Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers Reportedly Interested in Clippers

All true but...

How do the Lakers "pre-empt" a bidding war? Isn't it all up to Dwight really? Where Dwight wants to go, he'll go.

 

Thanks for clearing it up for me.

 

Yes. They pre-empt a bidding war by realizing that if Dwight wants the Clippers that the Clippers are going to unload and sign him direct. Rather than let it go that far they will make the trade and then deal with what to do with Blake/Bledsoe/Gasol later.

 

Sigh. I don't even know where to begin.

 

Holy **** is this for real?

 

Yeah, more ammo for Broussard, SAS, and Woj to use.

 

This makes a lot of sense. However, if the goal for the Clips is to create caproom to sign Dwight outright, then why are they balking at including Bledsoe in a trade with Boston? So they can turn around and dump him for picks to someone else? Seems more likely that they want him for a more substantive trade package where salary comes back.

 

They need Bledsoe to complete S&T with Lakers. Blake's salary ain't enough. Blake and Bledsoe is not quite enough but it will probably be enough that Dwight would take a slight reduction. Lakers aren't going to want the expiring deals and have to be stuck peddling those things at the deadline.

 

Also Chad Ford seems to think if this deal goes through that the Clips are going to go after Afflalo using Butler's expiring and Bledsoe. We know Orlando is interested in Bledsoe.

My gut feeling right now is that all the Dwight/Paul talk about teaming up is just smoke and mirrors to get these teams moving to make trades and upgrade. I may be nuts but I think Howard is already sold on coming here and playing with a young, "fun" bunch of guys that are willing to play around him.

And I think Paul has overplayed his hand getting the Clips to make these sort of moves to get him to stay.

The only thing I don't really understand is Boston. DeAndre makes no sense there. He just doesn't fit. 40% career free-throw shooter. Very, very low basketball iq. I just don't see the huge benefit of Boston getting DeAndre. I would think if Ainge were simply moving out Garnett that he'd ask for Butler and Green and the picks, expiring deals that he can either trade later or let fall off the books. The only thing I can surmise about DeAndre is perhaps Ainge is going to use him as trade bait to the Hawks to get them to S&T Josh Smith (Rondo's buddy) to Boston. I just don't see DeAndre fitting in Boston at all.

 

the clippers aren't looking to replace griffin with howard (or at least the owner isn't), from the lakers pov there's no reason to allow a s&t to a team without cap room, it simply opens up the market and if they do it once, it will be expected every time in future.

What would have to happen in that situation is Dwight goes to the Lakers and says "trade me to the clippers or i leave for X", if Dwight does that, you call, not fold.

But in all likelihood that's not what will happen, instead the scenario will be like 2010, Dwight announces between teams with room, and it's done, he re-signs or a mutually beneficial s&t might be worked out but other than that, not much.

 

I still don't see what Boston is getting out of this if it's not Bledsoe

Jordan is an overpaid liability with his abysmal FT shooting and bad defense. Late 1st round picks are just guaranteed salary that eats up cap and hurts flexibility.

 

The ability to tank in 2014 for Wiggins, they're looking to unwind all their contracts and go into suck mode, complete with Rondo probably having an extended recovery time.

 

I think they're trying to just dump bad contracts Courtney Lee (thanks Morey:grin or Jason Terry if they're not receiving young talent i.e. Eric Bledsoe.

Jordan will probably get flipped into something else I don't see him being in the longterm fixture of Boston's rebuilding future.

 

They aren't even unloading bad contracts! (According to Woj)

Boston is getting raped! DeAndre Jordan? Are you kidding me?

 

I think my biggest question mark is if Dwight leaves LA, whether the lakers are willing to let go of the Kobe era, and go into rebuild mode themselves, they'd need to, but whether they're willing to is a whole different question.

They won't amnesty him, but I'm generally curious if they'd put out a competitive team (From reports Jim Buss doesn't have any real attachment to Kobe, I get the feeling he wants to move on to try and build "Jim's Lakers" and would never even consider stepping down unless that failed)

 

If it's true Boston needs a new gm, it's like they're taking crap back just for the purpose of taking crap back.

 

Boston is taking bets on "high ceiling" guys. DeAndre is the black Jeff Green. Jeff Green is the black Thomas Robinson.

 

Yeah I don't get it then, even with 2 first rounders they more than likely won't be lottery of even late teens picks.

Ainge is really screwing the pooch on this one.

 

Ainge man, all he cares about is sticking it to the Lakers.