What is going on here Cllpper fans? We spend all year creating a situation where the elite NBA SF could potentially be ours and already we are coming up with reasons why he will ignore us. It appears that the damage to our fragile ego's has reached a critical mass. Please guys dont give up on this dream. Its what being a CLIPPER is all about.

We dont even know where we will pick in the 2010 draft. Maybe we get Wall, maybe Evans - does that not change anything? If we traded Cole Aldrich to the Wolves for Rubio - would that not make a difference? All we have is potential, and the 2010 team I see before me is possibly the best we will ever put together. All those years of suffering have lead us to this moment in time.

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I can tell we are all worn down by the incessent losing from a team that should by all indications be winning impressively. We need a change and I have a solution.

Quite simply, I suggest that Dunleavy continue coaching the team for the first half of games and then appoint John Lucas to take the reins for the second half of the game. This arrangement would allow Dunleavy to keep his job in addition to keeping the salaries fixed at their present level to appease Stirling.

From what I can tell, the Clippers seem to start games strong and then fade into insignificance during the second half. I think that by changing coaches midway through the game our players will regain their missing focus and intensity. No longer would they be so predictable at the closing moments of games. We address our focus problems late in games and throw a curveball to the opposition to keep them guessing. Seems like a winning formula to me.

The time has come for a change. As a fan, I could really get behind a dual coach system. It would be exciting and dynamic plus it would give Dunleavy a chance to prove to us that he is doing everything in his power to get  us wins - even if that means giving some control of the team to another coach. This is a way for Dunleavy to prove that the team comes before his ego. If we keep losing, we can start to put the blame on the players instead of always making Dunleavy a scapegoat for our losing ways.

We have the advantage of having two head coaches currently on our staff - now is the time to make the most of this advantage.

What do you guys think?

This guy along with Gordon were the two shining stars for the Clippers last year. He has phenominal offensive production and amazing hands. I can't believe we would even consider trading him for expiring contracts. That idiot Hollinger thinks that the Clippers will have a firesale. I highly doubt that. Intitially, Zach will start and Griffin will back him up. Once he gets comfortable, he can start and Zach will provide us with one of the most talented sixth men in the league.

Baron is also someone who wont get traded. His value is rock bottom and so is his pride. He is in the gym twice a day and looks likely to play in the Summer League. I say we give him another chance. Either way, we have Mike Taylor and Mardy Collins - both who can start. Baron off the bench would be another major addition and help us out tremendously. This year our bench stunk up the joint - lets hope next years is much improved.

The truth of the matter is than none of us are Donald Stirling and who really cares what profit margin he makes on the franchise. He is a cheap bastard that was tricked in investing big in Baron and Zach due to their names - lets not give him a way out of those deals. Why should we have to endure crappy expiring contracts so Stirling can make us the cheapest team in the league as opposed to the third cheapest. I don't care what he spends - do you?

The only trade I would make in the offseason would be for Rudio (Oklahoma or Memphis = Kaman or Camby plus next years unprotected pick for Rubio and filler). Both of these teams desperately need veteran big men to compliment their backup quality young centers. I doubt these trades would go through but I like the idea of getting Rubio even if it also costs us Thornton - but no chance on Griffin.

Lets see how this team develops after a solid training camp. Hopefully Dunleavy will try and run more to utilize Griffins athleticism. I can't wait to see some alley-oop passes next season between Griffin and BD. Our fast break points were nonexistant last year. We have a really good team we just need motivation and leadership. Having a new young gun with a crazy workout attitude is just what this team needs. I hope he turns out to be a Shane Battier with a better offensive game in a Power Forwards body. That no-nonsense attitude does wonders for a team.

Next years makeup should be:

PG = Baron / Taylor / Collins (If BD is too slow to work in this fast starting squad, I would bring him off the bench and replace him with Taylor)

SG = Gordon / Jones / R Davis (hopefully waived)

SF = Thornton / Collins / Novak (only if he demonstrates ability to play SF - any free agent acquisitions should focus on a defensive SF)

PF = Griffin / Randolph / Skinner (If Sofo makes the team then Skinner could be waived)

C = Camby / Kaman / Jordan (I would move Kaman to backup until he earns the starting spot. Easier opponents will help his confidence)

By the way - before people make comments that we have too much salary on the bench, I think that is a wonderful problem to have.

What is wrong with Baron? I saw a clip of him shooting 3's and he is awesome. A guy just doesn't forget how to shoot. Most of the time, an injury changes their routine and although the mind tells them to do something, their bodies just don't respond. Could this be the problem with Baron?

I watched the other night Baron dribble the ball up the court and he was moving to the left and the right, spin moves, post up's - he was unstoppable on the dribble. I have seen him make passes, no Clipper point guard has ever been able to make. As a point guard, he is incredible - until it comes time to shoot. Shots that rookies are expected to make clang off the rim for him. Let's face it, Baron knows how to shoot, we have all seen him do it. Just not on this team. Not consistently anyway.

So why is this phenominum occuring? Is it because Baron is injured? Is it related to Dunleavy's style of play? Is the teams players not compatible with Baron's skillset? Maybe Baron is more interested in movies and refuses to train. It is an enigma.

The point of this article is to discuss Baron's upside. Sure if Elton didn't lie to us, Baron would probably not be a Clipper. But we have him now and nobody else wants him - so expect to see a lot more of Baron in the future. I for one am going to cut him a break. As a passing and ball moving PG, Baron has more skills than any prior Clipper. He just needs to attack the basket more and reduce the difficulty on his shot selection (at least till he is healthy). It is hard for a top level PG to play with a crappy team that loses all the time. It is humiliating and saps your motivation. This year is a write-off anyway due to injuries.

Dunleavy needs to hand this team over to Baron for the rest of the year and see what happens, His style has been unsuccessful every year but one. In that year we were defensive monsters. With Baron, Thornton and Randolph, we will never again be defensive monsters. We need to work to our strengths and those strengths mesh well with Barons style. He likes it fast, PG dominated and unstructured. Even he doesnt know where the ball with go most of the time. With all the shooters on our team, we need to average over 100 to be winners. Dunleavy likes to score 80-90 points per game and that wont cut it with this team.

What do we have to lose? I think the team needs to have a meeting and create an agreed upon playbook. Dunleavy is having a rough year - if he is going to stay he needs to make some adjustments. Otherwise, we need someone else leading our team next year.

http://www.ibeatyou.com/competition/dace17/most-3-pointers-in-a-minute-ibeatyou-nba-allstar/entry/3dd9a3/can-you-beat-steve-nash

I know Dunleavy is stating that no further trades will take place this year, and I understand his very logical reasoning. We cannot, however, allow a potential difference maker to get traded and not even make an attempt to bring him over here. The difference maker I am referring to is Amare Stoudemire. We have all seen this guy dominate the Clippers – kind of like the way Chris Webber dominated the Clippers. Phoenix is tanking badly and looking to jettison players (including Stoudemire) for a combination of young studs, high draft picks and a replacement starter big man. We all know they are going to get lowballed from every team in the NBA. Let’s hope the Clippers offer fair value and win the race. The trade would probably be:

Chris Kaman + Al Thornton + the worse of our two 2011 first rounders to Phoenix in exchange for Amare Stoudemire and Alando Tucker.

Phoenix gets a starting center to replace Stoudemire and hold them over until Lopez matures and Shaq retires. They also get a young stud in Al Thornton who can become a go to scorer similar to Grant Hill in his prime (but not as good). The draft picks are negotiable but in order to get Amare I personally would be very flexible (including this year’s high draft pick).

I am not saying we should act foolishly and/or hastily, I am just saying that a front line of Amare and Randolph, backed up by Camby and Skinner seems very imposing to me. Once Thornton is gone, Novak can become the starter and be backed up by Ricky Davis. When Novak is on the floor he gets lots of attention and still seems to find a way of getting his shots. With a starting lineup featuring Amare, Zach, Eric and Baron – Novak will instantly become the most ignored guy in all of basketball. He is going to rain down the three balls. Our bench is weaker offensively than most (not including the rookie we get this year) but defensively we will be great – spearheaded by Camby, Taylor, Collins, Davis and Skinner. Our team will be complete and we will finally have a chance of winning a Championship. We need to be in it to win it and I think our bid is stronger than any others in the Amare Sweepstakes. Please Mike bring in Amare.

Boy is it quiet here on Clips Nation. Things are stabilizing in the NBA and it seems the Clippers roster is set for the year. Nevertheless, NBA.com is reporting that Dirk Nowitski may actually be on the trading block. If this is true, the Clippers should definitely bid on him as he is a perennial all star, MVP candidate and all round superstar. The Clippers also have the trade pieces that Dallas covets.

