Even though GM Niel Olshey made comments that would lead you to believe that he was leaning towards Dwayne Casey, the interview process seemed to favor Del Negro. Dwayne Casey received an office visit and a cup of coffee, while owner Donald Sterling, President Roeser, and GM Olshey took Del Negro out on the town. So, maybe the fix was in from the beginning.

Vinney took over a Chicago team that had a poor record the previous year finishing 33-49. He then took a young squad of Chicago players with lots of injuries to the playoffs twice before being fired. But it seems that he was fired for having conflicts with the front office, not for his lack of success on the court. So, he doesn't seem like a guy who is just going to roll over to the whims of the owner and GM. He will establish himself as the coach of the team.

In Chicago, Del Negro went 41 and 41 two seasons in a row to reach the playoffs, only to be knocked out in the 1st round each time. His first year he was knocked out by the Celtics. This year he lost in the 1st round at the hands of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks asked Lebron if the signing of Amare Stoudemire would keep him from coming to New York. So one has to wonder if the Clippers asked Lebron whether or not the hiring of Vinney Del Negro was a deal killer in their attempts to bring Lebron to LA? Or, if you combine the Del Negro hiring with the proposed signing of Big Sofo, does it fortell that the Clippers have given up on their quest to bring Lebron to LA? Only time will tell.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

He did all this while having to switch away from his normal SF position to play PF in his second season, because of team needs. With his 7'4" wingspan, he rebounds and blocks shots with great skill. His motor allows him to constantly get out on the break where he finishes with scary alley oop slam dunks.

This season he had some really monsterous games. He posted 23 points, 17 rebounds and a career-high six blocks at UNC Greensboro. Also grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds vs. William & Mary. Managed to tally 26 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks vs. Xavier. He opened the year with 25 points and 13 rebounds vs. Oral Roberts. Also, registered 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks vs. Maryland.

Even though Aminu shot nearly 50% from the field during his 2 years in college, he only hit 27% from the 3 last year. Clippers GM Niel Osshey leaked out that they had actually worked out Aminu on June 1. It was not reported. Upon receiving a promise from the Clippers, Aminu stopped working out for teams. This means he really wanted to be in this town and on this team and sacrificed the chance to be drafted even higher. Instead, he started personal workouts just up the road at Cal Lutheran with legendary shooting coach David Hopla. Video workouts show much improvement in his outside shot. He already has all of the other tools to be sucessful in the NBA.

Al-Farouq means "the Chief has arrived." He is the decendent of Nigerian Kings, and Clipper fans are praying that he will show is royal stature on the basketball court.

The big surprise of draft night for the Clippers was a trade that brought highly touted 19 year old Eric Bledsoe to LA. Playing in the shadow of PG John Wall, the #1 pick, and 4 other Kentucky players drafted in the first round, Eric is a player who could have easily been a top 10 pick. We only gave up a future first round draft pick that is heavily protected. The Clippers have an extra future 1st round pick anyway because of the MInney pick that we own.

Eric played SG for Kentucky but was an All American PG coming out of high school. At Kentucky he deferred to Wall as the starting PG. For the Clippers he will likely move back to his normal PG position where he displays a high intensity, fast paced game.

Eric showed much improvement late in the season on his outside shooting and finished with 46% from the field and 41% from the 3. With his shooting ability, and his ability to run the break, is he the future starting PG for the Clippers? If he manages to cut down on turnovers and play better under control, the answer could be yes.

Deep in the second round the Clippers were fortunate to draft Willie Warren. Rated as a late 1st round pick on a few mock drafts and at one time rated to be a lottery pick, Willie is another young 20 year old with a lot of promise. He shows great skills creating shots in one on one situations hitting 52%, and shot 48% from the field in half court sets. He finished the season shooting 52% from the 2, but only 31% from the 3.

Coming out of Oklahoma, he should be a favorite of Blake Griffin whom he played with as a freshman. Will he make the team and be reunited with his old team mate? I bet Blake hopes so.

