SB Nation - Cuttino Mobley

Tracy McGrady and the New York Knicks... Again

Tom Martin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:48:35 -0000

More photos » by Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images

about 1 month ago: ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 20: Tracy McGrady #3 of the Houston Rockets warms up before the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 20, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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As you may have read, there's been speculation that Tracy McGrady could end up in New York City, primarily from Newsday's Alan Hahn. Not like we haven't heard this before.

However, this go-around, the timing of the chatter certainly makes sense. McGrady and the Rockets, despite what each says, are clearly not on the same page, and a continued feud between the two could result in a decision to part ways. It's a good foundation upon which to pile countless rumors and ideas. As we here have said for months, it's not easy to trade a giant golden nugget such as McGrady. That said, if there was one club out there who could make it work, it's probably the Knicks.

But even if a proposed trade works contractually, is it a good decision for the team? I'm not sold.

1. We haven't seen him post-microfracture surgery yet.

There's a number of folks out there who think that the surgery and the resulting rehab sessions have revitalized Tracy's career, but there's an equal number who think that while the surgery will heal his leg, it won't improve his game from the paltry form that we saw last season. In other words, we don't know what we are presumably trading. I'd like to see him in game action before anything happens. At least ten games or so.

2. Who would we get in return?

Proposed trades in the blogosphere have included the likes of Eddy Curry, Wilson Chandler, Cuttino Mobely's contract, Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries... and draft picks (we'll come back to the latter soon enough). None of that sounds very appealing to me, in terms of fitting in with the current roster we have. None of those players are very efficient either. Curry has always played smaller than his size, averaging 7 rebounds per game only once in his career. He's been lamented for his below-averageness, inspiring a Yahoo! Fanasty Sports staple called the "Eddy Curry Line" in which a player must average more turnovers than assists, steals, and blocks combined. Whether it's fantasy or reality, it's not good.

Chandler is just as inefficient as Curry. He doesn't get to the free throw line, and averages 12 points on 11 shots per game. Sounds like Ron Artest doesn't it? Except that Chandler isn't too good of a defender either, making Artest look that much better. It's not something that we want to see return to Houston.

Hughes has always been a negative influence to his team, so much so that a popular (and hilarious, might I add) website was created after him. We'll leave it at that. And Jefferies has been a bust, at best. At worst, he's been transparent.

To summarize, a deal with the Knicks would not be for a personnel upgrade. It would be contractually motivated, so that the Rockets would be able to move McGrady and still be able to knock off 22-23 million dollars off of their salary payments next season.

3. There's no reason why we can't just bench McGrady.

It would be cruel and unusual punishment, but assuming he comes back and gets hurt again, or if he is playing extremely poorly, we can send him to the pine. This little incentive that Xiane was talking about a few days ago makes that a very appealing decision, assuming the worst from Tracy:

"Houston can start to collect up to 80 percent of his prorated per-game salary after he's missed 41 consecutive games. McGrady sat out his 42nd straight game Wednesday in Minnesota, and the league insurance plan would reimburse the Rockets for any additional missed games. For the rest of the season, the insurance policy could cover 80 percent of his per-game salary of $282,946."

4. We're not looking at the "now" as much as we're looking to the future.

Eddy Curry is not so appealing as to trade for him exclusively to plug him in this year and hope that he can make a difference before expiring next season (he does have a player option, though; we've been through that with Cook Daddy thus far, and it's not fun). And if it's not evident enough, Trevor Ariza is a much more attractive developmental wing player than Chandler is. Whereas Chandler looks to score, and takes up a lot of possessions to do so, Ariza fits in much better as a third option, which is what we're hoping to see him as come next season. Yes, we're looking to compete this year, but there's no sense in messing with the future in order to bump a team up from the possible 8th slot in the West to the 5th slot.

5. He could be productive and could be an asset to the team... imagine that!

This news concerning his practice today helps to fortify that front.

Compared to the five reasons that I've laid out supporting McGrady's return to Houston, there are only two that I can think of supporting his exit.

1. He keeps acting up and becomes THAT MUCH of a distraction.

If it gets to the point where he's more of a hindrance than a help, albeit on or off the court, trading him for $$$$ is an acceptable solution. Remember, the deal would not be to improve our current roster, but to move McGrady's attitude and his contract to New York in exchange for expiring contracts such as Mobely and Curry.

2. New York throws a few draft picks into the mix.

One Knicks source that I talked to discussed the possibility that the Knicks throw in a protected 2012 first round pick as well as a 2010 second round pick, or something of that nature. If this were to ever be offered (D'Antoni has a long history of trading first rounders), then I think Daryl Morey would have to at least consider it. Any chance to find more talent for the long run needs to be looked at.

In the end, this is all speculation, which is why I think it's kind of silly that I'm discussing it myself. However, I thought you'd like to see the possibilites of a deal with the Knicks. At least you've got a decent idea of what would be at stake. Personally, I'd like to hold onto McGrady for now, but like I said, if draft picks are in the equation, it becomes much more interesting.

Around the Association: 2009-2010 New York Knicks- Is it summatime yet?

Atma Brother ONE — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:15:57 -0000

Just hurry up and make this trade Cleveland. It'll save you from a miserable 2010 summer.

Actually isn't it always miserable in Ohio?

Jump for a look at the Knicks year long campaign to bring LeBron James and (his) friends to the Big Apple!

Before we look at the present and project the future, let's hit the rewind button on our 80's boombox real quick...

The Coast II Coast Throwback: From the Bay to NY

The Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks have long had an interesting somewhat symbiotic relationship (actually "symbiotic" would be way too nice), but we'll keep things simple here.

"Put a little mustard on it!"

PJ tells Spree to put a little mustard on it. Spree chokes PJ. Warriors suspend Spree and try to nullify his big money contract. Judge says no (I still to this today don't understand why). Warriors "banish" Spree to NY where he goes on to resurrect his career, help lead the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals and 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, a mild first round upset of the Toronto Raptors in 2001, and feed his family for a few years too.

Spree had a ton to smile about back then when he could feed his family.

via www.nationalbasketballdevelopmentleague.net

The Warriors continue their playoff drought with the likes of Chris Mills, Terry Cummings, and headliner John Starks.

This didn't happen in Oakland.

Winner: New York, New York

The miraculous herbal cure for sore backs not found in Oakland

Al Harrington's back was hurting and he couldn't play. He gets shipped to NY. He's back! (sorry bad joke)

What helped Al's back?

Is it the shoes? Or is it being on a different coast than Don Nelson?

via www.andybatt.com

Jamal Crawford goes on to drop a half-Wilt for the Warriors. Shortly after that Nellie asks him to trade him his jersey for a suit and opt out. JC gets moved to a playoff squad right before draft day 2009. (Think he misses the Knicks or Warriors right now?)

Winner: Atlanta, Georgia

Indian Cooking 101

Curry in New York has way too much ghee, but Curry in the Bay Area is just right.

