Will the addition of No. 1 Draft pick Blake Griffin to the Clips spur Baron to re-dedicate himself to his craft and lead the Clippers to respectibility next season? Hope BDiddy sheds some weight and gets into primo shape for the next season. Good luck, Baron!
Immediate Needs: Los Angeles Clippers
By: Eric Pincus, Hoops World
Last Updated: 6/11/09 10:58 AM ET
Mike Dunleavy struts into the tunnel at STAPLES Center, leaving his battered players to finish out the year. The Oklahoma City Thunder (23-59) lead 76-53, en route to a 41-point victory over the home team. The general manager/coach of the Los Angeles Clippers gets an early ejection midway through the third quarter as an awful season finally nears a close.
Rewind to the summer of 2008. The Clippers come to terms with superstar point guard Baron Davis. The team drafts Eric Gordon and retools with a number of veterans including Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis, Jason Hart, Brian Skinner and Steve Novak.
The plan is playoffs; the concern is developing chemistry with only four significant holdovers from the previous season (Chris Kaman, Al Thornton, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas).
The season would stall with injuries on the very first day of training camp. Baron would miss 16 games, often playing hurt while averaging just 14.9 points a night on 37.0% shooting from the field. So much for the "Baron Davis Era."
A November trade of Mobley and Thomas to New York for Zach Randolph would give the flagging Clippers a boost but Zach would quickly join the walking wounded with a nasty bone bruise.
Kaman would miss 51 games, Camby 20, Ricky Davis 46 and Randolph about 32.
When exactly did a pocket of fans at STAPLES Center start chanting "Fire Dunleavy!" near the end of games? No one seems to recall . . .
Maybe it was a coaching problem. Maybe the players didn't work hard. Maybe it was just bad luck and injuries. Maybe the mix of players just didn't fit; the chemistry never evolved.
To some extent - all of the above.
Fortunately in the NBA, the slate is wiped clean the moment the offseason begins.
All that pain and hardship and L.A. gets the lucky bounce.
On May 20th the Clippers defied the 17.7% odds, winning the 2009 NBA Draft lottery. Without hesitation, the organization makes it clear that consensus number one pick, Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin is their man.
Griffin visits on June 6th for a workout in front of the media and some 100 season ticket holders. He's only 20 years old but has huge hands and a man's body. While his jump shot needs work, the Clippers quickly see that this is a guy they can put on the floor right away.
Blake is equally impressive in person. He's humble and conscientious. Everyone with the Clippers is all smiles, thankful for the good fortune. His shooting will improve with work and proper coaching.
Dunleavy had been talking about Griffin as the class of the Draft since back in March. This is their guy.
Now, what do to with the four starting caliber big men on the roster, competing for 96 minutes a game at power forward and center? That doesn't even include the DeAndre Jordan and veteran Skinner who can opt out of his $1.3 million contract (and might considering the minute crunch).
Clearly the team has to thin the ranks, but who goes?
In Camby, they have a desirable veteran with an expiring contract. He's certain to draw the interest of playoff teams looking for that final piece, but how much young talent and worthwhile draft picks can the 35-year old center return? If the Clippers indeed become a viable playoff contender, Marcus might be invaluable.
What about Kaman, coming off of an injury-plagued year? He's only 27 and is reasonably paid for his position. It wasn't long ago he averaged 15.7 points, 12.7 boards and 2.8 blocks a game. If the Clippers send Chris away, who plays center if Camby misses another 20 games or when his contract runs out?
Randolph is set to earn $16 million next season and, until Griffin is ready to start, will serve as the primary inside force in the Clipper offense. It's not easy to replace 20 points and roughly 10 rebounds a night. Blake may get there but that might be too much to ask of a rookie.
Considering the Clippers would have been paying Mobley (now retired) and Thomas more than they're paying Zach (who has 30% of his contract deferred), from LA's perspective they have the big man at a discount.
Camby would be the easiest to move but he may not return as much as Kaman. Trading Chris leaves unresolved long-term questions at center. Zach might be tougher sell of the three considering the size of his annual contract. Salary matching is rarely easy and the Clippers don't have much in the way of roster spots available.
Heading into June's draft and possibly beyond into the summer, Dunleavy and the Clippers will be entertaining offers for all three but only one is likely to go.
The Clippers might look for value like Kaman to the Chicago Bulls for Kirk Hinrich. They might look for another lottery pick in this year's draft to add to their young, promising core.
Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder might have interest in July, with cap room to use in an uneven trade. The Dallas Mavericks have a player like Jerry Stackhouse whose contract has a built-in $2 million buy-out, providing immediate relief financially.
As the draft nears, the rumor mill will buzz. The Clippers are willing, but patient sellers.
Not many teams are looking to trade away a quality big. The Clippers should be in a position of strength and are in no rush. They're not in the luxury tax and have no order from ownership to reduce payroll.
Baron Davis has been working out every day without exception since May 10th. The team has decided to give him another opportunity to lead their team. The hope is that Baron will carry a chip on his shoulder, looking to reestablish his reputation as one of the top point guards in the league.
For the fans crying for Dunleavy's ouster, he too will get another year to prove he can manage the personality quirks and of his roster. At this point, Dunleavy and Baron need each other . . .
Additionally, Ricky Davis can opt out of his $2.4 million but serious knee tendinitis has hurt his market value. The Clippers will issue a qualifying offer to restricted free agent sniper Steve Novak.
L.A. was happy with the performance of Fred Jones this past year, originally joining the team on a 10-day contract but they won't likely have the roster space for his return.
The non-guaranteed contract for Mike Taylor is all but a given to be picked up although the same cannot be said for Alex Acker, acquired midseason from the Detroit Pistons. The Clippers have him until the end of the month, keeping him around in case they need to guarantee his deal for next year and include him as filler in a bigger trade.
As far as free agency, that doesn't appear to be a priority to the Clippers considering the in-house talent. Expect the team to hold onto the Mid-Level Exception until the bigger questions are answered.
Ultimately the Clippers need a healthy, motivated Baron Davis. They need Dunleavy to both develop the young kids while managing the more volatile personalities on the roster (like Baron and Zach).
One lesson the team learned from last year's disaster is that chemistry is not easy to come by. The hope is that the heavy lifting will be done sooner than later so that the training camp roster will be the team to live or die by.
Of course it all depends on what the Clippers get offered . . .
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