I feel for you guys.

ljp24 · Post #1 » by **ljp24** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 5:06 am

Elton pulled a Carlos Boozer on you. how loud are you going to boo him next season?

GuyverX · Post #2 » by **GuyverX** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 5:26 am

You bet your last bottom dollar we will! Thanks for sympathy.

Los Def · Post #3 » by **Los Def** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 6:24 am

He didn't pull a Boozer. Boozer asked his team not to exercise their team option so he could sign with them for more money, then he bolted for a better deal. Elton opted out so his team could sign another player, then bolted for a deal which the Clippers totally could have matched or exceeded. The Clippers as a franchise are not the victims here. The fans are.

Catchall · Post #4 » by **Catchall** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 7:05 am

Well technically, the Cavs were wanting to lock in Boozer at a salary below his market value, but point taken. We Jazz fans are all looking forward to Boozer's potential free agency this time next year.

Relentless88 · Post #5 » by **Relentless88** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 1:10 pm

They're not that far off, yes Brand is one of the best PFs in the league but if they can get Josh Smith this team doesn't look that bad.

Davis
Gordon/Mobley
Thornton
J-Smoove
Kaman

ARB729 · Post #6 » by **ARB729** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:35 pm

ljp24 wrote:Elton pulled a Carlos Boozer on you. how loud are you going to boo him next season?

To support you guys, I'll boo him at the Garden next year. Nice and loud so he can hear me.

jhern87 · Post #7 » by **jhern87** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:47 pm

Man this really is a shafting by Brand. I'm a Trailblazer fan and even I thought that was a low blow. I thought Brand wanted to take less money to bring in help? You guys get B-Diddy, then he jets? Very classless if you ask me. Well, we'll see if you guys can snag Josh Smith. The good thing about him is his upside. He has LeBron athleticism and is really starting to get a good feel for the game. best of luck, Clipper fans.

killbuckner · Post #8 » by **killbuckner** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:52 pm

Brand didn't screw the clippers-its not like the clippers could have stopped him from opting out even if they wanted to. He may have screwed over Baron Davis though. I do wonder if Baron Davis is going to have a lot more "trouble" passing his physical now. If The clips don't sign Baron then he is really screwed.

jhern87 · Post #9 » by **jhern87** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 2:57 pm

killbuckner wrote:Brand didn't screw the clippers-its not like the clippers could have stopped him from opting out even if he wanted to. He may have screwed over Baron Davis though. I do wonder if Baron Davis is going to have a lot more "trouble" passing his physical now. If The clips don't sign Baron then he is really screwed.

I beg to differ. If I understand the situation correctly, the Clippers were ready to give Brand whatever he pleased. He said he was willing to take less if it meant bringing in more help and the Clippers did just that. Only so he could leave and go to the sixers. Someone tell me if I am wrong? but if that is the case then that is VERY classless.

killbuckner · Post #10 » by **killbuckner** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 3:08 pm

I don't see why its classless for Brand to go to a better team. Brand was an unrestricted free agent. The clippers did what they could to bring in talent to make it a better situation for Brand. In the end he thought he was still better off leaving. If it were a TEAM option that the clippers declined because Brand promised to sign for less thats an entirely different matter. This is just a guy opting out to sign in a place that he would rather be.

jhern87 · Post #11 » by **jhern87** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 3:21 pm

killbuckner wrote:I don't see why its classless for Brand to go to a better team. Brand was an unrestricted free agent. The clippers did what they could to bring in talent to make it a better situation for Brand. In the end he thought he was still better off leaving. If it were a TEAM option that the clippers declined because Brand promised to sign for less thats an entirely different matter. This is just a guy opting out to sign in a place that he would rather be.

It was my understanding that Brand opted out to free up cap space. He would sign for less, to allow the Clippers to bring in some more talent so they could make a run. That being said, the Clippers were ready to give Brand whatever he wanted money wise. They signed Davis (More then qualifies as "help"), and offered them right around that of Philadelphia and left them high and dry. All I'm saying, is if it was about money then he should have just picked up his option with the Clips. Oh and about the Sixers being a better team, I really don't think so. I'll take a nucleus of Davis, Gordon, Thornton, Brand & Kaman over Miller, Iggy, Brand and Dalambert. Maybe it's a better chance of winning because they're in the east but regardless, they won't beat Boston.. probably not Cleveland either.

killbuckner · Post #12 » by **killbuckner** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 3:26 pm

if they wanted to the Clippers could have offered brand 6 years and 106 million with a no trade clause while still signing Baron, and retaining Ross and Fazekas. The clippers just didn't think that brand was serious about leaving so they lowballed him. The clippers didn't lose Brand BECAUSE they signed Davis, they lost him because either they didn't think he was worth as much as he was asking for or they were trying to lowball him.

jhern87 · Post #13 » by **jhern87** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 3:37 pm

killbuckner wrote:if they wanted to the Clippers could have offered brand 6 years and 106 million with a no trade clause while still signing Baron, and retaining Ross and Fazekas. The clippers just didn't think that brand was serious about leaving so they lowballed him. The clippers didn't lose Brand BECAUSE they signed Davis, they lost him because either they didn't think he was worth as much as he was asking for or they were trying to lowball him.

