The Association

How is AI Still a Free Agent? The Knicks Should Sign Him!

By Craig Kwasniewski

How the hell is Allen Iverson still a free agent? Literally one year ago he was the second leading scorer on the offensive-minded Denver Nuggets. He was still on every opponent's "Big Ticket" package, the NBA's version of hockey... a player waaayyy more entertaining in person than on TV. Yet today he sits by the phone during the official dog days of the NBA calendar waiting... waiting... waiting for a chance to show the NBA world that last year was an aberration and not the decline of a superstar.

How is A.I. still a free agent? Maybe I'm a little biased because I ALWAYS looked forward to seeing him play in LA. The guy's a freak! The energy, the skill to go right at the hole with reckless abandon, the high runners, the smooth jumpers... the energy! A dude his size should never have dominated the NBA offensively like he had for the past 13 years.

How is A.I. still a free agent? Sure, watching opponents play the Lakers, I always got an opponent's A game. They know they're playing in the number 2 television market with all the celebs sitting courtside against one of the league's marquee teams. So I never saw those moments where A.I. broke off offensive plays or when he"relaxed" on defense or any of the famous battles with his head coaches. For lack of a better word, I was just happy to be there.

So when I heard that the Clippers were interested in bringing Iverson in as a free agent, needless to say I was intrigued.  Why the hell not?  The Clippers have spent two years destroying what's left of the NBA's most loyal fans and at this point anything is a good thing.  (Seriously, why 10,000 people continue to buy season tickets to a franchise that's ALWAYS terrible with ZERO hope in the future is beyond me.  Their marketing is terrible yet they still have a very strong and very vocal group of loyal fans that the Mike Dunleavy era is slowly destroying.)  So why not bring in one of the most entertaining shows in the NBA?  I guarantee a back court of B.D. and A.I. would match the previously legendary (in Clippers lore anyway) 1994 team with Mark Jackson and Dominique Wilkins and the high flying 2002 squad.  Isn't professional sports part result and part entertainment?  But in a very Mike Dunleavy-type of move, the Clippers passed on A.I. and instead traded for Mark Madsen.  Have fun with that!

Here's my point... the Knicks should sign Iverson.  The Knicks have spent the past two years clearing roster and salary for the Big Free Agent Class of 2010.  But for the time being they're stuck with D-League talent playing Mike D'Antoni's Seven Seconds or Less style.  So they'll score a ton of points but lose 75% of the time.  Sure it might be entertaining in the sense that scoring is entertainment, but New York is also a star crossed city and I seriously doubt people in this economy want to continue to pay big bucks to see Mardy Collins drop a 20-spot on Charlotte.

The Knicks should offer A.I. a one-year contract at the mid level exemption.  They get a superstar in the twilight of his career without risking the big picture.  A.I. would/should jump at a second chance to prove his doubters wrong on a nightly basis (always a GREAT motivation) in front of the MSG faithful.  You're telling me Knicks fans wouldn't love seeing AI go at it?  He's PERFECT for New York, a guy who wears his heart in his sleeve, who gives his all on the floor, a comeback story who can drop 20-30 points in a style that hides his defense problems.  Maybe D'Antoni is worried that A.I. is more Starbury than Nash... which is a HUGE concern.  But maybe, juuuuust maybe A.I. also realizes that he's down to  his last chance to prove he's willing to compromise. 

With very little to risk (wins or losses in New York aren't a factor as Utah has their first round pick in 2010), the Knicks should sign Iverson and give their fans something to look forward to... at least until LeBron turns them down in 2010.

 

Thoughts on the Draft Day Trades

By Craig Kwasniewski

I'm not really up on all the players drafted yesterday since the only NCAA hoops I watched all year was from the Las Vegas Hilton on the first weekend of March Maddness... Basically my knowledge on the college scene falls somewhere between Stu Scott and Rick Kamla (or Vanilla Scott as I like to call him).

