Wings

[QRich3]

Dunleavy is a good shooter, but he doesn't solve the problem of a lack of defense at the wing.

Taking a shot on Stephenson helps solve that problem. We add his perimeter defense and creation plus Dunleavy's shooting and floor spacing.

Stephenson's "defense" is about equal to Crawford's. It's hard to find a more toxic player than Jamal in the NBA, but Stephenson is definitely that guy. He has never been useful in the league, for a brief time in Indiana he seemed like he was, but he was just putting up useless boxscore numbers while his coach and teammates managed to hide the many flaws that were hurting his team. Then he bombed the season of what looked like an historic defensive team. His "creation" is about as useful as Crawford's isos too, he either plays hero ball or stat-pads a drive an kick assist for a hot-potatoe bad shot. Seriously, he's really bad at everything he's supposed to be good at. He's sabotaged the chemistry of every team he's been on. He's not even interested in all the small stuff role players are suposed to do, and he's not good enough to be doing the stuff he thinks he's good at.

Getting Stephenson is about the worst thing I can imagine the Clippers doing, which is exactly why I can perfectly see it happening. I can even see us giving a pick for him.

Not to be a Debbie downer, but none of the useful guys (Aminu, Dunleavy, Green) are not gonna come here for the minimum. Our dram offseason is probably getting Tyshaun Prince and Alonzo Gee. And then have them out of the rotation by mid-December.

Call me a cinic but best case scenario I can see for the Clippers next year is to have Blake and/or Paul have serious injuries so we can tank for a good pick.

[mattd13]

totally agree on lance. doc has to be smarter than that. I have the same feeling about injuries. hopefully it does not happen. when you look at okc it can all fall apart. that would be heartbreaking when they are so close. if you think about it they were one good shooting night from jj from advancing but it did not come to be 3 times in a row. for me that was devastating.

[Quake Griffin]

Would you guys deal JJ for a wing with length?

he's one piece we have that has some value.

[Clippers_FTW]

What about Danny Green? He's an unrestricted free agent.... and he can hit the 3. Not to mention his amazing defense.

[ChargerMan]

Danny Green would be nice, depending on the contract

I don't know why we didn't go after any of the Nuggets wing players when they started their firesale, Wilson, Afflalo or Gallinari would all have helped the Clippers in this playoff run.

[nickhx2]

we cannot afford danny green unless he is willing to take the taxpayer's MLE. it could possibly happen if he is thinking about a big payday in the first cap boom year but i don't see why he'd take 6.6M over two years when he could still get a 2 year deal worth 16M quite easily.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Perhaps Ray Allen would sign for a cheap deal- that would allow the Clippers to deal wither Redick or Crawford

[nickhx2]

he might, but the only option is really to deal crawford.

if this team decided to keep crawford over redick i would literally be done with the clippers.

[mattd13]

I do not see the clips trading jj. he is a great fit for this team, unselfish, and a good help defender. he had a great year just ran out of gas at the end. he had to work so hard for everything I believe he was trying to hard and was pressing. I believe they like him and he likes playing with blake and cp3. this team needs a bigger more athletic sf who can defend and rebound. you do that and this team will make things happen. team chemistry is very important and you have to be careful with that. jj is here to stay for now.

[TucsonClip]

Dunleavy is a good shooter, but he doesn't solve the problem of a lack of defense at the wing.

Taking a shot on Stephenson helps solve that problem. We add his perimeter defense and creation plus Dunleavy's shooting and floor spacing.

Two one way players don't combine to make a good player. During Dunleavy's shooting slumps he will be useless just like Jamal. You need 5 defenders to implement solid defense, however a good offensive system doesn't require 5 good shooters. We proved that having the most efficient offense doesn't matter because the team will always have shooting slumps every now and then.

What 2 way player are we signing for the MMLE?

Look, we dont have many options outside trading Crawford/Barnes/DJ.

What are we lacking and what types of players fit Doc's system?

We need a perimeter defender, we need another SF (preferably one who can shoot) and we need a PG. Barnes and Dunleavy can platoon at SF (offense/defense), sign Wes Johnson for the min (thats our wing with length), Lance helps pick up the scoring load off the bench and adds another perimeter defender.