Overall, it was a big night for the Clippers. Aminu and Bledsoe will be great players for them for years to come and Warren just might be the biggest surprise of them all. I have a feeling we are going to have an awesome Summer League Team as we unite these 3 players with Blake Griffin. It should really be something to watch. If DJ and Eric Gordon play as well, we could be seeing the future starting lineup for the Clippers a few years down the road.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

New information says that Golden State is going with Udoh. With Sacramento taking Cousins and Detroit going Big either with Davis or Monroe, Aminu will fall into the Clippers lap. If that happens, will they take Aminu, or go with Babbitt or Henry. I now say they won't pass up Aminu. He is just to much of an athletic freak and because of the 7'4" wingspan, he has the most upside. So, it's Aminu.

1- WAS- John Wall PG
2- PHI- Evan Turner SG
3- NJ- Wesley Johnson SF
4- MIN- Derek Favors PF
5- SAC- Demarcus Cousins PF
6- GS- Greg Monroe PF
7- DET- Ed Davis PF
8- LAC- Al Farouq Aminu SF
9- UT- Luke Babbitt SF
10- IND- Gordon Hayward SF
11- NO- Xavier Henry SG/SF
12- MEM- -Paul George SF
13- TOR- Cole Aldrich PF
14- HOU- Patrick Patterson PF

*Sleepers who could move up and be a lottery pick-
Epke Udoh
Hassan whiteside
Avery Bradley

* Player most likely to be a surprise & drop-
Demarcus Cousins originally Mocked at #3, drops to #7
Cole Aldrich or Greg Monroe could move up and the Golden State spot.

I feel good about my top 3 picks. Things gets crazy after that. There could be trades. And it only takes one team to make a surprise pick and then the whole board starts to fall apart. I expect to only get about 4 of the remaining picks right after the first 3. If I do that good, I will probably be one of the top Mocks in the Draft. OK, now it is your turn, hit the discuss button below and either praise me or rip me.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

Xavier is a 19 year old phenom out of Kansas who is a rare commodity in this years draft. He can shoot. He averaged 28PPG in high school. As a freshman at Kansas he had 14PPG in 27 minutes per game while shooting 46% from the field. Oh yes, at age 18. And he is so young his potential hasn't even nearly been realized. We can't yet imagine how good he might get. Go and visit http://www.nbadraft and check their consensus Mock Draft. You notice that Henry has moved up in this consensus to 11. So why is he moving up?

If you look at the other guards and small forwards in the draft who are likely lottery picks and check their shooting percentages from the very short 3 point line in college, you begin to think that maybe this years draft is the Gang Who Can't Shoot Straight.

36% Evan Turner
32% John Wall
41% Wesley Johnson
27% Al Farouq Aminu
34% James Anderson
38% Damion James
42% Xavier Henry

So what does this mean for the Clippers? Turner, Wall, and Johnson are like to be gone before we draft at 8. So unless we give up an additional asset to move up, we are left with only one player who can shoot well from the outside. We are left with only one player who has the most upside because of his young age.

Here is the analysis from NBADraft.net on Henry. " Eighteen year old freshman with an effortless, fluid style ... His body is NBA ready - built like a freight train possessing tremendous strength ... Ideal frame for a shooting guard or small forward at the next level. Naturally gifted scorer (28 ppg as a HS senior) with a deadly shooting eye. Prolific shooter from beyond the arc with tremendous range. Pure stroke with a quick, smooth release. No hitches ... Uses his legs very well on his shot getting good lift ... Effective slashing to the hoop where he can attack the rim and seek out contact ... Finishes extremely well, shrugging off defenders with ease ... Gets to the free throw line regularly and is automatic. Active on the glass ... Can be a terrific rebounding wing with his strength and freakish wingspan (6.7 per game in 2009 and 7.2 in 2008) ... A thief when playing off the ball defensively, reading passing lanes and intercepting passes (1.7 spg through his first seven collegiate games). Refreshing positive attitude on the court. Always smiling, seeming to truly enjoy the game of basketball ... Hard worker and very coachable, which is rare for a player of his stature."