So here are my thoughts on the trades from the past 48-hours:

1 - Shaq to Cleveland:  Props to the NBA media for not overreacting and proclaiming the Cavs the 2010 NBA Champs. Props to Danny Ferry for going "all in" and taking a chance on Shaq, hoping to convince LeBron to re-sign in 2010.  And props for Donald T. Sterling 2.0 for completely ruining one of the NBA's greatest franchises and killing Steve Nash's final years as a player.  This trade has way more questions than answers. 

Will Shaq play second fiddle to the league's biggest alpha dog?  He thinks Kobe was bad but LeBron runs EVERYTHING in Cleveland.  His teammates, his gags, his front office... this is LeBron's team.  From Penny to Kobe to Wade... all three All-Stars were young and didn't have the locker room pull that LeBron has.  Kobe was stubborn and always battling Shaq to be THE number one, but Shaq always had the Lakers roster and coaching staff on his side.  Shaq is clearly the outsider in Cleveland, will his ego accept being a number #2?

And don't tell me that he settled in with Phoenix as the #2!  Just one season in, the Suns were slowing things down and dumping to Shaq just like all the previous teams he played for.  Now we're hearing that Nash requested the Suns trade away Shaq.  He's 37 years old and he's never changed his demeanor as a player.  Why would he change now?

Will Shaq have patience for Mike Brown, the guy who was thoroughly out-coached by Mr. Master of Panic Stan Van Gundy?  As the Eastern Conference Finals showed us (and as I've been literally screaming for years!), the Cavs have one play in their offensive playbook.  Just one!  High screen and roll for LeBron where his options are: 1) step back for a three, 2) drive down the lane, 3) pass to the corner for a three, 4) hit the rolling big man to the hoop.  That's it!  But LeBron is so damn talented that he normally overcomes defenses (well expect when playing the Lakers, Orlando or Boston, but NOBODY seemed to remember this during the regular season DESPITE THE LAKERS SWEEPING THEM!!!)  Anyway, Mike Brown is CLEARLY the worst head coach that Shaquille O'Neal has played for (and yes that includes Terry Porter and Del Harris).

The Cavs now have their first low-post option since a pre-lockout Shawn Kemp in 1998.  Will Mike Brown add a second page to his offensive playbook and post up Shaq?  What happens when they face Orlando during a regular season game and start trailing?  Will Shaq DEMAND the ball during timeouts or will Mike Brown freeze up (like in the ECF's) and just ask LeBron to save them?  How soon before Shaq realizes the huge gap in ability between Mike Brown and Stan Van Gundy?

Does this trade make LeBron Tom Hagen?  Or is he Connie?  One of Shaq's best quotes was his comparison of his superstar teammates to the Corleone Family.  Penny Hardaway was Fredo (hilarious), Kobe was Sonny (temperamentally very true) and Dwyane Wade was Michael (maybe).  There's really only two left, Connie and the adopted Tom Hagen.  The way I see it, Steve Nash and LeBron is Tom Hagen who was one of the smarter and more appearance-savvy members of the Corleone Family... much like LeBron.  Nash as Connie totally makes sense considering Connie was the least valuable sibling in the Corleone family (BTW - Nash and Shaq combined for ONE playoff victory)... HOWEVER her actions did lead to Sonny’s death. And Nash did eliminate Kobe twice in the playoffs.

2 - Vince Carter to Orlando:  The Magic gave up virtually nothing and got a former All-Star to add depth to the defending Eastern Conference Champ AND/OR a quality back-up plan in case Hedo leaves.  A brilliant deal!  If Orlando gets 80% of Vince Carter from his All-Star days AND they re-sign Hedo you're looking at the favorites in the Eastern Conference.  They added scoring and athletic depth and another player that will force defenses to spread out and give Howard even more space to score from down low.  If Howard expands his low-post game (which he will), the look out, this might be the next NBA Champs.