Not saying it solves all our problems, but it solves some and gives us flexibility moving forward as well. Doc's system is built around floor spacing. We have Redick and Hawes as our shooters and Jamal to create/corner three. Hawes was benched late in the year, leaving Redick as the only "shooter" Doc had on the roster.

Blake and CP3 can hit the outside shot just fine, but we dont have another meaningful shooter if Doc isnt going to play Hawes. We need someone at SF who can shoot the ball.

[TucsonClip]

Dunleavy is a good shooter, but he doesn't solve the problem of a lack of defense at the wing.

Taking a shot on Stephenson helps solve that problem. We add his perimeter defense and creation plus Dunleavy's shooting and floor spacing.

Stephenson's "defense" is about equal to Crawford's. It's hard to find a more toxic player than Jamal in the NBA, but Stephenson is definitely that guy. He has never been useful in the league, for a brief time in Indiana he seemed like he was, but he was just putting up useless boxscore numbers while his coach and teammates managed to hide the many flaws that were hurting his team. Then he bombed the season of what looked like an historic defensive team. His "creation" is about as useful as Crawford's isos too, he either plays hero ball or stat-pads a drive an kick assist for a hot-potatoe bad shot. Seriously, he's really bad at everything he's supposed to be good at. He's sabotaged the chemistry of every team he's been on. He's not even interested in all the small stuff role players are suposed to do, and he's not good enough to be doing the stuff he thinks he's good at.

Getting Stephenson is about the worst thing I can imagine the Clippers doing, which is exactly why I can perfectly see it happening. I can even see us giving a pick for him.

Not to be a Debbie downer, but none of the useful guys (Aminu, Dunleavy, Green) are not gonna come here for the minimum. Our dram offseason is probably getting Tyshaun Prince and Alonzo Gee. And then have them out of the rotation by mid-December.

Call me a cinic but best case scenario I can see for the Clippers next year is to have Blake and/or Paul have serious injuries so we can tank for a good pick.

Adding Lance is by no means a winning move, but its a potential solution that doesnt tie up money moving forward. Its a risky play, but its one that does make some sense.

Also, Lance' defense is no where equal to Crawford's. Even looking at 1 year samples of DRPM, Crawford ranked 100/101 at the shooting guard position with a -4.15. Lance did not have a good year by any means, but was essentially a net-neutral DRPM at -.21. Last year he ranked 19th out of SGs at .14. The plan would be to add his toughness and bring some semblance of a perimeter defender to the roster.

Lance absolutely has a lot of work to do offensively, but he is more of a creator than Crawford. Jamal has had an assist ratio greater than 20 one year during his career. Lance has never been below 21. Not saying thats the end all be all, but neither player is a great passer. We just need someone that can create and somewhat run the 2nd unit offense. Jamal has proven he isnt that guy.

My point being, he isnt solving our problems on offense or defense. However, he does provide a shot creating wing who can also play solid defense. We dont have that on our roster. Jamal isnt the answer, his defense far too porous and I dont see him getting a new deal with us next summer.

Again, its a risky deal, but our options are limited. I'd roll the dice for a season, especially if we are able to free up more cap space next summer by sending out Hawes in the deal.

Finally, I dont think any of those guys are coming for the minimum. My option was to offer the MMLE to Dunleavy on a 3 year deal, partially guaranteed on at least year 3. Like I said, I doubt the Bulls let him walk but its a push I would make for someone who can shoot from the 3 spot.

[TucsonClip]

What about Danny Green? He's an unrestricted free agent.... and he can hit the 3. Not to mention his amazing defense.

Way out of our price range, even via sign-and-trade.

[nickhx2]

I think you make good points, tuscon. At this point we don't have a whole lot of choice except to go after high risk high reward.

Kinda sucks cause my whole thing with sports is you don't sign cancers, or locker room bombs no matter how talented they seem. A guy like lance stephenson is completely off the table from my standpoint. However, that also relies on the premise that you can afford to do that.

