Los Angeles Clippers

Chris is constantly directing everything anyway, why not? Bring in some experienced assistants to handle a little more than an average assistant (Chauncey?) The Donald saves a salary, Chris is happy, no? If CP3 wasn't already doing a lot of this it wouldn't make sense, but he is. CP3 is smarter than the average cat and I believe he has the respect of his team mates- which is critical. More respect than any coach they might get. Chris is constantly directing everything anyway, why not? Bring in some experienced assistants to handle a little more than an average assistant (Chauncey?) The Donald saves a salary, Chris is happy, no? If CP3 wasn't already doing a lot of this it wouldn't make sense, but he is. CP3 is smarter than the average cat and I believe he has the respect of his team mates- which is critical. More respect than any coach they might get.

The 2013 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago came to a close this past afternoon. Last year some of the winners of the combine were Damian Lillard, Terrence Ross, and Thomas Robinson. This year's draft class was viewed in a different light from previous years. It has been billed as the worst draft since 2000 in terms of prospects and actually doesn't differentiate all that much from that draft at the top. The likely top overall pick, Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, tore his left ACL on February 12th against Florida. The top overall pick back in 2000, Kenyon Martin, broke his right fibula and also tore ligaments. The combine this year helped showcase guys who hoped to shed the "worst draft in a decade" label that's been thrown onto this pile of talent. Well, not only did this crop of kids show that they were the most athletic to come out in a long time but they also showed they might be better than some think. However, we're only going to look at the prospects that the Clippers might see when they show up on the clock in the first round. NOTABLE PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR THE CLIPPERS PICK Vander Blue: I should preface this by saying that I have a friend who currently moved to South Carolina but previously had lived in Chicago. Before Chicago, he attended Marquette. We talk on nearly a daily basis and I called him today after watching Vander Blue. He hadn't seen how Blue performed but I had. He asked me if it was good and the only thing I could say was "better than good" before he jumped back in by raving about him more than he ever had to me. From a pure measurement standpoint, Vander Blue isn't going to blow you away. He stands 6'5¼" and weighs 197.4 pounds while possessing a 6'6" wingspan. He's really a prototypical two guard in the NBA as far as size is concerned. But then he hit the court. And you saw the potential. Blue ran a blazing three-quarter time (3.14) and then backed it up with an even more ridiculous lane agility time (10.40). Vander then ran a modified time of 2.70 and finished off with a maximum leap vertical of 37½". He's not quite Tony Allen but he's close. Tony Allen had him with a 6'9" wingspan. Everything else is nearly identical to the numbers Tony Allen put up. He could either be the next Tony Allen or the next Malcolm Lee. It says a lot when a guy who is a noted great defender can come in and showcase his athletic ability like this. His two-way game should translate extremely well to the NBA and the Clippers could definitely take a gamble on him late in the first round. Tim Hardaway, Jr.: I've been pretty sour on Hardaway as a prospect since I feel like he's a solid player but not anything worthwhile as a whole. He showed up at the combine and displayed that he does have legitimate NBA two guard size at 6'6¼" and 199.4 pounds with a 6'7" wingspan. Hardaway then showcased his athleticism by performing very well in the three-quarter time (3.25), lane agility time (10.68), modified time (2.93), and maximum leap vertical (37½"). Oh and he was also the top three-point prospect that showcased his skills. He attempted 25 shots from beyond the arc and made 19 of them. When it came time for the three-on-three drills, Hardaway also stepped up and performed well. The one problem with Hardaway is that he doesn't always give his best on defense. As a player coming into the league, coaches and executives want to see a kid willing to do what it takes to win on both ends of the court. Even if you're only good on one end, you must at least try and compete on the other end. Hardaway, if he proves to people that he can compete on defense, could slide his way into the late first round and possibly to the Clippers. Tony Snell: I recently had someone tweet me about Tony Snell who told me he was a lot like Kawhi Leonard. I'm going to be honest, I didn't see it. However, he did showcase a jumper that looked like it could be taken to the next level. From a size standpoint, Snell was great. He came in at 6'7&

According to Chris Haynes of Comcast Sporstnet... Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has scheduled to meet with head coach Vinny Del Negro over the weekend to discuss Del Negro's fate with the organization, a league source informed CSNNW.com. According to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, says the two will meet in Los Angeles and a decision is anticipated shortly after. The uncertainty of Del Negro's job status has been lingering over his head and coaching staff ever since the Clippers were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies, a team they took care of a year ago in the first round. Clippers' assistant coaches operate on annual one-year deals. If Del Negro is brought back, the coaching staff is expected to remain intact. Del Negro's contract expires June 30.

