Game 40 : LA Clippers @ Phoenix Suns, Friday, January 4th, 7:00PM MST

[Revived]

This team just hasn't showed any fight after that loss to the Wizards. It seems as if they have just completely given up after that.

Such a shame too because that's a game we should have won.

[bwgood77]

This team just hasn't showed any fight after that loss to the Wizards. It seems as if they have just completely given up after that.

Such a shame too because that's a game we should have won.

At least Suns have the Hornets tomorrow on a b2b after playing the Nuggets...though it was an early game.

[SwingMan1938]

100%

I was never onboard with Point Book as our offense system. It's good in spurts but when it's our entire offensive system, it's not gonna work. Bring in a PG that will get Booker moving more off ball, easier shots and Booker would be far more effective

Exactly!!!.....Which is precisely why I was saying a while back, when he were looking into trades for Ariza, that The trade that we should have been going for was with the L.A. Clippers.

Wherein the Clippers get Trevor Ariza, and the suns get back Patrick Beverley and Luc mbah amoute' for defensive depth.

Then follow that up with Signing Rubio in the offseason to be our primary facilitator and move Booker back to the shooting guard position where he belongs.

I wish that we would have done that trade( no offense to Oubre) But getting Beverley at the point defensively next to Booker, and Luc Mbah Amoute at the 4 wherein we can utilize his defensive versatility and veteran awareness next to Ayton, would be a whole lot better than just adding Oubre.

Plus we would have been able to add Rubio later, and then had both defensive depth at the point and power forward positions,

whilst also having a veteran facilitator in Rubio to help get Ayton entry passes and lobs, as well as getting everyone else into rhythm and involved.

Thus negating point Booker, and also saving Booker's energy and focus for big time scoring in the 4th quarter.

Finally, with the money left over after signing Rubio, get another defensive big in Taj Gibson, or even Thaddeus young. And trade bender, Jackson, and the Milwaukee pick to Indiana for either bogdanovich or McDermott.

Our roster would be set pretty good both offensively and defensively and with veteran depth, and hustle and fight:

Point guard- Rubio/ Beverley/Okobo.(Melton backto the D-league).

Shooting guard- Booker/ Bridges/Daniels.

Small forward- Warren/ McDermott or Bogdanovich/ Bridges.

Power forward- Taj Gibson/ Luc Mbah Amoute/ Big sauce?

Center- De Andre Ayton/ Richaun Holmes/ Big sauce?

Then our rookie pick for 19'. Zion or Barrett or Reddish. (Whoever).

Now who doesn't like that roster honestly????

You've got Rubio setting up Booker on one corner for 3 s' , Bogdanovich or Warren on the other corner.

Amoute in the middle for defense next to Ayton (amoute can also hit 3 s' at around a 33% clip). And Taj Gibson and Amoute are both very good positional defenders and hustle players (dirt workers).

Plus don't forget that you also upgraded from Melton to Beverly to help lead your 2nd unit(bench). Beverly can hit 3 s' at a 35- 37% clip.

So your bench (defensive unit ) consists of:

Point guard- Beverley.

Shooting guard- Mikhail Bridges.

Small forward- Mcdermott.


Power forward- Luc Mbah Amoute'.

Center- Richaun Holmes/Big Sauce.

Do people not realize that Bev is a worse creating PG than our current PGs? It solves our defensive problem at 1 position and 1 position alone and not by much (Melton is not a bad defender). In fact Bev can only guard the 1 due to size, and so Melton is already more versatile defensively. We need a PG who can create and take some of the pressure off of Book. That ain't Bev. Bev was a good target for a stopgap but that is all he is, and it won't make us much better than we are (maybe we win an extra 2 games or so on the year with Bev).

Also, I'm sure if we could have gotten both Bev and Moute we would have. Doubt the Clippers would do it for just Ariza.

It's called 'a lateral move at it's very best'.

[Ghost of Kleine]

100%

I was never onboard with Point Book as our offense system. It's good in spurts but when it's our entire offensive system, it's not gonna work. Bring in a PG that will get Booker moving more off ball, easier shots and Booker would be far more effective

Exactly!!!.....Which is precisely why I was saying a while back, when he were looking into trades for Ariza, that The trade that we should have been going for was with the L.A. Clippers.

Wherein the Clippers get Trevor Ariza, and the suns get back Patrick Beverley and Luc mbah amoute' for defensive depth.

Then follow that up with Signing Rubio in the offseason to be our primary facilitator and move Booker back to the shooting guard position where he belongs.

I wish that we would have done that trade( no offense to Oubre) But getting Beverley at the point defensively next to Booker, and Luc Mbah Amoute at the 4 wherein we can utilize his defensive versatility and veteran awareness next to Ayton, would be a whole lot better than just adding Oubre.

Plus we would have been able to add Rubio later, and then had both defensive depth at the point and power forward positions,

whilst also having a veteran facilitator in Rubio to help get Ayton entry passes and lobs, as well as getting everyone else into rhythm and involved.

Thus negating point Booker, and also saving Booker's energy and focus for big time scoring in the 4th quarter.

Finally, with the money left over after signing Rubio, get another defensive big in Taj Gibson, or even Thaddeus young. And trade bender, Jackson, and the Milwaukee pick to Indiana for either bogdanovich or McDermott.

