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[SuperNova854]

Clippers re-sign restricted free agent Novak



The Clippers have re-signed restricted free agent forward Steve Novak.

The team announced the deal Friday.

Novak averaged 6.9 points and 16.4 minutes in 71 games last season, his third in the NBA. He shot 42 percent from 3-point range.

[Big C-Dub]

those new Baron shoes look pretty sick

[SuperNova854]

Yea they do

[James2Stapleton]

didnt mike taylor leave?

[SuperNova854]

look hot :D

um, thanks?

didnt mike taylor leave?

Yea, he got waived

[SuperNova854]

Griffin given OK to play



No. 1 NBA draft pick Blake Griffin has been cleared to work out with the Los Angeles Clippers after hurting his shoulder during the summer league.

The club said Monday that its team physician gave Griffin the OK with no limitations.

The rookie forward strained his right shoulder July 16 in Las Vegas, causing him to miss a minicamp for USA Basketball. He averaged 19.2 points and 10.8 rebounds in summer league play.

[SuperNova854]

Clippers Re-Sign Skinner



The Los Angeles Clippers today re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Brian Skinner. Per team policy terms of the contract were not released.

In 51 games played with the Clippers last season, Skinner averaged 4.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 16.5 minutes per game. Over his 11 year NBA career, Skinner has tallied 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 18.3 minutes per game.

On June 30th, the Clippers announced that Skinner had decided not to exercise his player contract option for the 2009-10 NBA season, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Although he re-signed for equivalent money, L.A. gets the better of the deal with the league covering approximately $527,000 of his contract.

This season, the NBA reimburses for any salary over $825,497 for veterans on a one-year, minimum deal. Had Skinner not opted out, the Clippers would have been on hook for the full ~$1.35 million as the league subsidy doesn't apply to multi-year contracts.

Skinner was originally drafted by the Clippers in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft.

[SuperNova854]

Clippers To Add John Lucas To Coaching Staff



The Clippers are set to hire John Lucas, the former NBA player and coach, as an assistant on Mike Dunleavy's staff.

Storylink1 Lucas was over at the Clippers' headquarters in Playa Vista this morning and the deal was expected to be completed later today.

It will be a one-year contract.

Lucas, whose head coaching record was 174-258 in stops at San Antonio, Philadelphia and Cleveland, has been running highly regarded camps and clinics in Houston, training the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and many of the current Clipper players.

By Lisa Dillman, LA Times

[SuperNova854]

Lawler's Law: "Summer to Remember"



Well, 2009 will certainly go down in Clipper annals as a "Summer to Remember." It was good enough that it could well make 2009-10 an NBA "Season to Remember" for the team’s legion of faithful fans.

Let’s take a look at the remarkable 2009 Summer time-line:

May 19, 2009 - Team President Andy Roeser represents the Clippers as the team stunningly wins the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery.

June 6, 2009 - Essentially ending any possible speculation, the Clippers conducted an unprecedented open workout for presumptive No. 1 Draft Pick Blake Griffin, the consensus College Player of the Year from Oklahoma. The gala event was staged at the team's Training Center in Playa Vista and viewed by assorted season guests and members of the media.

June 25, 2009 - The Clippers opened the 2009 NBA Draft by choosing Griffin with the No. 1 overall pick.

July 12, 2009 - The team signs former Clipper Tony Brown as an Assistant Coach on Mike Dunleavy’s Staff. He is a veteran of 11 seasons as an NBA Assistant. He is a valuable addition to the team’s basketball staff.

July 13, 2009 - Blake Griffin made his Clippers debut in the Las Vegas Summer League. He scored the teams first seven points, including a 3-pointer, in the opening 90-seconds of play. He made his first eight shots on the way to scoring 27 points and pulling down a dozen rebounds as the Clips opened with a win over the Lakers. Commisioner David Stern was on hand to watch the young star’s dazzling opening night. Griffin went on to be named the Summer League’s Most Outstanding Player.

July 17, 2009 - It was quickly apparent that the team needed to clear the runway for the Rookie’s NBA takeoff and they did just that by unloading Zach Randolph to Memphis in exchange for former local favorite Quentin Richardson.

July 20, 2009 - Q wasn’t around long; three days after the Memphis deal was made official, the Clippers shipped him to Minnesota for three respected role players: point guard Sebastian Telfair, energetic power forward Craig Smith and former Laker, Mark Madsen. GM / Coach Mike Dunleavy was pleased to be able to beef up his team’s bench.

