Post by Martinez on Jan 13, 2011 11:28:53 GMT -5
Current Roster:
340 Herb Pope C 24 6'8'' 233 B+ D D+ C+ B- C
404 Jan Vesely C 23 6'11'' 230 C+ C+ C C- C D
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 B+ C+ C B A- A
512 Tarik Black PF 22 6'9'' 240 B D- D- C+ C+ B
608 Kevin Love SF 23 6'10'' 260 B+ C+ C C+ A C
355 Tyler Honeycutt SF 23 6'8'' 200 B B+ C- B- C A
650 Renardo Sidney SF 23 6'10'' 275 B- C C C C C
36 Anthony Morrow SG 28 6'5'' 210 C+ A D+ C D+ B
349 Scotty Hopson SG 23 6'6'' 195 B- C+ C B- B- C
220 Senario Hillman SG 25 6'4'' 188 B C- C C+ C C
524 Dexter Strickland SG 22 6'3'' 185 B- C+ C+ C+ D+ C
502 Jon Diebler SG 24 6'5'' 200 C A- C C- D C
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 C+ B A B D A
297 Brandon Triche PG 22 6'4'' 198 C+ C+ B- C D- B
516 Chris Wright PG 24 6'1'' 190 B C+ B- C D+ B
Roster at beginning of next season:
197 Brook Lopez C 25 7'0'' 266 B C C- A- A- B
340 Herb Pope C 24 6'8'' 233 B+ D D+ C+ B- C
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 B+ C+ C B A- A
608 Kevin Love SF 23 6'10'' 260 B+ C+ C C+ A C
313 Rudy Gay SG 27 6'9'' 230 B A- C B+ C C
502 Jon Diebler SG 24 6'5'' 200 C A- C C- D C
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 C+ B A B D A
Key Additions:
Brook Lopez. Averaged 24ppg, 13rpg, 3.5 BPG while shooting 48% from the field and 87% from the free throw line. Brook Lopez comes in and brings an immediate defensive presence which the Clippers have lacked for some time. Lopez is considered by many to be a top 5 center in the league and is still very young and has room to grow at just 25 years of age.
Rudy Gay. Gay has never quite developed into the star people had hoped him to be but he is a solid addition to this Los Angeles squad. Averaged 13ppg while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from 3pt land. Gay comes at a fairly cheap price of a bunch of rookie contracts and late 1st round draft picks.
Trade Grades:
Trade #1 dealt
2014 LAC 1st
Tyler Honeycutt
2015 OKC 1st
for Brook Lopez
Grade: B+
Analysis: Labeled by many as overpaying for stud center Brook Lopez, Los Angeles took no chances of missing out on a stud center like Lopez. In retrospect this deal could end up being Harrison Barnes, Honeycutt, and a lotto pick, though it is easy to say now. This is a deal that needed to be done in ever trade someone always wins out and the Grizzlies are the case of that here. The Clippers accomplished two things with this trade. They got a legitimate star in Brook Lopez who has the ability to still grow and become a rare elite talent in the league, whom gives the Clippers an immediate defensive presence which they haven't had in many seasons in Los Angeles and they kept two of their franchise young guys in Kyrie Irving and Jonas Valenciunas.
The trade is given a B+ because the Los Angeles Clippers could be potentially giving up Harrison Barnes who many think will be a future super stud in BBS and many feel the value of Barnes and Barnes alone could have netted the Clippers franchise a stud in the realm of Lopez. Clippers management has made the same mistake before of "waiting out" lottos and free agency only to luck out at many targets and having to settle with mediocre over priced talent and the Clippers management was not making the same mistake twice. Clippers fans are disappointed at not being able to see Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving and Jonas Valenciunas in action but with Los Angeles needing to win this year this is a move that needed to be made.
