As the 2010-2011 NBA season winds down to a finish, our Los Angeles Clippers are as much an enigma as ever.  Are the U-23's on the verge of becoming a perrenial playoff fixture, or are they destined to join the ranks of past Clipper disappointments of the past decade - Miles, Dooling, Q, Wilcox, Ely, Livingston, Korolev and Thornton?  Should current veterans, such as Kaman and Mo, be considered part of the Clipper core, or should the team be dismantled and rebuilt once again? 

Following up from some interesting (at least to me) debate with Michael White in a previous FanPost, I wanted to dig a little deeper to compare two very different strategies for building the future Clippers.  While I care very much how the team progresses in the immediate future, I though it more interesting to look at how these strategies would set the team up for the 2013 season, when Blake's contract extension will hopefully begin.  To keep in line with the financial realities of Clipper ownership, I assumed (optimisticly perhaps) that the team could exceed the salary cap but not the luxury tax.  I assumed a self-imposed hard cap of $65M in current dollars, which I'm using to avoid speculation on the CBA, future cap figures, contract inflation, etc.  If the Clippers won't spend that, then they shouldn't trade for any max players, sign any significant free agents, or aspire to be more than a low playoff seed.

Scenario #1

In two separate deals next season, the Clippers trade Gordon, Kaman, Aminu, Bledsoe, the Minny pick, and filler for D. Williams and Mayo, who are extended.  This year DJ is extended, and a starting SF is signed for the MLE after next season.

2013 Starting 5: Williams, Mayo, SF TBD, Griffin, Jordan

Approx. Cost = $18M+$8M+$6.2M+$13.6M+$8M = $54M

Next 3 in the rotation: Unknown

Budget to fill out the roster: $11M for 9 players

Strengths: 2 superstars clearly leading the team

Weaknesses: Team depth, weak defensively, next season is punted away with major mid-season changes and no new SF

X-Factors: Health, especially the two stars; progression of Mayo and DJ; unknown SF

Future Cap Flexibility: Limited until either DJ or the SF's contract expires

Scenario #2

The Clippers hold onto their current core players except for Mo Williams, whose contract is allowed to expire after 2012.  They sign a starting SF this offseason to a flat 4 year contract of $8M per year and extend DJ, Gordon, and Kaman over the next two years.

2013 Starting 5: Minny Pick (assuming #3 salary), Gordon, SF TBD, Griffin, Kaman

Approx. Cost = $4.4M+$11M+$8M+$13.6M+$10M = $47M

Next 3 in the rotation: DJ, Aminu, Bledsoe ($8M+$2.6M+$3.7M = $14.3M)

Budget to fill out the roster: $3.7M for 6 players

Strengths: Team continuity with U-23's reaching their prime together, potentially a deep rotation

Weaknesses: Minny pick is an unknown, progression of bench players needed

X-Factors: Same as weaknesses + team health and unknown SF

Future cap flexibility: Limited with both Aminu and Bledsoe needing extensions the following season

I believe both these strategies (assuming reasonable health - which I know should never be assumed) could produce playoff level teams.  I believe only the second scenario has the potential of leading to the Clippers' first championship.  Scenario #1 concentrates financial resources in two max players and then the starting lineup.  It leaves very little for the bench by shipping out everyone who would still be on a rookie contract.  In terms of team composition and likely results, I'd expect the current comps to be the Knicks or Hornets.

Scenario #2 also comes with risks as it depends on the U-23's to improve and for the FO to sign a worthy SF this off-season.  The selection of the SF may carry the greatest risk of all these moves.  None of the players in this scenario represents a bad contract without trade value, but signing the next Outlaw or Posey would really set the team back in either scenario.

