Clips looking to deal, maybe Sota #1 (2012)

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=19701


The Los Angeles Clippers took a major step forward this past season with the emergence of budding superstar Blake Griffin.

With just 32 victories, the Clippers didn't win as many games as they had hoped but having survived a number of key injuries and major midseason trade, the team is very hopeful for the future.

On Wednesday at the Blake Griffin Rookie of the Year press conference, Vice President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey said he's determined to add another key piece to the roster before the summer

"This is not unlike the drill in San Antonio when they had Tim Duncan or Cleveland with LeBron or guys like that," said Olshey. "You have to put right pieces around him but you don't have to find 'the piece' because it's here."

To start, the Clippers have guard Eric Gordon who had a breakout season before a wrist injury set him back. Gordon averaged 22.3 points a game along with 4.4 assists but missed 26 games.

Griffin and Gordon are the two primary building blocks Olshey intends to build around.

"Every decision we make right now . . . it's going to be about playing right now instead of standing here [outside of the playoffs]. We've got three All-Stars on our roster all under 28-years of age and Eric Gordon. They've got great chemistry. We've got DeAndre [Jordan]. We've got some good role players, the youth with Eric [Bledsoe] and Farouq [Aminu] is there for the future."

Griffin was an All-Star as a rookie. Mo Williams, acquired midseason for Baron Davis and the Clippers' 2011 first-round pick (unprotected), was an All-Star in 2009. Chris Kaman was honored in 2010.

Olshey believes Gordon is All-Star caliber as well but also admits that his team is still short a piece.

"We need an impact veteran," said Neil. "A guy with leadership skills that has won at a high level that can show Eric and Blake how not just to get in the playoffs but how to be a factor in the playoffs."

Olshey and the team's player personnel department will head out shortly to New Jersey, Chicago and Minnesota to group workouts and the like in preparation for the coming draft where the team has two picks in the second round (37 and 47).

"The fact that we don't have a [first-round] pick today doesn't mean we won't acquire one," said Olshey. "It's just the range of the draft where we were picking, I felt like we could do better using that space to acquire someone with an uneven deal with a trade or in free agency."


Moving beyond Baron, who was an expensive disappointment as a Clipper, was a priority for LA. So much so that they were willing to trade out of the first round completely.

"The Mo Williams trade we felt like . . . that was a fair bargain," said Neil. "We felt like we accomplished what we wanted to accomplish, $8 1/2 million extra in cap room and a 28-year old All-Star at the point that complemented Blake with his shooting. We felt like it was important to move the pick."

Historically the Clippers don't trade away draft picks. Clearly that philosophy has changed.

Last year, Olshey gave up the Clippers 2012 pick (with protections) in order to acquire Bledsoe. The 2011 pick is gone but LA is holding onto a potential goldmine in the Minnesota Timberwolves 2012 pick, unprotected.

The Wolves won just 17 games this past season, worst in the NBA. If the franchise continues to struggle, the Clippers may be looking at the top pick in next year's draft which is generally thought to include a strong crop of players including North Carolina small forward Harrison Barnes.

To date the buzz around the team has been that they'll keep that pick for themselves but Olshey and the Clippers may be open to moving it if they can land an impact talent before July.

"As teams get knocked out of the playoffs, you've got people being more active in terms of trades. That's what we're going to be active in now," said Olshey. "Obviously we moved the pick at the trade deadline. We weren't thrilled with where we were picking or what we thought would be available at that number. We really felt like we could get better via trade or free agency."

If the Clippers are looking to make a trade before the end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which expires after June 30th, free agents DeAndre Jordan (restricted), Jamario Moon, Craig Smith and Ike Diogu cannot be dealt.

Brian Cook has a player option for $1.3 million that would need to be exercised before a trade. Willie Warren is eligible to be traded even though his contract isn't guaranteed beyond this season.

"We've got our core group. We've got Mo and Eric and DeAndre and Blake and Chris," said Olshey. "We've got some nice pieces but we're definitely another piece away from not just being in the playoffs but a factor in the playoffs."

He listed two guards and three big men with the obvious hole at small forward. It's hard not to notice that Neil included Kaman as part of the team's core (and previously when counting out the team's All-Stars).

Chris is going into the final year on his contract at $12.7 million. He had seemed the most likely piece to move for a three but now, that seems to have changed.

Would the team bring back Jordan and keep Kaman?

"I don't think it's an either/or. You've got Chris who is a 28-year old All-Star and you've got DeAndre who is a rising player in our league," said Olshey. "DeAndre is restricted and we can be proactive with that when the cap is set or we can wait for an offer sheet and handle it that way."

Neil pointed out that the Los Angeles Lakers have had a lot of success with their trio of big men.

"Having two seven-footers is an incredible luxury. All we have to do is look across the hallway at [Andrew] Bynum, [Pau] Gasol and Lamar [Odom] and know that you need length to compete in this league. When you've got one guy who is a big-time, mid-range pick and pop guy that can rebound and block shots [Kaman] - and another guy that's an above the rim finisher that can rebound and block shots [Jordan], you don't take that lightly."

Judging by his words, it certainly sounds like the Clippers intend to keep both Kaman and Jordan.

"I've said forever, guards win games and bigs win championships," said Olshey. "Having both those guys - and they both complement Blake, Blake can play away from the hoop at the elbow with DeAndre and he can play in the low post with Chris at the elbows - we've got three of them, we've got 96 minutes a night. I don't think it comes down to an either/or. I think it comes down making sure we put the right pieces around those guys."

So what would the Clippers have to offer to get that high-level small forward?

"We've got $5.3 million in cap room right now to do an uneven deal," said Olshey. "We've got the Minnesota pick unprotected in 2012. We've got two second-round picks. We've got our first-protected to 10 next year. So we've got a lot of deal-making assets."

So they would really consider moving that pick?

"Draft picks, whether you use them to acquire a player or whether you use them to make a deal better, everything is just an asset to make your team better," said Olshey. "You can't get married to the concept of a draft pick and what it possibly could bring.

"If the player you can get with that draft pick is better than what you could acquire with his slot free agent-wise or trade-wise, you go get it. When you can get a Blake Griffin or if you can get an Eric Gordon, you don't move those picks. You move heaven and earth not to get rid of them.

"But when you have a young roster that's as talented as we are and you're maybe a piece away from making that next jump, then you've got to take all your assets and figure out what can you do best to improve the team. How best can you use those assets?"

And the Clippers intend to make something happen before the end of June?

"Absolutely, that's my goal," said Olshey. "We want to be aggressive or active. We're already on the phones. We'll see people in New Jersey and Chicago. The sooner we can add the pieces we need to ensure that we're a playoff team next year, the better off we're going to be."

Of course LA will dependent on a trade partner. It's not a given that they'll find a workable solution.

"If we can't generate the right opportunity or it doesn't come to us, then we'll wait for free agency and the offseason," said Olshey. "We've accelerated our process because we're as excited as we are about how we finished the season and the potential the team has but that's where you've got to drive the market place a little bit and see what you can generate."

When the team bought out Rasual Butler, he gave back $450k which opened up a little bit of extra cap space.

The Clippers can technically send out just the Minnesota pick for a player making up to $5.3 million.

If a suitor were willing to take back role players like Randy Foye, going into his final year ($4.25 million next season) or Ryan Gomes ($4 million each for two seasons), that number jumps to over $9 million back. Take both and the Clippers can absorb up to $13.5 million.

Aminu's trade value would be $2.6 million, Bledsoe $1.5 million, Cook $1.1, Warren $500k.

Those are all the names that Olshey left out when he described his core, although he did talk about having Bledsoe and Aminu as players for the team's future.

"I think the issue for the coaching staff was Bledsoe was forced into service a lot earlier than we thought due to Baron's injury and Foye's injury. He played a lot early," said Olshey. "We already were playing DeAndre because of Chris' injury, Blake was a rookie, Eric's in his third year - it got to a point where you need an adult in the room, Farouq maybe kind of got the short end of the stick a little bit in terms of living through some mistakes."

The Clippers still highly regard Aminu despite and up and down rookie year.

"You can certainly see when we talked on draft night, we needed length. We needed rebounding. We needed someone who could finish in the open floor," said Neil. "He's shown the ability to do all of those things. We have confidence in him but that said, having veteran at that position that can let him mature at his own pace instead of accelerating it and putting him in a positions where he could fail instead of succeed is going to be important."

It remains to be seen just how much the Clippers would be willing to give up to land that impact piece. The obvious need is at small forward but Olshey didn't want to lock that in as his only pursuit.

"It could be. If that's what upgrades our roster. If it's depth at another position," said Olshey. "We're really high on Farouq. He showed flashes of brilliance. He was the youngest guy on our roster and physically it was a transition for him going from being four to being a three. At times I think he showed really well. "

The key for the Clippers is to land small forward who can shoot the basketball. Defense and rebounding are also important but Griffin and Gordon need floor-spreaders.

The obvious piece would be Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers. He's set to earn $39.1 million over the next three seasons and while the Pacers made the playoffs and battled despite falling 4-1 to the Chicago Bulls, do they have time to rebuild around the 28-year old Granger who may be better served to be a second or third overall option?

The Clippers would need to be able to bring back $11.0 million to absorb his contract.

Another young, veteran three could be Andre Iguodala who the Philadelphia 76ers owe $44.2 million to over the next three years. LA would need to send out enough to bring back $12.3 million to acquire Iguodala.

