The Clippers kinda busy summer started with the draft in which they only had one pick. In the first round with the 25th pick overall, the Clippers selected Reggie Bullock a forward who seems to be a good selection so far. With the news that Grant Hill was retiring, Bullock is a good replacement, maybe not quite the same skill set, but definitely bound to be healthier. Bullock as a third stringer off the bench seems to put the Clippers in a better place.
After last season Clipper coach Vinny Del Negro's contract expired, leaving them coach-less. There were rumors about a few coaches the team looked to sign, but it was not long until everyone knew their top target was Celtics coach Doc Rivers. The Clippers wanted to work out a deal to bring him and also showed interest in acquiring Kevin Garnett as well, most likely due to the failures Deandre Jordan has had with the Clippers. Eventually after the league stepped in saying players and coaches couldn't be in the same trade, the Clippers agreed to trade a first round draft pick to the Celtics in exchange for Rivers. The Clippers had gotten a high profile coach, something not possible in years past.
As soon as free agency began, the Clippers resigned Chris Paul. He was the first free agent to officially come to agreement and that took any possible scare away from the Clippers. Knowing Chris Paul was coming back made certain another big year in LA was coming up. Apparently there was little doubt he would leave and once the Clippers got Doc Rivers, Paul knew coming back was the only choice he had.
The Clippers shortly afterwards made their biggest move of the summer. They agreed to trade away Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler to the Suns in a three team trade, while acquiring JJ Reddick and Jared Dudley. Once Paul resigned they knew Bledsoe wouldn't have a future in LA so they were willing to trade him along with starting small forward Butler. Reddick and Dudley are both good shooters and Reddick was immediately pronounced the starting shooting guard and Dudley will likely be the starting small forward. Reddick replaces Chauncey Billups, whose 2 year tenure with the Clippers was filled with injury. Billups decided to sign with the Pistons and return to the team he had so much success with in the prime of his career. Dudley will replace Butler in the starting lineup so that part of the trade was one starter for another.
The Clippers then starting reshaping their bench with free agents. Jamal Crawford was already under contract to be their sixth man for another year, and Willie Green, Maalik Wayans, and Deandre Jordan were coming back too. Over a few week period the Clippers filled up the rest of their bench with some key signings. They brought back Matt Barnes on a multiyear deal, who had a great season last year. They resigned Ryan Hollins for a year, to keep a big body on the bench. The Clippers signed point guard Darren Collison to back up Chris Paul after he started his career backing up Paul on the Hornets a few years ago. Collison is the immediate replacement for Eric Bledsoe, so the Clippers did pretty well finding another young point guard to provide energy off the bench.
The Clippers signed big man Byron Mullens to provide some outside offense and help spread the court. Mullens in essence replaces Ronny Turiaf who signed with Minnesota. Mullens has a chance to be a big improvement over Turiaf if he brings some energy considering he is a much better offensive player. The Clippers then made the likely last move of their offseason last week when they signed forward Antawn Jamison, who played with the Lakers last season. There were rumors for over a month Jamison would sign with the Clippers, but it seemed they were more interested in bringing back Lamar Odom instead. However, with stories popping up about Odom having off court problems to the max, the Clippers finally committed to Jamison essentially ending their relationship with Odom. It was right after when it was reported Odom was arrested and his problems increasing. The Clippers decided it was better to go with a solid player in Jamison then bringing back Odom, whose uncertainty could bring a lot of problems to the team.
So of the 14 players on the roster as of now, 8 were on last years team. The differences from last year-
Darren Collison (replacing) Eric Bledsoe
Jared Dudley (replacing) Caron Butler
JJ Reddick (replacing) Chauncey Billups
Antawn Jamison (replacing) Lamar Odom
Bryon Mullens (replacing) Ronny Turiaf
Reggie Bullock (replacing) Grant Hill
Conclusion-The Clippers are a younger team this year and if healthy a title contender!
No comments:
Post a Comment