• There’s news in Lisa Dillman’s notes that the Clippers plan to re-sign Fred Jones to a 10-day contract. Assistant GM Neil Olshey also tells Dillman that the acquisition of Adams was meant as a contingency plan, just in case Jones wasn’t ready to go tonight: “They acquired him from the Toronto Raptors, along with cash considerations, for a future conditional second-round draft choice and then waived him. The reason? Guard Fred Jones (sore foot) became available to play tonight, making Adams expendable. ‘We expect to sign him to a 10-day contract,’ Clippers assistant general manager Neil Olshey said of Jones. ‘We were kind of hedging our bets’ with Adams.”
• Marcus Camby tells Hoopworld about the Clippers’ MASH unit, and how he’s adapting to his new team after being a fixture in Denver: “On paper you look at our team and you would say we’re a playoff-caliber team and we still feel that way if we had guys out there on the court. It’s going to take some time, unfortunately injuries happen in this league and teams have to find a way to overcome it. It’s tough to overcome injuries and play in the Western Conference. Hopefully guys can come back relatively quickly, and get that camaraderie so we can salvage the rest of the season.”
• ESPN and Scout Inc’s David Thorpe is impressed with Eric Gordon’s defense: “Gordon’s offensive game is really coming on; he’s scored 24, 21, 21 and 31 points in his past four games. But I’m impressed with his defense, too. Finding shooters and closing out on them is a must in this league, and his awareness and long arms are a big help here.”
• More love for EJ from his hometown paper, the Indy Star:  “Eric Gordon is one of three rookies who have scored 30 or more points in a game this season. He and O.J. Mayo are the only rookies to do so in consecutive games.”
• Timur Hammond at Tamerlane is launching an effort to draft Donald T. Sterling for Governor.  His rationale? “The Clippers waived a player that might have been able to contribute, suggesting that the real motive for the whole deal was just a little pile of cash. Donald Sterling is one mean dude. But I was thinking: What if the man ran for Governor of California? Imagine how he might bridge our yawning abyss of a budget”  You can check out Hammond’s dialogue between Sterling and Nevada’s Governor over at Tamerlane.

Hours after acquiring swigman Hassan Adams and cash considerations from the Toronto Raptors for a future conditional second round draft pick, the Clippers waive Adams.

More to come.

UPDATE:  Henry Abbott explains the transactions this way:

Toronto wanted to do this because it got them under the luxury tax threshold, which is worth more than $3 million. But what, exactly, was in it for the Clippers? My best guess: The cash.

And, one other thing. That second-round pick could be very conditional. Teams will occasionally protect a pick for something like picks 31-55, which means they only give it up if they’re one of the best teams in the NBA.

If that’s what the Clippers did, then of course they didn’t give up anything. So it’s some paper shuffling for some money. It’s all pretty harmless stuff. Unless … you’re Hassan Adams.

Meanwhile, the Clippers still desperately need some perimeter help.

Another local guy comes home, as the Clips acquired swingman and Inglewood native Hassan Adams and cash considerations from Toronto for a future conditional second round draft pick.

New Jersey drafted Adams in the second round of the 2006 draft.  He played in 61 games and made eight starts for the Nets in 2006-07, averaging 2.9 points per game.  Adams spent the 2007-08 season with Ignis Draghi Novara and Siviglia Wear Teramo in Italy before signing with the Raptors as a free agent last summer.

At Arizona, Adams was a dynamic slasher who could create his own shot.  He’s a fierce defender who, ideally, can guard three positions.  When he’s not playing well, it’s because he settles for jumpers, a part of his game that needs work.  His range tops out at 18-20 feet.  Still, a career mark of 53.4% from the field (79-134) is nothing to sneeze at.