Meet Hassan Adams - He's Like Cheikh Samb, but not as tall

by Steve Perrin on Jan 7, 2009 1:43 PM PST in News Comment 28 comments

Hot off the presses, the Clippers have traded for Hassan Adams. Here's the press release:

The Los Angeles Clippers today acquired guard/forward Hassan Adams and cash considerations from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a future conditional second round draft pick.

An Inglewood native who played at Westchester High School, Adams has appeared in 12 games with Toronto this season, averaging 0.9 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists in 4.3 minutes per game. Adams, 24, was originally drafted in the second round (54th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft by New Jersey after a stellar career at the University of Arizona.

Adams played in 61 games and made eight starts for the Nets in 2006-07, averaging 2.9 points per game. Adams spent the 2007-08 season in Italy, playing with Ignis Draghi Novara and Siviglia Wear Teramo before signing with the Raptors as a free agent on July 8, 2008.

This is another 'free look' deal (note the key phrase 'and cash considerations'). The Raptors, like the Nuggets, are on the cusp of the luxury tax. The pick is no doubt once again very future and very conditional.

So it costs the Clippers one thing to have Samb and Adams around - a roster spot. The thing is, I'm not sure they can afford that right now. The good news is that there's not much downside to waiving these guys either. So if someone better becomes available, I would not expect the Clippers to hesitate to cut Samb or Adams loose.

This does not bode well for Fred Jones, who could have signed a 10-day contract with the team when he clears waivers later today. Will the Clippers take a very, very qucik free look and move on? We'll see. The same applies for anyone hoping that the team would bring Shaun Livingston back. The last roster spot is now taken, at least for the time being.

One assumes that Adams is on his way to San Antonio as we speak and will be in uniform tomorrow night.

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Actually

I liked Adams coming out of Arizona. Great athlete and plays hard. I’m surprised that he’s never been given a real chance in the league.

I wouldn’t mind at all seeing him given some PT to see if he can contribute. We could use some more athletic swingmen on this team…even if Dunleavy has no idea how to use them.

by madglove on Jan 7, 2009 2:27 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Kind of hilarious

Leave it to the Clippers (and Roeser, Sterling, and Dunleavy) to find this luxury tax loophole and go out and exploit it. Each one of these players probably equals about 5 games worth of reduced ticket revenues from having a lousy team and not a whole lot of fans showing up, maybe less, maybe more. So they’re actually better than free players. It would be amusing to know what these negotiations are like—how much the Clippers are “charging” to help these teams save money.

Adams was never a PG, so he’s not going to help with that. If I remember correctly, he was an undersized great leaper and very strong defender, kind of an Eric Gordon without the offensive skills.

And what is our tally of 06 2nd round picks working their way through the Clipper roster at now?

by citizen zhiv on Jan 7, 2009 2:34 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

According to the Pest...

Her numbers for the Samb deal had Denver footing the bill for his remaining salary – but no stipend for the Clippers. It’s just a free look – no profits. I’m assuming the same is true for Adams, but we’ll see what Ramona can come up with.

Gordon can run the point while Mardy is resting, so I don’t think they are desperate for a true point right now. Just a third guard. I’m dubious of the motivations here – these deals smack of penny-pinching, which is not a trend we want to encourage in these parts. But comparing Hassan Adams to Eddie Gill, Troy Hudson, Walker Russell, et al…. he’s as good as any of those guys, or at least worth a look. Like madglove says, he looked like he had NBA equipment when he was in Tucson. And he’s a Westchester guy to boot.

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 Jan 7, 2009 3:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

CS - I was thinking the exact same thing

We are reduced to rooting for a team whose management’s primary motivation appears to be saving a buck. Any other NBA teams doing this?

Zhiv’s description of Hassan is spot on. Good college player, mediocre pro, undersized. I doubt very much he has NBA talent.

by Jax on Jan 7, 2009 3:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That's the Clippers?

Are you new?

Get me BD and 75 and I'm in

by John R on Jan 7, 2009 3:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, I'm new

by Jax on Jan 7, 2009 3:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

ESPN's TrueHoop reports Adams was waived

Uh…great.

by madglove on Jan 7, 2009 3:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yahoo sports also reporting that 2 hrs after the trade, he was waived...WTF!?

"Duck, Crab. Crab, Duck"
Roger Sterling - Mad Men

by Lawler's Law on Jan 7, 2009 3:49 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

It's allllll about the moneeeey

Maybe the Raptors gave the Clips more money than was even owed on his contract? Free money… makes sense to me.

by Uneek721 on Jan 7, 2009 3:59 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

You can send up to 3M

The Clippers may well have turned a tidy profit on this deal.

