the hoop.  Well done.   Iverson is met by Hart, so AI delivers a skip pass back to Kleiza on the far side.  Kleiza drives and is mauled  in the lane by Thornton.  Kleiza hits his two FTAs.  Game tied.  Why foul Kleiza in traffic?  
• :9.4 remaining.  The Clips go back to Thomas against Martin.  But this time, Tim seems to lose track of the clock and doesn’t start his strange rocker step-ish move until 2 seconds are on the clock. Martin manages to get a hand in and the ball squirts away as time expires.