The Minny pick is especially valuable in my opinion, not just because of its potential, but because of how it can help the future cap situation by providing an opportunity to replace a veteran with a less expensive, but more talented replacement.  I've assumed the most likely player to replace is Mo, but it could also be the SF, Kaman or DJ.  Another season should allow the FO to gauge the development of the team before deciding. I'm not opposed to trading the pick, especially if the clear BPA in the draft is not a Clipper need.  But the Clippers do need to convert it into a top player on an inexpensive (rookie) contract in order to maintain a quality rotation without exceeding the cap by much. 

Players on rookie contracts definitely carry risks, but those risks are mitigated by spreading them among three players.  Also, the Clippers are fortunate to have decent roster flexibility with several players who can capably play more than one position, including the riskiest of the U-23's.  Building a champion without spending Laker/Celtic/Mav money can't happen without risk, and rookie contracts are the market inefficiency that could allow the Clippers to pull it off.  I believe scenario #2's current comps are the Blazers and the Bulls, and I'm really looking forward to watching them play.

In trading franchise icon Gerald Wallace, Michael Jordan stated that just making the playoffs is not enough, and he is intent on building a team that can one day play for a championship.  He has asked the fanbase to place their faith and hope in him, while the team takes a step back in order to bring future glory.  What he doesn't say is how he plans to build this future champion. 

In his written statement on the trade, MJ straddles the fence between claiming the team has acquired players that will help it compete for a playoff position this season, provide flexibility to be aggressive in free agency this year, and ultimately build a future contender.  The first claim is laughable.  Gerald Wallace was not traded for any players that make the Bobcats more likely to make the playoffs.  The second claim is also false.  Going into the offseason, the Bobcats will have just over $50M committed to 10 players.  $3-4M more will go to the Bobcats' two 1st round draft picks.  Considering that the salary cap currently is $58M and may be headed lower once a new CBA is approved, the trade did not open up any significant cap space to sign free agents this offseason.

It's MJ's 3rd claim that he is really asking fans to buy.  But how does a middle of the pack, veteran team transform itself into a contender?  Some might hope that the mystique of MJ will lure free agents to the Queen City.  Quick rebuilding through free agency has transformed Miami and now seems to be working for the Knicks.  While not impossible, this plan seems extremely unlikely as Charlotte lacks both the big market of New York and the entertainment alure of Miami.

Any realistic path to building a contender will require a more patient, strategic approach.  As an example, consider the Washington Wizards, a team who a couple years ago was in much the same position Charlotte now finds itself.  The Wiz made the last of four consecutive playoff appearances in 07-08 (losing in the first round the last three of those four).  They believed Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and Brendan Haywood would be the core of a solid playoff team for many years.  However, injuries wrecked their 08-09 season and convinced them to begin rebuilding. 

Rebuilding has meant getting rid of nearly every significant player from their playoff years, and only Andre Blatsche and Nick Young remain.  Washington had some luck with the lottery and drafted John Wall with the #1 pick last year, and they also have developed Javale McGee, their '08 1st rounder.  Those four players and Rashard Lewis make up Washington's starting 5.

By any measure, Washington is successfully executing their rebuilding plan and have even been fortunate enough to score a #1 pick.  Still they've won less than 30% of their games during their rebuilding years and have one of the worst records in the league today.  If their rebuilding plan succeeds, they probably are still a couple successful drafts and a couple years of development from emerging from the depths of the Eastern Conference.  And of course there is no guarantee that will happen.

Washington is an approximate example of what we can expect Charlotte's future to resemble (assuming they stick to the plan).  Viewed from the perspective of rebuilding, any Bobcats' players who won't be able to contribute to a contender in five years (best case) are at best trade chips and at worst dead weight.  Realistically, the Bobcats presently have one low end starter (Augustin) and a couple rotation players (Thomas and Hendo) who could fit on a hypothetical future contender. 

In order to gather the rest of that team, every other player on the current team will need to be phased out either by trade or by letting their contract expire.  The Bobcats will need to draft their top 2 or 3 players and establish a new core team before they can hope to fill in the roster with a couple above average players acquired by trade or free agency.  At best, this is a five year plan that will result in many more losses than wins in the near term.  At worst, this is the LA Clippers after Larry Brown left, a team that is finally emerging 18 seasons later. 