August 12, 2009 - The work was not yet done. The Clippers were able to acquire veteran swingman Rasual Butler from the New Orleans Hornets. The 3-point specialist filled a glaring team need. I remember a game in which he knocked down seven 3-pointers against the Clippers. Welcome Rasual.

August 13, 2009 - The business side of the club was busy as well. On this date they announced a long-term agreement with storied Los Angeles radio station KFWB NEWS TALK 980. Fans no longer need to wonder where to find Clippers games on the radio. They’ll be right there on 980 AM each and every night.

September 11, 2009 - Sniper Steve Novak re-signed with the Clippers after knocking down 119 "3’s" with the team last season.

September 16, 2009 - Veteran big man Brian Skinner completed the roster by signing on for another season. It will be Skinner’s 12th season in the NBA and his fifth overall with the Clippers. His signing brought the roster to 14.

September 17, 2009 - Weeks after the Clippers and PRIME TICKET announced an exclusive multi-year agreement, PRIME TICKET unveiled it’s 2009-10 Clippers TV schedule. For the first time in Clippers Franchise History, every regular season game will be televised. PRIME TICKET will serve up two pre-season games and 79 regular season contests. Add on the three TNT exclusive national telecasts and Clipper fans will be able to watch them all this season.

September 18, 2009 - Mike Dunleavy completes his coaching staff by signing the highly respected John Lucas. The former head coach at Cleveland, San Antonio and Philadelphia joins newcomer Tony Brown and hold-overs Kim Hughes and Fred Vinson on the revamped staff.

The summer work is complete. Training camp opens September 29th and the 2009-10 season hits on October 27th. The majority of the players have been working out together for several weeks and that will continue right up to the opening of camp. It’s the most consistently positive summer I can ever recall the team having experienced. It don’t mean a thing until you get around to that winning thing… but it’s a clear sign that this Clippers team is on the right track.

By Ralph Lawler, Clippers.com

[SuperNova854]

DeAndre Jordan: "I’m Playing With A Chip On My Shoulder”



Dime Magazine: What have you been doing all summer?
DeAndre Jordan: I’ve been in the gym working like all offseason. I haven’t been doing anything else just working out pretty hard and trying to get better offensively. Just trying to get myself in better shape than I was last year.

Dime: What specifically did you want to improve on?
DJ: Well my free throws obviously. Just trying to be a better offensive player. Try to get more offensive rebounds and just trying to work on my post moves.

Dime: Who has been sticking out in these Clippers summer workouts?
DJ: Blake, Eric Gordon, pretty much everybody. We’re all gelling as a team. Our young guys, I think were going to better than we did last year. We just have to gel and if we do, I think our young guys are going to stand out this year.

Dime: So do you feel the chemistry is getting better?
DJ: Yeah it’s a lot better. Just us playing in the summer time, people being here and us learning a lot from each other from last year, so it’s going to be a lot better this year. You can tell it’s a whole lot better.

Dime: How good do you think you can be?
DJ: I think I can be as good as I want to be. As long as I keep working, the sky’s the limit for me.

Dime: Do you think the Clippers can surprise people this year?
DJ: Yeah I think we will. Last year it was kind of tough to tell because it just looked like our chemistry wasn’t there but I think that we gelled and we’re going to go out and do big things this year. I’m looking forward to this season.

Dime: Are you guys thinking playoffs? What’s the goal?
DJ: You know obviously we’re thinking that. Everybody has to come out and be on the same page and work. As long as we keep working we’ll succeed.

By Gerald Narcisco, Dime Magazine

[SuperNova854]

Clippers 2008-09 Recap



Even by the low standards of this franchise's cursed history, 2008-09 was an especially forgettable campaign. Expected to challenge for a playoff spot in the West, the Clippers were plagued by injuries and in-fighting and won only 19 games; amazingly this was only their seventh-worst record in 25 seasons in Los Angeles.

The focal point for much of the disappointment was free-agent pickup Baron Davis. Inked to a five-year, $65 million deal and expected to be the catalyst for the offense, he showed up out of shape, feuded with head coach Mike Dunleavy and stubbornly hoisted ill-chosen jumpers despite converting just 37.0 percent from the floor.

Other moves to shore up the backcourt didn't work out any better. Although swingman Ricky Davis was supposed to provide scoring as a sixth man, he performed abominably thanks to a knee injury and spent most of the year on the sidelines. At least he showed up -- the Clippers signed Jason Williams to be their backup point guard, only to have him retire before the season. And Dunleavy, in his role as general manager, further diminished his wings by trading Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas to New York for Zach Randolph.

