2017 Draft Thread: Clippers select Jawun Evans (39) and Sindarius Thornwell (48)

Ranma · Post #1 » by **Ranma** » Mon Jun 12, 2017 5:50 pm

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Post #2 » by **mkwest** » Tue Jun 13, 2017 6:00 am

Clippers have also interviewed or worked out the following:

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Quake Griffin · Post #3 » by **Quake Griffin** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 1:51 am

Are some of those guys 6'7" to 6'9" wings?

I know some of them are 6'3" to 6'5" guards. Pass on all of them.

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Quake Griffin · Post #4 » by **Quake Griffin** » Thu Jun 15, 2017 5:28 pm

Doubling Down

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I don't see how this guy isn't EXACTLY what we'd be looking for if we bought a second round pick.
I'm going to be super annoyed if he is in the 2nd round and we don't grab him.

Post #5 » by **mkwest** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 11:24 pm

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Post #6 » by **og15** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 11:35 pm

The guy in the first video shoots like Eric Gordon

nickhx2 · Post #7 » by **nickhx2** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 12:03 am

that name is awesome, sant roos

Ranma · Post #8 » by **Ranma** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 1:52 am

I've said this before, but it bears repeating: pre-draft workouts are nice tools that can provide insight into a player's personality, work ethic, and overall makeup but there are limitations to the value of one-on-none performances. You may uncover the occasional gem in Kobe Bryant or Anfernee Hardaway in such workouts, but conversely, you may also fool yourself into being too enamored with physical tools presented by Michael Olowokandi or Darko Milicic.

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Wammy Giveaway · Post #9 » by **Wammy Giveaway** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 4:42 am

Ranma wrote:You may uncover the occasional gem in Kobe Bryant or Anfernee Hardaway in such workouts, but conversely, you may also fool yourself into being too enamored with physical tools presented by Michael Olowokandi or Darko Milicic.

In the Clipper's case with Olowokandi, they were also charmed by his feel-good story. They chose a guy who had absolutely no basketball experience except for his three years with the University Of The Pacific. His transformation from novice to novelty may have been the only reason he was drafted. Olowokandi's pick felt more like a reward than a new journey.

Ranma · Post #10 » by **Ranma** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 6:58 am

Wammy Giveaway wrote:In the Clipper's case with Olowokandi, they were also charmed by his feel-good story. They chose a guy who had absolutely no basketball experience except for his three years with the University Of The Pacific. His transformation from novice to novelty may have been the only reason he was drafted. Olowokandi's pick felt more like a reward than a new journey.

Come on, Wammy. At the time, I was personally hoping to trade down to the 3rd overall slot with Denver in order to draft Vince Carter since the consensus top-2 picks were Olowokandi and Mike Bibby. The Nuggets actually wanted Kandi but had to settle for Raef LaFrentz in the end. I was even leaning towards Bibby but talked myself into liking Kandi because I thought they saw something special in him during his workouts.

Kandi was drafted because Elgin Baylor was known to value big men over guards and was particularly enamored with his ability to dunk medicine balls during a private workout. That "feel-good story" had nothing to do with it, otherwise, you would have seen it marketed at the time. Then again, our marketing back then consisted of showcasing our opponents instead of our own players. Even still, aside from his draft profile, nobody made his prior lack of basketball experience a selling point.

Baylor told Kobe Bryant at a pre-draft dinner that the Clippers wouldn't draft the high schooler because they wanted to be taken seriously despite describing his workout as the best he had ever seen. Granted that was likely prompted by then-coach Bill Fitch, but the organization would have been even more of a laughingstock than they already were if they bragged that they liked him because of his lack of experience. Not even Elgin was that clueless.

nickhx2 · Post #11 » by **nickhx2** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 7:12 am

i wanted bibby. olowokandi was drafted because he was a 7 foot center who put up 20 ppg in college and the ongoing draft mantra for decades was "you can't teach size"

had nothing to do with stories

Don Tommy · Post #12 » by **Don Tommy** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 6:46 am

I was in my truck chanting Bibby, Bibby, Bibby... or a trade down to get one of the UNC guys

MartinToVaught · Post #13 » by **MartinToVaught** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:52 pm

I wanted Vince. I thought Bibby was going to be good, but not "#1 pick" good.