Rebuilding is quite the downer, and it didn't have to be like this.  Three years ago, the Bobcats featured a core of Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor and Jason Richardson, and they had no bad contracts.  Had they avoided the foolish, quick fix trades that led to their budget problems, they could feature those same three players with Augustin and Thomas rounding out the starting 5.  Add Livingston, Hendo, Dudley and Kwame off the bench, and the Bobcats could have held onto a winning team while not exceeding the salary cap.  They would have had financial flexibility with Richardson's expiring contract, too.  Let's hope Charlotte learns from its mistakes.  I'll believe it when I see it.

Nets fans have also been debating the merits of a Carmelo Anthony trade, too.  This article from SB Nation sister site Nets Daily attempts to determine where Carmelo rates in the pantheon of NBA stars using the advanced stat, WARP.  It also provides a strong rebuttal to our friend John Hollinger's PER. 

If you prefer to believe Melo is a "superstar" who would take the Bobcats to the "next level," then you probably shouldn't read this.  But if you still want to argue that position, please answer the writer's simple, direct question "why do the stats do right by all the other superstars, but not Melo?"

My position has been clear.  Anthony is highly overrated due to his offensive inefficiency and weak defense.  Signing him to a max contract will be a regretable decision for some foolish team that will end up weighted down by his contract and attitude for years to come.  Giving up Gerald Wallace for the right to make that bad decision should be out of the question.

Just thought I'd re-post this from last February 17 following the Camby and Thornton/Telfair trades.  Some said this view was an over-reaction at the time, but it seems pretty relevant today.

Many Clipper fans are celebrating the recent trade of Thornton and Bassy, but IMO the celebration is a bit premature.  While I do believe Plan A is to go after LeBron or another top free agent this summer, there is a very good chance that plan fails. 

Nobody knows what the backup plan would be.  It could be to fill out the roster with cheap players and field a team earning close to the league minimum just like the pre-Dunleavy Clipper teams.  The only difference between dumping players to gain cap space and dumping players so you don't have to pay them is motivation, and we really don't know what LA's motivation is.

Based on past Clipper history, nobody should just assume the Clips will definitely spend their cap space.  It's far more likely that the team will do whatever it takes to make as much profit as they can for Sterling.  If that means bringing in LeBron and challenging the Lakers, the Clippers would be crazy not to do that.  They would sell more tickets and merchandise, boost the franchise value and do it without significantly exceeding the salary cap.  If making money requires selling a hard working, highly respected veteran player to a rival, the Clips just showed they'll do that without blinking.  And if profitability means fielding a mediocre but cheap team, no one should be too surprised to see that happen again either.

Yes the Clippers are above the league minimum payroll, and Gomes and Foye IMO are valuable role players who I'm glad were signed.  But right now with $46.4M spent on ten players, the Clippers are much closer to the minimum ($43.5 M) than they are to the salary cap ($58M).  They might make it to $50M by signing Sofo, Warren and another minimum contract or two (still closer to the minimum than the cap).

I don't post this to pat myself on the back and say I got it right or to say anyone else got it wrong.  I really wanted to be wrong if it meant the Clippers would be better.  But sometimes it's important to remember what we were thinking in the past in order gain perspective on the future, even a gloomy future.  Below are a few exerpts from the comments to this post.

"If the Clips cheap-out on this one, then I’m out of here. I really don’t think it will happen, though. Maybe I’m not jaded enough."

"Actually, the Clippers have a GREAT backup plan... So if they can’t get a LeBron or another superstar, they can retain Outlaw (who probably won’t be too expensive, based on the new frugality among NBA teams)."

"Bird Rights ... are more significant than you seem to think ... Sure, the Clippers make money for Donald Sterling, they’re one of the most reliably profitable teams in the league, but since Mike Dunleavy arrived I don’t think their basketball program has sacrificed anything to make a quick or shallow buck…"

"As for what the Clippers will do? I wish we had a real owner – even some uber creepy Russian billionaire, at least he’d have money to burn."