If Hedo leaves, they are still one of the top contenders.  With Carter they'll get a player like Hedo who can clear out defenses and iso during crunch time.  But I think Hedo will stay in Orlando.  Now all of this depends on Carter's motivation... which should be high now that he's closer to a NBA title than ever before.

Here's my question... With Cleveland and Orlando making major moves, will Boston try to counter?

3 - Richard Jefferson to San Antonio:  Spurs get Richard Jefferson for left-over garbage (Bowen, Oberto and Thomas).  I guess Popovich is no longer complaining that the league needs a trade czar because this is almost as one-sided as the Gasol trade last year. In fact, one could argue that the Grizzlies got more because of Marc Gasol... a promising big.  The Spurs trade old size and defense and get a proven athletic scorer in Jefferson.  This trade gets the Spurs back in the second round of the playoffs but it doesn't counter the Lakers size.

Now if the Spurs can somehow find a way to sign Rasheed Wallace, then they become the odds on favorite in the West. 

4 - Jamal Crawford to Atlanta:  Wow another high-scoring player with ZERO basketball IQ!  Just when you though the Hawks were the dumbest team in the NBA, they just found a new level of supid-itude (a way of saying suckitude except with stupid).  I really can't find a proper word for how dumb this team is... but what do you expect from a team whose head coach's game face is the "who farted??" look!  Such a MEH trade!

5 - Amare to Golden State:  This isn't official until July 8th (or until EVERY Phoenix Suns season ticket holder skips town) but it looks like a done deal.  So in two seasons the Suns go from the SSOL, high-scoring, high-impact, fun to watch and with several All-Stars and a major contender to NOTHING.  What a shame!  Robert Sarver IS Donald T. Sterling 2.0 make no mistake about it.  

Initial trade rumors have the Warrior sending Curry over with Biedrins, but now I hear they're keeping Curry.  So why give up a relatively young annual All-Star with a very exciting game for absolutely nothing? 

Knock on the Clippers all you want but since they moved into Staples Center they've at least tried to assemble a team with talent.  Mis-guided efforts aside, every season Clippers fans at least have a small glint of hope when they look at their roster (Barron Davis, Marcus Camby, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin... these are players with talent!).  But teams like Phoenix, Memphis, Sacramento and Charlotte don't even try... they're a lottery team BEFORE October!  Why plunk down hard earned $$ to even watch this crap.

Watching Phoenix dissolve into this garbage is sad.... Screw you Sarver!

Monday Morning Point Guard

by Craig Kwasniewski

Time to roll out an old favorite of mine: Monday Morning Point Guard, which is five thoughts from the past weekend.

Z-Bo to the Clippers: Very rarely do I ever get a chance to write anything about the "other team" in LA so let's start it off with the Zac Randloph trade and how it affects the LA Clippers. First off, on paper the Clippers are loaded up front. Randolph, Kaman and Camby is a three-man rotation that could hang with the likes of the Lakers, Spurs (when healthy), Utah (also when healthy), Orlando, etc. And they got him on the very cheap as NY is selling off and clearing cap for LeBron (more on that later). The downside is by shipping off Cuttino Mobley they're every thin in the backcourt and are forced to give Ricky Davis a ton of minutes (who along with Andre Miller ranks as one of those great-on-bad-teams-but-awful-on-good-ones type of players).

And now the one BIG problem with the deal... Mike Dunleavy. Already clashing with Baron Davis over coaching styles how will Dunlevy's very hands-on approach on offense blend with Z-Bo and his reputation as a malcontent? With Rickey Davis, Baron Davis and Zac Randolph will there be an in-house revolt? Are there any deals in the near future for Chris Kaman (relegated to the bench because both he and Randolph are low-post ball-stoppers that won't mesh on the floor)? Will Camby and Boom Dizzle find the motivation to play the rest of the season now that the Clippers are playoff contenders (at least on paper)? If anything the Clippers are trying to bring in a winner "across the hall" in Staples Center... so big ups for the effort.

