SB Nation User Blog: madglove

Clips/Grizz Deal Delayed a WEEK

madglove — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:38:02 -0000

Clips/Grizz Deal Delayed a WEEK

Apparently there's a lot of red tape involved with the four-team deal that has to clear before Memphis is willing to make the Zach Randolph trade.

Personally, I'm a little anxious. A week is too much time for something to go wrong.

Marion to Dallas "Close"

madglove — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:21:47 -0000

Marion to Dallas "Close"

Dallas is quietly putting together a really nice team this summer. They just signed Quinton Ross to be their defensive stopper. They signed Gortat and the Magic probably won't match. And now possibly Marion.

That's a team with quality at every position (I'm guessing they play Marion and Howard together at the 2-3 spots) and some good depth as well.

Clips Looking at Dahntay Jones. Thoughts?

madglove — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:47:56 -0000

According to Clipperblog.com, the Clips are interested in Dahntay Jones as the team sees a need for a defensive stopper on the wing (glad they recognize this).

I think it would be a good pick-up. He's better on defense than a guy like Matt Barnes, and I think he has more to offer offensively than he's shown in Denver. He's only 28, so it would make sense to sign him to something like a 3 year deal at a few mil.

My only concern is his character. While I strongly support anyone who didn't back down from Kobe in the playoffs, he did come off as kind of an arse at times. I just can't tell if that's because he was in Denver (a team full of idiots) or that's actually his persona. Still, it's not like his teammates didn't like him.

What do you guys think? If Dahntay Jones costs about 3 yrs, $7-8 mil total, do you do it?

Breaking News - Z-Bo for QRich CLOSE!

madglove — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:34:11 -0000

These are from Eric Picnus of Hoopsworlds' Twitter:

EricPincusClippers/Grizzlies deal close5 minutes ago from TweetDeck

EricPincusRT @EricPincus: Clippers/Grizzlies deal close - Randolph for Q Rich - very close5 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Personally, I'd love to have QRich back in LA. We could use his three point shooting and Dun seemed to understand how to use him best anyway. He would shore up the 2-3 spot, be a fan favorite's return to LA and we'd free up room in the front court.

And seriously, we just need to move Z-Bo. That was a trade that never should have happened.

IF Clips trade for a late 1st Rounder...

madglove — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:14:10 -0000

Who do you guys want them to pick?

Ralph Lawler stated that they're working hard to make a move tomorrow. He said that if they got another 1st rounder, he expects it to be late 1st round. He also said that back-up PG and a swingman are the two needs that the team will try to fill this summer.

Based on the draft board, I would say that the most likely scenarios are picks 25-28 as those are picks where teams have higher first rounders. In particular, I'd say the Bulls' pick at 26 and the Minny pick at 28 can be had.

So who would you want at that spot? My preference is Eric Maynor or Nick Calathas. Both are solid PGs with strong leadership and good playmaking ability. Calathas would be in Greece for a couple of years and could be brought over when Baron is ready to retire.

Spurs Acquire Richard Jefferson

madglove — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:29:16 -0000

Spurs Acquire Richard Jefferson

For nothing but expiring contracts. See what a team can do in this economy with expiring contracts? RJeff is a quality starting wing and they got him for nothing. This is why I feel like the team should be able to get actual value for Camby's expiring contract. Not only is he expiring, but he's actually valuable this year as well.

The Blake Griffin Effect

madglove — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:45:11 -0000

This is something that I've been thinking about since the Clips won the lottery. Getting Blake Griffin does two very obvious things: 1) the team and its fans something to feel good about, and 2) greatly improve the future of the team.

However, I think Griffin's most immediate impact will be felt off the court. What Griffin does is thrust the Clippers in the national media spotlight for a positive reason (for once). Griffin is a guy who the national media loves, who has name recognition and a who has a national following. Now all of those qualities will be attributed to the Clippers by association. You can't have Blake Griffin without the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers have desperately been seeking a player who provides them with a national identity. Even when we were a playoff team, neither Cassell nor Brand received much attention. The last time we received any media exposure was when Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson made it hip to clip and were featured on those Jordan Brand commercials.

In Blake Griffin, the Clippers have a player who can and should easily surpass what little media exposure the Clippers have ever had.

This has already started, as evidenced by all the Clippers related articles and comments on various media outlets. Chad Ford has already said that he's doing a big piece on Blake Griffin coming soon. Today is no exception:

1) DraftExpress reports on a Blake Griffin workout (with video!)

2) DraftExpress interviews Blake Griffin

3) NBADraft.net interviews Blake Griffin

4) Clippers featured heavily in Bill Simmons' mail bag (not very positively)

What I love is that this is going to continue until the day of the draft. From now until the end of June, we will be hearing a lot about Blake Griffin and the Clippers.

