I'll be heading to Playa Vista soon and wanted to get this out there before I leave. There's really too much information out there right now to stay on top of all of it. It's bad enough that there are draft rumors to follow, but now we've got various salary dumps by the major free agency players to keep track of as well (Miami trying to squeeze in three near max players, Chicago dumping Hinrich to get to two). We'll have some time to focus on that next week, between the draft and the start of free agency. Let's just get through the draft today.
I went to Playa Vista a year ago for no apparent reason. It was a foregone conclusion that the Clippers would draft Blake Griffin, and they didn't even have a second round pick. So why was I there?
This year there will be a little more intrigue. The first seven picks will obviously determine who is available for the Clippers, and they could end up with a very difficult decision. When I get to Playa Vista, I'll share a quick story I heard today from a former Wake Forest faculty member and huge Demon Deacons booster about Aminu (hint, he's not a fan). But I think it's going to come down to AFA, Greg Monroe or Gordon Hayward, as I said Monday. Lisa Dillman of the LA Times included Luke Babbitt on the Clippers radar. Sorry Paul George fans, I don't think that's happening, nor is Xavier Henry.
I started a little discussion about the second round pick yesterday as well. As little as we know about the first round pick, we know about a thousand times less about the second rounder. The Clippers could end up picking someone we've never heard of. For now, focus the draft discussions on this thread, even if it's a comment directly about one of the other posts.
Discuss among yourselves. I'll be back shortly.