Honestly, I'm seeing all of this from a third parties perspective. I'm not a Clipper fan nor a Sixers fan. It was just my understanding from reading reports that Brand wanted to opt out and sign for LESS to allow the team to add more talent to the team. They added Baron and still offered him a hefty amount and he left. Seems to me that he left the Clippers organization high and dry. They signed Davis to pair him with Brand and make a run. They were in the process of doing just that and now with just Davis they will be stuck in mediocracy. Maybe nobody was surprised by this and the Clippers thought he would leave? But I HIGHLY doubt it. I doubt they would sign Davis if they knew Brand wasn't coming back. I think they would be better off completely rebuilding and signing Baron to 5 years completely restricts that.

killbuckner · Post #14 » by **killbuckner** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 3:38 pm

If the Clippers don't want Baron now that Brand has backed out then don't offer him the contract or fail him on his physical.

Like I said, maybe Brand Screwed Baron but he didn't screw the Clippers at all.

jhern87 · Post #15 » by **jhern87** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 3:50 pm

killbuckner wrote:If the Clippers don't want Baron now that Brand has backed out then don't offer him the contract or fail him on his physical.

Like I said, maybe Brand Screwed Baron but he didn't screw the Clippers at all.

I guess you could look at it like that. But if he was just going to opt out, he should have let them know. They would have never made a run for Baron Davis and it is making them look bad as a franchise. Now they either have to sign Baron to a 5 year deal and destroy their near future or tell him they don't want him anymore which is a classless move and makes them look unprofessional. The only reason they inquired about Davis was to make Brand happy and win some games, he obviously led the fans and the organization on. Which is not alright anyway you twist it. Just my opinion.

asdfgh · Post #16 » by **asdfgh** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 5:45 pm

I find it ironic that the same guy who starts a thread titled "LOL at the Clippers"
viewtopic.php?f=334&t=823551

...comes here and tells you that he feels for you guys...
What a hypocrite

theman · Post #17 » by **theman** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 6:26 pm

killbuckner wrote:If the Clippers don't want Baron now that Brand has backed out then don't offer him the contract or fail him on his physical.

Like I said, maybe Brand Screwed Baron but he didn't screw the Clippers at all.

That would certainly help the Clippers lure future free agents to the team. :roll:

Relentless88 wrote:They're not that far off, yes Brand is one of the best PFs in the league but if they can get Josh Smith this team doesn't look that bad.

Davis
Gordon/Mobley
Thornton
J-Smoove
Kaman

I doubt, if the Clippers knew Brand and Maggette were going to bolt, they would have signed Baron Davis to that deal. Add to that, Josh Smith to the Clippers is less likely than Maggette to Boston. Smith is from Atlanta, the Hawks are willing to give him the max. He's not going anywhere.

I like Thornton and Gordon was a good pick, and Kaman is more than respectable. But if they knew Brand and Maggette were gone the team would have been better served saving their cap space for future years.

Build a core of Thorton Kaman and Gordon. Bring back Livingston on the cheap. Bringing RFA Jamount Gordon. Trade Mobley for picks. The Clippers could be a good team in a couple years but Baron is getting old and has a history of injuries (especially when playing on a bad team).

killbuckner · Post #18 » by **killbuckner** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 6:35 pm

Where do you get the idea that the hawks are absolutely willing to pay Smith the max? No one has any idea what the hawks ownership would do with a max offersheet- particularly one with a max signing bonus.

And if I am the Clippers I sure as hell would be better off leaving Baron feeling a little jilted for failing his physical rather than being stuck paying him 65 million dollars on a lottery team. Everyone in the league understands what happened ot the Clippers- they signed Baron to play with brand. I don't think there would be much backlash over admitting that.

Post #19 » by **loflin3hree5ive** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 6:46 pm

We should be happy Davis still wants to play for the Clippers. We won't get PG better than him via free agency any time soon.

theman · Post #20 » by **theman** » Wed Jul 9, 2008 9:11 pm

killbuckner wrote:Where do you get the idea that the hawks are absolutely willing to pay Smith the max? No one has any idea what the hawks ownership would do with a max offersheet- particularly one with a max signing bonus.

And if I am the Clippers I sure as hell would be better off leaving Baron feeling a little jilted for failing his physical rather than being stuck paying him 65 million dollars on a lottery team. Everyone in the league understands what happened ot the Clippers- they signed Baron to play with brand. I don't think there would be much backlash over admitting that.

The Hawks are known to throw money around (see Joe Johnson). Josh Smith is one of the best players in the league and a home town hero. Why would they NOT offer the max. Plus, he is restricted. They don't need to offer the max, just match whatever offer he gets.

Unless Josh Smith has dellusions of being an actor I don't see him in LA.