The Clippers are about to screw it all up

[coolm]

DJ, Eric Bledsoe, and 2 first round draft picks to Boston for KG and the right to hire Doc Rivers?

ridiculous.

I'd LOVE for CP3 to stay. But if he doesn't then throw the keys to Bledsoe, hire a coach, and move the **** forward.

Don't sell the entire ship for one hopeful season.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

DJ, Eric Bledsoe, and 2 first round draft picks to Boston for KG and the right to hire Doc Rivers?

ridiculous.

I'd LOVE for CP3 to stay. But if he doesn't then throw the keys to Bledsoe, hire a coach, and move the **** forward.

Don't sell the entire ship for one hopeful season.

Not a done deal. Also discussing a Howard Blake for D. Howard deal.......

 

[WTSooner]

The Clippers are wanting to hold onto Bledsoe, making it DJ and two first round picks for KG and Doc Rivers. Bledsoe is the hold up. Boston wants him. The Clippers need him for their next offer which is rumored to be Blake and Bledsoe for Dwight Howard. I don't see any way the Lakers do that deal, though.

As a Boston fan I hope something gets done. We aren't going to win a title with KG and PP as the two best players. They are just too old. Time to start the rebuild while those guys have a little trade value left. Would I do the trade without Bledsoe? I don't know. My preference would probably be to hold out for Bledsoe, and allow the Clips to only send one first round pick, and not two.

Then buy out PP, possibly trade Rondo, and build around Bledsoe (or deal him and keep Rondo), Bradley, Green, Sullinger, and Jordan. Those are some solid pieces, but we'd definitely be missing star power.

 

[WTSooner]

That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and say nothing gets done.

 

[coolm]

I'd shop rondo and that fricking attitude of his. He is an outstanding player but I can't deal with his demeanor.

Blake and Bledsoe for Dwight Howard? Please. Thats pathetic. Not in a million years. Howard isn't worth either of those 2 by themselves. The LAKERS won't do it? They'd be stupid not to if the Clips were daft enough to offer.

 

[bocabull]

A starting lineup of

Chris Paul
Jamal Crawford
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Dwight Howard

with Jason Terry, Caron Butler & Matt Barnes coming off the bench, coached by Doc Rivers is hardly "throwing it all away". That's an immediate title contender with Paul/Howard as a cornerstone for the next 5 seasons.

It's not going to happen though because the Celtics aren't going to facilitate two LA teams getting what they want for the sake of saving a few bucks on the way to rebuilding. Who says they have to rebuild anyway? Jeff Green progressed, they get Rondo back next season & only have $73 million of salary on the books. Pierce is not over the hill & while Garnett is getting there they depend on him less & less.

This is situation where Ainge knows the Clips want Rivers and he's seeing if they will do something stupid. If not he's just teasing them along.

 

[WTSooner]

Ainge does NOT want to keep the C's together. He'd like to keep Doc, but I'm guessing Pierce gets bought out if the Clippers deal falls apart. KG would retire if Doc left the C's. Pierce may or may not be over the hill, but he is no longer capable of carrying the C's. That was made obvious last year. Even KG's offense took a big hit last year. They'd be a decent team if they simply "ran it back" one more year. Their defense would be outstanding. But they simply don't have enough scorers. It's time to rebuild, and not simply let the old guys get even older until they are completely worthless. There is no way the C's can compete for the title next year, so they might as well start the rebuild. If they can get anything close from the Clippers from what has been reported, I'd jump all over it.

I also don't see any chance the Lakers would send Howard to the Clips. Not even for Blake and Bledsoe. They aren't going to help their inter-city rival out that much.

 

[WTSooner]

Looks like something might get done today, and the Celtics were the ones to give in and agree to not have Bledsoe included.

Something has to get done, b/c you can't try to put this team back together after all this talk. Too much talk about guys leaving and wanting (Rivers) out. Let the C's rebuild begin.

 

[coolm]

now it's flying around that the Blake/Bledsoe deal to the Lakers is almost complete.

You're right Boca, I guess it's a good thing for the Clips. I just always hate the idea of throwing aging dudes together for a 2 year (at most) run. BUT - if you've never even had one year of like conference finals success than I guess looking at 2 years of being a potential power would be awesome.

To me Lakers fans have GOT to be pleased. Parlaying a sign and trade of Howard into two young all-star starters in Blake and Bledsoe? Amazing deal for them. I'd think Howard would jump at the deal too.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

now it's flying around that the Blake/Bledsoe deal to the Lakers is almost complete.

You're right Boca, I guess it's a good thing for the Clips. I just always hate the idea of throwing aging dudes together for a 2 year (at most) run. BUT - if you've never even had one year of like conference finals success than I guess looking at 2 years of being a potential power would be awesome.

To me Lakers fans have GOT to be pleased. Parlaying a sign and trade of Howard into two young all-star starters in Blake and Bledsoe? Amazing deal for them. I'd think Howard would jump at the deal too.

That's why I always laugh at those who think the Lakers will stay down for very long. The Lakers always make the moves needed to stay relevant, because the draw of Hollywood always attracts top tier talent.

