Last weekend got off to a sad start for Clippers fans after finding out that DeAndre Jordan decided to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. It was an unexpected turn for the Clippers who were still disappointed from their early playoff exit. Even worse the Clippers have very little money they can spend and almost every big time free agent has already agreed to a new contract. The only players that will undoubtedly make a positive impact still available are Lebron James and Tristan Thompson; both of whom are expected to resign with the Cavaliers as soon as they agree on the finances. However, the Clippers do have a few choices amongst the many players still looking for a team. Here are some of the options the Clippers have to find a new starting center and to fill some of the holes they still have in their bench:
1. Hope an injured big man recovers well-There are a couple of big men coming off injury plagued seasons who, if fully recovered, have an opportunity to make a big contribution. The two guys who fit this category the best are Javale Mcgee and Emeka Okafor. Mcgee missed most of last season due to injury after missing much of the previous season due to injury. He was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Phildelphia 76ers at the trade deadline, but was waived shortly thereafter and remained unsigned through the end of the season. The big man has made many clumsy and immature plays over the seasons, but the upside is high if he can remain healthy. Okafor meanwhile was not on any roster last season after spending the entire previous season injured on the Phoenix Suns bench. Okafor was one of the bright young stars when he first entered the league a decade ago, but has faded over the years. If he can come close to his younger self it will indeed be a great help for the Clippers. Either one of these guys would be a risk and the chances of even close to as much of success as Deandre Jordan had is slim. However, either one could likely sign for the league minimum so taking a chance would not be a disaster move.
2. Trade for a new big man-this is not very likely now that Roy Hibbert will be traded to the Lakers. Unless they can somehow connect to the Dallas Mavericks a sign and trade with Deandre Jordan is not very likely either now. However, the Clippers have rumored to be contemplating trading Jamal Crawford and they could land a decent big man using Crawford at the center of a trade. Lately, the Clippers were rumored to be intrigued in trading Crawford to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Brendan Haywood, but Haywood would not be a top tier starting center at this point in his career, and it's possible the Clippers would acquire him just so they could waive him and save money. There are not many other big men supposedly on the trading block around the league so it is not likely at this point the Clippers will trade for one, especially because they have such little room in terms of salary cap.
3. Sign a back up center or disappointing starting center and play him little minutes-the Clippers could spend a lot of time playing small ball next season with Blake Griffin as the biggest man on the court if they are not able to acquire a quality center. With the top tier big-man free agents already signed (other than Tristan Thompson who will resign with Cleveland at some point), the Clippers will have to accept signing one or two mediocre centers to hold the position down for at least one year. Some of those possibilities of remaining free agents are Andrea Bargnani who does not play defense and would be coming from the New York Knicks; basically meaning he ain't a good center and would not deserve to start. Also Amare Stoudemire who is really a power forward but has played center in the past. He is not a great defender either, but still has some game left. He is the big man I believe the Clippers will most likely sign. There's old friend Elton Brand, but no matter where he ends up this offseason it will be as a backup. It would be nice to see the Clippers bring him back for likely his final season as a backup big man. There is Glen Davis who has spent the last two seasons with the Clippers, but even if the Clippers bring him back, it will be in a reserve role. Also, Kendrick Perkins is available, but has no chance of being a starter. Other than Stoudemire, Perkins has the best chance of being signed by the Clippers considering Doc Rivers is his old coach, not to mention Paul Pierce is his old teammate as well. Tyler Hansbrough would be an interesting acquisition. He is one of the younger free agents as has some upside. If Doc Rivers wants to take on a project and put a tough big man in the middle, Hansbrough could be a good bet. Other guys who could come on as likely back ups are former Clipper (and many other teams' former) Reggie Evans, Joel Freeland, Chuck Hayes, Justin Hamilton, former Clipper Ryan Hollins, Jason Maxiell, Kevin Seraphin, Greg Stiemsma and last year's third string center Ekpe Udoh. It is almost guaranteed the Clippers sign at least one player from this list.
Whichever road the Clippers take, it will be difficult to improve on last season even with adding Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson (and Wes Johnson, that's sarcasm) to the roster. The Western Conference is great and only one team from it can reach the Finals. The Clippers will have to be smart and get lucky to reach the Finals, but if Golden State could do it, why can't the Clippers?
Oh yeah, and there is always Andrew Bynum!
No comments:
Post a Comment