Clips Nation: FanPosts

The return of Jason Hart!!!

clipschamps — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:25:21 -0000

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has acquired veteran point guard Brevin Knight from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for guard Jason Hart. Originally selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round (16th overall pick) of the 1997 NBA Draft, Knight (5-10, 170, Stanford) has appeared in 655 career regular season games (423 starts) over 11 NBA seasons with Cleveland, Atlanta, Memphis, Phoenix, Washington, Milwaukee, Charlotte and the Clippers, owning career averages of 7.9 points, 6.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.77 steals per game. He appeared in 74 games (39 starts) this past season with the Clippers, averaging 4.6 points, 4.4 assists and 1.35 steals in 22.6 minutes. Knight ranked second in the NBA in assists-per-turnover (4.62), and third in steals per turnover (2.87).

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/53716/20080723/utah_acquires_brevin_knight/

Can somebody explain to me the point of this trade? Jason Hart disappointed last year, and I thought Brevin Knight would do well behind Baron as a backup.

Warriors Sign Mo Evans = Azubuike to Clips?

Mistwell — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:10:18 -0000

BaronorBust found this article over at the ESPN Clippers board, and I thought it was worth reposting here. Wikipedia also reflects this information, for what that is worth:

http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_W_camby_22.19ec753.html

The Warriors have until Friday to match the offer, but two NBA sources said they will not because they signed forward Maurice Evans, who split time between the Lakers and Orlando last season, to a three-year, $6.4 million deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Important Azubuike information

citizen zhiv — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:59:59 -0000

Just saw this recent comment from "Azubuikefan" on the CB "If we get Azubuike" thread. Worth bumping and discussing:

Ah.. but what you don't realize.....

Azubuike opened last season as a starter and had a 33pt/ 8rb game against the clipps and followed a few games later with a 27pt 11rb game against dallas which is good… but he was playing injured the whole season and it just kept getting worse and worse because he never took 2 weeks off the let it heal.

Kelenna got a bone bruise in his ankle in summer league that had not healed by the start of the season. He was playing(and well) but was putting all his weight on his right leg because of his left ankle. He developed tendonitis in his right knee. The big dallas game was really the last time anyone saw a healthy Azubuike. He would have been fine if he sat out 2 weeks and let the right knee heal but he couldn’t for fear of falling out of crazy nellie’s rotation and Nellie wouldn’t sit him out because even though they were having to pump him full of liquid tylenol just to play, he was still better than both Barnes and Pietrus which were the alternatives. He averaged 8.5 pts / 4rbs in 20 minutes/game for 81 games while playing really injured… Imagine what he will do while healthy in 35 mins/game as a starter alongside Baron(who is probably the one who filled the clips in that Kelenna’s numbers were achived while playing injured all season).

Nets trade Marcus Williams to Warriors: How does this impact the decision to match Azubuike?

cantthinkofagoodname — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:28:08 -0000

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=437041

Interesting trade. The warriors get a backup point guard and New Jersey gets a future lottery protected pick. I’m wondering how much space the warriors have left under the cap. I’ve heard 4 million?? I don’t know the exact details but I wonder if this trade still allows them to match Azubuike?

Note: This isn't our marcus williams. (There, I think that covers the 75 word limit)

Are we playoff bound?

clipschamps — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:39:34 -0000

I would like to see what the citizens here at clipper nation think. Assuming we sign azubuike and fill out the rest of the roster with minimum type players like fazekas and marcus williams/q ross, and other teams fill up as expected (monta resigns with GS), is this clipper team good enough for the playoffs? I think these teams are guaranteed to be in: Lakers, Hornets, Jazz, Rockets, Spurs, Suns. The last two spots I feel are up for grabs. Personally, I think that we barely beat out portland for the 8th seed. What do you guys think? Will we make the playoffs next year? Yes/No answers are fine, but comments are definitely recommended. I know we are all fans here, but please be realistic in your responses

08-09 Roster

civicdude590 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:46:24 -0000

So bassically im just gonna make a quick jot on what our awsome roster for 2008-2009. This is based on if we get Azubuike that is so here goes...

Starters

Pg - Baron Davis

Sg - Cuttino Mobley (from conference MDsr said mobley would go sg as starter)

Sf - Al Thorton

Pf - Marcus Camby

C - Chris Kaman (Or the other way around)

Bench

Gaurds -

Eric Gordon

Brevin Knight

Mike Taylor

Forwards -

Tim Thomas

Josh Powell

Centers -

DeAndre Jordan

so far we have 11 players so it looks like we are comming along and having a pretty decent bench i think with Tim Thomas and Eric Gordon which i feel will b great 6th and 7th players. and for DeAndre Jordan i have a feeling that will be pretty good for a 2nd round draft with his height and all.