Big bottle of ghee for a big man.

Seriously Eddy- put the bottle down and walk away slowly.

via upload.wikimedia.org

Winner: Oakland, CA

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

Record Last Season: 32-50, 14th place in the Leastern Conference (out of 15 teams)

Last year was all about 2 things: 1) Opening up dollars for 2010 and 2) Mike D'antoni.

There's no doubt the Knicks did a pretty good job at #1. They found some suckers to take on the past-2010 contracts of Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford. Those suckers are of course none other than Warriors South and Clippers North. Some reports said that the Kings were willing to play the role of that 3rd sucker from the Pacific Division and take Jared Jeffries contract if just crowned 2k9 Slam Dunk Champ Nate Robinson was part of the deal. The Knicks said no and it could potentially slightly hurt them in the near future but in the recent past and present I could see why it was hard to say goodbye to Krypto-nate. He's one of the few entertaining aspects of the New York Wait For LeBrons.

One of the only FANtastic parts of the 2008-2009 New York Knicks.

via blogs.seattleweekly.com

As for #2 the results are mixed. D'Antoni did help inflate Crawford and Randolph's stats helping their Westward shipments and he did keep the Knicks realistically in the playoff hunt for the last playoff seeds in the East till the last month or so of the season. However, the Knicks pretty much choked down the stretch, finishing the season 3-7. At the end of the day the Knicks record last season mirrored the record they had in their first season season under GM/ Coach/ "Not the Ladies Man" Isiah Thomas in 2006-2007. I can't say I'm all that impressed, but jury's still out till the 2010-2011 season.

2k9 Offseason Rewind

Memo to Knicks front office: It's not 2000. For some reason the Knicks seemed fixated on signing Jason Kidd and Grant Hill. Probably the league's most underrated point guard last season Ramon Sessions was theirs for the taking, but they decided to let the Minnesota Timberwolves win the Guiness World Record for most point guards on a lottery team- Ay caramba! It makes sense why they didn't want to add on another long term contract, but then why pursue Kidd and Hill? Were either of those two guys near-retirement really going to make great recruiters for the 2k10 free agent class? Doutbful.

I remain puzzled why the Knicks didn't make a more concerted effort to bring Allen Iverson to the Big Apple. AI was The Answer for the Knicks on so many levels. His camp was obviously willing to accept a 1 year deal, which is incredibly rare for a superstar with his resume, so the Knicks could have preserved their valuable 2010 cap space. Iverson would have entertained under D'Antoni's system and if it worked out it could be another chip in the 2010 offseason.

As of this writing solid young Knickerbockers (and great Isiah Thomas draft picks by the way) David Lee and Nate Robinson remain unsigned, but pretty much everyone around the league expects them to be back next season in NY on 1 year deals. That's a good thing. Both are very solid role players, especially Lee. Holding onto their Bird rights and adding them to the 2k10 and beyond core could be key.

Overall it was an incredibily uneventful summer for the Knicks. The 2009 Knicks summer rates right up there in terms of meaningless-ness (there's that word again) with the Golden State Warriors summer (there's some symbiotic-ness for you again too!). But in the grand scheme of things I do want to give the Knicks front office some props for not locking themselves into any contracts that they'd regret next summer. It seems like a no brainer, but remember this is a league where teams outbid and ink Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, Corey Maggette, and Stephen Jackson to lucrative extensions and free agent deals, then just a few months later are willing to ship them out in non-basketball trades just to get their contracts off the books. Common sense isn't that common in your average NBA front office. I hate to say it, but there's too many dumb ex-jocks running the ship in the wrong places.

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

Let's keep things simple. Eddy Curry and Al Harrington are not exactly Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley- especially on the glass. Larry Hughes is not John Starks. Chris Duhon is not the 90's PG combo of Chris Childs/ Charlie Ward. Darko Millicic is no Anthony Mason- although he's arguably just as scary.

For the Knicks the 2009-2010 season is about restoring some semblance of relevance to Madison Square Garden. A return to the playoffs would obviosly be great (especially since they don't have the rights to their 2010 draft pick), but this season is really about doing whatever maneuvering possible to set this franchise up for a brighter future in the 2010 summer and beyond. The goal for this season is to reduce the number of "OMG! THE KNiX DID WHUT?!" statements.

I feel bad for all the Knicks season ticket holders this season who shelled out big bucks for one of the league's most expensive seats, but that's basically it. The entire 2009-2010 New York Knicks season is one big summer league or preseason tryout. The goal is to not screw up.

My crystal ball says 30-42.

Golden Predictions

Eddy Curry has a fool's gold comeback all the way to the All-Star break and then Walsh finds some sucker to trade an expiring contract or use a trade exception on the most 1-dimensional low post scoring machine this league has ever seen. (If you could merge the skillsets of Baby Bulls Curry and Tyson Chandler you might have the near-perfect big man. You'd just be missing the passing.) Let's hope that sucker isn't Robert Rowell.
Somehow and someway Walsh finds a way to dump the 2 years and $13.4 million left on Jeffries contract before the summer. Just a thought: Jeffries for Stephen Jackson doesn't helps the Knicks open up salary cap space, but it does help them improve their supporting cast for LeBron. The Warriors would rid themselves from "Captain" Jack's 2 extra years.
Danillo Gallinari proves to be a bust. Coach D'Antoni agrees not to convince the Knicks front office to draft players with names that sound like longer versions of his last name ever again.
Jordan Hill has a solid rookie season and begins his path towards being the Diet Coke of Charles Oakleys.
David Lee outrebounds and outscores Warriors "franchise cornerstone" Andris Biedrins again. The Knicks front office have made their share of dumb moves over the past decade, but unlike the Warriors front office at least they're smart enough to recognize a great role player when they see one and not proclaim him to be a franchise building block.
Chris Duhon lights up the Warriors in both matches. Back in 2008 with Monta Ellis "guarding" him Duhon lit up the Dubs for 34 points and 9 dimes. Last season in NY Duhon dropped 22 dimes on the Warriors- oh it was funny.
Another solid late 1st round Isiah Thomas pick Wilson Chandler scores a respectable 15ppg.
Sun Yue jerseys outsell Yi jerseys from across the bridge even though it's The Year of the Yi.
After a blowout loss to the lowly Sacrapmento Kings on February 9, 2010 in the Garden, Darko Millicic goes on a profanity-laced tirade that no English speaker can even fathom.
Larry Hughes continues his statistically odd career of peaks and valleys by averaging 20ppg.
The Knicks don't lose a single game Cuttino Mobley plays in this year.
Al Harrington's back doesn't hurt all season- good for him.

Goals for Summer of 2k10

As Ja Rule, Fat Joe, and Jadakiss would say... "He's... from NEW YORK!"

HOLLA! HOLLA!