Crawford to the Warriors: Al Harrington for Jamal Crawford... The Warriors go from small to smaller. With Crawford the get a true three man (1 plus 2, meaning he'll call the play from the point and jack it up from everywhere) and the Warriors become the most exciting non-playoff team in the NBA. And that's just it... They're not big enough to hang with the Lakers, Utah, San Antonio, Phoenix, New Orleans and Portland and they're not deep enough to compete with Denver. So they're stuck competing for the eight seed with the Clippers and Dallas. But they'll have fun and the always boisterous Bay Area fans will enjoy this season... the regular season.

Knicks Dumping Salary: So Donnie Walsh did exactly what he came to NY to do, clear cap space and erase the Isiah Thomas regime. Done and done... and worthy of a standing ovation. A potential eight seed playoff appearance was scrapped (and rightly so) for a better shot and at THE free agent class of 2010. Here's the only problem, outside of Shaq in 1996 and T-Mac in 2001 no superstar has left his current franchise in his prime as a free agent. Read that again.

Outside of Shaq in 1996 and T-Mac in 2001 no superstar has left his current franchise in his prime as a free agent.

The Lakers tried to clear cap space in 2005 hoping to land Yao, Stat, Wade, LeBron or Melo and all of them re-signed for better $$ with their original teams. And the Lakers had a decent nucleus to build around with Kobe Bryant. Basically they all passed at a major market franchise and a title contention for extra $$ to line their pockets. What's to guarantee that LeBron, Wade or Bosh will pass up cash to play in MSG?

I would LOVE to see the Knicks back on the front pages of the tabloids for good reasons, but they better have a back-up plan in case those three take a pass. The worst case scenario is the 2001 Orlando Magic, where they dumped salary hoping to get Tim Duncan and T-Mac only to settle for Grant Hill, his injuries and an annual first round exit.

Eddie Jordan and PJ Carlesimo FIRED: One is a terrible defensive coach and the other had the worst talent in the NBA (along with the worst owner). With Jordan is was the case of it's about damn time. Wow he took a team with Gilbert Arenas, Carron Butler and Antawn Jamison to the postseason in the Eastern Conference... BIG... EFFIN'... DEAL!!!! Roll the ball out and get 45 wins from three NBA All Stars, anyone can do that! What he couldn't do was coach defense and the endless first round exits in the playoffs showed that.

Carlesimo got stuck in the middle of an owner dumping talent to move a once-proud franchise from the 13th largest TV market to the 36th market all to steal get a sweet stadium deal from a bunch of gullible rednecks politicians in OK City. The Sonics go from a division title and a second round playoff appearance in 2005 to dumping a very talented team for scraps just to lose fans in the Pacific Northwest. So how do they reward PJ for being a good soldier and coaching this crappy line-up the past two seasons... YOU'RE FIRED!!!!

Enjoy the NBA Oklahoma City!!!!

We're down 30 with 12 minutes to go. We're still in it... Sonics on three!!!!! I mean Thunder!!!

316 Report - Lakers vs. Sacramento: Not much to say from Section 316 at this game to merit an individual post so here are a few bullets:
-I'm digging the new goggles on Vlad Rad, the NBA needs more goggles!!!
-Spencer Hawes looks like The Machinist
-Lakers fans are more "talented" this year. Seriously, my head was on a swivel as hotties are once again showing up to Lakers games.
-Hoops-wise, the Lakers seem to be going to Kobe in the post more when the offense bogs down. Maybe we're seeing Kobe transition to a late-90's Jordan with more post moves and less hang time.

The Clippers Get Baron Davis, Let's Sing About It

by Brett Edwards

Wow, that escalated quickly. Turns out the picture I put up yesterday was a bit prophetic, as it looks like Baron Davis and Elton Brand will be teammates in Clipper-land. The Clippers get Baron Davis, and the Warriors get ... absolutely nothing in return. Nice job, Dubs. Anyway, while Warrior fans are likely singing the blues today, Clipper fans are rejoicing, as is evidenced by this video. By the way, this guy's some kind of songwriting genius to have put this together so quickly.

[via FanHouse]

Free Agency Begins With Elton Brand and Baron Davis Opting Out

by Brett Edwards

As of midnight on July 1, the NBA's free agency (negotiating) period began, and did so with a couple of big names unexpectedly opting out of the final year of their deals. Elton Brand and Baron Davis both walked away from big money, a little over $16M and $17M respectively. Brand might very well remain a Clipper; he just wants to make sure the team signs some other pieces so they can compete for a playoff spot. Baron staying in the Bay area? That seems a lot less likely.

The other big name in question is Gilbert Arenas. He's expected to stay with the Wizards (for less than a max deal), but it seems his status may remain unresolved for a few weeks yet. Stay tuned.

Smush Parker: Breast Man

by Brett Edwards

So that's why they call him Smush.

[via You Been Blinded]

It's Official... The Clippers Have Mailed in the Season Franchise

By Craig Kwasniewski

How else can you explain this:

Smush Parker signs with Clippers

William "Smush" Parker, the worst player to ever start for the Lakers (for two seasons!) and the player who was paid by the Miami Heat to *NOT* play for them for most of this season has signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.

According to yahoo.com, "Smush Parker, released by the Miami Heat earlier this week, signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Terms weren’t announced."

Of course the terms weren't announced. Smush probably has photos of Donald Sterling at a Asian gay bath house.

Anyway, what the hell is going on "down the hall" in Staples Center? Are the Clippers trying to force Elton Brand, a free agent this summer, out the door with both hands? Is the point guard tandem of Frodo Baggins Dan Dickau and Brevin Knight that outright terrible? Do the Clippers really need a player who acts disinterested, wasn't motivated by both Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, choked in games 5, 6 & 7 of the 2006 playoffs against the Suns (shooting a combined 5-25) and flat out sucks?

Unless....

It totally makes sense... by signing the worst point guard available, the Clippers have entered: The Tankapalooza Zone.

Hello Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose!

Magic at Clippers: Courtside Report

By Craig Kwasniewski

Got the mad hook-up again and sat in the front row for last night's Clippers-Magic game. The Clippers rallied twice from huge deficits to make it an interesting game, but eventually the Magic won 113-106. Here's some brief takes on the game (one day later as the Heinekens and whiskey sours killed me when I got home):

What a difference a year makes: The past two years, Clipper Nation came out early and often to support their playoff contending team. Well we're officially back to the "Hip to Clip" era as the stadium was 80% empty 15 minutes before the opening tip. There was no real energy at the game and with Staples Center half-empty you can definitely notice the piped-in crowd noise during the opening intros. Maybe the Clippers Spirit really do need to perform naked, because a 60% full arena against one of the top Eastern Conference teams just doesn't cut it.

Well at least the Clippers Spirit tried to "lend a hand." Here's a photo of three of them greeting fans as they enter Staples Center and posing for photos. Check out the guy at the right with the cane... nice view my man!

Dunleavy going out gangsta style: Halfway through the 2nd quarter, Coach Mike Dunleavy drew two very quick technicals (the second for yelling, "awww that's bullshit!!!") for a an immediate ejection. He turned and walked right to the tunnel and out... no argument, no restraint by the assistants and no escort by the security guards. At the time, the Clippers were trying to rally back from a huge early deficit and maybe Dunleavy felt the team needed that extra punch. Whatever it was that was a total straight-up gangsta way of getting ejected.

Sam Cassell with a a rare 4th quarter appearance: One of the knocks of Mike Dunleavy is his decision making down the stretch of games (2000 Western Conference Finals anyone?). Recently he's been keeping the franchise heart and soul, Sam Cassell, on the bench for much of the 4th quarters. THAT makes a lot of sense... bench your veteran leader for the likes of Frodo Baggins (Dan Dickau) and Brevin Knight and their "quality" play.... yikes! Anyway, with Dunleavy out, Cassell played most of the fourth quarter and was a couple of missed shots from rallying the Clippers back. Sure he missed some bunnies, but it's his leadership and poise that got them to the backk. Every time he had the ball he was looking to draw a foul or post up Jameer Nelson. Frodo flat out sucks and Brevin Knight is just a journeyman player.

