The Acker Trade is Official

As first reported yesterday by the AP, the Clippers have acquired Alex Acker from the Detroit Pistons.  Here's the full press release from the Clippers:

CLIPPERS ACQUIRE ALEX ACKER FROM DETROIT PISTONS

Clippers Also Receive Pistons’ 2011 Second Round Pick

The Los Angeles Clippers today acquired guard Alex Acker and the Detroit Pistons’ second round selection in the 2011 NBA Draft from the Pistons in exchange for a conditional second round selection in the 2013 NBA Draft. In a related move, the Clippers also waived center Cheikh Samb.

A Compton native, Acker has appeared in seven games this season for the Pistons, averaging 1.3 points and 0.1 assists in 2.9 minutes per game. A former star at Pepperdine University, Acker was originally drafted by the Pistons in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft (60th overall) and played in five games and averaged 1.8 points during his rookie season.

Acker, 26, moved to Europe in 2006-07 and averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists with the Greek team Olympiacos in Euroleague play. Acker appeared in 30 games with Spain’s FC Barcelona in 2007-08, averaging 6.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

A former standout at Eisenhower High School in Rialto, Acker finished his collegiate career at Pepperdine as the 20th all-time leading scorer in school history and was named to the 2004-05 All-West Coast Conference team as a junior and named the WCC Freshman of the Year in 2002-03.

In a related move, the Clippers waived center Cheikh Samb. Samb was acquired by the Clippers on Jan. 5 in a trade with Denver and proceeded to play in 10 games with Los Angeles, averaging 1.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.4 minutes.

This deal, for what it's worth, turns out to be a little different than the deals  involving Cheikh Samb and Hassan Adams.  In all three cases, the Clippers basically agreed to take on the contract of a little used bench player, but the offering team had to throw something else in to sweeten the pot.  In the case of Samb and Adams, it was 'cash considerations' - i.e. they paid the player's remaining salary, which was worth it to them to avoid the luxury tax.  This time, the Clippers are getting a second round draft pick in 2011.  The 'conditional second round pick in the 2013 draft' that the Clippers are sending back is like so conditional that it will never happen.  But the rules won't allow to trade something for nothing - so this is the equivalent of nothing that makes the trade work.

By the way, those Euro credentials on Acker's resume are nothing to sneeze at.  Olympiakos (for some reason, I insist on spelling it with a 'K') and Barca are major Euroleague teams.  I followed that Olympiakos team pretty closely, partly because of Acker (remembering the Pepperdine connection) and partly because of MBFGC - Acker was their most consistent player by far.  His time in the ACB in Spain was a little disappointing by comparison.

As I suspected, the Clippers waived Samb to make room for Acker on the roster.  Samb gets two indelible impressions from his time with the Clippers - rejecting 2008 Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant during a Clippers win in which he played a career high 23 minutes, and being completely posterized by 2007 ROY Brandon Roy in a game changing dunk.

With Mike Taylor and Mardy Collins hopefully healthy enough to play in the near future, the Clippers now have 6 players who will look for time in the point guard rotation (not to mention a seventh in Eric Gordon capable of playing some point).  I guess three years of point guard injuries have done a number of MDsr's psyche.  Acker (6'5") and Collins (6'6") are bigger than the others, and may get a look at a wing spot.  More importantly, they will each get a chance to be the perimeter defender that the Clippers have been missing in the absence of Quinton Ross (and Cat Mobley and Shaun Livingston).