So that’s good. I am sad to say that the more I think about it, the more it seems likely that Z-Bo will be the PF for the Clips next year. The Clippers probably find the fact that he will only tie up three years instead of the five it will cost to get a free agent to be of great value. That, and the fact that they will control their own fate with Randolph, not having to wait for a team to match.

Sorry to say it. It’s just my guy feeling right now. But at leatThe only hope is that perhaps the deal can be worked out to include David Lee in exchange for Tim Thomas.

It is encouraging that the team is looking in many directions, though. Deng and Iguodala are great guys to have on the roster. It would require some musical chairs as far as the lineup, but good players are good players.

I’m sure we’ll know soon.

I know I am going to get crap for this, but am I the only person who thinks Randolph would be a great fit for the Clippers? He brings the greatest upside and strongest all-round game of any realistically available PF. Lets not forget that we had a dream team of sorts with FElton. Randolph will give us almost everything that traitor brought before plus a little extra. Let me explain.

Randolph has an upside. 1) He brings a little emotion to one of the least emotional teams in the league. We need a little edge if we are going to make it in the next level. BD brings this, but he has a steep hill to climb. 2) Randolph has an outside game. I know we all love Kaman, but he will never be a leader or dominate center in this league. The reason is that he has no skills out of the double team. He has tried for years to figure this out and is still one of the most clueless guys in that position. He has a great array of moves, but they only work on single coverage. I wish this wasn’t true, but it is. Randolph will keep the defense honest and give BD a serious pick and roll guy to weave his magic. Both Kaman and Brand suck as pick and roll guys. 3) Randolph is a beast on the boards. This Clippers are transforming into a faster more jump shooting team. Problem with this strategy is that we are going to miss lots of shots. Without two effective rebounders, we will have a horrendous year. 4) Randolph has a jump shot – even better than that of EB. We need to keep the lanes clear for BD, AT and EG. Randolph will really help that cause.

Randolph also has some serious issues. 1) Cancer for the locker room. Randolph was unhappy with Portland and NY because his teams sucked and he was forced into the defacto leader position given his skills. BD is our team captain and he does not put up with any shit. If any floor general can control Randolph, it is BD. 2) He can’t handle a double team. Well neither can Kaman. Hopefully these two effective scorers will get them more single coverage or at least coverage by a big and a little. 3) He takes too many shots – well that is up to BD, but good. Last year nobody wanted to shoot. This year all five guys will be fighting for them. I for one like that model better.

Randolph has an obscene contract but we could unload Thomas to ease the blow. Maybe we could also get Lee as well who may not be needed but would be great trade bait. For those that think Lee will fill the void – sorry, but you are wrong for the simple reason that with Lee on the floor, Kaman will get double teamed. We need Kaman if we are going to get anywhere this year.

Ralph likes this.

I was hoping that the “no news” thing would work and we would get some sort of news. Maybe I jumped the gun by a day—the original 5:18 no news post was on a Tuesday, and chances are that the Clips are still going through the workday exploring their options, especially with trying to put together some sort of trade. But I must say that I’m kind of antsy for news already.

I did not mean to suggest that anybody who thinks David Lee would be a solid performer is not seeing reality – Sometimes I come across like that. This blog has some of the smartest basketball minds around and I do not presume my mind is any better than everybody else’s. The Clippers need somebody to take them to a championship. David Lee is a great player and brings great value. The problem is that from what I have seen, he is not able to create his own shot. He loiters under the basket and makes most of his points on putbacks. We need somebody to keep the defense honest in relation to Kaman. With David Lee on the court, Kaman will be two teamed frequently. As such, I don’t think he will fill our gaping void left by EB. I don’t like Randolph as a person, nor do I like his contract. The fact is he is the only player available right now that actually fills the void. It also seems that Dunleavy agrees with me as he made an offer already. I like Lee, but I like Fazekas more – same with Powell who is already signed. If you package Lee and Mobley together, I think there will be some serious interest – more than Mobley alone. That would allow us to see the team in action and make adjustments as necessary closer to the trade deadline. Randolph’s contract is too large, but it expires the year after Lebron and maybe we will be able to be a serious player in the 2011 trade market. Unless we expect to steal Nowitski in the 2010 market (which is unlikely to say the least), I say we upgrade now and do some damage now. Every team can handle one bad contract. The fact that Randolph has been a 20/10 player most of his career makes it tough to see his contract as being horrendous. He also plays most of every season, unlike some other names on the trade market. As long as he is winning and certain of his place on BD’s team, I think he would work out fine. One thing about a lying AHole is that you can always count on him being a lying AHole. That’s more than I can say about FElton.