To replace Dirk, I would offer Randolph. Yes I love this guy as much as the next Clipper fan, but lets be realistic – Dirk is an all round better player. To match salaries, we would also need to throw in Baron Davis (a franchise player to replace Jason Kidd) and also throw in Al Thornton to give them some young talent. In return we would get Dirk, Josh Howard and JJ Barrera.

Clippers Out: Zach Randolph, Baron Davis (or Marcus Camby), Al Thornton

Clippers In: Dirk Nowitski, JJ Barera, Josh Howard

Would anybody on this forum take this deal if it was offered?

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/art_garcia/01/21//dirkfuture.western.insider.20090121/index.html 

On paper, the Clippers are so talented this year they should have been far more successful - even given the injuries. There is talk about speeding up the game but with our lineup I think that would just play to our opponent’s strengths. With a healthy group of starters we could do some damage – but there is also a real concern from what I have seen that the team will struggle as our starters have no defined roles and our bench has very little offensive punch. What is the solution? – I think the solution is to play Novak as starting SF and move Thornton off the bench.

Obviously Thornton is a better all round player than Novak. They both have defense vulnerabilities – Novak is a step slow and Thornton forgets his assignments. From what I have seen though, I think Novak is slightly more reliable. He seems to take control of his section in a zone and keep close to his man when Dunleavy calls other plays. He also never rebounds on either end but brings a huge advantage of having a tall guy first back on the missed shot. Next time he plays pay special attention to how many fast breaks the other team completes. It is not his defense that has me intrigued though.

Offensively, Novak has the range on his 3ball that is very valuable when partnered with Gordon and Davis. Has anybody else noticed how much attention he gets on offense? Did Dunleavy notice that Detroit put Prince on Novak much of the game? As a Clipper fan I have made many comments about spacing and our lack of ability to create the kind of spacing that wins games. When you have a big team it makes sense to take it slow and focus on ground & pounding your way to victory. The key to a solid ground & pound offense is spacing. Dunleavy always preaches that his style wins Championships but the reality is that his defensive style combined with solid 3 point shooting and a starter off the bench wins championships – aka San Antonio.

Thornton loves the midrange shot – I don’t think this helps our spacing at all. Better that he moves to the bench to be the spark Ricky never was. He will still get his time, but like Maggette when he does not have the ball he is useless and when he does have the ball you can be sure it is going up. Playing against weaker defenders and being the focal point on offense will play to Thornton’s strengths – off the bench. He is a major talent and will be an all star one day. He is just too good at getting his own shot to start on such a talented team.

I know I am a stubborn bastard but I think we need to discuss the Steve Nash trade I proposed recently. I mentioned the trade to my wife (not a Clipper fan) and she mentioned that this might be just the thing she needs to watch the games with me. Steve Nash is not just a phenomenal PG, he is also a very popular person. He represents all the underdogs in this world and tells them that anyone can be the best with effort and determination. As a player, captain and representative of the Clippers he might actually get the fans back in their seats. Without crowd energy the Clippers will never get over the hump. Barons unprofessional attitude is losing us fans every day. We need Nash and we should do whatever it takes to get him.

As a player, Steve will allow us to effectively evaluate Dunleavy. Lets face facts – who here can blame Dunleavy for a complex style when Baron is unable to run it? Who can blame Baron, when Dunleavys style is so complex? If Steve Nash is unable to fulfill Dunleavys vision, we can safely place the blame on Dunleavys shoulders.

He will also bring us clutch plays and solid passes to actually bring out the best in our talented team. A true leader both on the floor and in the locker room. A guy that just doesn’t understand how to slack off – or lose for that matter. Think about the effect Chauncey Billups has had on Denver. We need that.

With Jason Richardson now on Phoenix, we will have some serious support to make this trade. If Phoenix really wants to move Nash, who better to replace him than Baron?  It is a trade where everybody wins. Furthermore, Phoenix is in luxury tax territory about $4M over the threshold. A trade of Nash ($12.2M) and Barbosa ($6.1M) for Baron Davis ($11.3M), Jason Hart ($2.5M), Brian Skinner ($1.3M) and a pick would probably work for both teams. It would also bring Phoenix within spitting distance of the luxury tax and could save them millions. I think they would pull the trigger on this one. Give Nash the rest of the year to understand the team and see what we can do next year. If it works, we resign Nash and if not he expires at the end of next year and can be traded or left to walk. Truly a trade that helps both teams. Let’s make it happen.

I have been scanning a few other blog sites and I have come across two trades that I personally would go for if the opportunity presents itself. As we all know this site has the smartest basketball minds, I am curious to see what Clipper Nation thinks of these trades (and for a change it does not involve Kaman).

Option 1: Baron Davis for Steve Nash.

Option 2: Baron Davis for Rafer Alston and Shane Battier.

Personally, I would go with Steve Nash. Apparently he is very unhappy that Phoenix traded his mate Raja Bell and sent away Mike Dantoni. Nash would be a perfect fit for us. He may be one of the few PG’s that can understand Dunleavy’s system. He may not want to stay after his contract expires, but this will only give us cap flexibility in 2010. It was almost unanimous on the Phoenix blog site that their fans would go with this trade. It reunites Baron with Jason Richardson and gives Phoenix a real boost in morale. The benefit for the Clippers is obvious.

Option 2 would also be desirable. Alston is a good PG and Battier is a solid backup SF/SG. This would solve our problems at PG and finally give our bench some depth.

What does everybody else think?

I don’t care for Kaman and do not think he is a good fit for our team. I wanted to trade him in the offseason and I still want to trade him today. Unlike some of the blog-bashers on this site, I like to backup my assertions with logical evidence. So let’s look at some of his faults:

1. He misses lay-ups that any journeyman NBA player can make consistently.
2. He has no idea how to pass the ball. 95% of the time he touches the ball he shoots.
3. He cannot handle the double team effectively. How many years do we have to suffer with his inability to understand this strategy?
4. He gets lazy of defense regularly. He fails to box out, rebound or switch in a timely manner on defensive sets. Sometimes he rebounds, but generally only when our next big man is Tim Thomas or Al Thornton.
5. He is not a vocal leader – yet he is a veteran presence making millions per year.
6. He cannot pull off a well timed screen - ever. Brian Skinner and Puld Davis are way better at screening for Baron. How can a true center not understand how to deliver an effective screen?
7. He is injured no less than 75% of the time and plays hurt another 25%.
8. He is not the defender of the paint that most of the other centers in the league are capable of doing. He gets some blocks, but also gets caught out of position far more often.
9. He is dominated by almost every legitimate center in league – see Bynum, Ming, Howard, Brad Miller, Dalemburt… I can’t think of a legitimate center that gets dominated by Kaman.
10. He is not consistent. Some days he is Kaman 1.0 others he is Kaman 2.0 and others he is Kaman 0.5. Think about this naming convention – we gave it to Kaman because we wanted to know which Kaman we would be watching on any given night. How many other players have been given this kind of moniker?

The list could go on and on and on. He has potential, but ultimately he is a disaster for the Clippers. For those that disagree, please refer to the Clippers record since he arrived.

I do not understand the ridiculous love affair some Clippers fans have with this journeyman center. Maybe it’s his potential, maybe its your pride. Right now we need a change and Kaman’s potential is the only thing that we are willing to sacrifice as a team. Camby is a better player in every aspect of the game except for scoring. Randolph is so much better than Kaman it is not even funny. I consider that Randolph has some of the very best hands in the business while Kaman has some of the very worst.

Regarding Eric Gordon, an article on ESPN today lists the top 20 rookies for this year. Guess what? Gordon does not make the list and he is a starter on a team that is desperate for scoring. He may become great, but right now he is a major liability at the SG position. We need to address this much more urgently than our backup C position – even if it means getting less than top dollar for Kaman. By the way, can any of the great Clipper minds remember a single offer we have received for Kaman that was not junk? I didn’t think so. His value is not even high with teams that know nothing other than mediocrity. No decent teams ever make trade offers for him that does not involve junk players. The market has determined the value and we need to accept this. Yes – even the most stubborn Clips fans need to accept this.

For those of you without the brain capacity to understand this concept – I think your strategy of waiting for Cleveland to offer Lebron for Kaman is incredibly short sighted. Nobody will ever offer an elite player for Kaman. EVER!! Now that his numbers are destined to spiral downwards, we are going to be offered even less in the future. If we had other players to trade, I would love to have such a big front court, but we don’t. So if we are going to compete next year, we need a final team now. Then by next year, we may have some chemistry.

I will happily take some quasi Clipper fan attacks because the stats prove my points. We suck and have sucked every year since Kaman arrived. Outside of one lucky appearance to the post-season (due to Cassell and Brand – not Kaman) we have not had the ability to execute on offense or defense. I blame that on Kaman and the facts back me up. One stupid starting player can destroy a coach’s strategy. Guess what guys – Kaman is that stupid player. Now, from what I have read by some people (CS, JR, Jax, Zhiv and CTOAGN excluded) on this blog site, I am starting to think that birds of a feather flock together.

