NBA Gatorade League: Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario

[Neddy]

G league... D spot... whatever....

just glad to find one.

[mkwest]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[JGOJustin]

I'm on board with LAC getting a D-League team and it's overdue.

You obviously can't be like the spurs, but there is just so many fringe guys in the d-league that can help a team that needs just a tiny bit of help on the margins, due to their salary cap situation or late draft picks (or lack thereof in the Clippers case)

We've got to take the d-league, drafting late, our draft picks, etc. way more seriously if we're going to be serious about bringing blake and CP back and ultimately competing for a title. You can't win if you're BS'ing your draft picks away AND blowing off the d-league. That has to change so this is a move in the right direction for sure.

[Method28]

Am I the only one who thought that G League was just a typo?

I thought it was the name of Ice cubes 3 on 3 league

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

[mkwest]

Read on Twitter

[JGOJustin]

G-League team officially announced today.

I'm calling them the Ontario Clippers.



I'm just glad to see the Clippers continue to take steps in the direction of being a viable, real, efficient NBA franchise. What most people take for granted, is that the LA Clippers really have only been a legitimate NBA franchise I'd say since Doc has taken over. (Not giving him full credit for it)


We're expanding the basketball ops department, Locker room in staples got bigger last year, analytics department keeps expanding, we're venturing into health and how we can improve in that area, so credit to Gillian, Steve, Doc, etc. for trying to bring the Clippers into the modern era of an NBA franchise.

Like beyond the actual basketball benefits of having your own minor league team, just the simple fact that the clips were so far behind of other NBA franchises in everything surrounding the on the court product, it's dope to see them take another big step forward towards revamping the image of the franchise and transforming it into one that is in line with being one of the best in the NBA.

[mkwest]

Read on Twitter

Full Press Release

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[Don Tommy]

G-League team officially announced today.

I'm calling them the Ontario Clippers.



I'm just glad to see the Clippers continue to take steps in the direction of being a viable, real, efficient NBA franchise. What most people take for granted, is that the LA Clippers really have only been a legitimate NBA franchise I'd say since Doc has taken over. (Not giving him full credit for it)


We're expanding the basketball ops department, Locker room in staples got bigger last year, analytics department keeps expanding, we're venturing into health and how we can improve in that area, so credit to Gillian, Steve, Doc, etc. for trying to bring the Clippers into the modern era of an NBA franchise.

Like beyond the actual basketball benefits of having your own minor league team, just the simple fact that the clips were so far behind of other NBA franchises in everything surrounding the on the court product, it's dope to see them take another big step forward towards revamping the image of the franchise and transforming it into one that is in line with being one of the best in the NBA.

Not true at all. Most people don't remember but it was Mike Dunleavy Sr that transformed us into a legitimate franchise. He got Sterling to open the checkbook for free agents and convinced him how badly our training center at Playa Vista was. I think it's just that most people try to forget the Sterling years ever happened!

[mkwest]

Images from sportslogos.net

Read on Twitter

[nickhx2]

when your dleague team has a better logo than your nba team

[Dynamix]

The only part of the logo I don't really like is the look of the C, which happens to be the only element shared with the main team's logo.

[Wammy Giveaway]

when your dleague team has a better logo than your nba team

Now imagine if the G-League team does better than your NBA team, especially since it's the Clippers we're talking about.

On a trivial note:

Source: It's Official: Ontario Is Now A Clippers Town

Zucker said the NBA is “no stranger to deep relationships” with Native American tribes, and, in fact, the Clippers began as a team with an American Indian-themed mascot. Before the franchise moved to San Diego in 1978, the team played in Buffalo, New York, as the Braves.

So, Clippers come full circle?

[nickhx2]

a d league team literally cannot do better than an nba team when they don't play in the same league or against each other

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

[mkwest]

Read on Twitter

[Ranma]

Obviously, MLB and the NBA are different, but we do have resources to mirror some of what the Dodgers are doing. For one, Ballmer's wealth albeit limited by the salary cap. Second, the Clippers now have a developmental team in the G-League to cultivate talent by allowing players to play regularly while hopefully developing skills before being called up to the big league.

Another underrated but important piece is to have good developmental staff in place as well. Again, the Dodgers are at the forefront of this not only in baseball but sports, in general. Obviously, we'll need good G-League coaches who can teach. We can't just settle for competent medical and conditioning personnel, we'll need progressive-looking people who are on the cutting edge of science and technology in their respective fields. We have to have elite skill-development trainers. Just look at what Golden State has been doing for their players. Hopefully, West can give us some insight into that. Also, take notice at what Chip "The Shot Whisperer" Engelland did for Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio.

[Ranma]

I've mentioned before how there are two parts to drafting: identifying talent and developing it. Well, I thought I'd pass along a few excerpts from articles that provide some insight into the Dodgers and Kings' developmental staff. In my opinion, the Dodgers are on their way to being the best sports organization in terms of talent development if they don't already have the best farm system in baseball, which I personally think they do. Likewise, the Kings have also had success in leveraging their developmental talent into contributing towards 2 Stanley Cup championships within the past 6 years.

Again, the NBA's developmental system and setup differs from those of the NHL and MLB, but there are certain philosophies and principles that are sure to carry over which the Clippers can benefit from in terms of talent development. After all, finding talent is only half the battle. Developing it is the other, more underrated aspect of having prospects contribute.

In any case, there are a bunch of written pieces of how the front offices for the Dodgers and Kings operate, respectively, but I've only managed to come across the following for now. Also, keep in mind that the Dodgers, in committing themselves to be pioneers in the field of sports science and technology are dabbling into experimental methodology. This approach obviously poses some risks, but that is tempered by not only using advanced statistical analysis and forecasting but traditional scouting resources to review the effectiveness of these progressive programs.

Ken Gurnick, MLB.com (1/20/15)

"One thing we want to do is avoid locking ourselves into any organizational philosophy that can't be easily altered or improved," said Kapler. "While mining for best practices, we have overarching themes and philosophies, but we don't want to say, 'This is what we believe' and get so dug in that we're not capable of being nimble as new studies present better ways to approach problems and development. That flexibility is a thought process that we have to constantly talk about it with players and staff.
...

"We believe in targeting and empowering the development of players as men first and baseball players second," he said. "We'll perpetually hunt to add value at the margins to create a winning ecosystem. And we'll support our players to become more confident fathers, more loyal friends, more trustworthy teammates...

"One thing I realized quickly is that player development is a job about human development, masquerading as a job in baseball," he said. "It's all about human development. So, if you work toward developing human beings, then we believe that building more confident, better adjusted men will turn into stronger teammates, will make better baseball players, will help win championships at the Major League level.

"New information is only new first time you share it. The second time it's not so new, the third time it's pretty normal and after a while it doesn't feel at all threatening. We want to foster security wherever we can. I have full confidence that strong communication over time will produce good results. If we are doing our job, we are caring for and looking for ways to give people the platforms to share information and to grow."

Vision Takes Dodgers' System in New Direction


Dylan Hernandez, Los Angeles Times (11/7/14)

"Every mathematical model is a gross simplification of reality," Zaidi said. "So every time you see a metric, you're sort of asking yourself not only what it's telling you but also what it's missing, because there's always something that's missing."

That's why Zaidi said it was important to also use traditional methods of evaluating players.

"Our quest isn't just evaluating how good players are, it's how good players are going to be," he said. "How are you going to identify guys that are going to break through? How are you going to identify guys that make a mechanical adjustment and turn into a completely different player? That's why you need this sort of holistic approach in baseball operations, because otherwise you're going to miss out on a whole swath of opportunities."

Zaidi doesn't view the use of statistical analysis as an either-or proposition.

"We need to be the best at everything," he said. "I don't think we're in a position to make trade-offs of saying we're a stat organization or a scouting organization."

In Final Analysis, Stats Have Stature with Andrew Friedman's Dodgers


John Hoven, MayorsManor.com (6/22/17)

“These players are Kings players because of the passion of our development staff and the fact that the staff is at the top of the field. That’s why you can say Toffoli and Clifford both embody what a King is, but there completely different players. It isn’t just the drafting of a player. You look at some of the later round picks, Alec Martinez embodies what a professional is. He is the very definition of it; arguably the best student of development we’ve ever had in LA. That isn’t to diminish anyone else. Many of them would be at the top of their class in any other organization. Martinez had gone through the draft and was a fourth round pick. We certainly didn’t view him as a fourth round pick. Why does he embody what it means to be a King? It was inside him, but 15 people had a role in making him the player he is. He had the biggest role, but there was a support staff. The amateur staff gets a lot of credit for drafting him. That guy changed himself and has made himself what he is. There are five development coaches, two sets of AHL coaches, two set of NHL coaches who have all made him what he is. The amateur staff is the foundation on which you build your house. They are the initial architect but are by no means the sole architect in what is being built. So when we draft a typical King, they’re not a typical King.

Blake and Yannetti on 2017 NHL Draft, Kings Philosophy, and Needs

[mkwest]

Read on Twitter

[Ranma]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Jerry West likes the guy.

[JGOJustin]

I'm actually just as excited for the ontario clippers as I am for the LA Clippers this season.