Our roster would be set pretty good both offensively and defensively and with veteran depth, and hustle and fight:

Point guard- Rubio/ Beverley/Okobo.(Melton backto the D-league).

Shooting guard- Booker/ Bridges/Daniels.

Small forward- Warren/ McDermott or Bogdanovich/ Bridges.

Power forward- Taj Gibson/ Luc Mbah Amoute/ Big sauce?

Center- De Andre Ayton/ Richaun Holmes/ Big sauce?

Then our rookie pick for 19'. Zion or Barrett or Reddish. (Whoever).

Now who doesn't like that roster honestly????

You've got Rubio setting up Booker on one corner for 3 s' , Bogdanovich or Warren on the other corner.

Amoute in the middle for defense next to Ayton (amoute can also hit 3 s' at around a 33% clip). And Taj Gibson and Amoute are both very good positional defenders and hustle players (dirt workers).

Plus don't forget that you also upgraded from Melton to Beverly to help lead your 2nd unit(bench). Beverly can hit 3 s' at a 35- 37% clip.

So your bench (defensive unit ) consists of:

Point guard- Beverley.

Shooting guard- Mikhail Bridges.

Small forward- Mcdermott.


Power forward- Luc Mbah Amoute'.

Center- Richaun Holmes/Big Sauce.

Do people not realize that Bev is a worse creating PG than our current PGs? It solves our defensive problem at 1 position and 1 position alone and not by much (Melton is not a bad defender). In fact Bev can only guard the 1 due to size, and so Melton is already more versatile defensively. We need a PG who can create and take some of the pressure off of Book. That ain't Bev. Bev was a good target for a stopgap but that is all he is, and it won't make us much better than we are (maybe we win an extra 2 games or so on the year with Bev).

Also, I'm sure if we could have gotten both Bev and Moute we would have. Doubt the Clippers would do it for just Ariza.

I completely agree with you that Beverly is a not a facilitator , and not a starter, that's why I only have him as a starting guard next to Booker, until we get someone like Rubio.


But even for his size, he's a super tenacious defender( which can be infectious)and a hustle player with a lot of toughness and is primarily why I wanted him next to Booker.

Getting mbah amoute, would help the defensive issues next to Ayton, as he's a really good positional defender. So he's a bonus in the trade.

and Melton is good, but needs to get more time practicing his jumpshot, and that's probably best during in game situations with less pressure, which is why I suggested the D-league.

Also, We could of traded, Ariza and the Milwaukee pick and bender to Milwaukee if necessary, but who really knows if we actually enquired about it with the Clippers?

Still, I'd like to a trade like for those 2 players thappen for the reason that I mentioned above.

And I'm sure they would have at least considered it, in order to free up space to eventually get closer to being able to sign a Durant or a Kawhi Leonard or Paul George or Whoever, as Ariza is an expiring as is Bender too plus the pick would add value in a trade....lol...

Overall, I like the defensive tenacity, hustle and tough streak that those players would bring.

I mean for the rest of the season at least, we'd start with:

Beverly- tenacious defender, and can shoot the 3.

Booker- a versatile scorer.

Warren versatile scorer/ or Mikhail Bridges- versatile defender and can shoot the 3.( depending upon what the situation calls for!).

Luc Mbah Amoute'- versatile defender who can hit the 3.

Ayton- versatile scorer.

So we have plenty of versatile and tenacious defenders and veteran depth, and a really nice balance of scoring with Booker, Warren, and Ayton.

And versatile defenders in Beverly, and Luc Mbah Amoute.'

[Ghost of Kleine]

Exactly!!!.....Which is precisely why I was saying a while back, when he were looking into trades for Ariza, that The trade that we should have been going for was with the L.A. Clippers.

Wherein the Clippers get Trevor Ariza, and the suns get back Patrick Beverley and Luc mbah amoute' for defensive depth.

Then follow that up with Signing Rubio in the offseason to be our primary facilitator and move Booker back to the shooting guard position where he belongs.

I wish that we would have done that trade( no offense to Oubre) But getting Beverley at the point defensively next to Booker, and Luc Mbah Amoute at the 4 wherein we can utilize his defensive versatility and veteran awareness next to Ayton, would be a whole lot better than just adding Oubre.

Plus we would have been able to add Rubio later, and then had both defensive depth at the point and power forward positions,

whilst also having a veteran facilitator in Rubio to help get Ayton entry passes and lobs, as well as getting everyone else into rhythm and involved.

Thus negating point Booker, and also saving Booker's energy and focus for big time scoring in the 4th quarter.

Finally, with the money left over after signing Rubio, get another defensive big in Taj Gibson, or even Thaddeus young. And trade bender, Jackson, and the Milwaukee pick to Indiana for either bogdanovich or McDermott.

Our roster would be set pretty good both offensively and defensively and with veteran depth, and hustle and fight:

Point guard- Rubio/ Beverley/Okobo.(Melton backto the D-league).

Shooting guard- Booker/ Bridges/Daniels.

Small forward- Warren/ McDermott or Bogdanovich/ Bridges.

Power forward- Taj Gibson/ Luc Mbah Amoute/ Big sauce?

Center- De Andre Ayton/ Richaun Holmes/ Big sauce?

Then our rookie pick for 19'. Zion or Barrett or Reddish. (Whoever).

Now who doesn't like that roster honestly????

You've got Rubio setting up Booker on one corner for 3 s' , Bogdanovich or Warren on the other corner.