Ranma · Post #14 » by **Ranma** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:36 pm

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Post #15 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:33 am

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Post #16 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 4:24 am

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Ranma · Post #17 » by **Ranma** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 4:40 am

There's a bunch of teams with multiple second-round picks in tomorrow's draft, but I'm hearing it will cost $3 million for even a late second-round selection. The maximum limit for cash to be paid or received during the year is $3.6 million, which may or may not increase to $5.1 million for 2017-18 in light of the lowered projections for next season's salary cap. Did we already spend some money this season in one of Doc's mulligan transactions? What gives with the $2-million budget for Ballmer? Maybe we're trying to buy 2 per Eric Pincus's tweets below.

Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times (6/21/17)

It could cost the Clippers upward of $2 million to purchase an early second-round pick. But Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is supposed to be the richest owner of an American sports team, worth about $22 billion. So money should not be an issue.

The Clippers want in so they have an additional asset for the future, a young player they would most likely assign to their Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario team, which will play in the NBA’s Gatorade League.

If the Clippers get that second-round pick, the player also will play on their team in the NBA’s summer league in Las Vegas.

According to several NBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, the Clippers have been calling teams who have second-round picks in the 35-50 range.

Clippers Consider Buying Way into NBA Draft

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Post #18 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:14 am

Ranma wrote: Did we already spend some money this season in one of Doc's mulligan transactions? What gives with the $2-million budget for Ballmer? Maybe we're trying to buy 2 per Eric Pincus's tweets below.

According to Pincus, we sent $230K to Orlando in the Wilcox trade.

Ranma · Post #19 » by **Ranma** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 7:08 am

Maybe talks of dealing DJ for Phoenix's 4th overall pick was not just for transferring that asset to Indiana for Paul George, after all. I wonder who the 6 draft targets are. I don't buy the Clippers' denial of shopping DJ since we all know how truthful the Clippers have been with fans. Plus, it makes sense not to bruise DJ's fragile ego.

The article also goes on to mention that the Clippers don't have leverage to bring in draft prospects for workouts given that they don't have picks. In fact, most of the 100 prospects who've worked out for the Clippers as mentioned in Lucas Hann's tweet above are lowly ranked and candidates for summer-league roster spots.

Bill Oram, Orange County Register (6/21/17)

Crediting Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ executive vice president of basketball operations, for much of the work on the ground, Rivers said, “We know exactly what five or six guys we would do it for. We just have to stay disciplined.”

Rivers didn’t clarify whether “it” was shooting to the top of the draft with a blockbuster trade, or doing something more subtle, like buying into the second round.

West, who officially joined the Clippers on Monday as a consultant, will be heavily involved. Rivers said when West first arrived he started listing players the Clippers should target, a list that turned out to match the one the Clippers had already made.

Rivers said owner Steve Ballmer started laughing and said, “Jeez, you guys are a match made in heaven.”

Rivers responded: “Yeah, that’s nice, but we don’t have any picks.”

Clippers Plan to Be Active on Draft Night Despite No Picks

Ranma · Post #20 » by **Ranma** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:49 pm

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Bobby Marks, Yahoo Sports (6/22/17)

L.A. CLIPPERS
Draft picks
First round: None
Second round: None

Future: 2019 first-round pick to Boston (protected Nos. 1-14)

Cash
The Clippers have $3.27 million to buy a draft pick after sending $230,000 to Orlando to shed the contract of C.J. Wilcox. The Clippers can receive up to $3.5 million in any trade.

Team needs
Starting: PG, SG, SF and PF
Backup: SF, PF and C

The Vertical's Draft-Night Reference Guide