Bring LeBron James to the Big Apple. (Yes this sort of analysis is exactly why they pay me the big bucks around these parts.)
Convince as much of the Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire free agent crew to join LeBron in NY. There's a great piece on ESPN.com about where these marquee free agent will land: James| Wade| Bosh | Stoudemire
Use Darko Millicic to help lure LeBron James. Sure Darko was drafted #2 right behind LeBron James in 2002 despite a few folks proclaiming that he should go #1 over that "overrated" high school talent, but guess who is the only one with a ring? I think we all know who has had the last laugh. Have Darko show LeBron what it feels like to be a NBA champion playing in NY.
Re-hire Isiah Thomas to lead the Knicks draft department. There's no way Isiah would've passed on Brook Lopez, Anthony Randolph, Jason Thompson, and Eric Gordon. Isiah might not know how to manage the checkbook, but he does know NBA Draft [ESPN.com].
Have a better summer than this one- Remembering the Free Agent Madness of '96 [Posting and Toasting]
Release Nike Air LeBron VIII's in at least 23 different NY-themed colorways. Seriously did folks not notice this and this and this and of course this? He didn't even play for NY last season. LeBron 2 NY is going to do wonders for Nike's bottom line in 2k10 and beyond.

The greatest Big 3 ever assembled.

via lebronjamesin2010.com

For more on the Knicks from folks who actually know what they're talking about check out our SBN brother site Posting and Toasting.

Our friends in NY have quite the "Unstoppable Baby!" slogan:

Partying Like It's 2010!

Another NY fav is of course Modi and gang's Sports on My Mind.

Poll

When LeBron James is finally a Knickerbocker in the 2010-2011 season will he sport a Cleveland Indians hat when he speaks to the media?

YES: Hometown loyalty.

187 votes

NO: He'll still rock the NY.

295 votes

482 votes | Poll has closed

The Mobley Story on Outside the Lines

Steve Perrin — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:14:40 -0000

It's been linked on TrueHoop and ClipperBlog already, and citizen swamigusto has created a FanShot of it here as well, but if you haven't watched it yet you may be interested in the story ESPN's Outside the Lines did on Cat Mobley's retirement.

OTL: Mobley's Life-Threatening Condition (via ESPN)

Maybe it's me, maybe I'm just too deeply immersed in all of this stuff, but did anyone else find OTL's sensationalistic tone on this story completely misplaced?

I'm not entirely convinced there's much of a story here at all. I mean, beyond the "Cuttino Mobley retired because of a heart condition" thing. Henry called it "Very interesting indeed" but I don't really agree. OTL seems to be trying to stir up some sort of controversy with a 60 Minutes style investigative report into "Who knew what and when did they know it?" but is any of that really at issue? Obviously I follow Clipper news more closely than most people, but all of the interviews and search of medical records didn't really reveal anything I didn't already know, with the exception that teams had Mobley sign waivers, which doesn't really seem like a bombshell to me. The terms may have changed some (he had actually been diagnosed with HCM in Houston as opposed to some other heart condition) but the basic facts of the matter remain exactly as I understood them back in November.

The Larry Coon interviews, in which our favorite salary cap expert 'discloses' that the Knicks made the trade primarily to clear cap space for 2010 and that Mobley's ability or inability to actually play basketball was immaterial, is laughable in it's faux-exposé quality. Coon must have wanted to just say 'duh' and I'm surprised he made it through the explanation with a straight face. It has the air of a Christopher Guest mockumentary. I mean, how could I have been so naive? Why didn't I realize at the time that the Knicks were only making the trade for 2010 salary cap purposes? Oh, wait, I did. Me and everybody else. And by the way, it was neither surprising nor controversial.

I remember the first time I realized that a team had traded for an injured player, and in so doing had dispensed with the pretense that the trade had anything to do with basketball. Terrell Brandon played the final game of his outstanding NBA career on February 4th, 2002. A year and a half later, in late July of 2003, he was acquired by the Hawks as part of a four team trade in which Atlanta rid themselves of Glenn Robinson (who I guess they considered a big dog). Brandon, for all intents and purposes, had been retired for 18 months, and no one pretended that he would ever play again. But he was in the final year of his contract, and the trade worked under salary cap rules. I was pretty surprised at the time - all NBA trades changed irrevocably for me that day. But that was six years ago - I'm over it. To imply that this is anything other than NBA business-as-usual is worse than Captain Renault in Casablanca ("I am shocked - shocked - to find out that the Knicks are only interested in clearing cap space to sign LeBron James!")

You want to do an exposé on fishy salary cap hijinks? How about the inclusion of Keith Van Horn in the Jason Kidd trade? How about the inclusion of Aaron McKie in the Pau Gasol trade? The NBA said at the time that they would only allow those trades if the teams were really serious about acquiring those players. Give me a break. Did either of them ever attend a practice for their new teams? Where's an investigative reporter when you need one?

Were the Knicks being opportunistic? Did they perceive a chance to save some money, either a lot with a medical retirement or less through an insurance payment, by going forward with the trade if they played their cards just right? Sure. Were they being disingenuous to suggest that there motives were purely altruistic? Of course. Again, let's not feign surprise - it's OK. "Here are your winnings, Captain Renault."

On the medical exposé side of things, the investigators seem to be trying to make a distinction between the term "life threatening" and the term "sudden death." Meh. The doctor in Houston told Cat that the condition was "life threatening" but didn't use the term "sudden death." Um... OK. Did he think that the threat to his life was slow? That he would die eventually? Well, we're all going to die eventually, aren't we?

In the end, the story probably hinged on the question, "Why now?" If Cat knew he had HCM, if he knew he was at risk, why did he play 11 seasons, and then decide to retire at this point? But Isn't that one of those questions that answers itself? He'd played 11 seasons. He's 33. He has a kid. It seems obvious to me that the difference between Cat Mobley in 1998 in Houston and Cat Mobley in 2008 in New York has much more to do with Cat the person than Cat the HCM sufferer. He's getting paid, regardless. He's not emotionally invested in the Knicks. He's unlikely to continue playing after this contract is up, at the age of 35. Other than leaving a game he loved, there was really no downside to retiring last November. It was a clean break, and obviously the Knicks weren't sad to see him retire since it saved them some money.

Cat Mobley had a terrific career and was a big part of the greatest Clippers season ever. That's the story here, and it's a good story.

Dontell Jefferson Headed to the Charlotte Bobcats

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:23:23 -0000

UPDATE: I wrote this yesterday, and today, it seems as though the Charlotte Bobcats needed a guard and defense, as they called up RU's favorite point guard, Dontell Jefferson. Currently, Jefferson is averaging 18.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, widely known as the best defender in the D-League. I had him ranked as the fourth best player in my D-League call-up rankings, behind current NBAer's Pops Menshah-Bonsu and James White, along with Jawad Williams. This couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Need Defense? Need A Guard? NEED Dontell Jefferson!

