I don’t mean to go off on you specifically, CBob, but all this trade talk is getting silly:

(1) There’s no way NJ is trading Carter for Mobley and Thomas, just so they can have cap space 2 YEARS from now. After all, even with Carter’s contract in 2010, they’ll still be 20 M under the cap that year, which should be more than enough to sign Lebron if he really wants to leave. Now it’s possible they might want to deal at the end of this year, but even then I don’t see why they would take Thomas, since they have a LOT of forwards. They would probably demand Mobley and Camby, and also a 1st round draft pick.

(2) Similarly, Milwaukee isn’t going to trade Redd for Mobley and Thomas, just in case Redd doesn’t opt out in two years. He may very well return to all-star level play and surprise everyone a la Baron. But I don’t see them trading him for at least a year, so that they can gauge how well he and Jefferson play together. And though they might take Mobley and Thomas, they would probably want TWO first round draft picks.

(3) Iverson only has 1 year left on his contract, so Denver has no interest in trading him for the longer contracts of Mobley and Thomas. They may very well deal him, but only if they get valuable players in return.

We really to stop acting as though other teams don’t also know just how bad Thomas has become. It didn’t work for Dallas with Stackhouse when they tried to get Artest, and it won’t work for us.

I share Citizen Bob’s concern that based on past history we may get screwed at the free agent altar, though hopefully, the Baron Davis Era will change all that.

But another approach we can take is to pursue players on teams that are going to be in a financial bind next year in 2009. For example, Utah will probably have to exceed the luxury tax threshold if they try to re-sign Boozer. So there’s a good chance we could get Kirilenko straight up for Mobley and Thomas, since Utah would then have an easier time of shedding Cat and TT’s contracts if they need to get under the tax (much like Phoenix with Kurt Thomas or Denver with Camby).

Alternatively, Utah might have a bad year, lose in the first round (or better yet, not make the playoffs because Portland wins the division), and decide Boozer’s not worth a max contract. So faced with losing him for nothing, they might be willing to sign and trade him for some combination of Mobley, Camby, Thomas, and picks.

Similarly, these assets might be enough to get Marion from Miami or David Lee from NY in a sign-and-trade. We might even be able to get Lee at the trade deadline since it would be worth it to have him as OUR restricted free agent so that we can match any reasonable offers (which the Knicks won’t do because of 2010 salary cap space concerns).

Anyway, the point is, we don’t really have much of value to offer teams right now, other than Camby’s very reasonable contract and first round picks. But as we approach the trade deadline this Feb., our pieces will become a lot more attractive.

Nevermind that nobody’s trading for Mobley or Thomas right now but why do you want Alan Iverson (aging, hugely overpriced, ball hog, defensive liability) or Vince Carter (Half a man, Half invisible)? This sounds like a deal the bad old Clips would make (only they’d trade Kaman or Thornton). I don’t like Tim Thomas much, but he’s relatively cheap and he has his moments. Cat Mobley’s a good team guy, good defender and, if he played fewer minutes might regain some of his former offensive form. With guys like Gordon, Davis, Thornton around, there’s hope that might actually happen.
And, BTW, didn’t Baron Davis just sign with the Clippers, the team that can’t attract free agents? Put the gun down, Bob, and now… hand it to me… that’s right… easy… easy….

Look guys, I don’t always post my true feelings. The fact is that I like our team and would trade to improve it, but I understand the limitations of our trade pieces. Its just that I am so bored at night, I am going through Clipper trade withdrawals (I keep expecting new news every day). If nobody posts controversial stuff, there are no heated conversations and I for one get a little bored. Truth is that I like Mobley and Thomas. They are not superstars, but they are very high quality backups. In a season where we actually have legitimate starters, I think these guys will generate some serious punch from the bench.

Either way, the Clippers are not contenders right now. What is the point of waiting till our nucleus dissolves before we get our dream FA? We have the pieces now, not in 2010. If we get one more piece, we can contend, otherwise this feels like another rebuilding effort. I love our team and I ultimately hope for a Championship. We have never been closer – maybe Dunleavy will find a way to trade some 2010 cap space for a legitimate chance now. I for one hope so.

the only thing that counts? I loved rooting for the ‘05-06 Clippers. Losing to the Suns was painful, but I would never think of that team as a disappointment. They never were a title contender, but they clearly represent a high point in Clipper history.

