Three things: Rahsard Lewis has the potential to be a star, Drew has the potential to a capable back-up PG. Everyone here is over valuing the Clippers ineptness. Our chances at getting Swift: nil. ------------------
Good point about potential. I feel that we could potentially get Swift and if we do please be sure to post your take on hell freezing over or whatever other cosmic miracle you feel would have to occur for this trade to happen. Good Lord Pilot!The glass ain't always empty. Cheer up and dream a little dream. This is summertime, save reality for when the season actually begins. Until then crazy sh*t can and will happen. ------------------
My dream is that a player does a Paul Pierce imitation and slips to us like a Fizer or Miles (which is a reality). ------------------
ok, did everyone forget that by this deal, the clips will have odom, miles or moiso (#9), and walt......they don't need a superstar season from drew, just an average season that's all.....no one is saying bryce is a all star, but no one is saying he sucks....you're right, we overrated him, but u underrated him.......PLUS, Cato is wanted bu the suns....THE SUNS, why??? to give shaq less room and take them into the playoffs, i think the clips are much more interested than u said....... i think the draft goes like this (from popeye's article) : 1- K-Mart (no doubt unless they trade pick) 2- I think vancouver will trade....they need role players more than anything, with bibby, dickerson, and raheem, they don't need a scorer....better defensive type player is what they need.....i think they'll take a 12ppg 9rbg and a backup pg and a pick from 15 to 20th for their pick.... 3- fizer (if they don't trade) 4- they will trade with the clips or vancouver, no doubt about it....they WILL get mihm..... those r the top 4........by the way, what if someone declares, hires an agent, then seriously gets injured (a season or 2)....does he HAVE to go into the draft or can he pull out? ------------------ What this "franchise" needs, is a Swift draft this year...
Vancouver needs a PF who can play defense. Who is that? Swift. They aren't trading away the #2. I am also not sold on Mihm going #1, if he however does, It could be Orlando trading up to the Clippers #3 giving the Clippers the #5 and #10 or #13 which is a much better deal than what garbage (Clips need a starting PG, not a back-up which is what Drew really is) they can get from us. Either way, Martin and Swift are going in the top 3. ------------------
Sky Pilot, I wonder what your thoughts on us getting Steve Francis were around this time a year ago. Nil? A combination of Cato, Drew, Walt, and the #9 for Kandi and #3 may sound a little far-fetched, but forgive us ignorant ones if we tend to get a little optimistic about these sort of things. We've seen it done in the past. ------------------ Get your proper swirve on...visit www.swirve.com (coming in mid-June, for now visit www.eesite.com)
Sky Pilot, it is usually better to have player that is somewhat proven over a draft pick. Bryce would be a top 15 pick this year and has already shown he can play in this league. To me that is better than drafting a PG with the 18th. Getting the 9th pick allows them to draft a SG which should be all b e available at the 9th pick. Throw in a starting PF like KT and it's not that bad of a deal. It might take some gravy but we're not that far off. Swift is a project and the Clips need results. Right now Swift resembles Odom and is not ready to carry a team. He needs a good supporting cast and after the Clips lose all of their FA's they will have nothing. ------------------
Drew would not be a top 15 pick this year, that is a complete joke. 2nd round maybe. The guy is playing behind Moochie Norris, for crying out loud. I guess that makes Moochie a lottery pick? Maybe we can trade Moochie for Swift...I'm actually somewhat surprised nobody has suggested that yet. ------------------ "Yes, I came from the 80s...but I didn't kill anybody. Give me a break." -Mike Tramp, former lead singer of White Lion
Name the PG that would be taken ib front of him. Keep in mind that the reason he's playing behing Moochie is because his style is different and doesn't fit the up-tempo game we were playing. Also look at his stats when he started and you will see the value that other teams (especially the Clips) place in him. Who knows where he would go, that is speculation. But I can't think of a PG that would be better in this years draft that would be available at 18. ------------------