As a result, the perimeter rotation was a shambles. The Clippers relied on castoffs like Mardy Collins, Fred Jones, Alex Acker, Jason Hart and Mike Taylor for 3,572 minutes, or more than 40 a game. Only rookie guard Eric Gordon provided a bandage, as well as one of the few positive stories from the Clippers' season, by averaging 16.1 points per game.

Up front the Clippers were ravaged by injuries, as the theoretically potent trio of Randolph, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby combined to play only 132 games. The reserves here didn't fare quite as poorly, as DeAndre Jordan had a solid rookie season and Steve Novak established himself as a rotation player, but the injuries still left the Clips devoid of star talent.

Between the injuries and the off year by Baron Davis, the Clips had little to work with at the offensive end, a fact reinforced by their league-worst ratio of free throw attempts to turnovers. The two stats are normally strongly correlated at the team level, so generally it takes a bad offense to generate lots of turnovers without getting to the line much. The Clippers were one such offense -- they posted the league's fifth-lowest free throw rate, but it's ninth-highest turnover rate. No other team could claim membership in the bottom 10 in the former and the top 10 in the latter.

It's no surprise, then, that the Clippers were the worst offensive team in captivity. L.A. also captured the title of worst in field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, while also falling well below the league average in every offensive category except one: 3-point attempts per field goal attempt. Thanks to Baron Davis, they attempted slightly more than the league average … and thanks to Davis again, they finished 23rd in accuracy.

Defensively the Clippers were a bit better, although this is damning with faint praise -- they were run-of-the-mill awful rather than exceptionally horrid, so it doesn't merit as much comment. Even with the injuries, however, the Clippers had the talent to do much better. Alas, it appeared some of the vets -- notably the Davises -- tuned out Dunleavy early on, and things deteriorated from there.

In Dunleavy's defense, it's hard to overstate just how harshly injuries decimated the roster. Some of this was inevitable -- if a team invests in Marcus Camby, Baron Davis and Zach Randolph, it can't expect to get 82 games of health from the starters. On the other hand, they couldn't possibly have expected things to get this bad. Ricky Davis, for instance, averaged 80 games a year the previous seven seasons but was damaged goods from opening day, while Kaman's 31 games played were a crushing blow after he'd averaged a double-double the year before.

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[SuperNova854]

Offseason Moves



Fortunately for the Clippers, the NBA takes pity on its weakest citizens. Their offseason became a success before it even started, as they won the draft lottery and the rights to select Oklahoma stud Blake Griffin. That, in turn, set into motion a few other moves that suddenly pointed the Clippers' ship toward much brighter horizons. It was without question the strongest offseason in Dunleavy's tenure.

Drafted Blake Griffin. Well that was a no-brainer. Griffin should give them an All-Star-caliber performer at the power forward spot for the next decade or so, providing a major building block if the Clippers don't screw it up. Somehow, pretty much everyone thinks they'll find a way, but for now L.A. can celebrate a tremendous coup.

Traded Zach Randolph for Quentin Richardson. This was the best trade of the offseason, as the Clippers cleared a starting job for Griffin and opened up $10 million more in cap space to pursue free agents next summer. Despite their sad-sack reputation, the Clippers are a hot free-agent destination because of the attractions of L.A. -- that's how they got Baron Davis a year ago, for instance -- so the fact they'll have about $16 million in cap space next summer is a major positive.

But wait, it gets better …

Traded Richardson for Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair and Mark Madsen; waived Madsen. The Clippers took on a few million in salary with this move, but the big positive was the addition of Smith, a beastly power forward who was vastly underrated for his play in Minnesota. He'll provide a capable backup for Griffin and a very strong replacement in the middle on the nights when Kaman or Camby (or both) are on the bench with injuries.

Telfair pencils in as the backup point guard for the moment, though it's possible the Clips could pick up another veteran in training camp and push him down to third on the depth chart. That seems advisable given Baron Davis' injury history, as the Clippers need a strong backup to soak up the extra minutes and Telfair is merely a stopgap.

Traded a conditional second-rounder to the Hornets for Rasual Butler and cash. Talk about a win-win -- the Clippers essentially gave up nothing and were paid by the Hornets to take Butler. This was another solid move by the Clips, who found themselves under the cap after the Randolph trade and slotted in the final year of Butler's contract at $3.9 million. It was a pure salary dump from the Hornets, and gives the Clips a solid defender and 3-point shooter off the bench. Plus, since Butler had only one year left on his deal, it doesn't cut into the cap space next summer.

Waived Mike Taylor. Taylor displayed some potential at the defensive end but really struggled offensively, so he became expendable when the Clips needed to cut a bit more salary to add Butler.