The difficulty there is that Coach Doug Collins is very fond of Andre and the Sixers overcame a dreadful start to make the postseason before losing in five to the Miami HEAT.

There's no guarantee that either team will let go of what might be their best players although the Minnesota pick would certainly have its appeal.

Other veterans that might be a bit "iffy" might include Josh Smith (but he's considered a four and isn't a shooter), Stephen Jackson (way too old for the Clipper core), Kevin Martin (can he play small forward next to Gordon? Does he have any playoff experience whatsoever as Olshey described?), Manu Ginobili (beyond the age range but certainly an experienced playoff star) and Trevor Ariza (a terrible regular season shooter with a penchant for playoff performance).

Granger and Iguodala seem to stand out on the potential wish list, although neither have a significant postseason history.

If the Clippers are indeed focused on getting their piece before the end of June, cross off free agents Caron Butler, J.R. Smith, Tayshaun Prince, Wilson Chandler, Arron Afflalo, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Jeff Green, Jason Richardson, Andrei Kirilenko and Josh Howard. Some of the names on this list wouldn't even appeal to LA.

When it comes to younger players, Danilo Gallinari and Nicolas Batum might both be on the radar although would either be worth giving up the Minnesota pick?

The best player personnel guys in the league find deals that few see coming. Olshey is going to have to find something that makes sense for the Clippers and whoever they end up dealing with.

The Clippers certainly seem motivated to get something done.

They have until July before what could be a lengthy period of inactivity as the league and players' try to get past a lockout and into a new agreement.

"If another deal . . . arises," said Olshey, "[Team owner Donald] Sterling has proven he's willing to do whatever it takes to put the right pieces around Blake and Eric."

Blake Griffin Rookie of the Year - The question was not "Would Blake Griffin win Rookie of the Year?" The question was, "Would it be unanimous or would one reporter vote for some outlier like Landry Fields?"

On Wednesday Griffin was indeed the unanimous selection.

Blake had one of the best rookie seasons in NBA history. He emerged as the first true franchise player the Clippers have had in, well, franchise history.

What's impressive is that Griffin continued to get better as the season progressed, moving well beyond his signature dunks to triple-doubles and an occasional three-point shot.

"I think there was a huge difference for me as opposed to day one as opposed to game 82, not only physically but mentally in knowing the game and understanding the game," said Griffin at the Wednesday press conference at the Clipper Practice Facility. "I was just as lost as anyone out there in training camp, trying to find my way - trying to find an area where I fit in.

"Throughout the season you become more comfortable. Again that goes back to all the work that my teammates and our coaching staff and everybody involved, all the work they put in to help me be more comfortable and help me understand the game."

When did it click for Blake on the court?

"There were certain games where you feel more comfortable than others but the first game where I felt I was just kind of playing freely and not putting too much thought into it was against the Knicks in LA," said Griffin. "It was just one of those games where I felt like everything was kind of clicking. Everything worked out and that gave me confidence but still along the way there were a lot of games where you didn't feel that great. The best part about this year was learning from those games."

The Clippers had an awful start to the season with veterans Baron Davis and Randy Foye out with injury. They would actually lose to the Knicks 124-115 to fall to just 1-13 but from that point on the team went 31-37, with many of the losses piling up late in the season.

For a good stretch, the Clippers were a .500 team and as Griffin noted, it dated back to the Knicks game when he set the NBA on fire with his array of dunks, including his signature throw down over Timofey Mozgov.

From that moment on, it seemed like Griffin's teammates finally understood exactly who they were playing with.

Blake's father, Tommy Griffin, also spoke to the media on Wednesday about his son.

Did he have any inkling that Blake would be such a force so quickly in the league?

"First of all let's go before the NBA. I had a feeling, I felt very strongly that he'd be able to play Division I basketball," said Tommy. "Now once he got there and started playing real well and doing some things then people outside of our program starting thinking well he can be this and that and I'm thinking maybe he can.

"I never looked at it as far as the NBA. I'm the dad looking at it, just happy to have him at home playing at OU so we can get there. We're only 30 miles away. It's 32.5 minutes. So we enjoyed being there."

It's clear that Blake has a strong support from his parents. Coach Vinny Del Negro may have said the words "work ethic" four times in his speech about Griffin.

Tommy, who coached Griffin in high school, and his mother Gail clearly had something to do with Blake's principles.

"I tried to be realistic about my coaching as well as everything else I do - my teaching the same way. I'm not going to ask anybody to reach for the sky when I don't think it's there but I am going to say just be the best you can be and that's the only team we ever told him. Be the best you can be," said Tommy. "You don't want to be like somebody else because that's not what God meant for you to be. He understands that and that's what he does."

Now it's time for the Clipper organization to surround Griffin with the proper support team on the floor.