[Note by Steve Perrin, 03/10/10 12:07 AM PST ] Sweet merciful crap, there's a lot going on.  I sort of think the Larry Brown thing is significant in all of this.  As our resident Bobcats expert, I wanted to promote citizen ClipCats FanPost to the Front Page.  I don't necessarily agree with everything here, but this is coming from a Clippers and Bobcats fan who has been watching Larry Brown coach the Bobcats for almost two seasons now, so it's a very informed opinion.  Most significant perhaps is the obvious but important distinction that we are almost 20 years removed from the first time Larry Brown coached the Clippers - we wouldn't be getting that guy, we'd be getting the current version of Larry Brown.  Steve

[Note by Steve Perrin, 03/10/10 12:17 AM PST ] A quick clarification:  Citizen ClipCat wrote this BEFORE the Clippers announced the ouster of MDsr.  In order to get it to the top of the Front Page, I updated the time stamp, but it was posted several hours before anyone knew MDsr's fate (unless ClipCat has some super secret source he hasn't mentioned). 

MadGlove posted a recent FanShot indicating Larry Brown has let the Clippers know he would be interested in returning as coach.  Many citizens appear to enthusiasticly support this idea just as Bobcats fans did when he became coach here in Charlotte.  I was one of those who initially believed Coach Brown was just what the Bobcats needed.  Back when he coached the Clippers, I became a die-hard Clipper fan and believed he was pretty much the greatest basketball coach ever.

However, a lot has changed since then, and the Clippers wouldn’t be hiring the 90’s version of Larry Brown. While he has had a Hall of Fame career and is still very popular in Charlotte (Tar Heel roots help a lot), I do not agree that he would be a good coach for the Clippers based on his "accomplishments" during his two year tenure in Charlotte.  More after the Jump

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Many Clipper fans are celebrating the recent trade of Thornton and Bassy, but IMO the celebration is a bit premature.  While I do believe Plan A is to go after LeBron or another top free agent this summer, there is a very good chance that plan fails. 

Nobody knows what the backup plan would be.  It could be to fill out the roster with cheap players and field a team earning close to the league minimum just like the pre-Dunleavy Clipper teams.  The only difference between dumping players to gain cap space and dumping players so you don't have to pay them is motivation, and we really don't know what LA's motivation is.

Based on past Clipper history, nobody should just assume the Clips will definitely spend their cap space.  It's far more likely that the team will do whatever it takes to make as much profit as they can for Sterling.  If that means bringing in LeBron and challenging the Lakers, the Clippers would be crazy not to do that.  They would sell more tickets and merchandise, boost the franchise value and do it without significantly exceeding the salary cap.  If making money requires selling a hard working, highly respected veteran player to a rival, the Clips just showed they'll do that without blinking.  And if profitability means fielding a mediocre but cheap team, no one should be too surprised to see that happen again either.

Based on recent Clipper injury history, we need all the frontcourt depth we can get.  Playing all our bigs for reduced minutes may just keep them fresher, sharper and more motivated next season.  Randolph may be overpaid and a poor defender, but he is still a productive player who helped the Clippers win games last year.  While the punch and the DUI were inexcusable and disappointing, I don't believe he will corrupt BG this year any more than he corrupted EJ or DJ last year. 

Therefore, I would not trade Zach Randolph or any of the other bigs just to get rid of them.  Merely dumping Randolph will not improve the Clips in the short or long term.

The only way Randolph should be traded is if a deal could be done that (at least potentially) improves the team.  Trading for expiring contracts just isn't realistic before 2010 free agency.  Rumors of a deal with Randolph and McGrady as the pricinples, for example, seem like wishful thinking.  So what is left?

If the Clippers are to get useful talent back in a trade for Randolph, they'll have to take back more guaranteed money then they owe Randoph.  I don't know if MJ and Larry Brown would have any interest in Randolph, but a trade of Boris Diaw and Nazr Mohammed for Randolph would be interesting for both teams. 