With so many teams needing defense or a guard, I decided to help them out. Here is everything you need to know about the man in the D-League best suited to do both!

Dontell Jefferson, a 25 year old 6'5", 195 pound point guard out of Arkansas, has, over the past three seasons, shown why the D-League is such a wonderful opportunity for players to develop their skills. Jefferson played alongside Ronnie Brewer, Steven Hill, and Darian Townes, all with much higher NBA prospects than himself coming out of college. Jefferson however might be the next one to join the NBA, joining former teammates Ronnie Brewer and Steven Hill on the list of teammates with big league experience.

Jefferson came out of Arkansas with sub-par numbers, but a great body for a point guard and the athletic ability to match. As a Razorback, Jefferson averaged under four points in 62 career games, nothing to write home about. However, after being a fifth round draft pick of the Dakota Wizards, he has improved immensely during his three seasons.

During Jefferson's first season, he played behind Maurice Baker, a former NBA call-up himself, and Corey Williams, the AND1 street baller who is better known by the name "Homicide". Still Jefferson was able to average nine points, four assists, and over three rebounds in just 23 minutes per game. With Coach Dave Joerger kind of using a backcourt by committee with both guards handling the ball, Jeffeson was able to get himself in the flow of the game while learning from veteran point guards. "I learned a lot from them. I think one of the big things I learned at first was how to rub my defender off of screens using the pick and roll to get a little bit of separation," Jefferson said. "I also picked up some veteran pointers... Some things defensively that have helped me to improve."

The Wizards won the D-League Championship, and Jefferson was on his way to the NBA Summer League, ready to show the NBA just what they were missing. Unfortunately, after getting an invite from the Miami Heat, he was released before getting into a game. His former Wizards Coach, Dave Joerger, saw ridiculous upside in him though, as he was added to the training camp roster of Joerger's new team, the Memphis Grizzlies, though was once released before seeing any minutes.

Last season, his second in the D-League, Jefferson came in as a starter in Coach Duane Ticknor's system, playing the two-guard alongside Mo Baker. Again, even though Baker started at point guard, both got plenty of action handling the ball. Jefferson averaged 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists, before heading overseas in March to sign with a team in Latvia. "I don't think as many people were talking about me like they are this year, so it came to a point where I had to make a choice for what I thought would put me in a better situation far as life goes not just basketball," Jefferson says. "I enjoyed my Time in Riga, Latvia. The city was beautiful, I had great teammates and I was able to help the team win its first Latvian League Championship, so it was a very good experience."

After returning stateside from his stint overseas, he was headed to Summer League with the LA Clippers, but once again was released before any games were played. The Clippers apparently saw something in him during the short time he was with them though, as they invited him to vets camp this fall. They already had 14 guaranteed contracts and seven other guards on the roster though. Jefferson only played in one game before being released, but he was grateful for the opportunity. "Being able to go against an all-star point guard like Baron Davis, I had no choice but to get better and learn," Jefferson remembered. "There were also other veteran guys like Cuttino Mobley and Jason Hart who would push me in practice and want to see me get better."

Once he was released by the Clippers, he signed on to come back to the D-League. With the Wizards returning three starting-caliber point guards (Jefferson, Baker, and Blake Ahearn), Jefferson was traded to the Utah Flash for Denham Brown. Even though he had spent his first two seasons with the same D-League team, it seems that he took the trade in stride. "Actually, I was surprised when I first heard bout it. But after really thinking about it, I realized that it was the best thing for me. I was just ready to get the season started."

One thing that may have helped was being closer to college teammate Ronnie Brewer. "Ronnie and I are like brothers that come from different famlies, so to speak. We are roomates in the summer time where we both workout back in Arkansas," Jefferson says. "I think he is a big factor in the success I'm having now. To have somebody with his character and support in my corner is a great feeling."

So Ronnie helped, but I bet the weather didn't hurt. "Haha, I haven't had to wear a coat all winter!"

This season, Jefferson is putting up all-star numbers, averaging 18.8 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds along with over a steal per game. When looking at the talent around him, it's surprising he's been able to put up those numbers. Jefferson's teammates this season have included Bill Walker, J.R. Giddens, Kyrylo Fesenko, Ronald Dupree, and James Lang, all of which are either playing in the NBA or have played in the NBA for a considerable amount of time. "I've just been trying to pick their brains to see how the vet's on their teams have played the point in the past, trying to pick up some pointers from them whenever I can."

Yes, I did say All-Star numbers, but for some reason, Jefferson was left off of the D-League All-Star roster. Since I'm clueless as to why this was, I asked Jefferson, but he didn't really know why either: "That is one question I really have no answer for. I thought with my team winning and me having the season I've had so far, that would have helped me be picked, but it didn't work out that way."

I'm assuming between guys currently on NBA rosters and the season-ending injury to Chris Richard, justice will prevail and Jefferson will make it to Phoenix. That is, if he doesn't get a call-up himself before. When I asked one D-League coach who the best defensive point guard was in the D-League, he quickly texted back, "DJ (Jefferson) no question." With Jefferson improving his all around play this season, along with the hard nosed defense, I don't think it'll be long before he gets to the NBA.

Since I don't see why an NBA GM hasn't given him a chance, I asked him to see what he's been hearing. Jefferson told me, "I think, originally, it was a lack of being seen playing the point. I had a good year at the two during my stint with the Wizards, so it was said that i need to be seen playing the point more."

Well, DJ, it seems like you've got that part down. What's next? "Now that I have done that, I think it's just a matter of me being a consistent point guard, making good decisions, playing good defense, and being a leader out there." In the games I've watched, he's got that covered as well. Has the NBA at least been calling? "I let my agent handle that stuff, I just go out and play ball."

Jefferson just goes out and plays ball, but is there a certain team that he might want to play for more than the others? "Well, I think being a basketball player I have to adapt to the situations that I'm put in. I think with any system I'm put in, I will be able to take advantage of it. Once I learn a system and become comfortable with the guys I'm playing with, it becomes a lot easier."

Jefferson is a great guy off the court, a great player on the court, and sounds like he's ready to help any team interested the rest of the season. Now, NBA GM's, you've got the easy job. If you have a spot on your team for a big, athletic, defensive minded, pass first point guard who can play at the off-guard if needed, CALL HIM UP!

Cuttino Mobley Will Announce His Retirement Today

Steve Perrin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:23:23 -0000

According to a report on ESPN.com, Cuttino Mobley will announce his retirement today.

I must admit, when I first heard that the trade between the Knicks and the Clippers was held up because the Knicks were reviewing the results of the physicals, I reacted petulantly. The delay meant that Zach Randolph would not be suiting up for the Clippers in their game against the Hornets, and I suspected it was some sort of ploy by the Knicks. So that's just another reminder for me to try to reserve judgment and not to attribute motives to other people's actions.