Amoute in the middle for defense next to Ayton (amoute can also hit 3 s' at around a 33% clip). And Taj Gibson and Amoute are both very good positional defenders and hustle players (dirt workers).

Plus don't forget that you also upgraded from Melton to Beverly to help lead your 2nd unit(bench). Beverly can hit 3 s' at a 35- 37% clip.

So your bench (defensive unit ) consists of:

Point guard- Beverley.

Shooting guard- Mikhail Bridges.

Small forward- Mcdermott.


Power forward- Luc Mbah Amoute'.

Center- Richaun Holmes/Big Sauce.

Do people not realize that Bev is a worse creating PG than our current PGs? It solves our defensive problem at 1 position and 1 position alone and not by much (Melton is not a bad defender). In fact Bev can only guard the 1 due to size, and so Melton is already more versatile defensively. We need a PG who can create and take some of the pressure off of Book. That ain't Bev. Bev was a good target for a stopgap but that is all he is, and it won't make us much better than we are (maybe we win an extra 2 games or so on the year with Bev).

Also, I'm sure if we could have gotten both Bev and Moute we would have. Doubt the Clippers would do it for just Ariza.

It's called 'a lateral move at it's very best'.

What's so lateral about it?

Both Beverly and Amoute' add defense and veteran experience and toughness to two of our weakest positions defensively, and both players bring hustle and toughness too, And they both can hit the 3.

Also, they are both expirings too, so they don't really affect our cap space going into free agency. So how again is getting them a lateral move?

[SwingMan1938]

Do people not realize that Bev is a worse creating PG than our current PGs? It solves our defensive problem at 1 position and 1 position alone and not by much (Melton is not a bad defender). In fact Bev can only guard the 1 due to size, and so Melton is already more versatile defensively. We need a PG who can create and take some of the pressure off of Book. That ain't Bev. Bev was a good target for a stopgap but that is all he is, and it won't make us much better than we are (maybe we win an extra 2 games or so on the year with Bev).

Also, I'm sure if we could have gotten both Bev and Moute we would have. Doubt the Clippers would do it for just Ariza.

It's called 'a lateral move at it's very best'.

What's so lateral about it?

Both Beverly and Amoute' add defense and veteran experience and toughness to two of our weakest positions defensively, and both players bring hustle and toughness too, And they both can hit the 3.

Also, they are both expirings too, so they don't really affect our cap space going into free agency. So how again is getting them a lateral move?

That's referring to Beverly, who's nearly 31 and coming fresh off of microfracture (read: little, if any, lateral movement, now) and is a tiny shooting guard on offense - and you're bringing in yet another forward who can't create their own shot. Yeah - since we'd *still* have nobody to feed the bigs, we'd need to bring in bigs who can create their own offense.

Do you (and others) not see how serious a problem not having a distributor at point guard is? Seriously?

[Ghost of Kleine]

It's called 'a lateral move at it's very best'.

What's so lateral about it?

Both Beverly and Amoute' add defense and veteran experience and toughness to two of our weakest positions defensively, and both players bring hustle and toughness too, And they both can hit the 3.

Also, they are both expirings too, so they don't really affect our cap space going into free agency. So how again is getting them a lateral move?

That's referring to Beverly, who's nearly 31 and coming fresh off of microfracture (read: little, if any, lateral movement, now) and is a tiny shooting guard on offense - and you're bringing in yet another forward who can't create their own shot. Yeah - since we'd *still* have nobody to feed the bigs, we'd need to bring in bigs who can create their own offense.

Do you (and others) not see how serious a problem not having a distributor at point guard is? Seriously?

I do see and understand to, As I have been one of the Biggest advocates for getting a facilitator in Rubio, all the way back to when we were thinking of trading Ariza! But our defense is absolutely atrocious as well, and that too needs to be addressed, if we are ever going to be able to hold leads, and shut down the other teams' runs, so we can have a reasonable chance to win games. Both Beverly, and amoute accomplish that, and would be low cost expirings too.

Also, So what if he's 31, He helped Houston to have the 3rd best defense in the entire NBA while in Houston. was named to the NBAs' All defensive first team in 2017, And been shooting between 37-40% on threes.

https://www.clipsnation.com/2018/9/17/17863356/la-clippers-2018-2019-player-previews-patrick-beverley .

Key stats: Averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 11 games for the Clippers last season. Shot 40.7% on twos on 5.4 attempts per game and 40.0% from three-point range on 5.5 attempts per game.

He isn’t the primary ball-handler and thus produces posting shockingly low usage and assist rates. Nevertheless, by taking about half of his shots from three-point range, and converting those at about a 40 percent clip, he remains an above-average offensive point guard.

My primary interest in him, is for his defense next to Booker, And his 3 point shooting ability. And once we get Rubio in free agency( I hope!) We can then move Beverly to the 2nd unit to create a smothering defensively versatile and relentless crew of defenders to throw at the opposing teams, whilst Booker, Warren, and Ayton rest.

On the other end of the floor, Beverley is one of the highest-regarded point guard defenders in the NBA. He was second team All-Defense in 2014 and made the All-Defensive First Team in 2017.

https://www.clipsnation.com/2017/10/3/16394674/la-clippers-2017-2018-player-previews-patrick-beverley-is-a-stud .

