[1-1] Da Clip Show | @ Rockets (Good God That Sucked!)

[Fresh8]

BLACK MAMBA!!!!! Wait... we lost.

[Lamrock]

CLIPPERS LOSE
The #18 Clippers blog on the Web! (The Clippers of Clippers Blogs)
NBA Draft Recap'

2010 Draft Lottery

May 20, 2010 - The NBA Draft Lottery was a surprising one. For the first time since 2007, the top 3 all fell three spots. The Chicago Bulls once again had fantastic luck, barely missing the playoffs with a 13-16 record, they moved up to second in the draft. Memphis moved up four spots to first, and Philadelphia to third. Our Clippers fell one spot from seventh to eight. The Clips are expected to take either a Center, or a small forward.

1. Memphis (5) ^4
2. Chicago (12) ^10
3. Philadelphia (7) ^4
4. New Jersey (1) ^4
5. Washington (2) -3
6. Minnesota (3) -3
7. Milwaukee (4) -3
8. LA Clippers (7) -1
9. Utah [NYK] (8) -1
10. Golden State (9) -1
11. Miami (10) -1
12. Sacramento (11) -1
13. Oklahoma City (13)
14. New Orleans (14)

NBA Draft 2010

June 25, 2010 - The NBA draft has come and gone with few surprises. The top two went according to plan, and the usual suspects followed. The Clippers felt the effects of dropping a slot as their rumored target, DeMarcus Cousins, was scooped up a pick earlier. They ended up taking their second choice, grabbing prospect 3 Al-Farouq Aminu. (Aminu Acids is the nickname. In the second round, they grabbed U of Washington Small Forward Quincy Pondexter.

1. Memphis: John Wall | NBA Comparison: Derrick Rose | Grade: A
2. Chicago: Evan Turner | NBA Comparison: Brandon Roy | Grade: A
3. Philadelphia: Derrick Favors | NBA Comparison: Emeka Okafor | Grade: B-
4. New Jersey: Donatas Motiejunas | NBA Comparison: Dirk Nowitzki | Grade: B+
5. Washington: Greg Monroe | NBA Comparison: Lamar Odom | Grade: C
6. Minnesota: Wesley Johnson | NBA Comparison: Rudy Gay | Grade: A+
7. Milwaukee: Demarcus Cousins | NBA Comparison: Shaquille O'Neal | Grade: A
8. LA Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu | NBA Comparison: Luol Deng | Grade: B
9. Utah: Patrick Patterson | NBA Comparison: Paul Millsap | Grade: B+
10. Golden State: James Anderson | NBA Comparison: Mickael Pietrus | Grade: C-
11. Miami: Willie Warren | NBA Comparison: Ben Gordon | Grade: B-
12. Sacramento: Xavier Henry | NBA Comparison: Jason Richardson | Grade: C
13. Oklahoma City: Paul George | NBA Comparison: Nicolas Batum | Grade: C-
14. New Orleans: Devin Ebanks | NBA Comparison: Rudy Gay | Grade: B
15. Detroit: Cole Aldrich | Grade: A
16. Charlotte: Eric Bledsoe | Grade: D
17. Indiana: Hassan Whiteside | Grade: A-
18. Toronto: Dexter Pittman | Grade: C
19. San Antonio: Stanley Robinson | Grade: D
20. Atlanta: Ed Davis | Grade: B+
21. Utah: William Buford | Grade: F
22. Oklahoma City: Lance Stephenson | Grade: D
23. Houston: Terrico White | Grade: C
24. Denver: Tyshawn Taylor | Grade: D
25. Cleveland: Andrew Ogilvy | Grade: D
26. Portland: Avery Bradley | Grade: D+
27. New Jersey: Damion James | Grade: A
28. Orlando: Kemba Walker | Grade: D
29. Los Angeles: Arinze Onuaku | Grade: D-
30. Boston: Marko Keselj | Grade: F
---
37. LA Clippers: Quincy Pondexter | Grade: B-

Current Depth Chart

C: Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan | Drew Gooden
PF: Blake Griffin | Travis Outlaw | Craig Smith
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu | Quincy Pondexter | Rasual Butler
SG: Eric Gordon | Mardy Collins
PG: Baron Davis | Steve Blake | Bobby Brown
RED = Free Agent

[Azzdogs]

How frustrating one pick earlier your man got picked up. Hopefully you can pick up someone big in free agency.

[kibaxx7]

Ah, both Wesley Johnson and Cousins picked before your turn. Tough luck

[dare]

good pick by Chicago, Aminu Acids is a nice pick too, LOL at NJ picking what seems to be another bust

[Alpha_]

yes, Donatas will going to be a bust. no doubt.

Hassan Whiteside is the biggest steal in this draft for sure.

[hova-]

Well, you're on xbox, right? I don't know how good Aminu is on your draft class but on the ps3 draftclass I did not like him. Imho he is not more than a role player with his wiry frame and some nice athleticism. You need to train him hard to get more out of him (use your training camp stuff for his fundamentals). Other than that, good choice, the best were already chosen.

