Steve Ballmer is against any sort of rebuild or “the process”. Prefers to just attract free agents.

OkcSinceSGA · Post #1 » by **OkcSinceSGA** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:37 pm

This is a fatal mistake IMO. Most dynasties or champions tend to have a drafted core right? I don’t feel like home runs in free agency pay off nearly as much as loading up on young, cost controlled stars right? For example the Clippers just wasted 5 years with nothing to show for Kawhi or PG (I’m counting this year, which will almost certainly end without a finals or title).

Lockdown504090 · Post #2 » by **Lockdown504090** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:40 pm

hes right. he just has to make sure he hits on mid-late draft picks, undrafted and all that good stuff. hes done okay id say.

Lockdown504090 · Post #3 » by **Lockdown504090** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:40 pm

hes right. he just has to make sure he hits on mid-late draft picks, undrafted and all that good stuff. hes done okay id say.
LA is the Mecca of basketball and he should be able to get guys to go there

clyde21 · Post #4 » by **clyde21** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:41 pm

well yea, he just paid 2 billys for a new arena, only thing he's processing is his accounts payables team

Johnny Bball · Post #5 » by **Johnny Bball** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:44 pm

Might wanna get management that doesn't listen to the Owner's basketball opinions then.

RoyceDa59 · Post #6 » by **RoyceDa59** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:44 pm

I don’t blame him because a rebuild for them is a long grind.

Kawhi George would have worked if they stayed healthy.

He needs to get Harden and take it from there.

Buckeye-NBAFan · Post #7 » by **Buckeye-NBAFan** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:51 pm

The process is overrated

How many title teams flat out tanked?

The Bucks always tried to win, yeah they fell flat on their face 1 year, but Jabari Parker didn't win them the title. Same with Warriors, they were never top of the lottery between 2003 and 2019. Again, they fell on their face in 2020, but not the reason they came back and won again. Nuggets haven't won less than 30 games since tanking for LeBron (and that didn't win them a title). I guess you can count the Cavs tanking after LeBron left. Raptors, again always tried to win. Spurs tanked when DRob went down, but that wasn't a process so much as a lost season in between decades of trying to stay as competitive as possible. Lakers, Mavs, Heat, Pistons didn't tank. Celtics did 1 year in 2006-07 for Oden.

But no recent title team went multiyear tank mode filling the roster with prospects besides Cleveland, who still needed to get their best player in free agency.

LascelleL · Post #8 » by **LascelleL** » Mon Sep 11, 2023 11:54 pm

You can't buy a championship. Even for the titles that had big trades involved teams are always organically building up draft capital and assets to pull off these trades.

clippertown · Post #9 » by **clippertown** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:02 am

I've been saying this for a while - draft picks are not essential for the Clippers. The main reason is that Ballmer is willing to burn cash to pay his players, even if it means $300M+ in taxes every year. Players notice that and are demanding to be traded to LAC.

No need for a rebuild as LAC can attract top free agents and that makes the process much easier - even if KL and PG leave, which they won't because Ballmer will pay them. At some point it could be a problem, but while both players are capable, the Clips will end up with a playoff caliber squad for the foreseeable future. When they get capspace again, they will be just fine.

Ballmer is now worth $120 Billion and has made over $50 Billion since 2020 - he is determined to buy a championship.

RonaldArtest · Post #10 » by **RonaldArtest** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:03 am

Good thing they traded all those FRP’s away then I guess.

ryguy613 · Post #11 » by **ryguy613** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:07 am

thats all well and good but sometimes you need to hit the reset button to start with a clean slate. you cant "attract free agents" when youre so far over the cap the cba rules wont even allow you to sign someone to the mle. rebuilding doesnt need to mean a 5 year process. sometimes you just need a couple of years to build up young talent and draft capital while also opening up some cap space. if you're too scared to do that, you might ironically create a situation where youre never anywhere but the middle... which is basically where the clippers have been since Ballmer took over.

levon · Post #12 » by **levon** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:14 am

clippertown wrote:I've been saying this for a while - draft picks are not essential for the Clippers. The main reason is that Ballmer is willing to burn cash to pay his players, even if it means $300M+ in taxes every year. Players notice that and are demanding to be traded to LAC.

