http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12729Just Silly: Chad Ford of ESPN says a number of general managers around the league are telling him Los Angeles Clippers point guard Baron Davis could be had, and the Clippers would include the #1 pick in any deal. He also says Clippers president Andy Roeser shot that idea down pretty quick. On the surface, the idea of trading essentially Blake Griffin and Baron Davis – two starters – to a team like Memphis or Oklahoma City just to get out of Davis' contract is not just silly, it's plain crazy. On the other hand, it's the Clippers, so we can't rule anything out. Seriously though, is Davis the problem here? Sure, he didn't have a dominant season, but at the same time what are they going to do to replace him? Add in Mike Conley? Draft Ricky Rubio? It doesn't really matter to me what general managers are saying – that idea makes no sense on any level whatsoever.
Look at the Clippers' contracts and think about where the problems are. Where are they spending too much money on too many players who will need more minutes than are available? Here's a hint: it's not the point guard position. Perhaps Davis is on the market – though he seems genuinely excited to get Griffin as a teammate – and perhaps the Clips are open to trading the pick (despite frequent and public statements to the opposite), but why in the name of David Stern would they consider packaging the two? Of course, this is the team that thought it was a good idea to spend $36 million on Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, and Marcus Camby for 2009-10, so who knows. Yes, if you are asking, that is 60% of their salary commitments to three players who play two positions. Davis makes $12.1 million next year? Big deal – he is not the problem. Keeping the pick will cause even more of a log jam, and those may be the two best trade assets, but considering their track record they might just keep the pick and trade Davis for another center.
Roeser shouldn't even have to give enough credence to a theory like this to deny it…Now, if Memphis was involved in a deal and it involved Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, and the #2 pick? That would make some sense. If Oklahoma City was involved and it involved Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, and the #3 pick, that might make some sense, though less than the Memphis idea. Let us take this time here to remind everyone we are officially entering what we like to call crazy season. That's when rumors start all the time that make zero sense when given even a modicum of thought. We'll do our best to separate fact from fiction for our readers, but the first rule will always apply: if it sounds completely crazy, it probably is.