Doc, for two years now, has thrown all our options and alternatives into the furnace. Whereas before i'd never take a flier on stephenson, josh smith, javale mcgee, etc, now we don't really have a choice. It sucks for the team's chance at success, but also as a fan it feels like my soul is being eaten away having to have guys like those on the team.

[TucsonClip]

I also do like the idea of picking up C.J. Miles for Crawford or Marvin Williams and Henderson for Crawford and Barnes. Both would allow us to use the MMLE on a PG like Mo Williams.

[nickhx2]

maybe i am just being cynical. while i love the idea of trading barnes/crawford for hendo, crawford was atrocious this postseason and barnes flamed out toward the end.

i can't think of any way to polish that turd of a package. how much appeal does it really have for any given team interested in making a trade?

[mttwlsn16]

I also do like the idea of picking up C.J. Miles for Crawford or Marvin Williams and Henderson for Crawford and Barnes. Both would allow us to use the MMLE on a PG like Mo Williams.

There is no way the Hornets do this imo

[ClipperEric]

What do you guys think about Batum in Portland? He had an off year but he's been great in the past. He would definitely upgrade the position and we could move Barnes to the bench where he'd be more productive.

I'm thinking about DJ for Batum + Robin Lopez. If DJ signs for near the max then the salaries would be pretty close. And we'd get 2 for 1.

[LACtdom]

Taking a shot on Stephenson helps solve that problem. We add his perimeter defense and creation plus Dunleavy's shooting and floor spacing.

Two one way players don't combine to make a good player. During Dunleavy's shooting slumps he will be useless just like Jamal. You need 5 defenders to implement solid defense, however a good offensive system doesn't require 5 good shooters. We proved that having the most efficient offense doesn't matter because the team will always have shooting slumps every now and then.

What 2 way player are we signing for the MMLE?

Look, we dont have many options outside trading Crawford/Barnes/DJ.

What are we lacking and what types of players fit Doc's system?

We need a perimeter defender, we need another SF (preferably one who can shoot) and we need a PG. Barnes and Dunleavy can platoon at SF (offense/defense), sign Wes Johnson for the min (thats our wing with length), Lance helps pick up the scoring load off the bench and adds another perimeter defender.

Not saying it solves all our problems, but it solves some and gives us flexibility moving forward as well. Doc's system is built around floor spacing. We have Redick and Hawes as our shooters and Jamal to create/corner three. Hawes was benched late in the year, leaving Redick as the only "shooter" Doc had on the roster.

Blake and CP3 can hit the outside shot just fine, but we dont have another meaningful shooter if Doc isnt going to play Hawes. We need someone at SF who can shoot the ball.

You're right, we're not going to get a two-way player. My point is that we should get a defensive player. We have the best point guard in the world so creating offense shouldn't be a problem. Even defensive players have good offensive games from time to time. Look at Josh Smith for example, he is a horrible 3pt shooter but shot something like 5/6 from deep against us.

It frustrates me that we had the number 1 most efficient offense and the 15th best defense and yet I still hear people screaming for more shooters.

[TucsonClip]

I also do like the idea of picking up C.J. Miles for Crawford or Marvin Williams and Henderson for Crawford and Barnes. Both would allow us to use the MMLE on a PG like Mo Williams.

There is no way the Hornets do this imo

We would have to give up a pick or cash, but its something to consider. It might actually work out better to sign and trade for Mo Williams and pick up Marvin Williams. That solves the backup PG and bench scoring threat, plus adds some front line versatility. Then we are armed with the MMLE to go after a 2/3 who can shoot/defend.

[TucsonClip]

You're right, we're not going to get a two-way player. My point is that we should get a defensive player. We have the best point guard in the world so creating offense shouldn't be a problem. Even defensive players have good offensive games from time to time. Look at Josh Smith for example, he is a horrible 3pt shooter but shot something like 5/6 from deep against us.

It frustrates me that we had the number 1 most efficient offense and the 15th best defense and yet I still hear people screaming for more shooters.

We definitely need to add a perimeter defender who can guard 3's and either slide up to 2's or down to 4's. Small forwards killed us all year.