No need for a rebuild as LAC can attract top free agents and that makes the process much easier - even if KL and PG leave, which they won't because Ballmer will pay them. At some point it could be a problem, but while both players are capable, the Clips will end up with a playoff caliber squad for the foreseeable future. When they get capspace again, they will be just fine.

Ballmer is now worth $120 Billion and has made over $50 Billion since 2020 - he is determined to buy a championship.

This is a really rosy characterization. The only top free agent that's willingly come to the Clippers was someone looking for a cushy spot close to home, and it required trading SGA + significant draft capital to even get it done. Harden is similarly looking for a sucker to pay him while he has no expectations. We have no evidence that LAC is some kind of top FA destination going forward.

Even if what you say is true, their nextdoor neighbors are the more prestigious franchise that is paying just as much to take care of its superstars. Both Kawhi and PG basically lost a game of max slot musical chairs to LeBron and AD. Then you have the Warriors and Suns in the very same division. You have Miami as a huge destination city. With how the last two CBAs have been structured, major free agents are very rarely going to be on the move. You have to trade draft capital for them. The Clippers definitely have an advantage in terms of overspending to retain their good role players, but the most recent CBA counteracts that as well.

Post #13 » by **boomershadow** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:16 am

Do good players even reach free agency these days? A lot of them are already extended as soon as possible.

Kent · Post #14 » by **Kent** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:21 am

There's no right way to eat a Reese's — or build a championship team.

If there was, every team would follow that blueprint.

clippertown · Post #15 » by **clippertown** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:21 am

levon wrote:
clippertown wrote:I've been saying this for a while - draft picks are not essential for the Clippers. The main reason is that Ballmer is willing to burn cash to pay his players, even if it means $300M+ in taxes every year. Players notice that and are demanding to be traded to LAC.

No need for a rebuild as LAC can attract top free agents and that makes the process much easier - even if KL and PG leave, which they won't because Ballmer will pay them. At some point it could be a problem, but while both players are capable, the Clips will end up with a playoff caliber squad for the foreseeable future. When they get capspace again, they will be just fine.

Ballmer is now worth $120 Billion and has made over $50 Billion since 2020 - he is determined to buy a championship.

This is a really rosy characterization. The only top free agent that's willingly come to the Clippers was someone looking for a cushy spot close to home, and it required trading SGA + significant draft capital to even get it done. Harden is similarly looking for a sucker to pay him while he has no expectations. We have no evidence that LAC is some kind of top FA destination going forward.

Even if what you say is true, their nextdoor neighbors are the more prestigious franchise that is paying just as much to take care of its superstars. Then you have the Warriors and Suns in the very same division. You have Miami as a huge destination city. With how the last two CBAs have been structured, major free agents are very rarely going to be on the move. You have to trade draft capital for them. The Clippers definitely have an advantage in terms of overspending to retain their good role players, but the most recent CBA counteracts that as well.

I didn't mean to suggest that Ballmer can simply buy a championship, but that he would not be as burdened by petty things like luxury taxes. It may mean that he is willing to take risks that other owners may not.

Since the Clippers jettisoned Donald Stirling, they have been playoff contenders every year. They have stars like Kawhi that would never have come if Stirling was in-charge. Add to that the ideal location and a brand new stadium and the Clips are a destination.

For example, Harden could have demanded any team that was over the cap, including LAL and GSW. Instead he demanded LAC.

clippertown · Post #16 » by **clippertown** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:25 am

boomershadow wrote:Do good players even reach free agency these days? A lot of them are already extended as soon as possible.