Get me BD and 75 and I'm in

by John R on Jan 7, 2009 5:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

With the way the economy is

Team are trying to free up cash

by Qlippers on Jan 7, 2009 4:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Heh

This could be a tidy side business. Keep sending impossible to fulfill picks to teams just over the cap. Trade for players who put teams over the cap with enough cash coming in to cover the players’ salary but less than the team will make getting under the cap. Hell if you do it with veterans the league will pay you back some of the salary too.

If you could rack up $3-4M, thats a nice boost to the bottom line.

But there is a more hidden downside. If you help more teams get under the tax, the tax monies get split up more ways…

Get me BD and 75 and I'm in

by John R on Jan 7, 2009 5:17 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

In first paragraph cap = tax

My fingers are so cold.

Get me BD and 75 and I'm in

by John R on Jan 7, 2009 5:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

that’s what it seemed like: tidy side business, helps out the bottom line, especially when you’re not selling extra seats with a competitive team.

The good part of it is that by bringing in some extra money Dunleavy might have some more to spend when he can and wants to. As Henry Abbott points out, the bad part is the guys themselves, like Hassan Adams.

good thought on adding teams to the recipient side.

It’s interesting that Samb qualifies as a worthy free project, but HAdams didn’t make that cut, even with Clipper backcourt woes.

by citizen zhiv on Jan 7, 2009 5:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Competitive team?

The Clippers sold tickets when they made the playoffs. Having the 14th worst 20 game start in league history isn’t what I call I competitive team.

by FireDunleavy.com on Jan 7, 2009 5:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

That’s what I said: they’re not selling extra seats—they don’t have a competitive team. At least that’s sort of what I said.

by citizen zhiv on Jan 7, 2009 6:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

To me

This attempt to act as a loophole facilitator for better teams is lame. We are in it to win it. Yes we get cash, but we are also helping our competitors. We’re bottom feeders.

by Jax on Jan 7, 2009 10:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree...

There’s nothing wrong with it per se, and money is money. But look at the teams that are playing the game. Memphis (with Livingston) and the Clippers. Can you name an NBA franchise with a worse reputation than those two? Coincidence?

Having said that, it seems like the Clippers are going to take a semi-serious look at Samb, and the story is that their intentions were good with Adams until they found out Fred Jones was healthy. But the implication then is that Adams was only around until Jones’ foot allowed him to play regardless.

When MDsr talked about DWade carrying the ball over a month or so ago, Wade wondered aloud if he didn’t have better things to do with his time and a struggling club. As coach and GM, let’s hope he’s not spending a lot of CPU cycles coming up with money-making schemes exploiting salary cap loopholes.

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 Jan 7, 2009 10:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Knowing DTS

He’s probably giving MDSr 10 % of any deals he cuts.

by Jax on Jan 7, 2009 10:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe,

We could put all of this money in a piggy bank! And then, the Clippers can open up their own lemonade stand!

by WestsideBrandon on Jan 7, 2009 11:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

CS retract that last Westside post or DTS might see it and do it.

by Jax on Jan 8, 2009 9:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I can see it now.

Sterling Lemonade Stands, coming to a street corner near you.

by WestsideBrandon on Jan 8, 2009 12:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sample calculation - Call it reality rounded

Luxury tax for this year $71M

10 teams paying a total of 104M in tax. Divided 21 ways, each team gets 4.9M in tax refunds. I think the league gets a share, thats why its 21.

If the Raptors make it under its 102M divided 22 ways, 4.6M.

So if the Clippers can profit more than 300k, it saves them money to help one team get under the cap. Likewise the Raptors stand to change their tax situation 2M in salary savings + 2M in tax savings + 4.6M for getting a share, so they could save 6.6M.

Sample trade: Random Scrub + 2M to Clippers for impossible condition 2nd round pick.
Raptors save 4.6M (6.6M – 2M)
Clippers make 1M (2M – .7M salary – .3M reduced tax payout)

Repeat twice more, EJ is free this year.

The NBA Salary Cap, its fantastic!

Get me BD and 75 and I'm in

by John R on Jan 7, 2009 5:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Awesome effort

Nicely done.

by citizen zhiv on Jan 7, 2009 5:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Great point...

I forgot to take into consideration the fact that more teams were sharing in the distribution pie, which is taking money from the Clippers. So in order to facilitate these deals in a cost free (or profitable) manner, they have to get the players salary plus the $3K or more. According to Ramona, that’s not what they got, but hopefully they took that little tidbit into consideration.

You’re right that you could be the ‘money launderer’ for the teams in tax hell and make some money. Of course any of 15 or so teams could do it (all you need is room under the luxury tax threshold and a roster spot), so you wouldn’t be able to charge much of a premium.

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 Jan 7, 2009 5:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs