An early summer 2024 thread

[Wammy Giveaway]

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Yeah, that's Joel Embiid of Philadelphia 76ers. He joined ESPN NBA Countdown alongside Paul George.

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You already know, right?

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Let me spell it out for you.

ESPN is looking to help blow the Clippers up by swaying George to go join the 76ers instead.

[wakelaunch1]

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Yeah, that's Joel Embiid of Philadelphia 76ers. He joined ESPN NBA Countdown alongside Paul George.

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You already know, right?

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Let me spell it out for you.

ESPN is looking to help blow the Clippers up by swaying George to go join the 76ers instead.

damn that sounds awfully like tampering by ESPN.

[Quake Griffin]

Please let this be over soon.

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This is my fear.

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Don't threaten me with a good time.


Not my ideal but I will take it over Auto-Pilot 2024-2030.

[MartinToVaught]

damn that sounds awfully like tampering by ESPN.

At this point, I welcome ESPN's tampering. Even they are more sane than Ballmer and Frank.

[KL2]

I know we’re not going to magically produce a wing with size and two way capabilities but what are the Clippers doing here?

PG looks to be out the door and Woj reporting Leonard might not be recovered in time for the Olympics. It’ll be over 2 months by the time camp starts for the Olympics and Leonard still hasn’t recovered? Is he even going to be ready for our training camp?

Who are they expecting to carry the load this season?

[esqtvd]

LOL, the return of the Donald T. Sterling era. The only thing worse than a bad old team is a bad young team.

The current young talent in house--with Terance Mann being the "star"--is not going to get significantly better and 25 wins would be asking a lot. I just don't see Ballmer putting up with it.

We're on the treadmill either way. His fellow owners screwed Ballmer bigtime--he can't even go out and BUY talent. PG and Beard are all the CBA will let him have. Might as well win some games.

[Clemenza]

I know we’re not going to magically produce a wing with size and two way capabilities but what are the Clippers doing here?

PG looks to be out the door and Woj reporting Leonard might not be recovered in time for the Olympics. It’ll be over 2 months by the time camp starts for the Olympics and Leonard still hasn’t recovered? Is he even going to be ready for our training camp?

Who are they expecting to carry the load this season?

This is the million dollar question. PG eyeing a max deal and playing the 3rd option to Maxey & Embiid might be to good to pass up. That SAS joke about him not playing with any stars is starting to take on a whole new meaning as the weeks go by. Buckle up, that tear it all down without any assets that half the fanbase wants to happen might become a reality.

[Bobbymcgee]

If George leaves, I really hope the Clippers don't panic and sign Harden to a long-term deal.

I would prefer to let Harden walk, try to trade Leonard, and restart fresh with other team's draft picks and young players.

I don't mind seeing a young and struggling Clippers team as long as they play hard and are hungry to get better.

[MartinToVaught]

I mean, this is exactly why I've kept saying that the "run it back" plan is nowhere near the guaranteed way to avoid disaster and stay in the playoffs like Ballmer, Frank and half the fans seem to think it is.

The way I see it, running it back has always relied on several layers of assumptions:

• All of our free agents actually wanting to stay
• All of our stars staying healthy all regular season
• None of our stars falling off with age and becoming unplayable overnight
• None of the teams behind us improving at all

#1 is looking shaky at best because it is starting to feel like PG would rather be a Sixer. #2 already seems doubtful with all this talk of Kawhi not being ready yet. #4 is definitely not going to happen when Memphis is getting Ja back and at least one of Houston and San Antonio will make the leap, if not both. I hate to break it to everyone, but it's not actually going to take much for our team of 35-year-olds to fall out of playoff contention and start handing OKC lottery picks.

That's not even getting into how the new CBA will set us back another decade just from trying to pay all these guys for their past production. "Run it back so OKC won't get the picks" is really just an emotional response, the logic falls apart the longer you think about it.

[Roscoe Sheed]

If PG walks, is there space for Derozan under the cap? He isn't exactly as good as PG, but he is more consistent

[Bobbymcgee]

Leonard already got paid, you think he is going to rush to get back on the court lmao. My bet is he isn't ready to play till midway through next season. He is going to take his sweet time, he no longer has any motivation to play like he did last season.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Leonard already got paid, you think he is going to rush to get back on the court lmao. My bet is he isn't ready to play till midway through next season. He is going to take his sweet time, he no longer has any motivation to play like he did last season.

He kept playing hard after the extension- even playing back to backs. I just think his body betrays him and there isn’t any deeper conspiracy behind it

[KL2]

Can a girl dream? Let me have a day before you stomp on it please.

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[madmaxmedia]

That's not even getting into how the new CBA will set us back another decade just from trying to pay all these guys for their past production. "Run it back so OKC won't get the picks" is really just an emotional response, the logic falls apart the longer you think about it.

I don't agree with everything you say, but I am 100% with you on this, especially the bolded.

We are right up against the edge/cliff of throwing good money after bad (the Harden trade actually may have pushed us over by delaying our own pick recovery an additional 2 years.)

I would much rather see the headline that PG signed a 4 year max with the Sixers, than with us.

[madmaxmedia]

Leonard already got paid, you think he is going to rush to get back on the court lmao. My bet is he isn't ready to play till midway through next season. He is going to take his sweet time, he no longer has any motivation to play like he did last season.

He kept playing hard after the extension- even playing back to backs. I just think his body betrays him and there isn’t any deeper conspiracy behind it

Unlike PG, he also took less than max money.

[Quake Griffin]

I mean, this is exactly why I've kept saying that the "run it back" plan is nowhere near the guaranteed way to avoid disaster and stay in the playoffs like Ballmer, Frank and half the fans seem to think it is.

The way I see it, running it back has always relied on several layers of assumptions:

• All of our free agents actually wanting to stay
• All of our stars staying healthy all regular season
• None of our stars falling off with age and becoming unplayable overnight
• None of the teams behind us improving at all

#1 is looking shaky at best because it is starting to feel like PG would rather be a Sixer. #2 already seems doubtful with all this talk of Kawhi not being ready yet. #4 is definitely not going to happen when Memphis is getting Ja back and at least one of Houston and San Antonio will make the leap, if not both. I hate to break it to everyone, but it's not actually going to take much for our team of 35-year-olds to fall out of playoff contention and start handing OKC lottery picks.

That's not even getting into how the new CBA will set us back another decade just from trying to pay all these guys for their past production. "Run it back so OKC won't get the picks" is really just an emotional response, the logic falls apart the longer you think about it.

There’s a 5th factor: it relies on the idea that the fans are actually dumb enough to sit there for 6 years and enjoy mediocrity merely because a couple internet voices are there to remind them that it’s better than what the 76ers went through with Hinkie.

Stand Pat and pray for rain until 2030 was never a good idea. It kicks the can down the road to where we will be in a worse position than we are now with an even older less patient Ballmer. Unfortunately, it is the weak and dumb thing that a weak owner like Ballmer will do. Our only bet is that the media calls out the nonsense and puts pressure on Ballmer to pivot and try to build a champion.

[playaloc916]

That's not even getting into how the new CBA will set us back another decade just from trying to pay all these guys for their past production. "Run it back so OKC won't get the picks" is really just an emotional response, the logic falls apart the longer you think about it.

I don't agree with everything you say, but I am 100% with you on this, especially the bolded.

We are right up against the edge/cliff of throwing good money after bad (the Harden trade actually may have pushed us over by delaying our own pick recovery an additional 2 years.)

I would much rather see the headline that PG signed a 4 year max with the Sixers, than with us.

+1

Going all in on this aging trio just so OKC doesn't get the picks... Just accept that the team went all in, things didn't pan out, and start planning for the post 213-era without dragging things out even further.

As far as Harden goes, I'm neutral. Everyone knows he's been wildly inconsistent, but I think a playmaker of his level will always have some use (he also helped Zu improve his game this season).

[wco81]

I mean, this is exactly why I've kept saying that the "run it back" plan is nowhere near the guaranteed way to avoid disaster and stay in the playoffs like Ballmer, Frank and half the fans seem to think it is.

The way I see it, running it back has always relied on several layers of assumptions:

• All of our free agents actually wanting to stay
• All of our stars staying healthy all regular season
• None of our stars falling off with age and becoming unplayable overnight
• None of the teams behind us improving at all

#1 is looking shaky at best because it is starting to feel like PG would rather be a Sixer. #2 already seems doubtful with all this talk of Kawhi not being ready yet. #4 is definitely not going to happen when Memphis is getting Ja back and at least one of Houston and San Antonio will make the leap, if not both. I hate to break it to everyone, but it's not actually going to take much for our team of 35-year-olds to fall out of playoff contention and start handing OKC lottery picks.

That's not even getting into how the new CBA will set us back another decade just from trying to pay all these guys for their past production. "Run it back so OKC won't get the picks" is really just an emotional response, the logic falls apart the longer you think about it.

There’s a 5th factor: it relies on the idea that the fans are actually dumb enough to sit there for 6 years and enjoy mediocrity merely because a couple internet voices are there to remind them that it’s better than what the 76ers went through with Hinkie.

Stand Pat and pray for rain until 2030 was never a good idea. It kicks the can down the road to where we will be in a worse position than we are now with an even older less patient Ballmer. Unfortunately, it is the weak and dumb thing that a weak owner like Ballmer will do. Our only bet is that the media calls out the nonsense and puts pressure on Ballmer to pivot and try to build a champion.

So in his 5 seasons with the Clippers, PG has averaged 23 PPG in 33.3 MPG in 263 regular season games on 45.5/39.7/88 shooting splits.

38 playoffs games, 23.4 PPG on 39 MPG, 42.3/34.0/86.

That's going to get a player a max contract. Maybe not super max but certainly in the $45-50 million or more range.

I get the disappointment but I don't recall too many people questioning the KL signing and PG trade at the time. Expectations were high and they didn't meet them.

But what's the point in having the richest owner in the NBA, if not sports, if you're not going to overpay and try to figure out later?

Alternative if he walks is the Clippers have no assets. It's not like they get a bundle of FRPs back. So the team may still contend for playoffs or play-in but they're not winning 51 games. Yes, they lost in the first-round because they didn't have KL -- unfortunately they peaked in January or so.

I don't get this wanting him to sign outright with the Sixers and the Clippers can't get anything back.

[MartinToVaught]

But what's the point in having the richest owner in the NBA, if not sports, if you're not going to overpay and try to figure out later?

The point should be for him to spend that money on building the best front office and coaching staff in the world so we're not stuck with a team of 35-year-olds expecting max contracts based on what they used to do in their primes and barely any young players with upside.

[wco81]

But what's the point in having the richest owner in the NBA, if not sports, if you're not going to overpay and try to figure out later?

The point should be for him to spend that money on building the best front office and coaching staff in the world so we're not stuck with a team of 35-year-olds expecting max contracts based on what they used to do in their primes and barely any young players with upside.

Sure but with limited draft assets, you're not helping the situation if you let a player walk who might be able to bring back some draft assets, though at his age, teams may balk.

But he's still playing at an all-star/all-NBA level.