That lack of flash is what leads people to think that he doesn’t contribute much outside of defense and hustle. But that narrative simply isn’t true. He’s a good three-point shooter (over 38% last year, 37.5% for his career), especially off the catch, making him ideal as a fourth or fifth option alongside ball-dominant players. That’s not all though. In 754 minutes played without James Harden last season, Beverley averaged 7.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists (with only 2.6 turnovers), a strong indicator that he can be a primary playmaker out of the backcourt.

So, He apparently is a capable passer, even given his low usage rate with the clippers other two guards in Bradley, and Teosodic.

And again, The idea is bringing him in for his defensive toughness next to Booker(as he has NONE) and for his 3 point shooting, and ball hawking ability. Also, as I said above, its' only until we can sign a passing point guard such as Rubio in free agency, Then he moves to the 2nd unit to add veteran depth to our bench.



As for Luc mbah amoute, He addresses the need for defensive versatility next to Ayton, And helps to cover his deficiencies in the post. He's also shooting very well from 3 too.

https://spacecityscoop.com/2018/06/13/rockets-try-bring-back-luc-mbah-moute/ .

His offense
The offense of Mbah a Moute is actually very underrated. He has decent ball handling ability and can drive to the rim and (normally, when healthy) finish with layups or nice dunks. Those dunks got him injured twice, though, so we might not see too many of them next year.

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/7/9/17532210/luc-mbah-a-moute-clippers-rockets-defense-championship-nba-free-agency-warriors .

It’s a great move for the Clippers to add a versatile wing like Mbah a Moute, who has developed into a reliable three-point shooter in recent seasons.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/NBA-s-best-kept-secret-Luc-Mbah-a-Moute-under-12332419.php .

"Don't tell anybody," D'Antoni said. "We want to keep it a secret. We want to hide it. He's the best-kept secret in the NBA. I didn't know it. We game-planned (against him) he was kind of streaky. But he's as good as anybody. He's smart. He can play big minutes. He can shoot 3 s. Whatever you want him to do he does it. He's got play making skills. He sees the floor. I don't know how we all missed it, but we all did."

Mbah a Moute has averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game, making 52.2 percent of his shots while bringing the versatile defense needed for the Rockets' move to more defensive switching on screens. Coming off the best 3-point shooting season of his career when he made 39.1 percent, Mbah a Moute' misfired for most of the first two weeks. But in the past three games has made 5 of 10 treys, showing signs of adding that customary part of his game to the drives the Rockets might not have expected.

So apparently he can shoot adequately enough, And is another example of a great positional defender, who could move to the 2nd unit, And add yet even more depth and defensive potential to our 2nd unit, When we pick up a power forward like Mirotic, or Taj Gibson, or Thaddeus Young in free agency perhaps , depending on how much we have left to spend, after signing Rubio.

https://defpen.com/luc-mbah-a-moute-defense-rockets/ .

He can, however, be a dangerous three-point shooter. Last year, he shot 39 percent from three on 1.4 attempts per game and over 41 percent from each corner.

Patrick Beverly highlights:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/_EX8e4hP7kM [/youtube] .

Watch on YouTube

.

and his defense:

[youtube] https://youtu.be/DMg_xbycKNw [/youtube].

[youtube] https://youtu.be/s_Yth4RCOLk [/youtube].
we need players like Beverly, who are absolutely relentless defenders, and ball hawks. He brings a toughness aand bravado that our team severely is lacking.

**And with respect to Amoutes' possible contributions:

Watch on YouTube

He had 20 points in this game.( versatile scorer too).

Watch on YouTube

( watch his 3s' made in this video as well as his nice post game and passing).

[youtube] https://youtu.be/QVrlpKsE04o [/youtube] *He hit like 5 3s' in a row in this game.

And of course his defense:

Watch on YouTube

His defense on Kawhi Leonard and Lamarcus Aldridge. *He held Leonard to 3-13 shooting in that game.

Watch on YouTube

*He had 4 steals in this game, And an NBA record Plus-minus of: +57.

[youtube] https://youtu.be/EUijQsK867E [/youtube] *Defense on Damian Lillard.

Watch on YouTube

*Defense on Durant.

The overall point is....That both Amoute and Beverly are relentless, tough, Pit bull, versatile positional defenders that can lock down opposing players at their positions, and still hit the 3 s' as well. And both are relatively cheap, and will be expirings, going into free agency. These guys will smother, frustrate, and ball hawk the opposing teams' best players.

Thus allowing Booker and Ayton to conserve their energy for scoring. Making them more potent offensively, and fresher going into the 4th quarter.

Overall, We could now have 4 or 5 versatile relentless defenders at different positions in: Beverly, Bridges or(Jackson), Luc Mbah Amoute' And Richaun Holmes. That's versatile smothering defense all over the court. And all players, with the exception of Holmes, and perhaps Jackson can hit the 3 also.

Leaving the only thing for Booker, Warren, Oubre and Ayton to worry about is scoring really.

[SwingMan1938]

What's so lateral about it?

Both Beverly and Amoute' add defense and veteran experience and toughness to two of our weakest positions defensively, and both players bring hustle and toughness too, And they both can hit the 3.

Also, they are both expirings too, so they don't really affect our cap space going into free agency. So how again is getting them a lateral move?

