It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Clippers and Marqus Blakely are parting ways. He played only two preseason games and ran for 18 minutes of them. Sure, he’d be worthwhile to keep around if only because of his impressive Summer League performance, but the Clippers had 15 men on their roster and it’s rare for a team to head into the season with the maximum amount of players allowed.
Clipper cut Marqus Blakely
On October - 25 - 2010
Small Forward, Big Deal
On October - 20 - 2010
Even before the off-season started, it was quite obvious what position the Clippers were going to focus on: acquiring a small forward. As a part of a financial overhaul to potentially lure a top free agent SF, the Clippers cut ties will all but five players, keeping Baron Davis at PG, Eric Gordon at SG, Blake Griffin at PF, Chris Kaman at C and DeAndre Jordan at C. Not a bad foundation at all and with the quality of free agents at the small forward position (LeBron, Rudy Gay, Joe Johnson, etc.) as well as the small forwards in the draft (Wes Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, etc.) it was really easy to imagine that the Clippers were going to easily find their need and make a clear ascent.
This One Time At Camp Pendleton
On October - 4 - 2010
Yes, that’s what you think it is, Blake Griffin on the reverse jam. Considering the agony of last year, it’s comforting to see that he is completely healthy. Earlier in the week, Craig Smith tweeted that Blake was as strong as Karl Malone and as athletic as LeBron. I think that’s a bit hyperbolic, but only a bit.
Tuesday Mailbag
On September - 21 - 2010
Ah, Tuesday Mailbag. Much less catchy… but also much less cranky than a Monday version. Again, thanks to everyone who sent in questions this week. Let’s get to it:
Why did the Clippers sign Rasual Butler to a one year deal? I felt that he played selfishly last year, taking contested shots, not moving the ball around, and playing lackluster defense at times. It seemed to me he was trying to fill up his stats to get an offseason contract. The fact that he didn’t get signed to a multi-year deal by any other team in the NBA confirms to me that I was correct about his bad season. This signing takes away valuable playing time from a rookie like Aminu who the Clippers have a vested long-term interest in developing. This decision has been puzzling me all summer, thanks. –John M
Young and Running
On September - 14 - 2010
Transition is the buzzword floating around this summer, and for good reason. There’s a new head coach in town after Mike Dunleavy held the post for seven years, which is an eternity in this landscape. There are eight new players on the roster, five of them rookies. There’s a new general manager calling the shots upstairs.
But as everything seems to be changing, some things have stayed exactly the same. A quick glance at the roster can make you come back to a very familiar question: Why don’t the Clippers get out and run more?