Now that the Bobcats and the Suns have completed their trade, maybe it is time that the Clippers seriously thought about trading Kaman. Personally, I believe that Bell and Diaw would be a perfect fit for the Clippers. The Bobcats are desperate to get Kaman and would probably trade their new acquisitions for our backup center if we put the offer on the table. Kaman is irrelevant to the Clippers right now. Camby is a better fit to play alongside Randolph and improves our defense significantly. Kaman is oft injured and very unreliable. Bell and Diaw are solid performers on winning teams and have proven themselves over the years. They are rarely injured and can score in an above average manner for their positions. They could contribute immediately and drastically improve our team. We want to run more and these two players have experience in this strategy.

Eric Gordon is going to be great, but not immediately. In fact from what I have seen, it may take a couple of years. Raja Bell is an awesome defender with a 40% career 3 pointer – just what the Clippers need from their starting SG. Diaw is a solid backup forward that can score – something we are desperate for from our bench. With both Diaw and Gordon playing reserve roles, we can be assured that our backups will score more than 10 points as a unit in any given game and therefore give us a realistic chance of winning some games.

Once the trade restrictions have expired, I would offer Kaman and Ricky Davis (or Hart) for Diaw and Bell. Furthermore, I would also acquire Darius Miles to backup Thornton. Our depth chart would now be:

C = Camby / Davis / Jordan

PF = Randloph / Diaw / Skinner

SF = Thornton / Miles / (Davis)

SG = Bell / Gordon / Collins

PG = Davis / Taylor / (Hart)

From my perspective, this lineup addresses many of the weaknesses in our current team. Our starters shoot better, pass better and defend better. Our backups score better. The Bobcats have Okafor and Kaman anchoring the post. Everybody wins.

Can Kaman, Camby and Randolph play together at the same time? The thought intrigues me plus Dunleavy seems to think it can work. I know that Randolph can pass the ball better than most power forwards in addition to having a very effective outside shot and pretty good dribbling skills. Camby is a great passer for a big man and also has a very deep shot. I don’t see these three players crowding the paint on the offense yet they would be very scary on defense. It shall be interesting to see.

Also consider the possibility of moving Thornton to shooting guard. He seems to have good lateral movement in addition to decent passing and dribbling skills. I think he likes the midrange and deep shots more than going to the hoop so a shooting based position may suit him. Our passing problems may not be so bad – keep in mind that Baron loves to hog the ball.

As for defense on the fast breaks, some teams may hurt us, but as we just saw in Philly and San Antonio has proven for years – if a big team can get back and block out the paint, they can stop the fast break. The trick is to hit the paint frequently on offense and force the opposing players to run further on the break. I think Thornton is very quick as is Baron. We should be able to hold our own. With such a tall and versatile team, we have enormous advantages at almost every position. I know Dunleavy would like that.

C = Kaman

PF = Camby

SF = Randolph

SG = Thornton

PG = Davis

This game was a true heartbreaker. I don’t think in all my years of loyal Clipper adoration that I have ever seen a team more confused and less skilled than the team I watched tonight. We seem to have absolutely no idea what to do on any given play. The coaching has been plain awful – I can’t understand why Dunleavy is incapable of setting up an effective defensive strategy that our players can understand. Our offense stunk up the joint but our defense was plain embarrassing.

Individually we can both score and defend with the best of them. As a team, we have no idea what to do. Over the offseason, we accumulated a bunch of players that are not very good at team play. With the possible exception of Camby, our players seem to not be developing the defensive mindset required to be amongst the elite teams. We need to look at solutions. I understand the conservative nature of this website, but how long are we going to have to wait to see the obvious? We need a major insertion of intelligent basketball play to seriously compete in the long term.

The biggest problem with our team is Kaman. He is just not reliable. He is hardly ever intense on the court. Camby is a far better center and we desperately need a traditional power forward that is going to get a couple of rebounds and score some low post points. We don’t need an offensive monster, but we do need to control the glass much better than we have. As long as we lose Kaman we will have a better mindset as a team when the time counts. So once again let’s talk trades.

I wanted to get Iverson but he was snapped up by Detroit. So lets look at another realistic trade. Clippers trade Kaman, Mobley, Thomas and Hart to the Knicks  for Lee, Crawford, Marbury and a first round pick. The Knicks are desperate to unload Marbury and the Clippers are desperate for a confident scorer. Either way, we keep our salary cap advantage next year. We get Lee to work the boards and we get Crawford to start the SG position. It doesn’t make us notably better in the short term, but it makes us smarter as a team and over time that will help us play Dunleavy’s system.

