CLIPPERS + JOHN WALL = LARRY O'BRIEN

[og15]

I like the 2 years!

If he had agreed to sign for minimum, it would surely have been only for 1 year. I think getting the second year at low rate is a low risk, high reward move.

2nd year might be an option year, he gets to see if the market is ripe for him to get a bigger contract and if not he can stay and has money to fall back on.

[esqtvd]

I like the 2 years!

If he had agreed to sign for minimum, it would surely have been only for 1 year. I think getting the second year at low rate is a low risk, high reward move.

2nd year might be an option year, he gets to see if the market is ripe for him to get a bigger contract and if not he can stay and has money to fall back on.

2 YEARS = Early Bird?

The Bird exception is for players who have spent three seasons with one club without changing teams as a free agent, but Early Bird rights are earned after just two such seasons. Virtually all of the same rules that apply to Bird rights apply to Early Bird rights, with the requirements condensed to two years rather than three. Players still see their Bird clocks restart by changing teams via free agency, being claimed in an expansion draft, or having their rights renounced.

The crucial difference between Bird rights and Early Bird rights involves the limitations on contract offers. Bird players can receive maximum-salary deals for up to five years, while the most a team can offer an Early Bird free agent without using cap space is 175% of his previous salary or 105% of the league-average salary in the previous season, whichever is greater. These offers are also capped at four years rather than five, and the new contracts must run for at least two years (with no second-year options).

[esqtvd]

I BELIEVE


https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2022-07-01/nba-free-agency-clippers-land-john-wall-two-year-deal

A former No. 1 pick and five-time All-Star, Wall has come off the bench only 12 times in 10 seasons. Whether he or incumbent Reggie Jackson starts, adding Wall is hoped to affect Jackson for the better, whether by moving him off the ball at times to take advantage of his catch-and-shoot accuracy, or helping keep him fresh by reducing some of the workload of a 32-year-old coming off last season’s career-high 31.7 minutes per game.

Part of the Clippers’ strategy has been to stack the deck around Leonard and George with a large supporting cast that leans heavily on veterans who, after being discarded elsewhere, are willing to do less to win big. Batum and Jackson are the template the Clippers hope Wall will fil.

“Ultimately, what we’re trying to achieve, it’s going to take a great deal of sacrifice, and you want to make sure you have the right blend, you want to make sure you have players who really feel driven to do something that hasn’t been done before and that have a chip on their shoulder,” Lawrence Frank, the team’s top basketball executive, said in late June.

Once out of the league while being paid to stay away from Houston’s youth movement, Wall wasted little time being back within a franchise’s plans. By Friday afternoon, Wall was already in the Clippers’ practice facility, sharing a picture of his freshly pressed No. 11 jersey and video of him flexing in the weight room.

“Yes sir,” Wall said. “Already to work baby.”

fire in the belly

[madmaxmedia]

I like the 2 years!

If he had agreed to sign for minimum, it would surely have been only for 1 year. I think getting the second year at low rate is a low risk, high reward move.

2nd year might be an option year, he gets to see if the market is ripe for him to get a bigger contract and if not he can stay and has money to fall back on.

I keep looking around for details but can’t find confirmation. All I read is it’s a 2 year deal and people talking about it like it’s straight, no options either way.

EDIT- Spotrac seems to confirm it’s a full 2 years, no options on either side-
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/houston-rockets/john-wall-6882/

[TrueLAfan]

I like the 2 years because it will take half a season, maybe more, for Wall to figure out his game again, and sort out and change the skills and ability he still has to fit our team.

We have to remember what a risk and question mark this is. We are talking about a player that completely missed 2 of the last 3 full seasons. And we are talking about an Achilles injury, which some players never really come back from. And we are putting him on a completely new team in a completely new role. In short, there's a lot that can go wrong.

I'm cautiously optimistic though. Wall took a lot of grief for his injuries and lack of play that were undeserved, imo. I thought he handled Houston--who made no bones about wanting to tank and simply didn't want Wall on the court--well. He got grief for his injuries and Washington's lack of success ... but they were over .500 every year Wall played 70 or more games and he carried those teams. You can look at the seasons off as a type of plus; an Achilles injury has a notoriously lengthy recovery time. He's had that time.

In the 40 games he played in 2021, he was among the worst shooters in the league. But he was surrounded by a revolving door of garbage--I think the Rockets set a record for most players on a roster in a season. Most stunk. There was no way to get into a rhythm, or figure out teammate tendencies to get them the ball. Those things are critical for a PG.

Anyway, like I said--we need to be real. Wall has been through a lot. But, yeah, if he has even some of his IQ and skills remaining, it's a huge, huge deal.

[madmaxmedia]

I think a good over/under on John Wall’s capabilities is Reggie Jackson.

