Everything about this Clippers offseason should have me concerned. I mean, this is, after all, the freaking Clippers we’re talking about here. Nothing about what the organization has ever done indicates that the flurry of signings this summer will work. From draft picks to trades to mishandling their own stars, the Clippers have been the joke of the NBA for…well, forever.
In spite of this sure-as-all-hell factual evidence, I don't know why, but I am overly optimistic and excited about what the Clippers have done. I am flying against the strong winds of conventional wisdom and getting pumped up about the team.
What’s happened. Just the facts…
Disgruntling their classy, hard-working, never “gruntled” franchise player and seeing him jump ship to another franchise. Shouldn’t have come as that big of a surprise. Dude’s been wanting out for four years now when, as a restricted free agent, he signed Miami’s offer sheet. Of course, Sterling matched, but the Clips owner should have been the one offering. This year, according to EB, he offered too low.
Signing to a hefty and lengthy contract an-in-his-prime-this-very-second-or-more-like-five-months-ago point guard, who, for his career, has only played one full season in which he promptly broke down at the most crucial time—the playoffs. My man love for BD is well documented, but where Elton’s hustle and work ethic were and are unquestioned, Davis has so many question marks you could call him the Riddler.
Trading for a brittle, aging CENTER to replace their franchise power forward. Camby’s old…er, old for an NBAer. And despite being healthy last season, he’s had a history of injury problems. Plus, there’s no O in defense.
Signing career loser, Mr. party-time, crazy antics, quirky head case, try-to-actively-get-his-first-career-triple double-by-throwing-the-rock-off-the-backboard-for-his-tenth-rebound-with-the-game-well-in-hand-and- shot-clock-off…Ricky Davis! Davis!
Letting, Sterling favorite, team leading scorer, young, athletic, freethrow line dweller, Corey Maggette sign with in-division rival.
Signing a stale and aging, rapidly declining-in-skills, White Chocolate, which means effectively giving up on Shaun Livingston who only cost them their number 2 pick in the 2004 draft—Emeka Okafor. Oh wait, they got Lionel Chalmers and Predrag Drobniak. For those out there saying…”Uh, who?” Just know, Chalmers and Drobniak don’t play in the Association anymore.
Trading for 6-10, defensively challenged, 3-point specialist (which means he’s a white boy), Steve Novak. Speaking of who…
Signing career-back-up/third stringer, Brian Skinner.
Trading for career-back up/third stringer, Jason Hart.
Things don’t sound too hopeful when put into that light. But, looked at through a different lens, say, a Lakers lens (and, this is, after all, a Lakers blog), things look a lot different.
Elton Brand was coming off of major knee surgery. Sure, he played fairly well in the last two weeks of last season, but who knows from here on out? He’s 29, so it’s more likely than not that his breakout year in 05 when he averaged 24.7 ppg, 10 rpg, and 2.6 apg while shooting nearly 53 percent is not going to happen again. Especially when the very next year he reverted back to his career norms, which, are great sure, but not worth handicapping the Clippers payroll flexibility for the next five years. He is, as has been the question about him his whole career, an undersized PF who has succeeded due equally to talent and sheer will power. Besides, if he took the rest of the money available like he apparently wanted (though verbalized differently), the Clippers would not have had the ability to go out and make additional moves.
Okay, granted, in four years, BD’s contract could very well look like a noose dangling over a chair with splintering legs, but that’s in four years (maybe three…). A whole lot can happen in four months as we’ve just seen, so to project four, five years into the future without looking at the positives in the present is a bit absurd. What Baron brings to the Clips is excitement. There aren’t too many players who can fill seats, but Baron is one of them. Just ask anyone in the Bay Area. I admit, for all the good things to say about what Baron meant to the Warriors, there are many negatives as well. But, what player doesn’t come with baggage? Also, Baron, when running on his full motor, plays at an elite level in the Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash stratosphere. In fact, when he’s really on, he can be the best parts of all of them put together. Great court vision, brute strength, stifling D, superb penetration, rim attacker, clutch as well as a long bomber. He contributes in all categories. You can’t say that about any other point guard in the game.