If the Lakers don't make this move, they will make other moves and the Lakers will go into the post Kobe era in a position to win.......

I agree, it would be a steal of a deal for LA.

 

[WTSooner]

now it's flying around that the Blake/Bledsoe deal to the Lakers is almost complete.

Where are you reading/hearing that? ESPN is reporting that it's still a possibility, but I get the feeling it's not even being actively discussed right now.

And I still say the Lakers aren't going to want to deal Howard to the Clippers.

 

[WTSooner]

Looks like the deal is off. The Clips wanted KG, Doc, and essentially Pierce given to them for nothing, and Boston wouldn't do it. Clips wouldn't do Bledsoe. Clips wouldn't do 2 first round picks. Clips wouldn't take back both Lee and Terry.

I hope Paul leaves now, and they can go back to missing the playoffs every year.

 

[coolm]

I don't know what CP's deal is but to heck with him.

I'd rather Bledsoe be there and not be the little priss that Paul is being.

For Blake's sake I actually hope he goes to the Lakers.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

people overvalue Bledsoe imo.

 

[Smash Williams]

people overvalue Bledsoe imo.

I agree. He's a very good on-ball defender and a great energy guy off the bench, but I wouldn't trust him to run the starting offense of a good team. Anyone trading for Bledsoe now is essentially acquiring the right to match whatever ridiculous offer sheet he receives next summer.

I understand where the hype originates, as he's a young, crazy athletic player that made major strides this past season. He's also a great value on a rookie contract, but the luster is going to wear off once he's paid starter money and begins to get judged on performance rather than potential.

On a related note, I don't get why the Clippers are reticent to part with DeAndre Jordan and a couple picks. Jordan isn't worth anything close to $11 million a year, and those picks are going to be at the end of the first round. Chris Paul is only 28 years old, but given his wear and tear, he's an "old" 28. The Clippers shouldn't waste CP3's prime waiting on Jordan to develop into something he'll probably never be. Their window is now. KG has at least two good years left, especially if he's in a situation in which he only has to play 25 minutes a game during the regular season. Same goes for Pierce, who can be really valuable if he's not asked to carry an offense. The combination of Doc and KG would fix the Clippers' defensive problems. And after those two years, KG and nearly every other player, aside from CP3, Griffin, and Crawford, will be off the books, thus giving the Clippers an opportunity to make a run at a major free agent. In other words, I don't see any significant long-term downside.

If the Clippers really balked over money, that's just asinine. They're already investing a ton of money in players, so why stop now, on the verge of a deal that would make them legitimate title contenders for at least the next couple years? I don't even know where to begin in quantifying the value of a championship for this particular franchise, given their ignominious history and uphill battle for respect in a market dominated by the Lakers. One championship banner would go such a long way in enhancing the Clippers' reputation and washing away the stigma of the past. Proof that you can win a championship with that franchise would also pay dividends for years to come in courting superstar free agents.

 

[Smash Williams]

That's why I always laugh at those who think the Lakers will stay down for very long. The Lakers always make the moves needed to stay relevant, because the draw of Hollywood always attracts top tier talent.

If the Lakers don't make this move, they will make other moves and the Lakers will go into the post Kobe era in a position to win.......

I agree, it would be a steal of a deal for LA.

The draw of Hollywood is a major factor, but there is so much more to it. Simply being in a great market doesn't guarantee success (just ask Donald Sterling). To assume that the Lakers will always be a winner is to underestimate how important Dr. Buss was to the franchise's success. He hired the right people, was willing to spend on the right players, and was humble enough to swallow his ego for the greater good of the franchise (i.e. bringing Phil back, when the two didn't have a great relationship).

Jim Buss raises question marks that the Lakers didn't have when his father was around. They still have Kupchak, but will Jim Buss let him do his job? Is Jimmy going to hire the right person when Kupchak is done? Would Dr. Buss have handled the most recent coaching hire the same way? Did Jimmy's personal relationship with Phil get in the way of making the best hire?

I'm not betting against the Lakers' long-term future success, but I don't believe it's nearly as much of a certainty as it was when Dr. Buss was in charge.

 

[bocabull]

Bledsoe is overrated & Howard underrated right now. At least from a fans perspective. Kupchak, GMs & players know better.

 

[coolm]

good points here. especially the issue of Bledsoe's contract.

I wonder if they will pull the trigger with Boston and hold back on the Lakers thing? Word is CP3 and Blake are not exactly tight and the Boston deal could happen very very soon.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--c...-kevin-garnett-doc-rivers-deal-222720148.html

 

[Smash Williams]

Bledsoe is an absolute bulldog of a defender with a ton of value, especially given the shortage of such capable defenders in a league full of quality offensive PGs. He showed a lot of growth in his shooting and his ball-handling. There were times that Vinny didn't use him enough. I love him as a third guard, but I'm not sold on his ability to run the show.

 

[coolm]

meh, I am sold on it if he gets the time.

Watched at least half of the Clips games this year and he has more than shown the ability to run things - he's just not CP3. Truth is though that NO ONE is CP3 ... often even CP3 thanks to injuries.

Bledsoe playing the point is no more of a square peg in a round hole than RW playing it for OKC.