I keep thinking : 1) Never, ever, ever underestimate Donald Sterling. He doesn't care about winning, all he cares about is owning a team. 2) Vancouver needs a lot of things : A defensive PF, a bench, a starting center not named Reeves. But chief among them - A player who'll play for them. They can't take the risk of losing another franchise player because he'd rather play for another team. 3) Stranger things have happened. ------------------
I actually thought we had a good shot at Francis because of Harrington, Mobley, and Dickerson (Vancovuer needed a 2 and 4). Drew, KT, and Cato aren't Dickerson and Harrington because of talent and contracts. I still don't think Swift gets past Vancouver however. ------------------
True. Interior defense is priority #1 and Francis is the only draft pick they ever have had problems with. Martin and Fizer have both said positive things about Vancouver and Swift hasn't said anything negative about them. Stranger things have happened but have dumber things have happened (disregarding hindsight)? ------------------
It depends what you mean by "dumb" : 1) The Clippers don't operate on the same plane as everyone else. Where most teams want to win, the Clippers(mainly their owner) want to save money. Its not unprecedented for them to trade a stud PF draft pick from an SEC school(McDyess) for a latter draft pick(Barry) and a young player with promise(Rogers). 2) And, in hindsight, this might not end up being a bad deal for them. Thomas could average a double-double, and Drew could be a servicable back-up for Odom(who the Clips are convinced is the next great PG). Moiso could end up a poorman's Kevin Garnett. Swift could be a superstar and a crucial part a Rocket's championship team or three. Or he could end up like Danny Manning(who played for the Clips) and have a horrific injury just as he looks like he's gonna be a superstar. ------------------
I don't think the Clips are serious about Odom at the 1. They have been talking to Denver about NVE and Seattle about Shammond Williams so they are serious about a PG. One thing to remember about the Clips is that it is Elgin Baylor, not DS making the deals and even with DS, the Clippers do need to start winning to make money because their Staples lease isn't as "friendly" as their SA lease so if Sterling wants to avoid losing money, he will have to spend some. If the Clippers do trade down, I still think it will be to Orlando. We really aren't realistically in the race for any of the top 3 or spots. I still don't think Swift gets past #2 because he fits Vancouver too well. ------------------
I hadn't heard about Van Exel, but I thought Shammond Williams was more of a two-guard. The Clips did cut their starting PG halfway through the season and Odom did have a couple of triple-doubles so I figured they were running an offense like the Pistons, where Grant Hill is a point-forward. Realistically, I know the Rockets have little chance. But the Rockets have made a habit of doing the unrealistic. Besides when I see some of the past No. 9 picks this decade, it makes me nervous. ------------------
Williams is more of a 2 but that hasn't stopped the Clips from inquiring. The NVE deal is said to be Anderson and Olowokandi for NVE and Abdul-Wahad (I must be forgetting something else, it was in the RMN the other day). I doubt it happens but if it did, the Clippers would be best served drafting Fizer, Swift, Mihm, or Martin at #3. As for the #9, Marion, Nowitzki, McGrady, Rogers, Weatherspoon, and Augmon all are or have been solid, and Walker is so-so. The only busts have been Burton, O'Bannon, and Montross so I wouldn't worry too much. ------------------
I don't think the talent is anywhere close, sorry. The numbers are really skewed because the Rockets were terrible this year. ------------------
Sky Pilot: Did you think the Rockets were terrible on "paper" our actual game play. On paper, yeah maybe their record wasn't so hot, but if you followed them religously this year by monitoring their progress; and driving competiveness; and fastly growing cohesiveness; and their rapidly improved offense, your opinion would certainly differ. Regarding Swift, I think the best chance for the Rockets, would be Swift to slide down to #4 and Chicago snagging him with the intent to have all the leverage in all trade offers from the teams salavating for a PF. If New Jersy takes Chris Mihm with the first pick, swift could very well slide all the way to Chicago's pick. ------------------
It is interesting to see how some people use a certain measuring stick when it backs up their side of a discussion but ignore it when it does not benefit them. It applies to all or none. ------------------ Houston Rockets Forever!! In Rudy We Trust [This message has been edited by Dennis2112 (edited May 31, 2000).]
