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The question for the Clippers was whether they should trade for Odom and take on his $8.2 million salary for 2012-13, or wait for the Mavericks to cut him so the Clippers could sign him for less. The Clippers decided to go the trade route for two reasons: It would solve the Williams issue, and it would allow them to obtain Odom without using their mid-level exception.

"Almost everything that we as a group, as players, have wanted to see happen, has happened," Griffin said recently. "I think we've shown that this is a place that's capable of winning. But now, we have to solidify ourselves as a team that can contend for championships. That takes belief …

"I couldn't be like, 'Well, we can win games and get to the playoffs, but I don't know if we can win championships.' It takes buying in. And that [contract extension] was my way of buying in and saying, 'I'm all in.'"

"My thing is, I want to win," Billups said. "I felt like they put the pieces together to win. We talked about the pieces that we need at the end of the year. They attacked that. I was watching with eagle eyes. I felt like we could, and we had opportunity to contend for a championship. Things went well. It's looking that way right now. We should contend this year."

"I came in here and had a talk with Vinny before I signed," Barnes said. "He said, 'There's a lot of guys at your position. I can't guarantee you minutes.' I said, 'Just give me a chance to compete. That's all I ask.' He said, 'You can have that.'

"I just knew if I had a chance, I'd be able to get on the court and play."

J.A. Adande, ESPN