Looking at it from the perspective of a potential new buyer for the New Orleans Hornets, I would want expiring contracts that preserve my future cap space, players on rookie contracts because they'll be cheap and productive going forward, and draft picks (the higher the better) to help me land more productive rookie players. The Clipper deal meets all that.
I agree with that, but I feel like Patrick Patterson and Chase Budinger have more talent then any of the Clippers last couple drafts. I say that as someone that sees 5-6 Clipper games a year live. Patterson has the best potential out of all of them, imo.
A Minny pick in the deepest draft in living memory is worth more then all of that. Lets not forget the only way to rebuild for a small market team is to follow the SAS/OKC blue print. Building around a draft pick and hope to hell he loves you back (aka KD/TD) and not crap all over you after 7 seasons like (Lebron/Chris Bosh/CP3/Melo/Dwight/Deron)
A Minny pick? The one that likely won't even crack the top 10 this year? If this is the deepest draft in living memory, you must be extremely young, or extremely naive...
Deal was submitted. Eric Gordon, Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minny's pick for Paul, per ESPN. The NBA and the Clippers are F***ing r****ded. Chris Paul is not worth that much. The NBA is losing credibility fast. Oh well, I'm glad the Rockets didn't give up what they were going to for Pau...
The Clippers aren't THAT r****ded. The Minny pick (McHale(TM)) isn't turning out to be THAT valuable (age restrictions+Rick at the helm+actually a nice roster shaping at Minny). Gordon will never-ever-ever be a star on the level of Paul. Gordon is an extremely solid player, but good FAs tend to gravitate towards stars. A Paul-Griffin duo is quite a nice combo to start with. Aminu is still an unknown (lots of upside, but I'd have traded Bledsoe whose value will drop now that Paul's ahead of him), Kaman and Gordon are both on expirings. All in all they are freeing a ****load of capspace that they can spend on Jordan (which will has some r****ded potential in it).
On Gordon: he will be having payday quite soon. I'm not quite sure the Clippers will be able to match him. Or, if they do, they will have like 0 capspace to have a serviceable bench.
I'm pretty sure there is no hard cap in the new cba. They settled on a more puntitive luxury tax, meaning the clippers can match any offer accepted by Gordon.
If the deal goes through with Bledsoe and Aminu in it, Stern is the best owner, EVER.That's an insanely good deal. So good that the Clippers should actually turn it down.
They go from Pau and Lamar to Eric Gordon, a Minny pick and garbage? Hmm... Full tank mode...Like that better Stern?
Yup, that's true for like one or two years. After that the tax gets harder, the wages go up and all kind of trouble breaks loose when Griffin too has to be paid.
Exactly! It will be the similar situation to Memphis this year. It's smart to include Gordon in the trade. Value will be with paying a lottery picks contract, rather than a near max salary, which is what Gordon will most likely attract. The clippers ownership will have to decide if they're ready to pay Griffin, Gordon, Jordan and possibility of resigning Paul after his option year.
I know that many are still mad that the Rockets got screwed, but that's a way better deal than they were getting before. Gordon & the Minny pick alone is pretty damn good. If they get Bledsoe, too? Wow.