I wish I knew more about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the disease that is forcing Cat to retire. I know that it was the root cause in the deaths of Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers. As a Pepperdine fan, I watched Gathers play for Loyola Marymount many times. It was of course an incredible shock when he collapsed and died - this mountain of a man, this supreme athlete, sprinting the court in Paul Westhead's breakneck offense - dead at 23.

The cases of Lewis and Gathers are cautionary tales for Cat in many ways. Both had signs of trouble before their deaths. Gathers had collapsed in a game in December of 1989, but the cardiomyopathy was not identified at that time. Furthermore, the coaching staff at LMU didn't like the effect of the beta blockers on their star, and got his dosage reduced. Misdiagnosed and misinformed, he was dead 3 months later. Lewis likewise had suffered a preliminary collapse, this one in the 1993 playoffs. In his case, the initial diagnosis was correct - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and he should never play basketball again. But that recommendation was simply not acceptable to him, and he sought a second opinion. He was cleared to play by a second set of heart specialists and died during an offseason workout, 3 months after his first collapse.

From what I understand, Cat was known to have a heart condition going back to his rookie season in Houston. He's played 11 seasons of NBA basketball, never had a heart related incident that I'm aware of, and has been examined every year in training camp, as well as in 3 prior trades to the Magic, Kings, and Clippers. I don't know if the testing is more sophisticated today, or if his condition has worsened - in short, I don't know why the severity of the condition (severe enough to force his retirement) has been identified in November 2008 when it wasn't in countless prior examinations. But in light of the situations with Gathers and Lewis, let's be thankful that he has gotten the proper medical advice at this point. Tim Thomas (not my favorite basketball player, but apparently a genuinely nice and level-headed guy) put it very well:

I mean, basketball's been great to him. He has made a lot of money, he had success and at this point he's in his 11th year or whatever, so I mean, he has a son and his family, and the most important thing is his health. He can always come around and be around and things like that, but the most important thing is his health.

Cat was a terrific player for the Clippers in his three plus seasons in LA. Ironically, given that he is retiring for health reasons, he was far and away the most durable Clipper during his tenure. On a team that saw major injuries and extended time lost to every significant member of the roster, Cat played in 245 of 257 games while he was with the team.

What's interesting about Cat is that he was not at all the player I thought he was when the Clippers acquired him. It's impossible to follow every team at the level one follows one's own team. I can remember Cat having some big games against the Clippers (he just destroyed them during his brief stay in Sacramento), but mostly I knew Cat Mobley prior to 2005 from a fantasy basketball standpoint. He could score, and he could shoot threes, but he didn't shoot a particularly high percentage, and he didn't get a lot of rebounds or assists. As a fantasy-centric basketball guy, I thought I knew who Cat was: a chucker.

But I was wrong. Cat Mobley did all of the little things. He was a leader, he hustled, he got his hands on a lot of balls, he was always in the right position, and he played tough, tough defense. Literally, you cannot see any of that in a box score. But coaches see it. MDsr needed Cat Mobley on the court. Cat gave him such a visible sense of security that I bestowed on him probably the first nickname ever christened on Clips Nation - Blanket. Cat was to MDsr as the blanket was to Linus - his security item.

And it's little wonder. The guy was steady. He always played hard, he rarely made mistakes and he always played defense. When people talk about the Clippers' dominance of the Nuggets in the 2006 playoffs, the way the team frustrated Carmelo Anthony is usually the first point of emphasis. In the collective memory, we tend to think of Quinton Ross as defending Carmelo, and certainly Q took his turns. But I guarantee you that Mobley got more minutes than Ross against Carmelo in that series. He had an uncanny ability to defend against much taller players. Although he doesn't look strong in the Corey Maggette, Ron Artest body builder mold, he was able to hold his ground against players like Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki and Lamar Odom, despite giving up 6 or more inches and 30 pounds. And nobody in the league - nobody - was better at raking the ball out of the opponent's hands as they turned to the basket.

Looking back over Cat's career statistics, one thing really jumps out at me: consistency. His career shooting percentage is 43.3%. His best shooting season was 06-07, when he shot 44%. His worst was his rookie year, at 42.5%. 11 seasons in the NBA, and his shooting percentage varied less than 1% plus or minus from his career average. And although it's not a great percentage, when you factor in the number of three pointers he made, his effective shooting percentage was always solid. Cat was a big time scorer earlier in his career - he actually averaged 21.7 points per game in his fourth season in the league. But as a Clipper, he was never the first scoring option (he was usually more like the fourth option), and he accepted his role with his usual professionalism. I was as critical as anyone of his style on offense - pounding the ball in the post while the rest of the team stands and watches has never been my favorite approach. But it fit perfectly with coach MDsr, and it must be stated the Cat Mobley was very, very good at it. When the 05-06 Clippers were clicking, it was because MDsr could pick his matchup and milk it. Does the opponent have a guard who is a weak defender? Well either Cat or Sam will punish them in the post.

Perhaps the greatest legacy of Cat Mobley in Clips Nation is the very fact that he signed with the Clippers at all. In the summer of 2005, the Clippers were desperate for a shooting guard. Quinten Richardson had been allowed to leave in the vain pursuit of Kobe Bryant the year before. The Kerry Kittles experiment didn't really work out. In summer 2005, Ray Allen was never really an option. But the second best shooting guard on the market that summer was Cuttino Mobley. There are some who think that the Clippers overpaid for Mobley when they signed him to a 5/$42M contract - I disagree. Or perhaps it's a semantic issue - it's certainly a lot of money, but it was the going rate for a starting wing. Don't forget that Mobley was essentially replacing Bobby Simmons on the wing. Simmons signed for 5/$47M, so don't tell me Mobley was overpaid.

More importantly, Cuttino Mobley was the first significant external free agent signing in the history of the Clippers. Prior to Mobley, the team had never convinced a single NBA starter to take their money. By his very act of signing, combined with his veteran leadership and that of Sam Cassell, the Clippers franchise began to change. As a direct result, the team made the playoffs and won a playoff series that season. Since Mobley's signing, the Clippers have behaved more like an NBA franchise - they pursue free agents every summer, and they even sign one from time to time. I don't think that Baron Davis would be a Clipper today if Cat Mobley had not signed with the team in 2005.

In the final analysis, this trade has seemingly worked out well for all involved. The Clippers got a talented young player in Zach Randolph. Cat Mobley got valuable medical advice that could be saving his life (of course we'll never really know about that, but the stories of Gathers and Lewis tell us what can happen). The fact that he was traded to the Knicks, a franchise that had recently dealt with the heart condition of Eddy Curry, was probably significant as well. And given that the Knicks made the move primarily to clear cap space in 2010, it works out fine for them. After all, Donnie Walsh went forward with the trade even after the preliminary examinations revealed a potential problem.

In sports, we occasionally talk about the win-win trade where both teams benefit. But this is the first one I know of that may have saved a player's life.