That's referring to Beverly, who's nearly 31 and coming fresh off of microfracture (read: little, if any, lateral movement, now) and is a tiny shooting guard on offense - and you're bringing in yet another forward who can't create their own shot. Yeah - since we'd *still* have nobody to feed the bigs, we'd need to bring in bigs who can create their own offense.

Do you (and others) not see how serious a problem not having a distributor at point guard is? Seriously?

I do see and understand to, As I have been one of the Biggest advocates for getting a facilitator in Rubio, all the way back to when we were thinking of trading Ariza! But our defense is absolutely atrocious as well, and that too needs to be addressed, if we are ever going to be able to hold leads, and shut down the other teams' runs, so we can have a reasonable chance to win games. Both Beverly, and amoute accomplish that, and would be low cost expirings too.

Also, So what if he's 31, He helped Houston to have the 3rd best defense in the entire NBA while in Houston. was named to the NBAs' All defensive first team in 2017, And been shooting between 37-40% on threes.

https://www.clipsnation.com/2018/9/17/17863356/la-clippers-2018-2019-player-previews-patrick-beverley .

Key stats: Averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 11 games for the Clippers last season. Shot 40.7% on twos on 5.4 attempts per game and 40.0% from three-point range on 5.5 attempts per game.

He isn’t the primary ball-handler and thus produces posting shockingly low usage and assist rates. Nevertheless, by taking about half of his shots from three-point range, and converting those at about a 40 percent clip, he remains an above-average offensive point guard.

My primary interest in him, is for his defense next to Booker, And his 3 point shooting ability. And once we get Rubio in free agency( I hope!) We can then move Beverly to the 2nd unit to create a smothering defensively versatile and relentless crew of defenders to throw at the opposing teams, whilst Booker, Warren, and Ayton rest.

On the other end of the floor, Beverley is one of the highest-regarded point guard defenders in the NBA. He was second team All-Defense in 2014 and made the All-Defensive First Team in 2017.

https://www.clipsnation.com/2017/10/3/16394674/la-clippers-2017-2018-player-previews-patrick-beverley-is-a-stud .

That lack of flash is what leads people to think that he doesn’t contribute much outside of defense and hustle. But that narrative simply isn’t true. He’s a good three-point shooter (over 38% last year, 37.5% for his career), especially off the catch, making him ideal as a fourth or fifth option alongside ball-dominant players. That’s not all though. In 754 minutes played without James Harden last season, Beverley averaged 7.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists (with only 2.6 turnovers), a strong indicator that he can be a primary playmaker out of the backcourt.

So, He apparently is a capable passer, even given his low usage rate with the clippers other two guards in Bradley, and Teosodic.

And again, The idea is bringing him in for his defensive toughness next to Booker(as he has NONE) and for his 3 point shooting, and ball hawking ability. Also, as I said above, its' only until we can sign a passing point guard such as Rubio in free agency, Then he moves to the 2nd unit to add veteran depth to our bench.



As for Luc mbah amoute, He addresses the need for defensive versatility next to Ayton, And helps to cover his deficiencies in the post. He's also shooting very well from 3 too.

https://spacecityscoop.com/2018/06/13/rockets-try-bring-back-luc-mbah-moute/ .

His offense
The offense of Mbah a Moute is actually very underrated. He has decent ball handling ability and can drive to the rim and (normally, when healthy) finish with layups or nice dunks. Those dunks got him injured twice, though, so we might not see too many of them next year.

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/7/9/17532210/luc-mbah-a-moute-clippers-rockets-defense-championship-nba-free-agency-warriors .

It’s a great move for the Clippers to add a versatile wing like Mbah a Moute, who has developed into a reliable three-point shooter in recent seasons.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/NBA-s-best-kept-secret-Luc-Mbah-a-Moute-under-12332419.php .

"Don't tell anybody," D'Antoni said. "We want to keep it a secret. We want to hide it. He's the best-kept secret in the NBA. I didn't know it. We game-planned (against him) he was kind of streaky. But he's as good as anybody. He's smart. He can play big minutes. He can shoot 3 s. Whatever you want him to do he does it. He's got play making skills. He sees the floor. I don't know how we all missed it, but we all did."

Mbah a Moute has averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game, making 52.2 percent of his shots while bringing the versatile defense needed for the Rockets' move to more defensive switching on screens. Coming off the best 3-point shooting season of his career when he made 39.1 percent, Mbah a Moute' misfired for most of the first two weeks. But in the past three games has made 5 of 10 treys, showing signs of adding that customary part of his game to the drives the Rockets might not have expected.

So apparently he can shoot adequately enough, And is another example of a great positional defender, who could move to the 2nd unit, And add yet even more depth and defensive potential to our 2nd unit, When we pick up a power forward like Mirotic, or Taj Gibson, or Thaddeus Young in free agency perhaps , depending on how much we have left to spend, after signing Rubio.

https://defpen.com/luc-mbah-a-moute-defense-rockets/ .

He can, however, be a dangerous three-point shooter. Last year, he shot 39 percent from three on 1.4 attempts per game and over 41 percent from each corner.

Patrick Beverly highlights:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/_EX8e4hP7kM [/youtube] .

Watch on YouTube

.

and his defense:

[youtube] https://youtu.be/DMg_xbycKNw [/youtube].

[youtube] https://youtu.be/s_Yth4RCOLk [/youtube].
we need players like Beverly, who are absolutely relentless defenders, and ball hawks. He brings a toughness aand bravado that our team severely is lacking.