To field an exciting, competitive team this year represents an incredible recovery for the Clippers. And if they come up short in the playoffs against another strong team, I’ll still be thrilled and hopeful for their future.

I can’t think of a precedent in NBA history where a team limped through such a terrible season as we did last year, then lost its two best players for nothing in the offseason, but recovered to field a team as good as we are going to have this year. The ‘96-97 Spurs made a big turnaround, but they didn’t face the challenges the Clippers faced this year. Dunleavy and friends have exceeded all reasonable expectations.

Making one more big move to push us over the top a la the Mavs and Suns isn’t the way to become a title contender. Trading for an overpaid, aging shooting guard would be one move too many, and there probably isn’t a realistic possibility of it happening now anyway.

Now if the Grizzlies decide they want to build two title contenders in LA and offer us Rudy Gay for spare parts, I can get behind that. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to next year with the team we have.

I agree with ClipCat. What the team might be lacking is a young power forward who can play both ways, other than that, we look pretty good. No reason to reach for fading superstars.
And I agree that we have to celebrate the unexpected activity and direction of the front office. They didn’t whine and panic when Brand bolted the barn. They stayed calm and made solid, progressive choices that didn’t burn the future. On the other hand, look at Golden State, the acquisition of Turiaf was a panic move (if he plays for the Clips he barely gets off the bench), they probably overpaid their own free agents, and they signed Azubuike to sit on the bench instead of improving the balance of their ballclub with another point guard or big man (I think they just couldn’t stand to see another guy go to the Clips). Their actions made no sense. In my mind Dunleavy and Co. had a solid summer.

we should get Wade to play the 2, LeBron to play the 3, Amare to play the 4, and Howard at center.

We have BD at the point, so no need in going after Chris Paul (unless he wants to come off the bench). We can use that spot for another veteran. One more wing player wouldn’t hurt, like Pierce. And a shooter, too, maybe Peja. Then we can just grab any big like Paul Davis and I think we should be set.

Look guys, I understand your concerns regarding pushing our luck too far, but the point of this article isn’t about who to get, but whether it is better to get another piece now and not worry so much about 2010. There are many teams that want cap relief and I think we can get a much better deal if we don’t put all our eggs in the 2010 basket. We could get any player that can really contribute and is paid under $16M. Think Jamal Crawford, Mike Dunleavy, Josh Howard, Rudy Gay, Shane Battier, Hedu Turkoglu, Andrei Kirilenko, Shawn Marion, Mike Miller or Andrea Bargnani to name a few. All of these players will contribute now and may push us over the edge. They all come off the book within three years. Plus it may open up another roster spot to be filled with even more talent. All I am saying is that maybe we should try and grab one now and push hard this year and still be players in two of the next three offseasons. Just don’t set your hopes to high on landing a Marlin in 2010 when knowing our luck we will end up with an overpriced Minnow.

How about Kaman + protected 1st rd pick for Smith + Claxton. Chris would give Atlanta a true center and move Horford to power froward. We could put Camby at center and Smith to power forward. We could possibly pick up Francisco Elson for cheap. I also wouldn’t mind a play for Ben Gordon for Mobley + Thomas.

Camby
Smith
Thorton
Gordon
Davis

Fasten your seat belts…

Now that we have Camby, who is much better than Kaman defensively, to anchor the middle, we would be better with Smith at power forward. Smith is much, much, much more exciting than Kaman, more athletic, a better scorer, blocker, and a better fit next to our new center piece, Baron Davis. Atlanta would probably value Kaman more than Smith coz he’s a center and they have Horford to play PF. Kaman and Camby need to operate close to to rim. Smith would open up the lane more for BD and Thorton to penetrate and create. Maybe we wouldn’t need to offer a 1st rd pick coz Smith wants out, but if we could get J Smoove to run with BD, are you kidding? Forget about it.

All I’m sayin is, Smith would be a better fit for us with Camby at center than Kaman at center and Camby at PF. Kaman and Camby would not complement each other the way Camby and Smith would, not to mention on the defensive side. And I don’t think Atlanta would want Camby, besides could we even trade Camby now? Kaman would be a better offer for Atlanta. The Clipper Org. might not be interested in trading Kaman either, but I’d rather have the younger, ultra athletic, dunking machine, running with BD.