Hats Off To Donnie

Steve Weinman — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:15:07 -0000

A Daily Babble Production

Whether the NBA's current trading landscape is inherently flawed remains a viable question. It seems that fewer than ten of the league's teams are actively looking to get better each year, and the rest are primarily concerned with clearing salaries in exchange for future cap flexibility and perhaps some draft picks.

But that's another debate for another day. Because for better or for worse, the system described above is what the NBA uses, and Knicks head honcho Donnie Walsh played that system excellently yesterday.

In two fell swoops, Walsh greatly improved the Knicks' long-term financial outlook and the character makeup of his team, to boot.

Among the many complaints about the running of the Knicks' organization under Walsh predecessors Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas, perhaps none was more significant than the long-term salary cap purgatory in which the two clueless fellas managed to embed the Knicks. Having guys who aren't all that good at winning basketball games is a bad enough problem; not having the flexibility to replace those guys with others who are better at winning basketball games only compounds that problem.

In moving Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, Walsh took two enormous steps toward increasing that flexibility, particularly for 2010, the year of the most anticipated NBA free agent bonanza in recent memory. Randolph's $48 million and Crawford's $28 million through 2011 head out the door (plus nearly $3 million of Mardy Collins through 2010), replaced by approximately $50 million worth of Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley and Al Harrington, all of which will be off the books by summer 2010. Whether the Knicks will be able to woo grand prize LeBron James at that point is of course still in question, but having enough cap space to pursue two top-tier free agents in a class full of them can hardly be considered a bad thing.

That is particularly true when one considers the fact that Walsh didn't exactly break up a dynastic group in moving Randolph and Crawford. Yes, the Knicks jumped out to a surprising 6-5 start under Mike D'Antoni before Friday's trades, but the possibility of something-better-than-putridity-or-maybe-mediocrity shouldn't outweigh the value of making sound moves to prepare for a day that this team could give itself a shot to seriously contend.

I've said it too many times to count in this space by this point, and since I guarantee you're getting tired of it, the explanation gets shorter each time: Teams centered on Zach Randolph aren't likely to win any prizes that matter. His lack of defense and unique ability to heinously murder ball movement (and the fact that he isn't the world's greatest teammate) have rendered Randolph a player capable of filling his own stat line as well as the "L" column for his team. Getting rid of this guy might hurt the Knicks' scoring and rebounding in the short term, but it could serve as the ultimate addition by subtraction move, not only regarding his contract but for his attitude as well.

Crawford has grown on me in recent years and was off to a hot start this season (19.6 points per game on 57.1 percent true shooting), but this is still a guy who has a career true shooting mark of 51.4 percent, doesn't guard anybody or contribute anything on the boards and still occasionally suffers from thinking he's playing in the schoolyard (though it's easy to see how Quentin Richardson fosters that thinking on the Knicks).

With Randolph and Crawford, this was a Knicks team that ran the floor, scored a lot of points, still didn't play defense (20th in efficiency), wasn't actually all that efficient offensively (14th) and still had plenty of knuckleheads on the payroll (Randolph, Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury). A low playoff berth and a first-round bouncing would have represented overachievement for this team. And that still would have been the case for several seasons thereafter thanks to the cap situation.

Now, maybe the team will be a few games worse in the immediate future than it would have been without the trades. Or maybe it won't be. Tim Thomas played some of the most inspired basketball of his career for D'Antoni in 46 games (including playoffs) with the Suns in 2005-06, and he was huge in the 2006 postseason. Mobley may still be able to shoot a bit, and Harrington, a Walsh favorite, comes familiar with uptempo play courtesy of his days in Golden State's Nellieball system. He is still a talent who should be in the prime of his career and might have just needed a change of scenery.

But even if this Knicks team finishes a few games worse in the standings this season than it could have with Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford on board, it won't mean much. The goal in this business is to win championships, and a day ago, the Knicks had no chance of putting themselves in position to do so coming at any point on the horizon. Now, the light at the end of the tunnel is suddenly just visible.

Considering the Knicks' situation a short time ago, that there is even any glimmer of that light on the surface is a testament to the work done by Donnie Walsh already in the relative infancy of his Sizable Apple tenure.

Though the 'Bockers are still far from out of the woods, there have been better days to be a Knicks detractor.

So, I guess Donnie Walsh was serious about that 2010 thing.

Seth — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:15:47 -0000

Sweet Buck Williams' britches, what a day. In one rotation of the earth, Donnie Walsh swiftly and mercilessly cut payroll and changed the face of our team. The most recent news is still fresh out the oven, but here's a quick look at what seems to be the case:

New York Receives: Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley, Tim Thomas

Golden State Receives: Jamal Crawford

Los Angeles Receives: Zach Randolph, Mardy Collins (maybe)

That's over $25 million dollars of cap relief in the summer of 2010. It's also the team's two leading scorers (about 40 ppg combined), and one of the league's best rebounders both out the door. Tomorrow will be dedicated to saying farewell to Crawford and Randolph, two players with mixed legacies in New York- both deserving some attention as they board planes to California.

Meanwhile, what does this mean for this season's Knicks, who are a respectable 6-5 heading into tonight's contest in Milwaukee? Well that's two starters scratched. Stephon Marbury has been activated for tonight's game, but I doubt we'll actually see him. For the time being, expect Quentin Richardson to slide down to the 2 spot while David Lee steps into the starting lineup. Or Robinson/Roberson may plug the string-bean shaped hole vacated by Crawford for the time being.

That's the near future. What are the other, long-term implications?

- The Knicks are even farther away from having a frontcourt. Al Harrington's game is Randolph-esque, but with more threes and far less rebounding. The Knicks may need to start Herb Williams at center for the next two seasons.

- On the other hand, David Lee fans can rejoice that our hero's resigning has become more feasible. Or we can live in fear that Walsh is ready to pull the trigger on anybody, and that Lee is an asset to be packaged as the cherry on top of a foul contract later this year.

- Cuttino Mobley is a decent basketball player, but has nothing to contribute besides some shooting, and may never sign another NBA contract.

- Walsh's pickup of Tim Thomas represents some degree of ignorance for Knicks history. If he was trying to erase the legacy of Isiah Thomas, then resurrecting one of Zeke's most perverted acquisitions wasn't the way to go. I understand that he's an expiring deal, but I'd rather just pay the Clippers $12 million for some Universal Studios gift certificates or something. I don't need Tim Thomas back in my life.

- Last, and far from least, is the fact that Donnie Walsh has unmistakeably made his purpose clear. This team is within an Eddy Curry deal away from being legitimate players for the free agent class of 2010. Quincy Douby is within our sights!