**And with respect to Amoutes' possible contributions:

Watch on YouTube

He had 20 points in this game.( versatile scorer too).

Watch on YouTube

( watch his 3s' made in this video as well as his nice post game and passing).

[youtube] https://youtu.be/QVrlpKsE04o [/youtube] *He hit like 5 3s' in a row in this game.

And of course his defense:

Watch on YouTube

His defense on Kawhi Leonard and Lamarcus Aldridge. *He held Leonard to 3-13 shooting in that game.

Watch on YouTube

*He had 4 steals in this game, And an NBA record Plus-minus of: +57.

[youtube] https://youtu.be/EUijQsK867E [/youtube] *Defense on Damian Lillard.

Watch on YouTube

*Defense on Durant.

The overall point is....That both Amoute and Beverly are relentless, tough, Pit bull, versatile positional defenders that can lock down opposing players at their positions, and still hit the 3 s' as well. And both are relatively cheap, and will be expirings, going into free agency. These guys will smother, frustrate, and ball hawk the opposing teams' best players.

Thus allowing Booker and Ayton to conserve their energy for scoring. Making them more potent offensively, and fresher going into the 4th quarter.

Overall, We could now have 4 or 5 versatile relentless defenders at different positions in: Beverly, Bridges or(Jackson), Luc Mbah Amoute' And Richaun Holmes. That's versatile smothering defense all over the court. And all players, with the exception of Holmes, and perhaps Jackson can hit the 3 also.

Leaving the only thing for Booker, Warren, Oubre and Ayton to worry about is scoring really.

Yeah - in Houston, pre-microfracture and with James Harden by his side to distribute. Now - what's Beverly gonna do for us again? Defense at the 1 with Melton is not the problem - once again, we need a distributor. Beverly never has been and never will be a distributor.

And Amoute offers zero on offense - nothing. Even PJ Tucker offered more on offense. Hell, we're better off with a 10-day in Acy, far as that goes. He's a relentless bulldog on both ends and we don't even have to give anything up for him.

Remember that this isn't 2014, anymore - and there's more to a player's game than highlights.....

[Ghost of Kleine]

That's referring to Beverly, who's nearly 31 and coming fresh off of microfracture (read: little, if any, lateral movement, now) and is a tiny shooting guard on offense - and you're bringing in yet another forward who can't create their own shot. Yeah - since we'd *still* have nobody to feed the bigs, we'd need to bring in bigs who can create their own offense.

Do you (and others) not see how serious a problem not having a distributor at point guard is? Seriously?

I do see and understand to, As I have been one of the Biggest advocates for getting a facilitator in Rubio, all the way back to when we were thinking of trading Ariza! But our defense is absolutely atrocious as well, and that too needs to be addressed, if we are ever going to be able to hold leads, and shut down the other teams' runs, so we can have a reasonable chance to win games. Both Beverly, and amoute accomplish that, and would be low cost expirings too.

Also, So what if he's 31, He helped Houston to have the 3rd best defense in the entire NBA while in Houston. was named to the NBAs' All defensive first team in 2017, And been shooting between 37-40% on threes.

https://www.clipsnation.com/2018/9/17/17863356/la-clippers-2018-2019-player-previews-patrick-beverley .

Key stats: Averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 11 games for the Clippers last season. Shot 40.7% on twos on 5.4 attempts per game and 40.0% from three-point range on 5.5 attempts per game.

He isn’t the primary ball-handler and thus produces posting shockingly low usage and assist rates. Nevertheless, by taking about half of his shots from three-point range, and converting those at about a 40 percent clip, he remains an above-average offensive point guard.

My primary interest in him, is for his defense next to Booker, And his 3 point shooting ability. And once we get Rubio in free agency( I hope!) We can then move Beverly to the 2nd unit to create a smothering defensively versatile and relentless crew of defenders to throw at the opposing teams, whilst Booker, Warren, and Ayton rest.

On the other end of the floor, Beverley is one of the highest-regarded point guard defenders in the NBA. He was second team All-Defense in 2014 and made the All-Defensive First Team in 2017.

https://www.clipsnation.com/2017/10/3/16394674/la-clippers-2017-2018-player-previews-patrick-beverley-is-a-stud .

That lack of flash is what leads people to think that he doesn’t contribute much outside of defense and hustle. But that narrative simply isn’t true. He’s a good three-point shooter (over 38% last year, 37.5% for his career), especially off the catch, making him ideal as a fourth or fifth option alongside ball-dominant players. That’s not all though. In 754 minutes played without James Harden last season, Beverley averaged 7.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists (with only 2.6 turnovers), a strong indicator that he can be a primary playmaker out of the backcourt.

So, He apparently is a capable passer, even given his low usage rate with the clippers other two guards in Bradley, and Teosodic.

And again, The idea is bringing him in for his defensive toughness next to Booker(as he has NONE) and for his 3 point shooting, and ball hawking ability. Also, as I said above, its' only until we can sign a passing point guard such as Rubio in free agency, Then he moves to the 2nd unit to add veteran depth to our bench.



As for Luc mbah amoute, He addresses the need for defensive versatility next to Ayton, And helps to cover his deficiencies in the post. He's also shooting very well from 3 too.

https://spacecityscoop.com/2018/06/13/rockets-try-bring-back-luc-mbah-moute/ .