There are many other trades that can be proposed and I hope that the big minds on Clips Nation can move beyond the “lets wait and see” mantra and make some suggestions that can seriously change the dynamic of this lottery bound basketball club.

I know I am rebelling against the party lines here, but I am angry and I am pissed off. Something has to change and change soon. The problems that have compounded over the past three years may just end the Clippers this year. Attendance at all three games has been pathetic and is looking like it will get far worse. The embarrassment I have endured so far this year (the year of dashed hopes) is intense – and before the comments come in that I should change allegiances – forget about it; I will stay a Clipper fan and I will get more and more pissed off – like any true loyal fan.

So maybe we should be thinking about making some changes. Why you say? Let’s discuss this for a second. Correct me if I am wrong but in the first three games, when Baron was not on the court, I did not see one single cohesive play run with a successful outcome. It was my impression that Dumbleavy is a play oriented defensive coach. Well so far the plays have sucked and the defense has been terrible. This is a worst case scenario and it is rapidly becoming reality. So what needs to change? The answer is very simple – either the coach needs to change or the team needs to change.

I understand that we need more time, but changes also take time and I have seen nothing at all to make me feel like more time will have any effect. Even if Camby is a superstar, he will not be enough. Let’s face a hard reality Clipper fans – WE HAVE THE LEAST INTELLEGENT TEAM IN PROFFESSIONAL SPORTS. This is not a statement of hate, it is one of reality. IQ has never been a prerequisite for this team and it is finally catching up with us. Kaman, Thomas, Ricky Davis, Mobley and Thornton are all very slow witted individuals (I met Thornton recently hence his addition). I love these guys but they are as incapable of running a cohesive play as Maggette was last year. If Dumbleavy is unable to coach his team and Sterling is unwilling to modify the team – then we need to get rid of Dumbleavy. If we are going to keep the coach, we need to get rid of at least two of the least intelligent members of the squad in exchange for more intelligent members of the NBA community.

Personally, I think we should change both but realistically you can change the coach yet keep the players and still have a low IQ team. Our only real option at this point is to trade Kaman. He cannot handle the double team and is constantly slacking on offense. He has no idea of spacing and seems to catch the ball in the worst spot on the floor every single time (when he catches the ball at all). He has mad skills (maybe more than any other Center) but he is lazy and unfocused. These things cannot be cured overnight. He will continue to play in spurts for the rest of his career. We have five years and $50M invested in this dude and if he continues his awful play we will be stuck with him for that entire period. Right now he is a huge gamble and the time for us to unload him is soon or possibly never. Sorry Chris we gave you many chances and the verdict is in - you are incapable of being a second option on any NBA team.

I know Clipper Nation has shot down my suggestion of Kaman & Mobley for Iverson (a guy that has very high IQ) plus Denver’s $10M trade exception (I wanted to use it on Al Harrington – another high IQ player) – so lets hear some solutions in this thread and not just criticism of my writing skills. We need high IQ players so who should we seriously look to get – make your suggestions or start your blog by stating why we don’t need IQ athletes. The gauntlet has been thrown down Clipper Nation.

I know it is very early in the season, but maybe the time has come to look at the real potential of this team and how it can become better in the short term. Outside of a miracle, we really need to consider a trade and in my humble opinion we should start with Mr Flippy.

The truth is that Kaman is too unreliable to be a solid NBA player. He has potential and some mad skills for a big man, but he is devoid of any form of killer instinct. He takes the easy way out too often and I for one am struggling to keep optimistic after last years performance combined with poor Olympic play and a horrible start to this season. So maybe it is time to trade him and move on.

With Camby in the lineup, we are still set at the Center position. I say we make a trade with Golden State for Al Harrington. He is not my favorite player, but he has the skills and is in the doghouse with Nellie. At least Harrington has some form of killer instinct. I think in the current environment, GSW may be open to this straight up trade.

Furthermore, it seems that Mobley’s career with the Clips cannot end soon enough. He is a solid player and still has some talent, but he sucks as a wing player and he sucks as an outside shooter. We need more aggressive players in the SG position. I would love to trade Mobley (maybe even Mobley and Kaman for Allen Iverson) as I just don’t see how he can be a solid player for us this year. I am so desperate for a solid outside presence; I would even consider Novak at the SG position.

