2012 Clippers Exit Interviews: Randy Foye

Name: Randy Foye

2011-2012 Key Stats: 11.0 PPG, 2.2 APG, 2.1 RPG, 25.9 MPG

2012 Playoff Stats: 7.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 26.5 MPG

Age: 28

Years in the NBA: 6

Years with the Clippers: 2

2011-2012 Salary: 4,250,000

Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent

In A Nutshell:


Acquired prior to last season, Randy Foye was among now former GM Neil Olshey's free agent signings intended to fill out the Clipper roster. Foye is really a back-court tweener, somewhat undersized for the shooting guard position, and possessing decent skills as a point guard. The return of both Mo WIlliams and Eric Bledsoe, combined With the acquisition of Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul, made it seem unlikely that Randy Foye would play significant minutes in 2012. But an achilles injury to Chauncey Billups would change all that, and Randy Foye was eventually thrust into a starters role with the Clippers, and was a key contributor in what would become the Clippers most successful season in Franchise history.

Strengths:

Randy Foye's Strength is the long ball. A career 36% three point shooter, Foye shot 38.6% from downtown this season, and was the hottest three point shooter in the league post all-star break. He was the Clippers most effective floor spreader this season, yet was often not respected by opposing defenses at all. For the Clippers, three point shooting was often the difference in a game, and Randy became a critical part of that. He is a terrific free throw shooter at 86% this season arguably second only to Chauncey. Unfortunately, he got to the charity stripe at a lower rate this season than last, shooting 1.8 attempts per contest (compared to 3.5 last season). Defensively, although undersized, he was actually quite effective at times this season, and did quite well in the playoffs when matched up against OJ Mayo.

Weaknesses:

Randy Foye is undersized, and limited offensively. He is not an effective slasher, and struggles to finish at the rim in traffic. He is a good three point shooter but can be streaky. When defending the shooting guard position, his lack of size makes him prone to being posted by bigger guards, and he doesn't have elite lateral quickness either. Hard work can only take you so far against elite perimeter players.

Future With The Clippers

For what it's worth I really like Randy Foye the person. He just strikes me as a good dude. On top of that, I actually think Randy Foye is a capable NBA player, one I would certainly not mind having on my roster. What I am not crazy about is having him as a starter on a team with expectations to make a run in the playoffs. An unrestricted free agent, Randy's Future with the Club is unclear, and may depend on a number of factors. Heading into next season, the Clippers will most likely have Chris Paul, Mo Williams (who has reportedly opted in), and Eric Bledsoe in the back-court. Chauncey Billups could potentially return, and there is still the possibility of resigning Nick Young. So the Clippers have decisions to make. It seems that with Eric Bledsoe and Mo Williams splitting minutes and Nick young having the advantage of his size,Randy Foye's time with the Clippers could be coming to an end. It's not an easy decision, and the Clippers just might miss his shooting in the starting lineup if they are not able to replace him.