His offense
The offense of Mbah a Moute is actually very underrated. He has decent ball handling ability and can drive to the rim and (normally, when healthy) finish with layups or nice dunks. Those dunks got him injured twice, though, so we might not see too many of them next year.

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/7/9/17532210/luc-mbah-a-moute-clippers-rockets-defense-championship-nba-free-agency-warriors .

It’s a great move for the Clippers to add a versatile wing like Mbah a Moute, who has developed into a reliable three-point shooter in recent seasons.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rockets/article/NBA-s-best-kept-secret-Luc-Mbah-a-Moute-under-12332419.php .

"Don't tell anybody," D'Antoni said. "We want to keep it a secret. We want to hide it. He's the best-kept secret in the NBA. I didn't know it. We game-planned (against him) he was kind of streaky. But he's as good as anybody. He's smart. He can play big minutes. He can shoot 3 s. Whatever you want him to do he does it. He's got play making skills. He sees the floor. I don't know how we all missed it, but we all did."

Mbah a Moute has averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game, making 52.2 percent of his shots while bringing the versatile defense needed for the Rockets' move to more defensive switching on screens. Coming off the best 3-point shooting season of his career when he made 39.1 percent, Mbah a Moute' misfired for most of the first two weeks. But in the past three games has made 5 of 10 treys, showing signs of adding that customary part of his game to the drives the Rockets might not have expected.

So apparently he can shoot adequately enough, And is another example of a great positional defender, who could move to the 2nd unit, And add yet even more depth and defensive potential to our 2nd unit, When we pick up a power forward like Mirotic, or Taj Gibson, or Thaddeus Young in free agency perhaps , depending on how much we have left to spend, after signing Rubio.

https://defpen.com/luc-mbah-a-moute-defense-rockets/ .

He can, however, be a dangerous three-point shooter. Last year, he shot 39 percent from three on 1.4 attempts per game and over 41 percent from each corner.

Patrick Beverly highlights:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/_EX8e4hP7kM [/youtube] .

Watch on YouTube

.

and his defense:

[youtube] https://youtu.be/DMg_xbycKNw [/youtube].

[youtube] https://youtu.be/s_Yth4RCOLk [/youtube].
we need players like Beverly, who are absolutely relentless defenders, and ball hawks. He brings a toughness aand bravado that our team severely is lacking.

**And with respect to Amoutes' possible contributions:

Watch on YouTube

He had 20 points in this game.( versatile scorer too).

Watch on YouTube

( watch his 3s' made in this video as well as his nice post game and passing).

[youtube] https://youtu.be/QVrlpKsE04o [/youtube] *He hit like 5 3s' in a row in this game.

And of course his defense:

Watch on YouTube

His defense on Kawhi Leonard and Lamarcus Aldridge. *He held Leonard to 3-13 shooting in that game.

Watch on YouTube

*He had 4 steals in this game, And an NBA record Plus-minus of: +57.

[youtube] https://youtu.be/EUijQsK867E [/youtube] *Defense on Damian Lillard.

Watch on YouTube

*Defense on Durant.

The overall point is....That both Amoute and Beverly are relentless, tough, Pit bull, versatile positional defenders that can lock down opposing players at their positions, and still hit the 3 s' as well. And both are relatively cheap, and will be expirings, going into free agency. These guys will smother, frustrate, and ball hawk the opposing teams' best players.

Thus allowing Booker and Ayton to conserve their energy for scoring. Making them more potent offensively, and fresher going into the 4th quarter.

Overall, We could now have 4 or 5 versatile relentless defenders at different positions in: Beverly, Bridges or(Jackson), Luc Mbah Amoute' And Richaun Holmes. That's versatile smothering defense all over the court. And all players, with the exception of Holmes, and perhaps Jackson can hit the 3 also.

Leaving the only thing for Booker, Warren, Oubre and Ayton to worry about is scoring really.

Yeah - in Houston, pre-microfracture and with James Harden by his side to distribute. Now - what's Beverly gonna do for us again? Defense at the 1 with Melton is not the problem - once again, we need a distributor. Beverly never has been and never will be a distributor.

And Amoute offers zero on offense - nothing. Even PJ Tucker offered more on offense. Hell, we're better off with a 10-day in Acy, far as that goes. He's a relentless bulldog on both ends and we don't even have to give anything up for him.

Remember that this isn't 2014, anymore - and there's more to a player's game than highlights.....

I realize this isn't 2014, Beverly was named all first team in 2017, not 2014. And his documented 3 point shooting percentages have also shown CAREER averages of around 37-38%. So my point is that he is capable of being able to shoot, score, and pass,

Now, in what manner the Coach of his team chooses to use him, is beyond anyone's control other than the coach himself. But how he is used, will of course dictate his percentages, and averages.

Also, If you look at the links, Beverly HAD HIS BEST ASSIST AVERAGES, when Harden was out injured.


Look again at the date of the clips above, showing and accounting for his averages . And it directly states from the Clippers very own team sports site analysts,


That from their 2017-2018 player reviews, They themselves state, that in 754 minutes played WITHOUT HARDEN, Beverley averaged 8 assists and only 2.6 turnovers.

So it wasn't with Harden assisting. So the capability Is definitely there, and has been documented, it's again, dependent upon HOW and how much the teams' coach chooses to use him.