The game has changed my friends. Say goodbye to those above-.500 Knicks who were just starting to convince you. Say hello to a team of young studs and expiring contracts that may drive Mike D'Antoni off the deep end before the dawn of 2010. Get ready for many, many losses interspersed with the occasional runaway win (this team just got much more trigger-happy from downtown, if that was possible), prepare for a few more high draft picks to come, and brace yourself for more idle speculation every time LeBron James eats a slice of pizza for the next 2 years. We're rebuilding in earnest, my friends. This is what we wanted, isn't it?

Mobley and Thomas for Randolph

Steve Perrin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:55:39 -0000

The details, according to Ramona Shelburne, are more or less as we suspected. Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas to the Knicks in exchange for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins.

When you begin the season 1-9 and are scoring 90 points a game, it's not unusual to make a move. It's what most franchises would do, and frankly, there's a part of me that's very happy that the Clippers were unwilling to accept their slow start. You don't want to panic, but as a long time Citizen of Clips Nation, panic is preferable to their usual ineffectual complacency.

Having said that, I think that the trade value would only have increased for Mobley and Thomas as 2010 got closer. And I'm just not sold that the team got maximum value in this deal. I was pretty convinced that the Knicks were going to have to package the guy with a pick or an asset like David Lee to get rid of him. They said over the summer that they thought they could raise his value by showcasing him in D'Antoni's offense. If that was their plan, it worked perfectly, with the Clippers playing the part of 'yokel rube.'

Zach Randolph is a statistical monster. But he's never been a winner. Of course, Elton Brand's never been a winner either. EB managed to miss the playoffs every year but one, but he was a nice guy, volunteering in the community and making movies in the off season. Z-Bo spent most of his time volunteering in strip clubs.

Here's what's really interesting: the Clippers now have four players on their roster that have, at one point or another, put up all star worthy numbers. In addition to those four, they have second year player Al Thornton and rookie Eric Gordon who both appear to have star potential. There's no lack of talent on the roster.

Obviously we were concerned about chemistry before. There are two ways to look at this trade in that context. Maybe it makes the chemistry experiment all the more likely to blow up in the test tube. Or maybe the situation was already so volatile, that it doesn't much matter that were tossing in another radioactive element. Only time will tell on that one.

Mardy Collins? They guy who laid out JR Smith setting off the Knicks-Nuggets brawl? Really? Why is he in this deal?

Last thought: bearing in mind, as Citizen John R has always pointed out, that mega super stars (like LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire) are unlikely to sign with the Clippers - partly because of their reputation, deserved or not, partly because they are unlikely to look much like a title contender as soon as 2010 - maybe this isn't such a bad idea, even from a forward looking standpoint. Before, you had Thomas, Mobley, Camby, Ricky all expiring in 2010 - you get a ton of cap space, but can you use it? Now, you still have Camby and Ricky (combined $13M in salary) expiring in 2010, and Z-Bo ($17M... ouch, that hurt just typing it) expiring the next year. Basically, you've got major trade chips for a year longer.

The Zach Randolph Rumor and so Much More

Steve Perrin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:55:14 -0000

What an interesting morning of Clipper-related stuff. Glad I don't have a job. Or a term paper due. (Except that I do have a term paper due.)

As you know, I usually like to have a game preview by this time. Of course, there aren't many Citizens out there who need a game preview for this one. It's not like you're sitting there wondering, 'The Sixers... hmm... now who plays for them again?" At any rate, between my Brand post last night, and some of the stuff going on this morning, I may not get to the preview for a while yet. Just keeping up with the comments on Clips Nation is pretty full time right now.

So about that other stuff going on.

You should read Lisa Dillman's story in the LA Times about tonight's meeting with Brand. What's interesting is that, while Baron Davis has always maintained that it was no big deal and that there were no hard feelings about Brand's departure, it does not come across that way at all. "The mention of Brand quickly wiped away Davis' smile.... Davis hasn't spoken to Brand, and said he doesn't plan to do so.... 'I've got nothing to say to him.'"

And you absolutely MUST read Ramona Shelburne's blog posts recapping l'affaire Brand. It's in two parts, here and here. It's an excellent overview of the key events and motivators. You should also read my comment on the second part (for some reason it's from Anonymous instead of ClipperSteve). I think the cap situation is slightly misrepresented in the story. I'm going to try to find the time and the energy to do a full post about this. Again.

And then there's that trade rumor.

From Alan Hahn's Newsday blog:

The Knicks, Warriors and Clippers are talking about a three-way deal that would involve Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins being sent in a cap-space clearing move that would bring in Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley and Al Harrington.

A hat tip to Blazer fan bedhead on this one. I can't say Citizen bedhead - he was here on a visa.

At any rate, before I got around to posting on this, Ric Bucher on ESPN.com reported that the rumor was half true: Harrington for Crawford is a done deal and will be finalized soon.

So what about Tim Thomas and Cat Mobley for Zach Randolph? Well, here's what we can say about that.

First of all, it works under the cap, so there's nothing that precludes such a deal.

Secondly, the Clippers started the season 1-9 and are currently 2-9. I'd say there's ample reason to be looking at changing things up, wouldn't you?

But the Newsday report was suspicious from the git-go. Why is this a three team deal? If Harrington for Crawford works as a standalone trade, and Thomas/Mobley for Randolph works as a standalone trade, then why complicate matters? A little salary cap tip - when a third team enters into a trade scenario, it is usually because that team has cap space, and therefore is not bound by the same salary matching rules as the other teams. It is very rare that three teams over the cap can complete a three way deal that can't be completed separately. (It's not impossible, as the fudge factors on salary matching can be used to make a deal work that would not work standalone - but it's very rare.)

So it seems like some things were conflated this morning. Obviously it was reported as a three team deal when it turned out not to be, and indeed never had to be. Furthermore, there was an immediacy and 'realness' to the rumor that was totally justified - for Harrington-Crawford. But that immediacy got transferred to a separate Knicks-Clippers discussion, that probably was a lot less serious.

By the way, the self same Newsday blog as much as admits that the Clippers portion of the rumor just wasn't right in a later post:

HOWEVER....the Clippers-Zach Randolph scenario we mentioned in the previous blog might not come to fruition.

Hey, that's why we call them rumors.

Change 'might not' to 'will not' and I think we're all set.

Why does this keep coming up? We know that Thomas and Mobley don't really figure into the Clippers long term plans. Cat's keeping the seat warm for Eric Gordon (though he's clearly the starter right now) and Thomas has never been a favorite of Clips Nation. Both have contracts expiring in 2010, making them very attractive to the Knicks as they work to get into the LeBron/Wade/Bosh derby. (By the way, when Oklahoma City or Memphis or even the Clippers talk about clearing cap space to try to sign a big time free agent, take it with a whole shaker of salt. Do big time free agents want to play for those teams? But New York City, Madison Square Garden, Mike D'Antoni, run and fun? I'm not saying the Knicks get whoever they want in 2010 - but someone will take their money. That's guaranteed. So yeah, they are smart to play this particular game.)