The Clips would receive an excellent passer and glue guy in Diaw, who could rotate with Griffin and Thornton.  While the Clippers would be getting much less talent back, this would be better value than either the the Blazers or Knicks received.  The downside is that Diaw's contract is $9M and an extra year longer than Randolph's contract.  And Nazr is expensive filler the Bobcats tried hard to dump last year. 

Randolph would give the Bobcats a go-to scorer and more of a traditional starting PF than Diaw.  And they would save about $7M over the next three years.

So would this be a fair trade the Clippers should consider?  Anyone have another realistic trade scenario?

I get to catch the Clips live once a year here in Charlotte, and tonight I had a great view of a brutal game.  This is two years in a row that the Clippers have looked hopelessly awful in Charlotte, and it's getting embarrassing. 

TWC Arena was looking very empty tonight.  The Bobcats share the arena with a minor league hockey team, and the hockey team drew more fans at the game I was at a couple weeks ago.  Even the lower level was half full at best.  The "fans" in my section didn't seem all that interested in the game, and there were more suits than Bobcats jerseys.  The couple sitting next to me left immediately after the Bobcats hit 89 points - presumably to collect the free tacos we all had just won.

But to be honest, there was very little to like about this game.  Both teams played miserably in the first half.  With Wallace, Bell and Juwan out, the Bobcats just don't have much firepower.  Desagana Diop should be a fringe rotation player in the NBA, but tonight he was a starter.  Meanwhile the Clippers came out tentative and disorganized - like this was one of their first games together.  They seemed tense and edgy with a lot of yapping between coach, players and the refs.

Still the game was close at the half, and I thought the Clips would settle down and find their rhythm.  The Bobcats were looking very unimpressive, and the Clippers seemed like they should be able to go on a run and put the game away.  Instead the Clippers only played worse.  The Bobcats turned up the intensity in the 4th, and the Clips collapsed.  That 4th quarter was painfully hard to watch.

A few observations -

Baron - I knew he was playing poorly, but seeing it in person made it much worse.  He airballed 3 pointers, bricked layups and was by far the worst guard on the floor.  Hard to believe he only took seven shots because most of them were memorably awful.  Tonight he might have lost to me in a game of H-O-R-S-E.  He did ok bringing the ball up the court and distributing to the rest of the team so I do think he was trying most of the time.  His defense wasn't especially bad either although he got caught taking a couple plays off.

Z-Bo and Camby - Both put up pretty decent numbers, but neither one looked very good doing it.  They made some nice plays at times, especially Camby's monster driving dunk when the Bobcats weren't paying attention.  But both seemed a step slow and a bit sluggish.  Part of that might be Okafor and Diop playing strong interior D.  Okafor really dialed up the intensity in the 4th quarter and dominated.

Gordon vs. Augustine - IMO Gordon was the best Clipper on the court tonight, and this matchup was the most fun part of this game to watch.  I'd call tonight a draw.  Augustine is extremely quick, and the Clippers didn't have anyone that could keep up with him.  Gordon played smoothly and looked more experienced than his teammates.  Hard to believe he could be a college sophomore right now.  I believe both of these guys are going to have great careers.

DJ vs. Ajinca - I cannot understand how DJ fell so far in the draft, while fringe development projects like Ajinca were drafted ahead of him.  It has to be a case of not seeing the forest from the trees.  Ajinca is a nice athlete who can run, but he's also a skinny 7 footer with Livingston legs who is a long way from becoming a productive NBA center.  DJ may just be learning how to play, but he's far ahead of Ajinca.

Novak vs. Radmanovic - CS and others wrote about the comparative merits of these two guys, but I'd take Radmanovic to fill the role of 1st forward off the bench.  Novak performed his job as shooting specialist well, but Vlad looked like the superior player.  I wonder if motivation and circumstances have had a lot to do with his unfulfilled potential.  He impressed tonight, and he should be a good complement to Wallace and Diaw if he will play enough D to stay out of Larry Brown's doghouse.