And the point is not just defense, even though the links above, as well as acknowledgment by the entire league would agree easily, that Beverly is a better defender, and it's not even close.

Also, scoring, as YOU YOURSELF have even mentioned shooting capability yourself, has been repeatedly documented in Beverly's favor, with his 3 point shooting percentages even over his career, hovering at around 37-38%, and sometimes at close to 40% despite a relatively low usage rate.

How is Melton scoring right now? How is his shooting?

Also, what are his assist averages in comparison to beverly's based upon usage again? I'd imagine that they can't be that much better, or even that dissimilar in comparison?

Look, don't get me wrong, I actually like Melton, but he still has to get a lot better with his shooting and defense, and I'm sure that he will in time. But for the present, We can of course improve by adding an experienced veteran defensive specialist guard, as Beverly is!


Unfortunately, Melton is not a good shooter currently, and even though he's had some good games defensively, he's not on the same level as Beverly defensively yet.

Also, He does not have the veteran leadership "in game " experience either. I'm not saying to get rid of him, I'm just saying ...... have him spend some more time in the D-league, wherein there's less pressure for him so that he can advance his game further.

Also, AGAIN, for the record, I would love to have a distributing point guard as our primary facilitator! I really would. And I completely agree with you that a passing point guard is of paramount importance for team development too.

Any of Rubio, in a miracle situation, if we could get Jrue Holiday in some sort of "miracle trade"(That would be amazing!), or even Rondo(For his defense and assist capabilities, but when are we going to realistically look at getting any of these players, or players such as Russell, or others?

Realistically, not likely until free agency.

In the meantime, We could possibly get Beverly and amoute' for a modest package built around possibly Bender, Oubre, and the Milwaukee bucks pick perhaps.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yb8zo5q5 .

If you don't want to give up Oubre, Then you can substitute Daniel's, the numbers work for either.

You add the Milwaukee pick as a sweetener for them to use in a trade for a big name player perhaps.

So essentially you could choose to trade either Oubre and the Milwaukee pick or a couple future 2nds, Or Bender, Daniels and a 2nd or the Milwaukee pick to get it done.

Both teams maintain cap flexibility as all players involved are expirings.

Doing this would allow us to give them a run and try them out, as we're not realistically competing this year anyways.

And if we like what they add to our team, we can then choose to resign them on the cheap, as both players are currently making a salary of 5 million dollars or under(amoute'- 4 million).


Now, to address the amoute' brings "zero on offense- nothing " comment.

Again, have you not referenced the links posted above? And not even just his highlights either( which visually show his shooting ability and scoring versatility).

But also the sports team sites ( *Houston Chronicle) in which the analyst themselves, along with his own team coach( Dantoni) have OPENLY STATED that he's improving his scoring and is an absolute asset. His percentages are documented and show him having shooting averages of 52% and 3 point shooting averages around 39% . Again referenced, in the links above.

So the statistics that are referenced would indicate otherwise, that he can score and hit the 3, So to imply that he would bring nothing/zero offense is just unfair and inaccurate.

The highlights are also showing his scoring outputs, also indicate his scoring ability and visually document it.

So you could get two veteran defensive players who are both versatile, relentless
positional defenders, and Have been DOCUMENTED to be able to score and hit the 3 , for around 9 million.

AND they're still expirings, so they don't really affect our cap space going into free agency either.


Now, with respect to the comment that "there's more to a player's game than just highlights",


I agree that there's more to a player's game than just highlights, Which is why I also added the links to the team's sports sites documenting their percentages and averages as well as their complimentary skillsets that they WOULD bring to our team. ( the highlights are there for those that prefer the "eye test" as well as for showing in game versatility and performance). So I do find them to have relevance.


What Beverly and amoute ' would bring to this team is:

Toughness, hustle, relentless defense, veteran experience, high energy, and a mean streak that has been sorely lacking for our team. Also, we could absorb Beverly with our 5 million trade exception, if we really wanted to.

So with that being said, I don't in any way see this as a lateral move, as they bring added depth, veteran experience, a versatile defensive skillset, hustle and energy plays, toughness and a fighting attitude (which we lack). And again, are EXPIRINGS, So they don't essentially affect our cap space.

You of course don't have to agree with my opinions, and can directly choose to disregard the information that I have shared with you,

but that won't change the fact that they would still be assets with value given their skillsets and what they could provide for our team.

As for the Acy signing, I love it, and what he brings, our team needs more toughness, attitude and a mean streak, as we are and have been weak, passive, and lacking any semblance of fight and energy.

[SwingMan1938]

Well shoot - you'd expect Beverly's assist numbers to go up when Harden is out as would every player on the damn team. *Somebody* has to make up for Harden's lack of production in his absence. Just like Booker's having a career best year in assists - why? Because there's no f-ing distributor and he's got to carry the playmaking load as well.

What you don't seem to be getting (refusing to get?) is that every last iota of "evidence" you've provided supporting Beverly is pre-microfracture. And Oubre is far too much to give up for the both of them, much less either of them. And you want to throw picks in there, to boot. Assets for less than half a season? Really?

No. Melton gives us defense at 1 - what does Beverly give us? Diminished defense and a little bit of scoring - scoring that's easily done by anyone else currently on the team who's not in the doghouse. Zero playmaking - just like Melton right now. Again - lateral move at best.