Good that the first 7 picks are very realistic with the Nets making a Clipper like mistake. I've simmed a lot of drafts and often the cpu did not use their pick right (like Suns drafting Wall and since he's a PG he would not play). But the last time I simmed a draft I was pretty surprised, as the Bucks had the first pick (with Bogut being out for the whole season) and they took Favours instead of Wall.

[The X]

I probably would've taken Patrick Patterson so that you could've had a beastie 4-man PF/C combo

[Lamrock]

I like to run a tight rotation so I didn't want to take a guy who played the same position as my franchise player. With Johnson and Cousins scooped up before me, I figured I'd take a prospect SF, because after Free Agency, my team is almost too good anyway.

Free Agency up next, with some surprising signings, as well as some not-so surprising ones.

[Martti.]

I'm gonna guess you signed Salim Stoudamire. Or Lebron James.

Turner going to Chicago, love it. Back together with Rose since high school.

[Lamrock]

You know, I do end up signing one of those guys Mart! Massive free agency recap coming up in an hour or so. Stay tuned.

[Fresh8]

I reckon he signs LeBron.

[dare]

I reckon he signs LeBron.

Agreed

[Lamrock]

CLIPPERS LOSE
The #18 Clippers blog on the Web! (The Clippers of Clippers Blogs)
GM's Diary: 2010 Free Agency Roundup

Free agency did not start well for our Clippers. Our main needs were depth and a starting-caliber small forward. My top targets were LeBron James, Joe Johnson and David Lee. Amazingly, all of them ended up with the New York Knicks! Rudy Gay soon re-signed with the Grizzlies, with other marquee free agents Amar'e Stoudemire and Dwyane Wade re-signing with their teams. The Miami Heat signed former Clipper Marcus Camby, and added Carlos Boozer, who became the final max contract signing. With the prime FA's gone, I decided something had to be done, as our roster looked like this:

C: Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan
PF: Blake Griffin
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu (R) | Quincy Pondexter (R)
SG: Eric Gordon
PG: Baron Davis

I used a chunk of our cap space to shore up the bench. I was very pleased by the play of role players Rasual Butler and Steve Blake, and re-signed them to very modest contracts. Furthermore, Travis Outlaw averaged a career high 16.0 PPG off the bench as a Clipper, and was well-worth bringing back. Craig Smith was the one who slipped away, opting for a more lucrative deal with the Knicks than the 2 year, $5 million I was willing to give. More time for Deandre Jordan I guess. Mardy Collins, Steve Novak, Bobby Brown and Drew Gooden did not fit into our plans, and were let go.

Clippers Re-Sign Blake, Outlaw, Butler
July 1, 2010 - The Los Angeles Clippers made a trio of re-signings today. The team agreed to terms with point guard Steve Blake and athletic combo forward Travis Outlaw, players acquired from Portland in the Marcus Camby trade. They also secured three-point specialist Rasual Butler, who averaged 10 points per game as the team's starting small forward for most of the season.

Outlaw, 25 will make $23 million over four years, but the final year of the deal is a player option. Blake, 30, signed to a smaller, 3 year, $7 million deal with the final year a team option. Butler, 31, was secured with a two-year, $6 million dollar deal. The re-signings leave the Clippers with approximately $10 million dollars in cap space.

With the re-signings, the team's bench was shored up and became loaded with three-point shooters. Outlaw's contract was a bit hard to swallow, but for a 25 year old of his caliber, it was worth it. I wasn't comfortable with either him or Butler as the starting 3. I offered former Maverick and brief Wizard Josh Howard a contract nearly identical to Outlaw's. Less than a week later however, he decided to take a pay-cut to play with the now-stacked Miami Heat. Running out of time and options, I decided to take a punt on the last major free agent remaining...

Former All-Star Tracy McGrady Signs With Clippers
August 12, 2010 - Tracy McGrady has finally found a suitor: the Los Angeles Clippers. After the Knicks declined to sign him following the acquisitions of LeBron James and Joe Johnson, T-Mac has had difficulty finding a team. The 31 year old has suffered from a myriad of injury problems in recent years, and is coming off a pair of 15 PPG seasons. Luckily for him, the Clippers had struck out on their free agency targets and needed a swingman.

The two-time leading scorer was signed to a three year deal worth a reported 25 million dollars. Despite McGrady's age, the deal was back-loaded, giving the Clippers a bit of leftover cap space. "I gotta be honest with you, I was nervous that I would end up like [Allen Iverson]. I appreciate the Clippers organization's faith in me. I won't let them down", said McGrady in a press conference. McGrady is expected to start at the small forward position, but may come off the bench due to his ability to play both swingman positions.

With a little over three million dollars of cap remaining, I looked to bolster the team's defense. None of the additions were exactly defensive stalwarts after all. I offered contracts to Brendan Haywood, Raja Bell and Jermaine O'Neal, who were all seeking more money. Then, I saw that the Grizzlies' contract negotiations with Ronnie Brewer had fallen through. I pounced on the opportunity, sending a four-year, $15 million offer his way, which he and his agent reluctantly agreed to. I had my starting small forward.

