that would suck to trade away blake griffin for a guy who’s going to be gone in a year.

Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are the only players I would take straight up, and the Bulls ain’t giving up Rose.

Rudy Gay and the #2 would be acceptable. Otherwise, no deal.

I like Amare Stoudamire but I would stay away.

1. The eye injury is supposedly really serious and hes probably wearing a mask for the rest of his career.
2. Hes a free agent soon
3. If he doesn’t thikn PHX is good enough, I doubt he’ll love it here
4. other injury history

Randolph is both the more easily replaceable and harder to move.

If Dunleavy pulls it off, I will be impressed.

Reasonable question, but I think the generic answer to the hypothetical is no. Now, let’s fill in some of your variables:

You- Clippers

Player A: Ricky Rubio

Player B: Blake Griffin

First off, the “better than” descriptor would be very debatable here. But let’s assume that Clipper scouting suggests Rubio has more upside (defined as unrealized potential) but that Griffin is the better baller today (Griffin is seen as more polished.)

Then the answer, I believe, is yes. Why? In the short run, the Clippers get a better player. Also, as a franchise “on the brink” we are in NO position to roll the dice. To do so is akin to swinging for the fences down 5 runs in the ninth. We need baserunners to get back into the game. If we were a different franchise in a different scenario then I think maybe you approach this issue differently. But we need a solid player and Griffin is undisputably that insofar as he’s the surest thing in the draft. So in the short run we do well.

But what of the long run? Let’s say Rubio maxes out on his potential, which may be considered higher than Blake’s. Is that a failure for the Clippers? No. So long as Blake is a strong contributor I think we made the right choice for our situation. The other piece to this is that Griffin is such a hardworker that we can be sure he will do everything to reach his potential, no matter how high that might end up being. Five years from now you might trade Griffin for Rubio in a heartbeat. Or you might not if Blake continues his current trajectory.

But bottom line, this team needs stability, fire and competitiveness in addition to a really good basketball player. We’re going to get one of those, regardless. The question is will we fill our biggest need? With a history of knuckleheads on our team, I would argue that’s in fact the question we need to ask. And the answer is that we will if indeed if we select Blake Griffin.