We know that MDsr already pursued Z-Bo this summer. Does he have an affiinty for the guy? Or does the rumor keep coming up because, hey, he's available? I wondered if maybe MDsr coached Randolph at Portland, and had some sort of attachment to the guy, like bringing in Vin Baker. But as it happens, MDsr left Portland the year before Randolph arrived. Maybe he watched the guy develop with a little more interest since it was his former team. After all, Randolph quickly made Rasheed Wallace expendable in Portland and MDsr did coach Sheed. Who knows what the perceived attraction is?

The rumor this summer was that the Clippers were trying to acquire Randolph in a Camby-like deal - giving up nothing but cap space - and that they wanted the Knicks to throw in a pick to sweeten the pot. So I'll say again what I said when the Kaman rumor surfaced - why would they give up significantly more now? No, Mobley and Thomas don't figure into the long term plans. But Mobley is clearly the starting shooting guard right now, and the way Ricky Davis is playing, it would be a pretty big hole to lose Cat for the rest of the season. As much as I love Eric Gordon, the combination of factors doesn't make sense. Do they want Zach Randolph in order to compete now? Well, you don't start a 19 year old if you are planning to compete now. So you can keep Thomas and Mobley and start Gordon while you're building for the future when you have 2010 cap space. But you don't make a move to compete now and in so doing decimate your backcourt.

If the Clippers are going to send all that cap space to the Knicks, they're going to get more than Zach Randolph. Picks, David Lee... something.

But I think what we really have here is a non-trade. It seemed like a trade because it got mixed up with some serious Knicks-Warriors trade talk. But it's not happening.

UPDATE: In classic ClipperSteve fashion (forget about Baron Davis,Elton Brand isn't going anywhere, Allen Iverson to the Clippers) I posted this at 11:55 and at 12:06 Ramona posted from a source that this trade is 'very real, and very close to going down.' Poop. Why do you guys read this blog? I'm pretty much always wrong. I really hope that if it happens, it involves the Clippers getting more than Zach Randolph. I don't think that helps the team enough. Not when both the current starting shooting guard and the future cap space are going away.

Recap - LA Clippers @ Utah Jazz - Don't make me go Mike Singletary on your a**es

Basketball John — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:56:19 -0000

With the game tied up at 48 at the half, Phil Johnson stated that his half-time speech was simple,

"I asked them if they had heard about Mike Singletary's half-time antics. So I threatened to take it one step further and promised them the full monty if they didn't put away the Clippers in the second half."

The Jazz responded and held the Clippers to just 3-20 shooting in the third quarter and cruised to an easy 101-79 victory. The third quarter included a 15-0 run for the Jazz and a nearly seven minute period where the Clippers didn't score. The Jazz held the Clips to just 31 points in the second half. That was just the opposite of the first half where LA shot 70% from the field at one point being led by Cuttino Mobley. Mobley made his first seven shots before cooling off.

Utah had a franchise low of just 5 turnovers in the game (although this box score lists only 4). [UPDATE: Jody from DesNews.com emailed me, "If you look right under where it lists 4 TOs, there is a stand-alone stat that says: Team TO (pts off): 5 (5). The 4 TOs listed are for individual player turnovers; the fifth TO was a shot-clock violation that goes down as a team turnover." Thanks!] They only had one until late in the third. The third stringers were in danger of letting the record go when they came in to close out the blowout. But they managed to hang on to the ball long enough to beat the previous mark of 6. With the second to last Jazz possession, we got this exchange from Boler and Booner,

Boler: "If the Jazz can survive the next 32 seconds [without a turnover], new franchise record."

Booner: "Well, if they don't throw it away on this possession, new franchise record."

[After that possession and a Clips possession, the Jazz get the ball back for the last few seconds.]

Booner: "Looks like we're going to have a new franchise record."

Yes, it was as awkward to listen to as it was to read it. Sometimes I think that Boler and Booner's headsets aren't even tied together. I think Booner just waits until Boler's lips stop moving and then chimes in with a statement. By the way, I also think that it was a franchise record for the amount of times "franchise record" was used.

Boozer feasted on the Clippers again. He went for 25 & 10 on 12/18 shooting.

Brewer continues to play great while still getting only mid-20 minute playing time. He was 6/10 for 16 points and also added two steals.

Memo had 10 points but on only 3/11 shooting. I think his shooting percentage goes up when Williams gets back. He's had to create a lot of his own shots which isn't really his strength. I thought he also finally made a three-pointer, but the box scores showed that he was 0-3.

Millsap had his usual quiet 11 & 7 in his 26 minutes. CJ was disappointing again with only 2-7 from the field and 4 points.

Kirilenko filled out the stat sheet again with 11 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. AK is in his element and has that feeling that he's the leader of the second unit (which he is). That's all that he's needed to return to form. I think he's just wanted to feel needed. Glad to have the AK of old back.

The game thread had a bit of discusstion about Price/Knight. I think we're fine with either one starting and the other coming off the bench. They're both playing similar minutes. The one thing that I realized though is that having Price start is kind of against conventional Jazz SOP. I think Locke mentioned this, but whenever the Jazz have had an injury, they've tried to keep the rotations the same and just subsitute for the injured player. So instead of moving everyone one spot in the rotation, they plug someone in and keep everything else the same.

With the thinking, it should be Knight starting with Price coming off the bench still. But I think that because Knight was still learning the offense, Price got the start because of his time in the system. But Knight has shown in two games that he's more competent in the system than Hart ever was. So maybe Knight should be starting. I guess it won't matter in a couple games when Williams returns though.

Speaking of Willliams, it sounds like Wednesday against the TrailBlazers is his expected return date. He also stated while sitting with B&B that the ankle doesn't hurt him much any more, but that he's got a lot of blood still in his foot that is making things painful. I'm not sure what the fix is for that. But barring some setbacks, expect to see him Wednesday.

Up next are the Clippers again at LA. The next game might be a little closer as the Clips shouldn't be as worn out and aren't playing at 4500 feet. But there's no reason the Jazz shouldn't win this as well.

Other notes

Sloan was out with flu symptoms. Apparently the virus showed up at Sloan's house and convinced him he was a hard worker. Jerry decided that the virus was okay and let him in.
Kosta Koufos, who's lept Fess on the depth chart, got his lunch handed to him by Kaman when attempting a little hook shot in the fourth.
This little tidbit from the DesNews, "Jazz players and rapper Ludacris, a Grammy award-winning artist who created the community-friendly WeMix.com record label, will pick five finalists in December. Fans will then vote for the winner, whose musical masterpiece (or at least the one with the most votes) will debut publicly vs. the New Orleans Hornets on Jan. 7."

So I guess this is to counter the Collin Raye version?

Other blogs

I can't remember if it was here or somewhere else, but someone mentioned how Brewer always starts out answers to questions with "Definitely." He drop about 3 or 4 of those here,