Re-signed Steve Novak for one year, $855,189. Novak re-signed with the Clips on their qualifying offer after emerging as a 3-point ace a year ago. He has no other skills whatsoever and will likely play far less than he did a year ago, but he's a nice weapon to have in late-game situations that require a 3-pointer.

Re-signed Brian Skinner for one year for the minimum. Skinner provides another reliable big man for the frontcourt rotation. The Clips were already overloaded in this department, but given the injury histories of Camby and Kaman, you can't blame them for wanting additional insurance.

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[SuperNova854]

Clippers Strengths/Weaknesses



Biggest Strength: Frontcourt depth
The Clippers suddenly find themselves with an embarrassment of riches up front -- Dunleavy has seven players to choose from in the frontcourt, and he could extend it to eight when they play small by moving small forward Al Thornton to the 4.

At the center spot, Dunleavy can turn to Kaman or Camby as his starter and the other as his primary backup. One suspects Camby will get the nod since his skills mesh better with those of Griffin -- he can play the high post and stay out of Griffin's way offensively, and his length complements Griffin's power on D. If so, Kaman -- who averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds two years ago -- provides a potent reserve. After those two, don't sleep on Jordan, who showed promise as a rookie a year ago. He may be needed, as he backs up two of the league's most injury-prone players.

At power forward even more options abound, though they may not be needed often considering Griffin's might. Behind the rookie is another potent powerhouse in Smith, who averaged better than a point every two minutes in Minnesota last season while shooting 56.2 percent. If it's shooting Dunleavy wants, there's always Novak, a 41.9 percent career 3-point shooter. And as a deep reserve, Skinner is far more qualified than most players of his type.

The possibilities are endless for mixing and matching in late-game situations, too -- Camby and Kaman or Skinner for defense, or Griffin and Novak for offense, or Griffin and Smith if they want to raise the physicality a notch, or Thornton and Griffin if they want to go small … the list goes on and on.

Biggest Weakness: Small forward
With Baron Davis, Gordon, Griffin and Camby, the Clippers have four-fifths of a superb starting lineup, but it remains to be seen what they'll get from the 3 spot this season. Last year's starter, Thornton, was second on the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game, but it was an empty 16.8 -- his PER of 12.7 was basically identical to his rookie mark, and he made the same frustrating mistakes in his defense and shot selection.

Unfortunately, the Clippers don't have a lot of great alternatives. Ricky Davis should be in better shape than he was a year ago, but it seems folly to play him starter's minutes when he's 30 years old and shot 33.9 percent last season. The next alternative, Butler, is a fine role player but not somebody you'd be excited to have playing 40 minutes a night -- just ask the Hornets, who did that exact thing last season and were so impressed they gave him away for nothing. After that, the only option is Novak, who can shoot the lights out but can't guard a snail.

The best option for the Clippers would be to trade some of their surplus in the frontcourt for a better solution at the starting 3, and push Thornton into a sixth-man role where his shoot-first tendencies don't interfere as much with the rest of the offense. Of course, the trick is to do it without taking on salary for 2010-11 and messing up the Clips' free-agent push, which is why it's more likely they'll ride it out with Thornton this year and cross their fingers that it works out.

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[SuperNova854]

Outlook For The Future



Occasionally even the worst-run team hits the jackpot, and this year it was the Clippers' turn. Winning the Griffin lottery was a glorious stroke of good fortune for a franchise that has had precious few over the years, and it's one of several positive indicators for the Clips heading into this season. Baron Davis seemed embarrassed by his 2008-09 campaign and has vowed there won't be a repeat, Gordon should perform better in his second pro season and Ricky Davis and Kaman should be in much better physical condition this time around.

As a result, the Clippers may find themselves back in familiar territory -- albeit one year later than they expected -- as one of several contenders in the West for the conference's final playoff spot. L.A. won only 19 games a year ago, but if one replaces all the minutes they gave to castoffs and ne'er-do-wells to newly healthy players and additions like Griffin, Smith and Butler, then the prognosis improves considerably.

Ultimately, however, too many question marks remain to comfortably place the Clippers in the conference's top eight. From the health issues with the two Davises, Camby and Kaman, to the conflicts between Baron Davis and Dunleavy, to the shaky, unpredictable ownership of Donald Sterling that could rear its ugly head at any moment, the odds of something coming along to trip up the Clippers are strong.

That said, they're in a far better spot than they were a year ago thanks to drafting Griffin and unloading Randolph. The Clips may not be a playoff team yet, but with a rising star in the frontcourt and a wad of cap space to build around him, they're finally headed in the right direction.

34-48, 4th place in Pacific Division, 11th in Western Conference

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[Macken]

yo nova aim me