His upside is perhaps higher, so is downside since we know what we have with Reggie (both his hood and his bad). It if he ends up roughly equal we will have won with the signing for sure.

[Chronz]

We need both our PGs to recover their efficiency. Funny thing is, the bar is so low that I think both will clear it once the stars are back in place.

Wall is gonna have to drastically alter his game tho, he was almost trying too hard to prove he was back in Houston. Hopefully the time off has allowed him to get his mind and body right cuz this will be the final 2 years of what remains of his "prime", if we can still call it that.

Reggie went from inefficient chucker to efficient reserve with us but I think it's clear he's declined since then, I don't even expect Reggie to play as well as he used to, just better than last year. What hurts Wall is that, unlike Reggie, his efficiency gains won't come from getting wide open 3s, it will have to come from cutting his turnover rate and having enough athleticism left to take advantage of outlet situations, cutting and getting to the line.

That seems like a tougher task than a good shooter getting more open looks so I really hope he's improved his jumper ala Derrick rose / amare when they were out with injuries

[Akklaim1]

The Clippers have never had a legitimate Big 3. It was always duos plus a good player that can put up some numbers. We had EB + Sam and then Cat Mobley or Maggette. Then CP3 + Blake and DJ. Then Kawhi + PG and Lou Will?.

[Dynamix]

[oldshoolballer]

If they stay healthy the Clippers can win it all no doubt in my mind.

[Kelphus]

Every year for 24 years I have said "next season is the big one"... but this time I... say it again. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, maybe this is my turn

[esqtvd]

Every year for 24 years I have said "next season is the big one"... but this time I... say it again. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, maybe this is my turn

I'll settle for once a century.

Frankly, I never felt we were the favorites all these years. Never understood people saying Lob City should have won a chip with that talent. I always thought we were a buck short. Or more.

This year is different: Let's call Kawhi and CP3 a push, but then PG is better than Blake and we have maybe 4-5 players more valuable than DJ or JJ.

[MartinToVaught]

Read on Twitter

Absolutely love hearing this from Wall, this is the exact mindset he and the team need.

[esqtvd]

Read on Twitter

Absolutely love hearing this from Wall, this is the exact mindset he and the team need.

This is what the great unwashed don't get: "Ball Hogs" and "Gunners" don't last long unless they put up the goods. Not in the pros [Jamal, World B. Free] or college or even at the "Y". They shoot because everybody on the floor wants them to!!

And the most ironic thing here is J-Wall is practicing his catch-and-shoot!! He never wanted to be a scorer. Like Chris, he did it because his team needed him to.

9.1 assists per game is godlike-- Chris Paul = 9.5. And J-Wall is our BACKUP??? This is YUGE.

[Ballings7]

Yep, good to hear from Wall..

I think at this point from being away for so long, being in lowly team situations, and also just kind of knowing he isn't quite the same player anymore to be a real #1 guard, ball handler every night, but still confident because of his toolset.. he is over himself and just wants to win. He already got his big money, as well.

Excited to see him fit in and play with energy and enjoy the game again on this team.

[Dynamix]

Read on Twitter

[MartinToVaught]

Yep, good to hear from Wall..

I think at this point from being away for so long, being in lowly team situations, and also just kind of knowing he isn't quite the same player anymore to be a real #1 guard, ball handler every night, but still confident because of his toolset.. he is over himself and just wants to win. He already got his big money, as well.

Excited to see him fit in and play with energy and enjoy the game again on this team.

It's for sure a big change from the younger, cockier Wall who called out Gortat in the media for being "spoonfed" by him and was always dogged by the narrative that "everybody eats" when he's not playing. He seems to have matured a lot since then.

[esqtvd]

Read on Twitter

_______________________

ADD: a new man

Read on Twitter

[clipperlover]

Since he doesn't have to be "Batman", I am sure him and his agent are contacting the Rockets right now to give back most of the money the Rockets are still slated to pay him. The guy is making $40M this year in total, so he is the 10th Highest paid player in the NBA for the upcoming season.

What a bum. If he was so concerned about the pressure of being the "man" then he could have been paid like a Robin. The fact is NO ONE wanted to take on his contract as being "Batman" because by his own admission now, he doesn't have what it takes be the the "man". He is just a really overpaid jock rider now for this upcoming season. Next season he will be paid closer to his true worth based on his attitude. Can't believe he would make comments like that knowing he didn't give up a single penny of his 2022-2023 salary to get to the Clippers.

[playaloc916]

Someone on the GB compared this signing to Rondo... I thought that was a great comparison. Let's hope Wall can do the things that Rondo couldn't do for us on a consistent basis, which is set guys up, make plays, and get things going when the offense goes stale. No need for him to get buckets. He's needed to help the offense run better.