Trade #2
NO 2014 1st
MIL 2014 1st
MIL 2015 1st
Renardo Sidney
Scotty Hopson
Dexter Strickland
for
Rudy Gay
Grade: B+
The Clippers trade 3 potentially late 1st round picks, three rookie contracts for potential starter at the SG position, Rudy Gay. This deal makes sense for both teams. Rudy Gay did not figure into Golden State's plans for next season and they get 3 1st round picks for someone who they had no use for. The Clippers now become arguably the biggest and tallest line-up at the league with 7'0 Lopez at the 5, 6'11 Jonas at the 4, 6'11 Love at the 3 and 6'9 Rudy Gay at the 2. This line-up will undoubtedly cause many match-up headaches as Jonas,Love, and Gay can potentially play up to two to three different positions each.
Potential Deals that were available:
Rejected trade #1:
Offered by: Los Angeles Clippers GM
2014 LAC 1st
Tyler Honeycutt
2015 OKC 1st
for Marc Gasol
Reason Rejected: This deal was rejected simply based on age. Brook Lopez is 3 years younger than Gasol. They produce the same as each other albeit Gasol was a #1 option with Houston and Lopez a #2 option and that also played a role in the decision. Gasol may be slightly better at this point but there is no reason why Brook Lopez can not improve in Training Camp having B scouted potential and only being 25 years of age. Also, if Los Angeles finds themselves in financial trouble in 3-4 seasons from now a 28-30 years old Lopez is much easier to trade than a 31-33 year old Marc Gasol.
Potential Grade from this trade: B
Rejected trade #2
Offered by Denver Nuggets GM:
JR Smith
CLE 2014 1st
for
Jonas Valenciunas
Herb Pope
Renardo Sidney
Reason rejected: Jonas has the potential to be the new Dirk Nowitzki with his shooting ability and to trade him for JR Smith who seems to be one of those guys in the realm of a Jamal Crawford who sim incredibly despite their ratings it'd just be a dumb deal to do considering that this would fill not holes(Smith would fill the hole at the 2 but then a hole at the 3 would open up) and because players like the following one are available for Jonas.
Potential Grade of trade: F
Rejected trade #3
Proposed by New Orleans Hornets
Dwight Howard
for
Jonas Valenciunas
Fillers
This one was rejected simply for one of the reasons stated above that realistically this would still leave a hole at another position even though the tandem of Howard and Brook Lopez would be incredible to see also realstically since the Clippers have no bird rights on players it'd be impossible to match contracts unless Love were involved and that again would be a huge blow to the depth of this Clippers squad something many people have failed to understand when criticizing the Brook Lopez trade. If 1 year contracts were available to use perhaps this deal would have happened but not possible at this point.
Potential Grade of Trade: B+
2014-2015 Season Outlook
I think the Clippers should have no problems achieving the goal of 42 wins or playoffs. They will potentially go into the season as the best rebounding team in the league with the trio of Lopez, Love, and Jonas all with the ability to average over 10 RPG which will be a huge factor in many games. The key thing will be to see how both Jonas and Irving develop in Training camp and if the improvement is significant enough where they can finally develop into the stars everyone thinks they can become.
I am predicting a 45 win season for the Clippers with the potential of perhaps making the Western Conference finals. The rebuilding efforts of the Grizzlies, Hornets and Rockets make the path to 42 or playoffs much easier.
These things need to happen:
The development of Jonas and Irving in training camp whom currently are
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 B+ C+ C B A- A
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 C+ B A B D A
hoping to be after TC
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 A- C+ C B A A
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 B- B A B+ D A
The ability to sign legitimate depth in Free Agency with the MLE, LLE and minimum contracts. One injury to this Clippers squad could potentially damage their entire season.
Clippers Off-Season Grade: A
All in all I think the Clippers have had a fantastic off-season, they kept their cornerstone franchise players in Jonas Valenciunas and Kyrie Irving while adding Brook Lopez into the mix. Kevin Love and Rudy Gay will both provide quality minutes for the Clippers and both have the athleticism to play two to three different positions. All in all I love the Clippers future, they still have many futures to play with and didn’t give up a ton to add to this squad even if they may potentially end up giving up Harrison Barnes.