The Marcus Camby signing, as related in this blog, gives the Clippers a former defensive player of the year, only two years removed. For all those people who look at last year’s Nuggets and point out that they allowed the most points per game out of the entire league, that person would need to understand that they also created the most possessions per game by playing at the fastest pace. In reality, the Nuggets, despite having Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Allen Iverson “playing” defense, were right in the middle of the pack as far as defensive efficiency. A good majority of that can be attributed to Cambyman. Now, I don’t think Camby is as talented as Kevin Garnett, and I don’t think he’ll have as big of an impact as KG did to the Celtics, but Camby, along with the pieces the Clips have already, could make this team a fierce defensive squad.
Ricky Davis has got a history of being crazy, but his crazy has never even come close to the crazy that is Ron Artest, who has suddenly, in the eyes of a lot of media people, catapulted the Rockets into one of the three best teams in the West. In fact, being that they are both 28, both small forwards, both considered somewhat pariahs and both going to new teams, let’s compare their career numbers.
Ppg rpg apg spg tpg FG% 3pt % FT%
Artest: 16.0 5.1 3.2 2.1 2.3 42.5 32.9 72.0
Davis: 14.3 3.7 3.5 1.1 2.3 44.9 36.4 78.3
A lot closer than you might have thought right? Ricky’s best scoring season came as a Cav when he averaged 20.6 ppg, 5.5 apg, and 4.9 rpg, He was the “featured” star on that team and shot a putrid 41 percent. But as a secondary or even tertiary option, Ricky has put together some great seasons next to Dwayne Wade and Shaq in Miami and Paul Pierce in Boston, averaging right around 18, 4.5, 4.5 shooting 45 percent. That’s rock solid. At about $2.5 million over the next two (his prime), he’s a steal.
Artest, on his game, is without question the better defensive player, but, how often he’s on and when he’s off is another matter. Artest has also never played a full season, nor even crossed the 78 game threshold. He got to 76 once during his second year in the league. Davis, on the other hand, has averaged 80 games for the past 7 seasons.
I’m high on Ricky. Obviously. He’s become a lights out shooter (40 percent from 3 his past 2 seasons), an underrated passer and when properly motivated an effective defender. He’ll fit nicely with what the Clips are trying to do having learned how to play with a dominant big man inside and a dominant wing in Miami.
Letting Maggette walk was a good thing. He’s never played a full season. Only reached 75 games twice in his career. Averaged 65 over 9 seasons. Basically, the Clips let go of a bulldog, oft-injured, offensive-flow-killer, who was disgruntled with the coach. Oh yeah, he signed a 6 year $60 million deal. Good luck to the Warriors in recouping that money…and you have worries about BD staying healthy?
The bench is shaping up too. Jason Williams, Jason Hart, Brian Skinner and Steve Novak are not the best players, but they all fill roles and fill them well. Novak can shoot. Hart can manage a game. Skinner can play some physical defense. J-Will, with the eighth best assist-to-turnover ratio last season, is the perfect backup because he moves the ball so well and can shoot. He, like many of the other players on the roster, just needs to stay healthy.
In fact, BD, plus J Will plus Hart make up a very deep and talented trio at the point guard spot. Impressive considering the 1 was the Clippers most glaring hole last season. In fact, I can’t think of another team that has this much depth at the 1. Hart is a solid backup who will be playing as a third stringer. J Will was a starter last year. And BD is one of the best points in the game.
Besides the ever-present injury risk, there are a couple of downers.
Tim Thomas is still one year away from having another breakout season (he’s got 2 years left on his contract) and Cat Mobley is one more year away from being a productive starter.
But with the continued development of Al Thornton and Chris Kaman and the addition of three point bomber Eric Gordon as well as huge upside PF/C Deandre Jordan, both the Clips present and future look bright.
Part 2 later this weekend…
Keywords: Baron Davis, Brand, Brian Skinner, Camby, Cuttino Mobley, DeAndre Jordan, Eric Gordon, Jason Hart, Jason Williams, Kaman, Los Angeles Clippers, Maggette, ricky Davis, Sterling, Steve Novak, Tim Thomas
