The Clippers have done what was inevitable since the signings of Ruben Patterson and Dan Dickau - parting ways with 2005 Lottery pick Yaroslav Korolev and 2006 second rounder Guillermo Diaz. At the same time they also waived training camp invitee Kimani Ffriend, who will now look to play ball in Ffrance or maybe Ffinland (some fforeign league).
I've posted quite a bit about Korolev - nothing really to add here. As I mentioned in last night's recap, he did nothing to make them consider keeping him. Obviously he impressed MDsr at one point in time, but he's still a long way away from being an NBA player. Of course, he's still only 20.
Diaz on the other hand impressed me last night. He's undersized for an NBA 2, and not really a 1, but he's lightning quick and has a scorer's mentality. I would love to see him on this team, with Aaron Williams looking to sign on with a contender in need of front court help today. Oh well.
Unlike Ffriend, who is Jamaican and has made the most of his opportunities to travel and play international basketball, Puerto Rican Diaz hated his time in the Czech Republic last winter, to the point where he walked out on his team at mid-season. Don't expect him to sign in Europe - he'll play in the D-league no doubt. And don't be surprised if he is among the D-league leaders in scoring. Look for his name on some NBA team's 10 day contract in January. He'll play NBA minutes this season.
These cuts bring the Clippers roster down to the league maximum 15 contracts. With Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston sidelined for the first few months of the season, twelve of the thirteen healthy Clippers will be on the active list each night. Based on his performance last night, it looks like Josh Powell could be the odd man out most nights.