Well Clipper Day 2009 end with a dull thud just like it did last year.  This team is still not synched up.  Just as many others have pointed out, that failure points to poor preparation from the coach and embarrassing play from the point guard.  Hopefully the Clips will find some consistancy, but if not, it shouldn't be difficult to see where change needs to begin.

Does anyone have any insight about the mood in the Clippers locker room?  Living in Charlotte, I rarely get to watch Clippers games, and traditional media sources barely scratch the surface when reporting on the Clips.

From my vantage point, the Clippers appear to be the most underachieving, disappointing team in the NBA.  They have the individual talent to compete with anyone, but as a team they've been a total failure even by past Clipper standards.  They are far worse than merely a bad team without talent.  Their performance in the Memphis game was completely inexcusable, and their uneven effort looked even worse when contrasted with the the Twolves blowout.

Are this year's troubles a result of awful coaching and inflexible strategy?  Are the players fomenting a quiet rebellion by undermining Dunleavy?  Or can this all be explained by poor chemistry and miscommunication created by heavy player turnover?  Whatever it is, the result is maddeningly frustrating.  Is this team on the verge of complete meltdown and tanking as shown in Memphis?  Or are they about to turn the corner and show the promise that most of us believed their talent would produce?

I am not at all in favor of wasting a roster spot on Steve Novak.  It appears that he shoots 3's well but does nothing else at all.  Are we that worried about Tim Thomas getting hurt?  The only time Novak should be on the court is during pre-game warmups.  He represents a huge liability any time he's not in position to shoot from the perimeter.  I suppose he may have some value subbing in for individual half court set plays where he can help spread the defense, but TT should be able to handle those situations just fine. 

Here in Charlotte, the Bobcats' hole at PF has been a major topic of debate this offseason.  I recently checked out a long string of posts over at the BobcatsPlanet forum regarding the top PF targets.  Besides the usual unrealistic proposals to trade for Josh Smith, David Lee or some combination of TrailBlazers, the most popular targets seem to be our own Powell and Fazekas.  Compared to the the rest of the slim pickings left on the FA market, they offer an attractive combination of talent and potential.

I don't see how Novak is an upgrade on Fazekas or even on P. Davis or Powell.  Those guys are legitimate players who can rebound well and play decent defense.  Per 36 minutes, they had very strong numbers last year versus other end of the bench guys.  Other than perimeter shooting, Novak doesn't compare to any of them in any other aspect of the game.  I didn't mind signing Skinner as an end of the bench defensive presence, but with this move the Clippers appear to be severely undervaluing their young talent in favor of signing mediocre players that "fit" Dunleavy's system. 

Fazekas, Davis and also Jordan should be regarded and developed as late first round talent.  We are (were) very fortunate to have three such players at the same time.  Each of them is just as likely to become a productive player as the assorted big man prospects drafted in the mid to late 1st round this year. 

If I was Clippers GM, the last five players on the roster would be Jordan, Fazekas, Davis, Livingston and M. Williams, and they would all get playing time either on the Clippers or the D-League.  I doubt there is another team whose last 5 players have that much talent and potential.  I'm very disappointed to think that Jordan may be the only one of those guys to actually make this year's roster.  The Clippers may be missing a great opportunity to develop them into quality depth or to showcase them for future trades. 

Often there is very little difference in skill level between a veteran rotation player and an untested  prospect.  The NBA can be all about opportunity, and the Clippers appear to be missing a great one.

We can all breathe a deep sigh of relief that Zachary "Z-Bo" Randolph will not be condemning our team to a Knickerbocker-like state of depressing mediocrity for the next three years.  Maybe the Randolph rumors were just an attempt by management to make the Camby trade look even more appealing.  If so, it worked splendidly.

