PG Situation?

by C's Up on Oct 4, 2008 10:59 AM PDT Comment 12 comments

Now that Livingston is out of the picture and with the Heat, what are the Clippers going to do for their backup PG? Use Hart and Taylor as their backup PG's? Ehh, if Baron goes down we are in trouble. Use Gordon at the 1, and shift everyone down a spot? Go after a free agent such as Tinsley or Marbury? This JWill retirement has created a serious hole behind Dizzle. What do you think we should do?

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This is something that needs to be addressed

I have often said that Gordon needs to learn the PG position almost exclusively. He is a physical specimen that is so similar to Baron, it seems a shame for him not to be Barons prodigy. He is fast, can take it to the hoop at a whim and can shoot from very deep. If he can learn to dribble and pass, he can really make an impact in the NBA. It also bodes well for Ricky Davis and Novak as they will see more playing time as a result. I say we experiment with this for a year and see if we cant position ourselves well for the future.

by citizen bob on Oct 4, 2008 11:34 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

My guess

MDsr has been saying very positive things about Taylor in camp. I’ve also heard the rumor that he thinks Gordon can play some point, and agree with citizen bob that Baron Davis as Gordon’s point guard mentor is a great idea – similar skill set, similar freakish body and athleticism. Add to that the fact that MDsr’s preference has always been to enter the season with an open roster spot and I think the safe money is on them playing this hand. The one exception is if someone gets waived that they really like, they’ll be opportunistic and sign them. I don’t think that extends to Starbury – Tinsley maybe. But in both cases, I think those guys would have offers above the minimum, so I don’t see the Clippers being in the hunt anyway.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Oct 4, 2008 3:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Mike Taylor

I attended the scrimmage today .

Taylor looked very sharp. Tenacious on defense, he was in Hart’s grill every time he touched the ball.
He also looked very good running the offense, sometimes with BD at the 2.

He brings a tremendous amount of energy to the court.

Both he and Brian Skinner were really pushing it today.

by 69knicks on Oct 4, 2008 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Taylor and Gordon

As soon as we hear Dunleavy pimping Taylor (see the Pest) you know that he’s pushing him to be the 3rd string PG. If BD gets seriously banged up, the Clips are in big trouble anyway.

I’m not sure I agree on Gordon. I said this over the summer, I think, but the fact is that Baron Davis has always been a PG, and Gordon seems like a shooter and a scorer, without the same kind of dribble penetration abilities. The Clips need Gordon to be an extremely good SG, physical enough to play the position against bigger guys, and a great shooter. He needs to go through the Thornton curve, and replace Mobley at some point, the sooner the better, but only because of his talent and production.

If he can play some emergency PG, good enough, but the Clips don’t have the depth and the scoring to spend too much time grooming him as a backup.

by citizen zhiv on Oct 4, 2008 4:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I tend to agree

Ideally, Davis and Gordon are going to be in the backcourt together for big minutes in the not too distant future – Baron is signed for 5 years, and we all expect Gordon to be the starting 2 within that window. So 2 is his NBA position. BUT, he can make himself much more valuable if he can play a little 1. It’s a lot to ask him to play much point this season, but the simple fact is, when Baron is on the bench (of FSM forbid hurt), SOMEONE has to run the team. I’m underwhelmed by Jason Hart, and Taylor and Gordon are almost complete unknowns. So let’s hope Baron doesn’t get hurt.

In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd

by Steve Perrin on Oct 4, 2008 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The team is going to be facing massive problems if Baron got injured regardless whether a new point is acquired or not. The man’s a top three PG and this team is very dependent on him on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He goes down, the season goes with it.

Jason Hart is a fine backup and do a solid job. It would be nice if you could upgrade on him but he’s capable and can do the job asked of him.

I’m happy with Mike Taylor as the third string point. I think he’s got good potential and will do a very good job as a third string point in the short term.

I’m comfortable with the point guard position. I don’t see any rush to acquire a new body. If someone comes available that is an upgrade on Jason Hart, go for it, if not then stand still. There’s no free agent point guard available that is better than Hart so it’s mute.

by NBR on Oct 4, 2008 5:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Can Gordon be a true SG?

In the days of the 6-7 to 6-10 SG’s such as Kobe, Mike Miller and Lebron can Gordon at 6-3 really be effective? Teams seem to be getting bigger all the time at the 2 & 3 positions. Gordon says he can play PG and I don’t see the harm in letting him give it a serious shot. Personally, I think we will be surprised by Ricky Davis and it wont be long before he locks in the starting SG role. With Mobley at backup for 2 more years, Gordon is going to have to be great to get on the court at any meaningful time. At backup PG he has a serious physical advantage both on offense and defense and can exploit so many mismatches. At SG he is going to be a weakness against the elite teams of the league. I have my doubts that he will be anything more than a journeyman if he is forced to learn to be a SG. We have a physically imposing team this year and Dunleavy is unlikely to expose any chinks in that armor.

by citizen bob on Oct 4, 2008 7:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think it will depend on how good his defense is and physically how strong he becomes. If both are at a high level then he can definitely play the two guard at a high level. If he can’t then he’s Ben Gordon or a worse version of Ben Gordon.

On the promising side I think he has a good frame and good strength already. If he adds to that, his strength shouldn’t be an issue. His defense …… well he’s 19 and has a lot of work to do so that could very much go either way.

by NBR on Oct 4, 2008 9:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's obvious

BD PG1, JH PG2, MT PG3. I don’t see anything changing, injuries notwithstanding. Taylor has been getting a lot of burn with the team. And don’t forget that MDSr usually gets attached to “his guys”, and Taylor is one of them. Hopefully MT can displace JH as PG2 as the season progresses, there’s a lot more upside and the offense will be much more dynamic.

by supac on Oct 5, 2008 1:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Is Taylor the new QRoss?

Supac’s comment, which seems quite accurate and insightful, makes me wonder if Taylor might not become a Dunleavy pet along the lines of QRoss. That is, with a major distinction, that he would only be competing to displace JHart, rather than a flawed but obviously productive starter (Ross supplanting Maggette).

One flaw in the (somewhat irrelevant) argument is that Hart himself is a Dunleavy favorite. We know this because he already did a good job in his first stint playing for MD and the Clips, and that MD did a straight trade deal with Utah to get him in exchange for Brevin Knight. Utah thought they like Hart enough to sign him, Knight looked good to MD, but then this summer MD jumped at the chance to bring back Hart. So he likes him. And he’s a defense first guy (code for “not very good at shooting or scoring”).

But we know as well that Dunleavy made an effort to get Taylor, playing with 2nd round picks. Taylor’s unique case of being drafted out of the NBDL suggests that he was tagged by MD’s Clipper scouts as a likely player. It also helps his “MD favorite” status; he likes guys who work hard to make the league as role players. Ross was a classic example, as he didn’t make the team in camp after going undrafted, but MD signed him after a year in Belgium or wherever he was. Of course, it’s a nonsensical distinction once again, since Hart has his own solid scrapheap credentials.

I would say, in the end, that Dunleavy just wants to send the message that we shouldn’t be worried about not just Liv signing with the Heat, but also JWill retiriing, and he had a plan on his depth chart. JH and MT will be in competition to see which one is a bigger favorite as the season progresses.

by citizen zhiv on Oct 5, 2008 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

is it safe to say MD loves his PG’s….

by krapper11 on Oct 5, 2008 6:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

From reports

it seems the only possible move for a PG would be off waivers. I think the preseason game vs th Lakers should give us an idea of how badly we need another PG.

by KillaClip on Oct 5, 2008 7:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs