Who would have known that one of the Clippers’ best trading chips would be the “option to exchange second-round picks” (OESRP). They used their 2010 OESRP to net themselves Marcus Camby. Thursday, they just used their 2011 OESRP to acquire Steve Novak from the Houston Rockets.
The OESRP has allowed the team to upgrade its talent without given any up. And, due to the nature of OESRP, the Clippers might not give up anything based on how they finish relative to the Nuggets (in 2010) and the Rockets (in 2011). Pretty nifty move there Elgin.
So, who the heck is Steve Novak? Well, he played at Marquette with Dwayne Wade for one season and made it to the Final Four. So he’s played on a winner. He’s got one of the best shooting strokes out there. Though he didn’t get much PT last year on the Rockets, he made the most of his time on the court burning up nets to the tune of 48 percent from downtown. He posted a 65.1 true shooting percentage to go along with an impressive 17.2 PER.
He’s 24 years old, has two years of NBA experience, and at 6-9, 6-10 he’s in the Vladimir Radmanovic-type mold. Vlad Rad’s got a bit more athleticism and is an overall more polished player, but Novak’s a better pure shooter.
The Clips finished second to last in 3 point efficiency last year and third to last in 3 pointers made. In fact, because they had no consistent outside shooting, teams were able to pack it in and really frustrate a blossoming Chris Kaman in the middle.
In one offseason, the Clips have added the Davis boys, Eric Gordon and Novak to compliment the streak shooting of Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas. They’ve got bombers now, which is a good thing considering they’re stacked inside with Camby and Kaman patrolling the paint.
Novak is a liability on defense, his lack of strength making it hard for him to match up against other power forwards, but this shortcoming can be covered up because the rest of the team is so good at D. Playing with Yao Ming protecting your back, regardless if Shane Battier is there or not, is a way different proposition then playing with both Kaman and Camby behind you.
It’s a win-win proposition for the Clips much in the same way that getting Camby was a win-win. They don’t sacrifice anything. Even if they have to swap picks, they still get a pick in return. Both the Rockets and Nuggets basically made the trades as salary dumps.
Novak’s a deadly shooter that could potentially be a bigger version of Kyle Korver. I wrote last season that Mike Miller or Kyle Korver would have been a perfect addition to the team. Well, now they’ve got a 24-year-old with Korver potential.
Again, can’t say enough about how well this Clippers offseason is going despite losing its two best players. Now, hopefully they can resign Shaun Livingston on the cheap.
The OESRP has allowed the team to upgrade its talent without given any up. And, due to the nature of OESRP, the Clippers might not give up anything based on how they finish relative to the Nuggets (in 2010) and the Rockets (in 2011). Pretty nifty move there Elgin.
So, who the heck is Steve Novak? Well, he played at Marquette with Dwayne Wade for one season and made it to the Final Four. So he’s played on a winner. He’s got one of the best shooting strokes out there. Though he didn’t get much PT last year on the Rockets, he made the most of his time on the court burning up nets to the tune of 48 percent from downtown. He posted a 65.1 true shooting percentage to go along with an impressive 17.2 PER.
He’s 24 years old, has two years of NBA experience, and at 6-9, 6-10 he’s in the Vladimir Radmanovic-type mold. Vlad Rad’s got a bit more athleticism and is an overall more polished player, but Novak’s a better pure shooter.
The Clips finished second to last in 3 point efficiency last year and third to last in 3 pointers made. In fact, because they had no consistent outside shooting, teams were able to pack it in and really frustrate a blossoming Chris Kaman in the middle.
In one offseason, the Clips have added the Davis boys, Eric Gordon and Novak to compliment the streak shooting of Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas. They’ve got bombers now, which is a good thing considering they’re stacked inside with Camby and Kaman patrolling the paint.
Novak is a liability on defense, his lack of strength making it hard for him to match up against other power forwards, but this shortcoming can be covered up because the rest of the team is so good at D. Playing with Yao Ming protecting your back, regardless if Shane Battier is there or not, is a way different proposition then playing with both Kaman and Camby behind you.
It’s a win-win proposition for the Clips much in the same way that getting Camby was a win-win. They don’t sacrifice anything. Even if they have to swap picks, they still get a pick in return. Both the Rockets and Nuggets basically made the trades as salary dumps.
Novak’s a deadly shooter that could potentially be a bigger version of Kyle Korver. I wrote last season that Mike Miller or Kyle Korver would have been a perfect addition to the team. Well, now they’ve got a 24-year-old with Korver potential.
Again, can’t say enough about how well this Clippers offseason is going despite losing its two best players. Now, hopefully they can resign Shaun Livingston on the cheap.
Keywords: Chris Kaman, Los Angeles Clippers, Marcus Camby, Shaun Livingston, Steve Novak