340 Herb Pope C 24 6'8'' 233 B+ D D+ C+ B- C
404 Jan Vesely C 23 6'11'' 230 C+ C+ C C- C D
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 B+ C+ C B A- A
512 Tarik Black PF 22 6'9'' 240 B D- D- C+ C+ B
608 Kevin Love SF 23 6'10'' 260 B+ C+ C C+ A C
355 Tyler Honeycutt SF 23 6'8'' 200 B B+ C- B- C A
650 Renardo Sidney SF 23 6'10'' 275 B- C C C C C
36 Anthony Morrow SG 28 6'5'' 210 C+ A D+ C D+ B
349 Scotty Hopson SG 23 6'6'' 195 B- C+ C B- B- C
220 Senario Hillman SG 25 6'4'' 188 B C- C C+ C C
524 Dexter Strickland SG 22 6'3'' 185 B- C+ C+ C+ D+ C
502 Jon Diebler SG 24 6'5'' 200 C A- C C- D C
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 C+ B A B D A
297 Brandon Triche PG 22 6'4'' 198 C+ C+ B- C D- B
516 Chris Wright PG 24 6'1'' 190 B C+ B- C D+ B
Roster at beginning of next season:
197 Brook Lopez C 25 7'0'' 266 B C C- A- A- B
340 Herb Pope C 24 6'8'' 233 B+ D D+ C+ B- C
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 B+ C+ C B A- A
608 Kevin Love SF 23 6'10'' 260 B+ C+ C C+ A C
313 Rudy Gay SG 27 6'9'' 230 B A- C B+ C C
502 Jon Diebler SG 24 6'5'' 200 C A- C C- D C
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 C+ B A B D A
Key Additions:
Brook Lopez. Averaged 24ppg, 13rpg, 3.5 BPG while shooting 48% from the field and 87% from the free throw line. Brook Lopez comes in and brings an immediate defensive presence which the Clippers have lacked for some time. Lopez is considered by many to be a top 5 center in the league and is still very young and has room to grow at just 25 years of age.
Rudy Gay. Gay has never quite developed into the star people had hoped him to be but he is a solid addition to this Los Angeles squad. Averaged 13ppg while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from 3pt land. Gay comes at a fairly cheap price of a bunch of rookie contracts and late 1st round draft picks.
Trade Grades:
Trade #1 dealt
2014 LAC 1st
Tyler Honeycutt
2015 OKC 1st
for Brook Lopez
Grade: B+
Analysis: Labeled by many as overpaying for stud center Brook Lopez, Los Angeles took no chances of missing out on a stud center like Lopez. In retrospect this deal could end up being Harrison Barnes, Honeycutt, and a lotto pick, though it is easy to say now. This is a deal that needed to be done in ever trade someone always wins out and the Grizzlies are the case of that here. The Clippers accomplished two things with this trade. They got a legitimate star in Brook Lopez who has the ability to still grow and become a rare elite talent in the league, whom gives the Clippers an immediate defensive presence which they haven't had in many seasons in Los Angeles and they kept two of their franchise young guys in Kyrie Irving and Jonas Valenciunas.
The trade is given a B+ because the Los Angeles Clippers could be potentially giving up Harrison Barnes who many think will be a future super stud in BBS and many feel the value of Barnes and Barnes alone could have netted the Clippers franchise a stud in the realm of Lopez. Clippers management has made the same mistake before of "waiting out" lottos and free agency only to luck out at many targets and having to settle with mediocre over priced talent and the Clippers management was not making the same mistake twice. Clippers fans are disappointed at not being able to see Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving and Jonas Valenciunas in action but with Los Angeles needing to win this year this is a move that needed to be made.