If we got AI or Harrington our team would become much faster and much smarter – and that will translate to more victories. We have Kaman and Mobley as expendable trade assets, and now is time for Dunleavy to shine. I love the Clippers, but it looks like it is going to be a brutal season with this current lineup. After last season, who of us can seriously keep positive if we get a repeat? If we can’t get it together by 2010, we will never get the marquee players regardless of cap space. We need to figure things out now and cross the 2010 bridge when we get to it.

PG = Davis, Taylor, Hart

SG = R Davis, Gordon, (maybe Iverson)

SF = Thornton, Novak

PF = (Harrington), Thomas

C = Camby, Skinner

Seems a shame for Shaun, but the Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard has stated that they are passing on him. Maybe he is not as healthy as we hoped. Shaun was an experiment to start with and this injury does not appear to be career ending. I still believe in raw talent and in three years this injury is likely to be a distant memory. If I am right, he will be impossible to get if we dont do it soon.  Maybe it is time to talk with his manager again.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2008/09/blazers_will_not_sign_shaun_li.html

I thought Art Thompson III was a Clipper fan. Why then is he suggesting that Shaun Livingston join the Lakers? He says that Livingston is playing 5 on 5 and looking good. I thought clipschamps saw him play and was unimpressed. This makes no sense at all. Does anybody know something accurate about Shaun Livingston? Please basketball gods, dont let Shaun defect to the Fakers and become one of the best guards in the game. I don't know if I could ever forgive Clipper management for letting this fish fall off the hook.

http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2008/08/20/why-not-shaun/#more-1363

I probably shouldn’t repost, but I had a suggestion nobody but the wise ClipperSteve read and he didn’t hate it (a first for me). Clipper Nation is so focused on the pot of gold at the end of the 2010 rainbow, we forget to remember our history – we are the perennial team free agents use as a bargaining chip to get themselves better deals with other teams. Let’s not let this happen to us again in 2010. Why not instead consider the idea of becoming great now and cross the 2010 bridge when it comes.

To improve our team immediately, we should consider a trade of Mobley and Thomas for either Vince Carter or Allen Iverson. Carters contract finishes in 2011 and Iversons in 2009. If we get either of these stars we become an instant contender. We have Camby and Davis now, but probably not in 2010. Clippers Nation will celebrate our newfound legitimacy today instead of sometime down the track.

I know many readers here want to splurge in 2010, but let history be a guide – the very best free agents will probably not sign with the Clippers. Consider that if Nowitski is signed by one team, Dallas will have almost $20M to spend. If Lebron leaves Cleveland, they will have $20M to spend. Most of the free agents of 2010 are expensive already – when so many teams have money to burn, expect the contracts to be excessive, even for mediocre talent. With so many teams in the hunt, what is the probability the Clippers with end up with another desperation signing?

If we sign Vince Carter, we will have approx $13M first year salary to spend in 2010 and $17M first year salary in 2011. If most teams overspend in 2010, we will be in a friendlier market in 2011. Similarly, if we get Iverson, we contend this year and are major players in 2009 and 2010 (and maybe even have the chance to resign Iverson for $10M py in his final contract).

This year we made something out of nothing. Lets do it again at least twice over the next three years, not just blow our load in 2010 and maybe end up without a superstar. We have our superstar, his name is Baron Davis and if we get one more major piece, I feel the words Clippers and Contenders may finally go together. Go Clips!

I was just thinking that Buike is the ideal fit for our team in so many ways. He is versatile for multiple positions and a real talent on the way up. Plus he is only $3M. There must be some way we can buy him from GSW. They matched but even Buike says that he will get more opportunities in LA. They dont need him so he must be for sale - if the price is right. Maybe we can package Thomas, or a pick, or some other incentive. I know trade rules play a part, but not sure how. What does the bored Clipper community think?

Gordon is projected to be a SG but has said in interviews that he prefers to play PG and he played that position in high school. He may be a great player, but I strongly doubt he will be a superstar SG. Think of Kobe or Allen or even LeBron (this year maybe). He is just too small and although he is super-fast and strong, there are many faster and stronger players at that position. If he wants to succeed, the probability will be so much greater at PG. If we get the chance, I think we should force him to play PG for his first year at least regardless of whether we end up with Azubuike. I understand that this restricts flexibility but we need to think of the future more than just for today. We have a chance to be the best in 2010 if we are well prepared.