Traditionally, top players will re-sign with their current team for the most money, but many will do it as part of a S&T to the team they actually want. The bigger the star, the more leverage they have - especially when they are expiring contracts.

levon · Post #17 » by **levon** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:26 am

clippertown wrote:
levon wrote:
clippertown wrote:I've been saying this for a while - draft picks are not essential for the Clippers. The main reason is that Ballmer is willing to burn cash to pay his players, even if it means $300M+ in taxes every year. Players notice that and are demanding to be traded to LAC.

No need for a rebuild as LAC can attract top free agents and that makes the process much easier - even if KL and PG leave, which they won't because Ballmer will pay them. At some point it could be a problem, but while both players are capable, the Clips will end up with a playoff caliber squad for the foreseeable future. When they get capspace again, they will be just fine.

Ballmer is now worth $120 Billion and has made over $50 Billion since 2020 - he is determined to buy a championship.

This is a really rosy characterization. The only top free agent that's willingly come to the Clippers was someone looking for a cushy spot close to home, and it required trading SGA + significant draft capital to even get it done. Harden is similarly looking for a sucker to pay him while he has no expectations. We have no evidence that LAC is some kind of top FA destination going forward.

Even if what you say is true, their nextdoor neighbors are the more prestigious franchise that is paying just as much to take care of its superstars. Then you have the Warriors and Suns in the very same division. You have Miami as a huge destination city. With how the last two CBAs have been structured, major free agents are very rarely going to be on the move. You have to trade draft capital for them. The Clippers definitely have an advantage in terms of overspending to retain their good role players, but the most recent CBA counteracts that as well.

I didn't mean to suggest that Ballmer can simply buy a championship, but that he would not be as burdened by petty things like luxury taxes. It may mean that he is willing to take risks that other owners may not.

Since the Clippers jettisoned Donald Stirling, they have been playoff contenders every year. They have stars like Kawhi that would never have come if Stirling was in-charge. Add to that the ideal location and a brand new stadium and the Clips are a destination.

For example, Harden could have demanded any team that was over the cap, including LAL and GSW. Instead he demanded LAC.

He demanded LAC because Phoenix is overstocked, Miami's going after Lillard, the Warriors have Steph and CP3 and are basically the antithesis of Harden-ball, and the Lakers are running LeBronball + skill guards whereas the Clippers have no organizing guards. He thinks the confluence of all that makes Ballmer sucker enough to extend him. But as we've seen this summer and Kyrie the previous deadline, the Clippers are treating these players as rentals precisely because they don't want to extend them.

Harden demanding to go to the Clippers is not exactly the glowing endorsement you think it is. Unless you think Philly is also now a top-flight FA destination because he demanded to go there. Or that Brooklyn was before because KD and Kyrie both signed there in FA. The reality is Harden just wants to party, make a lot of money, and not have any responsibilities. Not unlike Paul George, frankly.

Post #18 » by **MoneyTalks41890** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:27 am

Yes thank you for SGA and Jalen Williams.

But for a market like LA yes it does make some sense to operate differently.

lonzo_pelota · Post #19 » by **lonzo_pelota** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:29 am

SGA would of been one heck of a cornerstone but Kawhi and Uncle Dennis had other plans

LascelleL · Post #20 » by **LascelleL** » Tue Sep 12, 2023 12:30 am

Im honestly surprised that Ballmer would see what happened with the Kawhi Clippers and both iterations of the Brooklyn Nets and not see that you need some sort of foundation.

Is Jerry West still on the Clippers? I feel like he should get a chance to build something from the ground up instead of trying to jump steps in the process. It's crazy that they gave up SGA and he is exactly the type of player you need to attract someone to the Clippers.

Similar to Blake Griffin making the Clippers an attractive destination for the first time in their history. The Lakers trade fell through and CP3 was still able to get his wish to compete and play in LA. Could have repeated the same thing with SGA.