I tried to be exhaustive and encyclopedic in my earlier post regarding potential Clipper point guards, but I forgot one option: Europe.
Of course, trying to discuss the possibilities in Europe is a little like discussing potential trades or call-ups from the D-League - anything is possible, but is anything realistic?
Chad Ford recently wrote about who he considered the 10 best International prospects (Insider required) and it got me thinking. There were two point guards on the list (although one of them is 16 and won't be eligible for the draft for a couple years). The other one was Theodoros Papaloukas, who helped lead Greece to an upset win over the USA in the World Championships last year. As it happens, the Clippers also know him from their Moscow trip this summer, since he plays for CSKA, who whipped the Clippers pretty well in Moscow.
Papaloukas is the current holder of the title 'Best European Player never to have played in the NBA' - an indeterminate distinction, given that previous title holders include Manu Ginobili, Zeljko Rebraca and Sarunas Jasikevicius. He's 30 years old, and doesn't start for CSKA, even though he's their best player. Despite coming off the bench, he leads the EuroLeague in assists and is nominated for the EuroLeague MVP. By the way, CSKA is in the EuroLeague Final Four.
As it happens, Papaloukas was not the best point guard on that Greek Silver Medal team from the Worlds. That honor goes to Dimitrios Diamantidis, and if you watched Greece beat the US in the Worlds, you know this guy. He's actually pretty damn special. He's very long and very quick, and he is a monster on defense. Diamantidis is also nominated for the EuroLeague MVP and is 3 years younger than Papaloukas.
One interesting twist on both of these guys - if the Clippers were to choose to sign them, they could conceivably bring them over along with MBFGC and have a built-in support network for their new Greek teammates. And let's face it, there's plenty of good Greek food in LA. OPA!
It's fairly clear, with the success of Ginobili and more recently Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa, that the Euros, not just the young phenoms, but also the established guys, can play. For the Clippers' situation, it's entirely possible that Greece is the word.