Name: Ronny Turiaf Pronunciation: RO-nee TOOR-ee-off 2012-2013 Key Stats: 1.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 10.8 mpg Age: 30 Years in the NBA: 8 Years with the Clippers: 1 2012-2013 Salary: Minimum Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent; the Clippers do not hold his Bird Rights In a Nutshell You may recall that I was pretty stoked when the Clippers filled the Reggie Evans void with the equally ridiculous Ronny Turiaf. I also harped pretty hard on Ryan Hollins, predicting that His Royal Terribleness would almost never play, and that Ronny, while also quite limited, would be the one to see minutes. Well Erik, great work. Right, as always. So naturally, Coach Del Negro did the exact opposite of what I predicted, regularly going 10 deep in the lineup and switching between using Turiaf or Hollins as that 10th man. Completely to my surprise, the better of the two appeared to be Hollins. Of course, that had more to do with Hollins having one of the best years of his career, and less to do with Turiaf doing anything wrong. Ronny was who we thought he was. A relatively strong rebounder, a capable defender, and a good finisher—in general, Ronny was a guy who wouldn’t win you any games by himself, but he would at least be able to spell the starters without screwing anything up. Strengths Ronny Turiaf’s biggest strength might be the Finger Twirl. I don’t mean that as a slight, but rather, Ronny provided that same crowd-inspiring energy that Reggie did last year. The fans immediately picked up on this, and whenever Ronny was in the game, they joined him (and the Clipper bench) in celebrating his every bucket, every hustle play, and every bearded-jaw-dropping blocked shot with an enthusiastic Finger Twirl. (AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m pretty sure I’ve developed a chronic injury in my wrist thanks to the Finger Twirl, and I’m not even joking. It’s really screwing up my jump shot.) Turiaf’s second biggest strength has been his defense—particularly in single-coverage situations. Ronny does a fantastic job of keeping his feet on the floor, his arms straight up, and his chest out, generally keeping his man from scoring without fouling too much. His 4.1 fouls per 36 minutes ranked him ahead of Lamar Odom (4.8) and Ryan Hollins (7.2—lol). His 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes had him tied with Ryan Hollins for second best on the team, barely trailing DeAndre Jordan’s 2.0 per 36. Most impressively, however, he held his opponents to an incredibly impressive 0.7 points per possession, making only 33% of their field goals. Mainly, his defense shone in defending post-up situations, where he used the aforementioned tools to frustrate opponents. None of this was a huge surprise, though. We knew he was a strong defender, and we knew he was a great locker room presence and fan favorite. We knew his rebounding would be decent enough, rebounding at a rate of 7.8 per 36. He didn’t surprise us with unforeseen strengths like Ryan Hollins did. "Consistent" may be the best word to describe our good friend Ronny. Consistently aggressive. Consistently energetic. Consistently dancing. Ronny did everything—well, almost everything—we asked him to do. Weaknesses I honestly cannot understand what has happened to Ronny Turiaf’s jump shot. Everything, from his mid-(a.k.a. short)-range jumper to his free throw, it’s just all wrong. I remember, as a Laker, he had a decent enough jumper, and his career free throw percentage has almost always been at least decent, with a career free throw percentage of 65%. And yet this season, somehow, he put up an absolutely impressive free throw percentage of 36.5%. Last year, the PF/C rotation of Martin, Jordan, Evans, and Griffin was one of, if not the worst free throw shooting group in the league*, with a combined free throw percentage of 50%. This year, they were supposed to be so much better. Turiaf, Odom, and