Clipper management made a surprising recovery with this trade for Marcus Camby.  It's an exciting time to be a Clippers fan, but isn't the optimism running just a bit too high?  Does Dunleavy really think Camby is a better fit for this team than Brand?  (Note: Felton is the Bobcats PG.  Stop confusing me, and please let that name drift into oblivion.)

Now I agree that just by filling out the roster with a few low budget additions, the Clippers would have to be considered playoff contenders.  However, our shot at the playoffs assumes we have a heathy Baron Davis all year.  Higher expectations will probably lead to disappointment.  So what do we need need to complete this team? 

Defensively, we should control the paint against just about everyone.  We should grab more rebounds and block more shots than any Clippers team ever.  But we are missing a top wing defender to match up with the likes of Kobe, McGrady or even Ginobili, and that will have to be addressed.

We also need to take a second look at how Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby fit together on this team.  Last year Camby was a fantasy basketball monster.  He set career highs in total rebounds, assists, blocks and was only three steels off another career high.  However, he did this while setting career highs in games and minutes played, and he played on the a team that scored and allowed more points than anyone other than the Warriors, for whom Baron piled up his gaudy offensive numbers.  I agree Camby can be a good fit next to Kaman, but there's no way he even approaches his numbers from last year.  So a statistical analysis that extrapolates wins by from Camby's production last year will greatly overvalue him, and to some extent the same may be true of Kaman and Baron.

Kaman's rebounding numbers will take a hit playing next to Camby, but I see no reason for him not to be able to match last year's numbers in just about every other category.  He absolutely has to step up his offensive game to become a more assertive scorer down low.  He has to cut down on those irritating close to the basket misses that he makes too difficult with tricky finesse moves.  And he must draw double teams to open up space for our shooters.

On a team good enough to compete with the best in the West, Kaman shouldn't be expected to be better than a 3rd option on offense.  Mobley is fine as the 4th option, but he isn't better than that at this late stage of his career.  Gordon may become a great scorer, but he will be coming off the bench for at least the first part of the season.  And Camby is really not much of an offensive presence.

So that leaves Al Thornton as our 2nd option on offense.  Last year every Western Conference playoff team except for the Suns fielded at least two 18 ppg scorers.  Can Thornton become that kind of scorer and play at the level of say Josh Howard?  That is a lot to ask of an unproven 2nd year player.  He's looked great in Vegas, and this year he will have the opportunity to really step up his game and shine.

So where do the Clippers go from here?  Best case, we get some offensive help for Thornton and pull off a sign and trade for Josh Childress.  That seems unlikely right now but worth our very best effort.  With Childress on our team, I'd be ready to drink the Kool-Aid again. 

A re-signed Shaun Livingston should become our wing defender, but I'm not too optimistic that will happen either.  Livingston may not be ready to assume a major role at the start of the season, but he's got too much talent and the Clips have too much invested to lose him now.  Otherwise we may have to watch him resurrect his career with one of our aging rivals like the Suns or Mavs.  I suppose bringing back QRoss would be the next option.

The other free agents to watch are Matt Barnes, Ryan Gomes and Craig Smith.  Like many on this site, my initial preference was for Barnes.  He's a tough SF who seems like he can do a little of everything.  Plus he's an unrestricted FA and a familiar face.  But last year, his shooting really regressed.  A .423 FG% and .293 3PT% are not nearly good enough.  Gomes has quietly developed a very strong all around game.  He was a more efficient scorer last year, a better rebounder, and he can hit 3's, too.  Minnesota is likely to match any reasonable offer for Gomes, and that would make his teammate Craig Smith expendable.  Smith is a strong rebounder who would match up well with TT on the 2nd team.

The most fun part of signing Camby is that we can speculate on the Clips next move all year.  Thomas, Mobley and even Camby will only become more valuable trading chips as their contracts run down, and maybe by mid-season, we'll pull off a trade for David Lee or Charlie V. before they hit free agency.  We should keep our expectations realistic, but this is a great time to be a Clippers fan!