Possibility?

so we have 3 more players to find right? hmm looking at the free agents that we have now i think that i kind of want to see on the clippers this year is

now here im not sure who gets the last spots but im looking at either

Nick Fazekas or Paul Davis

And for the Last Spot there are 3 contenders to me and one to choose if we do get Azubuike if not its Livingston and ross or marcus

Shaun Livingston - just because i mean hes been with us and i would like to see him have a comeback or at least have a chance to prove himself

Quinton Ross or Marcus Williams - now my prespective is that i really would like for Marcus Williams this summer to develop on his defensive abilities that Ross has and he could be a pretty good scorer off the bench although i have a feeling he won't be consistent in scoring and take some bad shots but hopefully he could learn to choose wisely

Edit: WHOOPS TOTALLY FORGOT haha Kelenna Azuibuike if we get him will be a good backup to Al Thorton

Is Eric Gordon a SG or a PG?

citizen bob — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:10:34 -0000

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.

Clippers' Projected Line Up

daclipjoint — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:08:12 -0000

At the Camby press conference today, MDsr said:

"Our projected line-up will be Baron Davis and Cuttino Mobley in the backcourt, then Al Thornton, Marcus (Camby) and Chris Kaman on the front line. That gives us scoring, size, post-up, defense, rebounding, shot blocking, basically everything that you could hope for. Our bench will be Brevin Knight, Eric Gordon, depending on whether we get Azubuike or not, Tim Thomas, and we’ve got a bunch of other guys that have yet to be determined as far as how they’ll all fit in. We have a definite core and probably a nine-man rotation right now that is a very good one."

Looks like the old Cat will get the nod at the 2. I am hoping that by mid season Cat will be coming off the bench.

Camby handled the press conference with class though he expressed some bitterness toward the Nugs mgt. Understandable, eh?

Uh-oh...who is going to wear #23?

mikey p — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:54:43 -0000

via assets.espn.go.com

Top: Eric Gordon, after being introduced by the Clippers on July 2.

Bottom: Marcus Camby being introduced, July 20.

So, which guy is going to wear MJ's old number? They can't both have it.

It would seem that Gordon had the number first as a Clipper, but Camby has been in the league for 12 years, wearing 23 for 10 of those years.

Was the rookie bought out? Or was he persuaded some other way in to giving up the number to the elder Mr. Camby?

Which Clippers Account Executives are good?

MichaelCage — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:30:20 -0000

We all know that good Account Executives tend to have a short career with the Clips. Most of the good ones tend to leave the organization for greener pastures on a regular basis. In the six or seven years that I've had season tickets we must have had 4 different rep. The one I have right now--Josh Scott-- is terrible in terms of returning phone calls or being responsive to requests (it might be why he has been around 2 years running).

I know there is a policy in place where the account execs don't poach season ticket holders from one another, but I've not renewed my seats this year mainly to see what happened with the Brand situation and to hopefully get a new account exec if I renew season tickets again this year. Anybody here have a current Account Exec that they can recommend?

Vacation from Clippers news...

Lawler's Law — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:53:19 -0000

Hello Nation!

I think it was one of the Big 3 who wrote about taking a vacation from Clippers news now that the roster is pretty much set…I think I will take his advise and focus my energy in studying up for the upcoming Fantasy Football draft at work. Any other citizens members of such leagues? This is only my 2nd foray into the racket…I finished 2nd to last place in my first season…mostly due to my #1 draft pick, Marc Bulger, spent the majority of the season on the IL. Any suggestions (links, etc) as to how to represent the CN in a sea of purple and gold would be appreciated!

NBA Stars Going Global - A New Trend?

mikey p — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:16:53 -0000

Josh Childress may join Carlos Del Fino and Brandon Jennings in Europe

According to this Adrian Wojnarowski article for Yahoo! Sports, Josh Childress is seriously considering an offer from Olympiakos, the Greek league team, for around $20M.

This puts the Hawks in a box. Childress is a restricted free-agent, and the Hawks have thus far not made a great effort to re-sign him, or try to work out a S&T. He is free to sign with a European team.

Is this the new answer to restricted free-agency?

Moreover, is this the beginning of basketball truly becoming a global game in the mold of international soccer, with intense competition for the sport's biggest stars?

Childress is not quite an NBA star, but he is a much coveted player by many teams, including his own, and his departure to the International scene would be a big boost for the global games reputation.

I am interested to see how this progresses.