It will be nice for once to get some positive news associated with the Clippers

Blake Griffin - NBATV All-Access on Lottery Night. I got this from another forum and thought you...

madglove — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:42:29 -0000

Blake Griffin - NBATV All-Access on Lottery Night. I got this from another forum and thought you guys would be interested.

Cornerstones - Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon

madglove — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:30:27 -0000

I'm beside myself with how lucky we got tonight.

I'm not thrilled because we won the lottery. We've won the lottery before.

I'm thrilled because we finally won THE lottery. We finally won a lottery where there's a consensus #1 who is virtually a sure thing. This isn't a year of Olowakandi or other potential busts at #1. This is a year where the guy at the top is someone who THIRTY teams would want. Look back at the draft history - guys like that are rare.

What's even better is how well he compliments Eric Gordon. The two can form a lethal inside-outside game for the next decade. They're cut from the same mold - humble, strong, hard working and ultra talented. Blake inside will open up EJ's outside game, and EJ's three point shooting will give Griffin more space to dominate inside. It's a combo that every team desires. Now the team just needs to fill in the spots around those two cornerstones.

And even with Baron, I think he'll be a perfect compliment. A big who can run and gun with him. I really believe that the trio of Baron, EJ and Griffin will flourish next season.

Priority #1 right now should be to TRADE Z-BO. The last thing we need is him hampering Griffin's development.

Here's a great highlight reel of Griffin: Blake Griffin - The Next Big Thing

Thoughts from Courtside

madglove — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:01:35 -0000

I got courtside seats last night for the first time in my life. It was an amazing experience. I was like 10 feet from the Clippers' bench. Here are some thoughts:

- When Dunleavy got ejected I got to hear all of it. It was so funny. Earlier in the game, a ref was standing like 5 feet away, Dunleavy calls his name and goes "You SUCK!" The ref looked genuinely offended. He was like "I suck!? Go talk to the other guy, don't talk to me!" Dunleavy: "I'm talking to you! You suck!" It was hilarious. So later in the game Dunleavy starts yelling at him again and the ref T's him up. Dun says "Technical? So what? F*** Y**! That's b*** s****!" He got tossed. It was awesome. The crowd went crazy. The Clips bench didn't even bat an eye. They hardly looked up as Dunleavy walked out. Nobody acted like they cared at all. Clearly he's lost the players.

- I feel bad for Baron. He's really trying to run the offense. I kept looking for signs that he had tuned Dun out, but he hasn't. He talks to him a lot. In some timeouts, Dun and Baron are talking exclusively to each other and everyone is just listening. They're not arguing, just talking. Before the 2nd half, Baron and Dun stood and went over the dry erase board for a good several minutes. But on the court it's horrible. The players don't talk. There's no execution. My friend said "Baron looks pissed at Dunleavy. He keeps looking over at him when something goes wrong." On the court Baron really does look pissed. After two bad plays Baron walked over to Dun and was like "C'mon coach!" Like "It's not working!" Baron's really trying but there's a serious disconnect. I actually think Baron and Dunleavy like each other though. It's just on-court they can't make it click. I bet off court they get along fine.

- Taylor is completely out of control. He's never going to be a reliable PG in this league if he doesn't learn to slow down. On the bench he looks completely disinterested and isn't even watching. At the end he was dribbling between his legs and doing all this stuff when they're getting blown out. I never once saw him create a shot for someone else. The only time he passes is when he penetrates, gets caught in the air and has to toss it out. Often this is also a TO.

- EJ looks REALLY frustrated. He's the ONLY one who cares out there. I felt really really bad for him. He's playing great ball and nobody else is helping. He was the only guy to slump to the bench at the end and look upset. Everyone else was mentally checked out. It was great to see him out there though. Good things happen when he has the ball.

- Jordan needs a LOT of work. His defense is horrible. He just stands there and slaps at people, resulting in MANY "and 1s". He's the only one on the bench who seems like he has fun though. Everyone else looked like they were at a funeral.

- There's NO talking on offense or defense for us. NONE. That's a mark of a bad team.

- I can't understand how Kaman misses the shots that he misses. He's SO close to the rim.

- Shaun Livingston started for the Thunder and looked pretty good. He threw down a tomahawk alley oop that was so high I was sure it was going to be a turnover. Then I thought it was Durant who caught it. Turned out to be Shaun. It hurt seeing him out there doing that. We could sure use him right about now. But I felt good for him. It just seemed so wrong to have him come back with another team.

- Durant is ridiculously long. It feels impossible to guard him. Westbrook is damn good athlete. He also looks about an inch or two taller than EJ. I think he's going to end up being really good. He has a better feel for the game than I expected. I also think DJ White will be solid. I was impressed with his mobility and athleticism.

Sitting in those seats every night must be awesome. There's no experience like it. Sometimes, sitting in my seats (200 level) or even the 100 level, I feel like watching it on TV has its benefits. But courtside, it's just completely different. At the same time, if I had paid for those seats and saw that performance and the Clips players not caring at all, I'd want to murder someone.