March 10, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) during a stoppage in play against the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports First and foremeost, no Los Angeles Lakers fans; you’re not getting Chris Paul. But the market for Paul going into his ninth season as NBA player. He’s as elite a point guard as they come and with probably 3-4 years left in his prime he’ll have a nice market once free agency begins. The question is where he’ll end up. Though the masses think he’ll return to the Los Angeles Clippers there are a few teams out there that could use Chris Paul’s services. Here are four teams Paul could be playing for come October: Los Angeles Clippers The Clips are the perennial favorites as I stated before. Coming off their best year in franchise history, the Clippers have the tools to be a contender in the league. The problem is that Vinny Del Negro is holding them back in ways unimaginable. He’ll return to a team that features Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan. This core doesn’t scream championship, but with the right person heading the ship there could be a chance. Also the Clippers can offer Paul $30 million more than anyone else in the league can. For a guard who’s had numerous knee troubles this may be his best chance to cash out and contend before his prime years are over with. Dallas Mavericks & Atlanta Hawks Paul could probably end up in Dallas or Atlanta if superstar Dwight Howard joins him. And if D12 does, then Dallas is a far more attractive destination than Atlanta. Dallas is a better basketball market, has an owner in Mark Cuban who’s willing to spend whatever’s necessary to win and a proven star in Dirk Nowitzki to be the third wheel. A Paul-Howard-Al Horford combination would be solid, the biggest knack on playing in the Eastern conference is that you have to go through the 4-time MVP in Lebron James just to get to the NBA Finals. Most would be better off meeting him there instead of having to go through him. Dirk has stated that he’d be willing to take a pay cut so Howard and Paul could join the team, so there’s a chance these three could be Big 3 West if the Clippers slip up and let him walk. Houston Rockets Would you be surprised if Daryl Morey pulls this one off? Not at all. I’m not sure how James Harden would co-exist nor am I sure that this team’s current roster + Paul is better than the current Clippers roster, so that may be problematic. But Paul/Harden would become the best backcourt in basketball and pose a threat in the Western Conference. Often the Rockets problem was that they couldn’t get anything going when Harden wasn’t being amazing. The Rockets were one piece from beating a Russell Westbrook-less Oklahoma City Thunder team and even when Westbrook was playing they kept it close. Chris Paul’s talent is good enough to push them out of the first round, but overall team depth may be a problem when it’s time to start thinking Finals.

Best of 2012-13: Clippers 5 Best Home Wins | 5/16/2013

May 3, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Los Angeles Clippers small forward Grant Hill (33) brings the ball up court in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 118-105. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports Grant Hill was the best player in the NBA. That was a long time ago. For his first six seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Hill was be compared to the great Michael Jordan. He scored over 1000 points in all six of his seasons in Detroit, even the lockout shortened 1999 season. In 2000, he averaged nearly 26 points per game. He and the Orlando Magic worked a sign-and-trade deal worth mega millions. The Magic made the deal despite the fact that Hill had an ankle that was bothering him. It turned out to be a colossal failure on Orlando’s part and the franchise never has really recovered. Hill played only 47 games over the next three seasons after repeated surgeries and setbacks on both feet. Mag

May 3, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) brings the ball up court in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 118-105. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports I don’t want to tempt fate, or knock on wood, for that matter, but I’m sure that the Clippers are going to re-sign Chris Paul, who has really turned this franchise around. When Blake Griffin made his rookie debut, many thought that he was going to be dangerously good, and in a way, they were right. Unanimously voted Rookie of the Year, Griffin hasn’t failed to impress. He is one of the main reasons that the Clippers are going to see Paul re-sign. Paul may be enjoying some time off to really think about these things, but the fact of the matter is that he loves the Clippers, who have really found a flow. As I’ve said over and over again, there’s no need to panic just beca

After a massive collapse against the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs, after the most bizarre single-game player rotation ever seen, after a total failure to help his young players improve (over three years), after he continually proved his own inability to make in-game adjustments, design any sort of offensive or defensive game plan, the Clippers, according to this article by Ramona Shelburne, are not yet done with Vinny Del Negro as coach. Gary Sacks: "Every offseason is huge," Sacks said. "Last offseason was huge. Vinny and I worked really closely to put this team together and get what we thought were the right pieces for our team to compete and be as good as we possibly could be as an organization. We came up short, and that's a disappointment. But we have to look at a lot of the positives. I thought he and the staff did a really good job during the season. We need to move forward looking for ways of improving ourselves to go further and achieve our goals.": What? Yeah, yeah, the Clips won 56 gam

I was wrong. Not that it matters at all, but I was in the minority of people that declared the Clippers would win the first round series in five games. I imagined every match a taut, closely contested duel. But when one team has two top-15 players, unarguably the best point guard in the league and one of the very best closers, it felt like those would be enough to slingshot the Clippers to victory; especially against a team that’s generally struggled offensively. I felt so comfortable with this logic that I made impassioned arguments, convincing others to abandon “Clippers in 7″ or “Grizzlies in 7″ predictions for the “Clippers in 5″ wagon. “Of course, it will be five games with Los Angeles closing out in Staples. It’s no disrespect to Memphis – they have a great team. But if every game is going to be close, then wouldn’t you trust Chris Paul more than any other factor in the series?” So much did I believe in this rhetoric that I made my