Q: Should they resign Jordan? How much is he worth?
--Kyle C.
DJ: Management has indicated that resigning Jordan is a priority, as it should be. Jordan really balances Griffin out in the frontcourt, has a ton of potential, and is still very young at just 22-years-old. Obviously a shotblocking, rebounding, young and athletic center demands a pretty penny on the open market, but I truly believe that Jordan wants to stay in Los Angeles.
The salary scale is going to change this year, but I expect Jordan to receive a contract similar to the one Amir Johnson received this past offeseason -- something in the neighborhood of 6 million dollars a year. It's important to remember that with guys as young as Jordan, you're not just paying for production -- you're also paying for potential.Q: Do you think resigning DeAndre Jordan and Eric Gordon are the keys to keeping Blake Griffin?
--Zac W.
DJ: While the resigning of his best friend (Jordan) and his best wingman (Gordon) will factor into Griffin's decisions eventually, Griffin's choices in the present will ultimately hinge more on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement than anything else. Under the current rules, there is pretty much no way the Clippers can lose Griffin. No player has ever passed on a maximum contract extension to sign a qualifying offer to help them reach unrestricted free agency sooner. It's never happened. When the time comes, the Clippers will offer Griffin the max amount of money they can, and history says that Griffin will sign it.
It's important to keep an eye on what changes in the new agreement. Will there be a franchise tag instituted? Will restricted free agency rules be altered?
As it stands right now, it's a lock that Griffin will sign an extension off his rookie deal when the time comes. It's the next free agency period (likely around 2017-2018) that he'll have to weigh the team's success, who he's playing with, and who has the best shot at winning a title.
DJ Foster, Clippers.com
Mo Fits The Bill
Smooth and impressive. Those are the two words that come to mind when I think about Mo Williams' start with the Clippers. If numbers could talk, they would probably be saying the same things.
The Clippers are 4-1 with Williams as their point guard, and he’s been anything but shy in the Clippers offense. Williams has been consistently scoring 19 points per game so far, hitting 2.2 threes per game, and dishing out 6.4 dimes per contest in 35 minutes of action a night. Williams has also been alert and active on defense, doing an effective job getting into the passing lanes to come up with 1.8 steals per game.
Williams has been doing his offensive damage from the perimeter, as more than half of his field goals have come from the 16-23 foot range. Only 0.8 of his buckets are coming at the rim – layups, dunks, or tip-ins – and 0.3 of his makes are coming from the 3-9 foot range.
The offense has been picked up rather quickly for Williams, in what seems to be an easy transition so far. If he’s not taking the jump shot off a pick-and-pop or in transition, Williams has been a major playmaker on the floor. Out of his 6.4 assists per night, 40 percent are at the rim – In other words, they’re passes to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The increase in 3-pointers made as a Clipper also has something to do with Griffin. Mo-Will is utilizing Griffin in a way he couldn’t do with any player in Cleveland this season. As teams collapse on Griffin on the block, Williams has been calling for that pass out of the post, and has been ready for that spot up 3-point shot with his feet set and shoulders squared. Williams has been knocking down 47.8 percent of his 3-pointers over the last five games, making it more difficult for teams to double the rookie. Another reason why teams have been more reluctant to send that extra man Griffin’s way is Griffin's passing ability, which makes for our next topic…
Sean Nami, Clippers.com
DeAndre Jordan hosts the 2nd Installment of "So you think you know me." This time Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes are tested for how well they know each other after spending years playing together in Minnesota and Los Angeles.
So You Think You Know Me?