The Rise of Hedo Turkoglu: No longer is he the weakass three point shooter who'd run and hide in the 4th quarter (like the 2002 Sacramento Kings). He's a got a good feel for the game now. When things bogged down, he drove the lane trying to draw a foul. And his body control after contact is excellent. The Clippers were hitting him hard, but he was still able to get off a well-balance shot for a few And-1's. Plus, the guy had a HUGE contingency of Turkish fans there rooting for him (not a good night to be Armenian). With a frontcourt of Lewis, Turkoglu and Howard, the Magic have size and the ability to stretch the defense and they’re the reason why Orlando is a top Eastern Conference Team.

The best job ever: This guy's (below) got the best job in the arena: cord boy for the camera man. So all he does is make sure the camera cord doesn't get tangled up and he gets front row baseline seats. Evidently, the only job requirement is a mullet.

The end of an era: And finally, last night marked the 10th and last time that Brett will be able to hook me up for front row seats. For a huge basketball fan like myself, it's been awesome to see the action so close up. Great memories range from the size of Yao Ming's HUGE calves, seeing Amare Stoudemire throw down on and over Elton Brand, high-fiving Gilbert Arenas, having a drink at the private celebrity lounge in the tunnel, and walking out of the tunnel next to the Washington Wizards. But my favorite was having Sam Cassell almost take my head off with an errant frustration pass that was originally intended for the basketball support. It's been great and I want to say thanks to my man, Brett for all the good times.

Are you sure I can't talk your way out of quitting your job? Oh well... on that note, I leave with a final shot of some the Clippers Spirit.

How Clipper Fans Benefit from Losing: Bikinis, Bikinis, Bikinis!

By Craig Kwasniewski

So you missed out on Allen Iverson... so your future fanchise player was one ligament from a live amputation... so your current fanchise player ruptured his Achilles tendon... so your stuck with Tim Thomas until 2009-10... so the 2007-08 season was over by October 1st...

Hey Clipper Nation, there's a hidden benefit to fielding a losing team in sunny Southern California...

Bikini-Clad Clippers Spirit Dancers!!!!!

Fan Patrol Cheerleader Summer has more pictures here.

Brett and I always thought that given the marketing genius of Jerry Buss, the Laker Girls were four losing seasons from performing naked (and we were heading that way if Rudy T. was still coaching them!). I just never thought the LA Clippers would have the vision, the intelligence and the intestinal fortitude to beat the Lakers to the punch. A hearty big ups to the Clippers marketing department! So despite the poor performance on the court, Clipper Nation can feel a sense of pride that at least their Clippers Spirit Dance Team is a playoff level squad.

Clippers Spirit Dancer Taylor has more pictures here.

Clippers Spirit Dancer Ashley has more pictures here.

And by the way, there's at least three reasons why I *WILL* attend a Clipper home game!!!

Clippers Courtside Seats Only $400

by Brett Edwards

Checking out the various discount offers for Clippers tickets -- believe me, there are a lot -- I came across the deal of the century in terms of premium NBA seats. It appears that anyone can go to Ticketmaster's website and purchase a courtside seat (not eBay courtside, actual front row seats on the floor), for the amazingly low price of $400.

Now $400 is still a lot of money, but it's less than a third of what courtside Clippers' tickets normally go for, and that's $1500 face value - each. I'm not sure if the price is a reflection of the Website Wednesday promotion or if you can get the same deal for non-Wednesday games, but either way it's an amazing discount.

Oh, and if the Clippers are so bad that you can't bear to watch them play sober, you can always go for the deal where beer is included with your ticket.