If we get Azibuke...

citizen bob — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:15:30 -0000

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

Any Season Ticket Holders?

Rotudo — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:24:51 -0000

I was interested in getting season tickets for this upcoming season (huge Baron fan), but I had a couple questions before I went ahead and took the plunge:

1) How is the view from the midlevel loge seats compared with the lower (100) and upper (300) levels?

I went to a clip game awhile back in the first row of the upper level with the sideline view and they were pretty good, but I saw that the midlevel had a 2 for 1 promotion going, so was interested in how the view was from there.

2) How is the secondary market for the tickets?

The reason I ask is because I will probably not be able to attend all the of the games (i'm hoping for about 65-70%), but I don't want to take a huge loss on the games I can't attend. So, I was wondering if I could get at least face value for the seats I purchase? Specifically, did people last year pay $34/ticket for the midlevel seats? Or pay face value for upper level seats?

If I would take too much of a loss, I'd rather just buy individual game tickets, especially if I can get them under face.

Any help or additional input would be much appreciated. I'm excited for the upcoming season and hopefully an upcoming playoff run!

Deutsche Kaman gehen aus Beijing mit Dirk

citizen zhiv — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:11:22 -0000

Maybe we should cover Germany's games in the Olympics as a German easy reader, eh CS?

Our favorite giant Kraut put together another nice game going 5-7 from the field for 10 pts and 9 rebounds in the first half, as the Germans put together a lead over the Arroyo-less (injured) Puerto Ricans. In the 3rd quarter (with CK playing limited minutes--21 for the game), Deutchland hit a bunch of 3s and took control of the game, with Kaman getting 3 2nd half rebounds and no points. The German pg had a nice game.

Nowitzki has never made it to the Olympics before. As Kaman said, "I've been doing this for 12 days, he's been doing it for 12 years. I can't imagine how he feels." Klassic.

Remind me again why we don't like kalling him Kaveman? Is he more of an Enlightenment era kind of German: silk pants, Goethe, Mozart?

Guess the next step is to figure out when the Olympics start.

Recommending FanPosts

ClipperSteve — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:29:02 -0000

Some of you were asking about Recommended Fan Posts after visiting Golden State of Mind. We haven't talked a lot about all of the features available on the new platform, but since this came up, now would seem to be a good time.

When you are reading a story, or a Fan Post, of a Fan Shot, or even a comment, you have the option of recommending it. Basically, if you think it was well-written and of particularly interest, you can recommend it by clicking on the 'Rec' link just beneath.

Truth be told, I don't really know what happens with recommended stories or comments. Basically, it's just an acknowledgment of quality for others to see. But for Fan Posts and Fan Shots, those that are recommended enough times rise to the level of 'Recommended', a separate list. Since the CN community has not been making recommendations often (mostly because I've never explained them or encouraged anyone to use them), we're never had a Recommended Fan Post - until today.

So, the bottom line is, start using the 'Rec' button to 'Hype up' quality posts.

Observations about Marcus Camby

mikey p — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:57:05 -0000

First, some history.

One could definitely say that Marcus Camby has had quite an interesting career arc. After winning the Wooden and Naismith awards as a Junior at UMass, Camby was the 2nd pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. Allen Iverson was chosen #1.

Camby's highest ever scoring average came in his rookie year, 14.8 ppg. It also happens to be his worst rebounding year in a season in which he averaged more than 30 MPG. He was thinner then than he is now, so the rebounding trouble is understandable. Overall, his two years in Toronto were forgettable. He played exactly 63 games in each season. He was traded to a retooled Knicks team in exchange for Charles Oakley.

His Knicks career began quite unremarkably as well. His first season was the year of the lockout. Incidentally, his teammate, Patrick Ewing, was a major player in that whole fiasco as Active Players President. I was in New York during those years, and can remember, quite well, thinking that such a good college player should be having a more productive career. He was the primary back up for an aging Ewing, and was joined in the lineup by Larry Johnson, Allan Houston, and Chris "Bust" Childs, all of whom were signed on the same day of free agency in 1996. One could say that that day was the beginning of the Knicks current woes. They were joined by Kurt Thomas, Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, and Clipper favorite, Rick Brunson. Last but not least was the reinstated strangler, Latrell Sprewell, making his first "comeback".

Camby played about 20 minutes per game in reserve duty for the 46 regular season games. The Knicks finished 27-23, good enough for the 7th seed in the days when a plus .500 record was needed in the East. (I think 27 wins still gets you close now, even with a full 82 game season.)