With the Brewer signing, the team was left with literally $104 in cap space. I opted to shore up the roster with my man Salim Stoudamire, corpse of veteran big man Rasho Nesterovic and, because I felt sorry for him, former Clipper Shaun Livingston to one year, minimum contracts.

Clippers Shore Up Roster With Brewer, Stoudamire, Nesterovic, Livingston
August 25, 2010 - The Los Angeles Clippers made one final splash in free agency, signing former Jazz and Grizzlies swingman Ronnie Brewer to a four-year, $15 million contract. Brewer, a 25 year old defensive specialist, is expected to start for the team at small forward. The team also shored up the roster by signing former Atlanta Hawks combo guard Salim Stoudamire, former NBA champion big man Rasho Nesterovic and former Clipper point guard Shaun Livingston to minimum contracts. Clippers GM Liam Washburn says the team is "pretty much done" dealing this Summer.

And that's a wrap. Free agency 2010 is over for the Clippers is over, and while it could have gone better, it could have also gone far worse as well (Mike Dunleavy thought we should sign Darko to a max contract). For kicks, I assembled the team's roster in NBA 2K10 and it had an 88 overall rating. Very nice. With the conclusion of free agency, the roster actually looks fairly stacked (new additions in bold):

C: Chris Kaman | DeAndre Jordan | Rasho Nesterovic
PF: Blake Griffin | Travis Outlaw
SF: Ronnie Brewer | Rasual Butler | Al-Farouq Aminu (R) | Quincy Pondexter (R)
SG: Eric Gordon | Tracy McGrady | Salim Stoudamire
PG: Baron Davis | Steve Blake | Shaun Livingston

[dare]

very nice pick ups man, please make T-mac a star again

[Alpha_]

good signings..

[Azzdogs]

Like the signings and especially the fact that you gave Livingston a chance.

[Lamrock]

Your 2010-2011 Los Angeles Clippers:
-----STARTING FIVE-----


Point Guard: Baron Davis | 6'3", 215 lbs | UCLA | Born: April 13, 1979
Shooting Guard: Eric Gordon | 6'3", 222 lbs | Indiana | Born: December 25, 1988
Small Forward: Ronnie Brewer | 6'7", 227 lbs | Arkansas | Born: March 20, 1985
Power Forward: Blake Griffin | 6'10", 251 lbs | Oklahoma | Born: March 16, 1989
Center: Chris Kaman | 7'0", 260 lbs | Central Michigan | Born: April 28, 1982
-----RESERVES-----


Guard/Forward: Tracy McGrady | 6'8", 223 lbs | Mount Zion HS | Born: May 24, 1979
Forward: Travis Outlaw | 6'9", 207 lbs | Starkville HS | Born: September 18, 1984
Guard: Steve Blake | 6'3", 172 lbs | Maryland | Born: February 26, 1980
Forward/Guard: Rasual Butler | 6'7", 205 lbs | La Salle | Born: May 23, 1979
Center: DeAndre Jordan | 6'11", 255 lbs | Texas A&M | Born: July 21, 1988
Forward: Al-Farouq Aminu | 6'8", 208 lbs | Wake Forest | Born: September 21, 1990
Center: Rasho Nesterovic | 7'0", 255 lbs | Yugoslavia | Born: May 30, 1976
-----Injury Reserve-----


Guard: Salim Stoudamire | 6'1", 175 lbs | Arizona | Born: October 11, 1982
Guard: Shaun Livingston | 6'7", 185 lbs | Peoria Central HS | Born: September 11, 1985
Forward: Quincy Pondexter | 6'7", 215 lbs | Washington | Born: March 10, 1988

[Fresh8]

Love Livingston comeback. But damn... thought you were gonna get LeBron man.

[Lamrock]

Forget LeBron. Don't want him. The team is already too good as it is.

[Fresh8]

Forget LeBron. Don't want him. The team is already too good as it is.

TMac v Kobe. Awesome.

[kibaxx7]

Rooting for T-Mac as Sixth Man of the Year

[dare]

nice pick ups man, please make T-mac a star again

[Lamrock]

He could very well end up being an extremely rare reserve all-star. The whole second unit is pretty strong: Blake - McGrady - Butler - Outlaw - Jordan

[hova-]

Nice pickups although I am not a big McGrady fan. It's a good decision to resign these three guys. Especially Blakes as he is a very solid backup and does not ask for much money usually. Brewer is definitely a nice surprise and will have an impact with his athleticism. But after all these signings I don't see much PT for Aminu. Maybe you should have gone with a guard or a big man in order to give him some PT. Or you just make it ala Larry Brown, no PT for Rooks.

How did you get LeBron committing to the Knicks? I simmed about 10 seasons and he only left once (and signed with the Kings ...). Boozer in Miami is very realistic as well as JJ joining LBJ. Good to see that you gave Utah the Knicks' pick because otherwise they could be heavily stacked.