Trade #2
NO 2014 1st
MIL 2014 1st
MIL 2015 1st
Renardo Sidney
Scotty Hopson
Dexter Strickland
for
Rudy Gay
Grade: B+
The Clippers trade 3 potentially late 1st round picks, three rookie contracts for potential starter at the SG position, Rudy Gay. This deal makes sense for both teams. Rudy Gay did not figure into Golden State's plans for next season and they get 3 1st round picks for someone who they had no use for. The Clippers now become arguably the biggest and tallest line-up at the league with 7'0 Lopez at the 5, 6'11 Jonas at the 4, 6'11 Love at the 3 and 6'9 Rudy Gay at the 2. This line-up will undoubtedly cause many match-up headaches as Jonas,Love, and Gay can potentially play up to two to three different positions each.
Potential Deals that were available:
Rejected trade #1:
Offered by: Los Angeles Clippers GM
2014 LAC 1st
Tyler Honeycutt
2015 OKC 1st
for Marc Gasol
Reason Rejected: This deal was rejected simply based on age. Brook Lopez is 3 years younger than Gasol. They produce the same as each other albeit Gasol was a #1 option with Houston and Lopez a #2 option and that also played a role in the decision. Gasol may be slightly better at this point but there is no reason why Brook Lopez can not improve in Training Camp having B scouted potential and only being 25 years of age. Also, if Los Angeles finds themselves in financial trouble in 3-4 seasons from now a 28-30 years old Lopez is much easier to trade than a 31-33 year old Marc Gasol.
Potential Grade from this trade: B
Rejected trade #2
Offered by Denver Nuggets GM:
JR Smith
CLE 2014 1st
for
Jonas Valenciunas
Herb Pope
Renardo Sidney
Reason rejected: Jonas has the potential to be the new Dirk Nowitzki with his shooting ability and to trade him for JR Smith who seems to be one of those guys in the realm of a Jamal Crawford who sim incredibly despite their ratings it'd just be a dumb deal to do considering that this would fill not holes(Smith would fill the hole at the 2 but then a hole at the 3 would open up) and because players like the following one are available for Jonas.
Potential Grade of trade: F
Rejected trade #3
Proposed by New Orleans Hornets
Dwight Howard
for
Jonas Valenciunas
Fillers
This one was rejected simply for one of the reasons stated above that realistically this would still leave a hole at another position even though the tandem of Howard and Brook Lopez would be incredible to see also realstically since the Clippers have no bird rights on players it'd be impossible to match contracts unless Love were involved and that again would be a huge blow to the depth of this Clippers squad something many people have failed to understand when criticizing the Brook Lopez trade. If 1 year contracts were available to use perhaps this deal would have happened but not possible at this point.
Potential Grade of Trade: B+
2014-2015 Season Outlook
I think the Clippers should have no problems achieving the goal of 42 wins or playoffs. They will potentially go into the season as the best rebounding team in the league with the trio of Lopez, Love, and Jonas all with the ability to average over 10 RPG which will be a huge factor in many games. The key thing will be to see how both Jonas and Irving develop in Training camp and if the improvement is significant enough where they can finally develop into the stars everyone thinks they can become.
I am predicting a 45 win season for the Clippers with the potential of perhaps making the Western Conference finals. The rebuilding efforts of the Grizzlies, Hornets and Rockets make the path to 42 or playoffs much easier.
These things need to happen:
The development of Jonas and Irving in training camp whom currently are
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 B+ C+ C B A- A
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 C+ B A B D A
hoping to be after TC
633 Jonas Valanciunas PF 20 6'11'' 260 A- C+ C B A A
402 Kyrie Irving PG 21 6'1'' 172 B- B A B+ D A
The ability to sign legitimate depth in Free Agency with the MLE, LLE and minimum contracts. One injury to this Clippers squad could potentially damage their entire season.
Clippers Off-Season Grade: A
All in all I think the Clippers have had a fantastic off-season, they kept their cornerstone franchise players in Jonas Valenciunas and Kyrie Irving while adding Brook Lopez into the mix. Kevin Love and Rudy Gay will both provide quality minutes for the Clippers and both have the athleticism to play two to three different positions. All in all I love the Clippers future, they still have many futures to play with and didn’t give up a ton to add to this squad even if they may potentially end up giving up Harrison Barnes.