Adding Iguodala will give the Clippers a total of eight - EIGHT - forwards. Add two guards and a center who can play forward, they'll have ELEVEN. Just for comparison, the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors had four forwards, plus two guards and a center who could play forward; three of them were superstars. Why stack up on forwards, versatility. But here's the real answer:
Lob City screwed up.
During the Paul-Griffin-Jordan era, their greatest weakness was a small forward. Either the player was too old (Paul Pierce), too inconsistent (Jeff Green), or too limited (Wesley Johnson). To solve this, Doc Rivers had to masquerade: point guards, shooting guards and power forwards pretended to be a small forward. Remember when Chris Paul guarded Kevin Durant in the 2014 NBA Playoffs - that's pretending to be a small forward. The hope was for Blake Griffin to become a dual forward, but his prowess came from highlight reel dunks and plays in the paint, he was still a true power forward. Luc Mbah A Moute was a natural power forward, and ended up taking over the 3 spot after they traded Matt Barnes. It was pretty clear the only way to ever get a true small forward was to trade for one, but the cost would have been high: Clippers would have been required to give up Chris Paul or Blake Griffin, and at the time Clippers feared returning to the dark days if either of them were exchanged for a good small forward. They had that chance twice: trading for Carmelo Anthony after Griffin got ejected vs. Warriors in 2013 XMas game, and after he punched his best friend Matias Testi that cost him nearly the whole season. Instead, Clippers were concerned of their image and status in the NBA hemisphere.
To ensure these mistakes and fears never happen again, the front office has made it their mission to stock up on many forwards as possible, particularly ones who can assume point guard. We're seeing that it's much easier to pretend to be a point than it is slotting in as a small forward, whereas point guards can either be replaced or assumed by other positions, small forwards, especially two-way types, are rare and one in a million. A benefit to multiple forwards is the ability to assume the center role. We saw that with Draymond Green in small ball lineups for Dubs. The Clippers best "big" is a small forward sized Montrezl Harrell who comes off the bench, making Ivica Zubac look more like a decoy with each passing day. Having the injury history of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George added a sense of urgency in that, should either or both of these superstars go down and out for an extended stretch, you're back to being The Platters and pretending that the small forward spot is doing well.
Clap your hands for Jerry West in prepping the Clippers to be more forward oriented.
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This second half of the post is dedicated to deciphering Chris Wylde's rumor of the Clippers acquiring Andre Iguodala. While doing my due diligence at
Trade NBA, the
REAL Trade Machine, a few notes stand out:
1.
Iguodala by his lonesome: He cannot be put in a trade package until September 4.
Wylde gave us a 3rd, like Lupin.2.
Harkless is key: His $11 million contract can be used to absorb Iggy's, who has $17 million, but like him, he also cannot be moved in packages,
until September 5. Again, they're seeking a 3rd date.
3.
The Return Of Iso-Joe: Mark Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports that Joe Johnson is attempting an NBA comeback, with the Clippers as one of his tryout teams. One source says Clippers have a full roster, but a few others claim there's one spot left. For Johnson to join, they'll have to move a player. Jerome Robinson looks like the odd man out, and they could place Mfiondu Kabengele on the block as a sweetener. The moving of Robinson and Kabengele could open up a few spots for Johnson to claim, possibly even Joakim Noah, or based on their newfound Spursian culture, a veteran role player who can play center without an All-Star appearance.
With all these implications and the given date of September 3, this most likely makes Iguodala a buyout candidate.
*INGRAM*ALLSTARSEASON* Wemby is HIM