Tied 2-2 in their first round best of five series with their hated rivals, the Miami Heat, the Knicks were able to pull off game 5 in Miami (game 4 was the Mourning-Johnson fight in which Jeff Van Gundy clung to Alonzo's leg in an attempt to stop him.) Camby's contributions in the series were modest.

After sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in the 2nd Rd., the Knicks faced the Pacers in the Conference Finals. Ewing went down with a wrist injury in game 2. Chris Dudley was named the starter, but Camby played the bulk of the minutes at center for the rest of the series. Finally, in game 3 of the NBA finals vs. the Spurs, with the Knicks down 2-0, Camby was named the starter. The Knicks won game 3, but dropped the next two, losing the series in 5. That was the beginning of Camby becoming a respectable NBA player.

Over the next few seasons, Camby went on to become one of the NBA's top rebounders. He was later traded to the Nuggets for Antonio McDyess. He was productive throughout his Nuggets career, but especially so after George Karl took over at the midway point of the 04/05 season. From that point on, he has averaged over 3 blks per game, and his rebound totals have been in the 12-13 RPG range.

So, after all of that, I was wondering...is Camby truly getting better with age? Or did George Karl's up-tempo system have an impact on inflating his stats?

His rebounding numbers are interesting in and of themselves. One would expect his offensive rebounds to be exceedingly high given all of the "chuckers" he has played with in Denver. But it is his defensive rebounding numbers that make up the bulk of his totals, with an average of over 10 per game.

Meanwhile, his shot blocking totals continue to increase. This is probably a sign of experience. Unlike FElton, who tended to record his blocks while guarding his own man, Camby gets the majority of his from the weak side. This I think is a good thing, and is what makes him such an elite help defender. Also, whereas FElton was able to "rebound" a lot of his blocks, Camby sends a lot of his out of bounds. He is more of a swatter. But it can't have been too many, because Denver was the leading fast break team for many years. A lot of them began with either a Camby block or DReb.

I am expecting similar results from Camby as a member of the Clippers, but one never knows. As ClipperSteve said, it will be interesting having two of the NBA's top three rebounders and shot blockers on the same team.

Camby is very versatile and athletic. I think a shift to PF will give him some opportunities to score. I would bet that his point average increases to the 13-14ppg range. He runs the floor well, and is more than capable of leading the fast break.

A Few Small Items

citizen zhiv — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:12:31 -0000

I know this is MP's bailiwick (Saturday moren spelling, vocabulary, and etymology challenge), but while he basks in the glow of his radio appearance, there are a few "newsClips" (!) over at HHRumors.

--Clips made a 12:01 offer to Udrih. He wanted some kind of option in the last year of the deal, and as they went to check on that, the BD scenario started playing out and Udrih quickly went to Sac and took their offer. Conspiracy theorists might want to add the info to their timeline.

--Clips had to renounce rights to Paul Davis to make the offer to Azu. There's some previous discussion about Davis and free agency by the same writer at the Sporting News, but I didn't look for it. There are some obvious questions about Davis' status, starting with the progress of his rehab.

--But my favorite are details about the Randolph trade proposal. The wording of the discussion is kind of amusing, and we can follow up and discuss (have to get to yoga), but it says something like: "those criticizing the Knicks for not unloading Randolph for nothing, need to know that the Clippers didn't want nothing"--they wanted a first round pick (the Knicks don't have a lot of those), $3 million, and for the Knicks to take Brevin Knight (called Brandon Knight in the article). Huh? Begs the question of what's more than nothing? It's all backwards.

More evidence that the Clips have been out there playing hardball.

Mikey P talks Clippers on 710

mikey p — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:56:02 -0000

Thursday on Damashek, Denholm and Long, Hour 1.

I called these guys to talk Clippers. Got right thru, no holding. Don't know how many listeners this show has. Especially if they talk Clippers, I don't think many people stick around for that.

My clip is right after the first break, about 10 minutes in. I am the first (and only) caller. It is a QT file, so there is no timer.

This Long guy starts by saying that the Clippers were going to have Brand, Davis and Maggette. My first comment was to call him on that, and he denies it, so whatever, I moved on.

I basically just answered the question of whether or not they were better off today. Same stuff you would read from me here.

I like Damashek. He is a Clips fan, and pretty much knows his stuff.

Turiaf is officially a Warrior

DocD — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:42:37 -0000

Good news for Clippers fans, the Lakers did not match the offer sheet to Turiaf, officially making him a Warrior, and making it less likely that the warriors will match the Clips offer sheet to Buike. They've got too many forwards with the addition of Turiaf and Maggette, I doubt they'll be matching now. We took BD, they took Maggette, we signed Buike, and for some reason I gotta feeling they'll be going for Livingston next.

ESPN has it