When I watched that first Summer League game, the thing I noticed most about Gordon was the similarities between him and Baron Davis. They have wide shoulders, love to shoot from deep, can penetrate and run through screens, are be good rebounders (they both can leap) and are fast as hell. Obviously, Gordon is not Baron – but keep in mind Baron will be his mentor. Remember the effect John Stockholm had on Deron Williams? Baron can teach Gordon to be like him. This is an opportunity we can’t pass on if we are serious about the future. Baron gets injured too often and we need him or someone like him on the court at all times. Consistency is so important for a team like the Clippers (it decimated us last year).

I like what I saw of Eric Gordon, but at the SG position he will be a liability on defense. He tries for every steal and will kill the team if he plays this game with veteran shooters. At PG he has more flexibility to work on his natural skills relating to steals. He has lots of potential in this area. At PG he will be able to spread the defense (have you seen the depth on his three? wow) and post up smaller PG’s. We need a PG of the future (Liv didn’t do it) and I think we should see if Gordon will fill the role. He is very young and still learning the game. We can teach him to pass and run plays. He is better learning from Baron than staying in college. Plus Azubuike is better right now at SG and has played with Baron already. (Anthony Randolph just scored 16pts and 8 rebounds as a point-forward in Summer League – How many SF’s do they need?).

Finally, I believe that Kaman should be starting PF. He never seems to be able to get good position against centers and Camby has had much more success. Kaman likes to start his move far from the bucket and that better suits a PF. As long as his jumper improves it is worth a shot - one he never had while playing with EB. Plus Camby can mentor Jordan – they are also very similar and I would be delighted if Jordon became the next Camby. We should be thinking about 2010 and making sure our young talent is solid enough and consistent enough to become contenders or dare I even say Champions.

Hi all – I have been watching for a while and decided to make my first post.

Should the Warrior decline to match on Azebuki (which is likely considering the just signed Louis Williams to an offer sheet and still are yet to sign Ellis or Beidrins) I think the Clippers should seriously consider a trade with the Knicks for David Lee and Jerred Jefferies in exchange for Tim Thomas and Josh Powell (if needed). The Knicks are so desperate to get rid of Jefferies, they may even throw in a protected pick. I know many of the readers here hate Jefferies bloated contract, but we need to keep in mind that this guy is 6-11 and can play SF – just not as a starter (not yet at least). I see only pro’s for this deal that I will list below:

1. Tim Thomas is lazy on defense and immediately becomes the weakest link in the defensive chain. He cannot match up with any SF in the league and hurts the team 99% of the time he is on the court. Jefferies will be very versatile if allowed to play reasonable minutes in a team offense as opposed to the Knicks everybody for themselves offense. He will be a vast improvement over Thomas and will be a solid backup for Thornton. Plus did I mention he is 6-11 and can dribble as a point forward?

2. Powell is solid but no comparison for David Lee (who is the real reason for this trade). Along with Fazekas and Jordan as PF/C backups, Lee will be able to log reasonable minutes and cover for either Kaman or Camby when injured. I don’t need to really discuss the reasons we need Lee, as this has been covered plenty in past posts in this forum.

3. Jefferies contract is bloated but so is the contract we gave Tim Thomas. We do lose $7M off our cap in 2010 but we still have $20M from Mobley and Camby to shop with. Let’s go for Nowitski or Bosh with this cash.

Azibuke is the catalyst for this deal. I would only do it if he joins. The truth is that GSW fans love this kid – probably because he is really good. He has a quick and solid three point shot and I believe he should play starting SG with Mobley off the bench. I would play Gordon as the backup PG because he is quick and strong. If we can teach him to be a PG (and he believes he can do it) then this would allow him to become elite instead of just another undersized SG. Let Baron teach him and watch him grow. He is a real talent and we need to nurture this. If he sucks this year, we still have Brevan.

That leaves the team as follows:

PG = Davis, Gordon, Knight

SG = Azibuke, Mobely, Taylor

SF = Thornton, Jefferies, Williams

PF = Kaman, Fazekas, Powell (maybe)

C = Camby, Jordan

This is a pretty good team – especially on the defensive end. Baron will be the team leader and primary scorer with Camby his deputy. We will have new veteran leadership and established go-to guys. Defense is the key to a running game and Davis is the master of this style. He likes Azibuke and that is why I would promote him to starter. Mobley off the bench will also help us be productive and controlled when starters rest. Along with Gordon, Jordan, Jefferies and Fazekas, we now have a pretty deep bench. Either way, I see more optimism this year than any year since the Clips moved to LA. Let’s hope GSW plays along, then let’s make this trade and look to a bright future (do I dare to hope…?).

More Jerred Jefferies here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAf6GtUTCzc