The Clippers will sign a max free agent to fill our biggest need, which is SF. So, you draft for your next biggest need, and for the Clippers that is shooting from the outside. We never have enough great outside shooting. If you do your homework on who will likely be available with the 8th pick, it is actually easy to see that from the field and from the 3, Henry is by far the best shooter available at 46% and 42% . But his value does not end there. He can slash to the bucket, play defense, and rebound. The Consensus Mock Draft now has him at 11, and his stock is rising. Other teams are looking for shooters as well. That's why he is moving up. Henry will be able to play the 2 or the 3 in the NBA and at 6'6" will be able to add height to the shooting guard position which is Eric Gordon's biggest weakness. He's short for a shooting guard.

Be careful endorsing players at the 3 who can't throw a pea in the ocean from farther than 3 feet from the basket. I have been a Clipper fan for a long time. One thing we have lacked for years and years has been consistant outside shooting. When we shoot, we win. When we don't.......we lose.

JamFan

The Clippers have reported traded Zach Randolph and the remaining two years and 33 Mil remaining on his contract to the Memphis Grizzlies for former Clipper Quentin Richardson who has only one year remaining for 9 Mil.

Q, who was drafted the Clippers, spent 4 years as a Clip to begin his NBA career. He will bring an outside scoring threat to a lineup that always seems to be in need of shooters. Averaging about 10PPG, Q shoots about the same percentage from the 3 as he does from the field.

The move will free up cap space for the very lucrative free agency market after next season. But don't be surprised if the Clippers use it to improve this years roster if the right deal comes along. Trading Zach also ends the logjam of Bigs that the Clippers have and frees up minutes for their #1 draft pick, Blake Griffin, at power forward.

So where does Blake Griffin fall short? Well, he is not King James. At least not yet. So why will the Clippers not be inticed to trade this valuable asset? Certainly there will be tempting offers by a lot of teams in the league that look at the Clippers as chumps to be played. But Mike Dunleavy has gotten the better of other teams in recent trades. Certainly, proclaiming to the world that they will indeed draft Blake puts them in the best possible bargaining position. Let the games begin.

One team that I feel will try the hardest to land Blake from the Clippers is Oklahoma. Blake is a home town boy that will keep their arena sold out for years to come. They can offer the Clippers a package that would include their third pick and the rights to either Hasheem Thabeet or Ricky Rubio, along with the 25th pick that could turn into someone like UCLA's Darren Collison and Jrue Holliday. Throw in Darren's old team mate Russell Westbrook and this becomes a package that would be hard to turn down.

So why would the Clippers not jump on that sort of trade package? Certainly that trade would make the Clippers stronger and deeper on the bench. If they drafted Thabeet they could easily trade Kaman for an All Star. If they drafted Rubio they could trade Baron for Corey Maggette or pluck a gem from the Dallas roster, making the team even stronger still. Certainly, this will eventually lead to more wins, more tickets sales, and a trip to the playoffs.

So, why not? Well, Blake Griffin instantly sells a ton of tickets, right now. Blake, also allows the Clippers to trade Kaman for an All Star anyway. Blake Griffin could easily turn into their franchise player, become an All Star, or the best player in the NBA. Only time will tell. Blake Griffin certainly will be a star and a fan favorite. He will be the reason fans buy tickets to see the Clippers play in other arenas around the league. He gives the Clippers instant credibility........ if they start winning. That's the reason they will keep him. But this is the Clippers, of course. And we need for Mike Dunleavy to keep a cool head. But look at it this way. The Clippers are in a really good position whether or not they pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade. The draft is only about one month away. What do you think the Clippers will do?

JamFan

What makes Zach's progress this year even more unusual, is that he is doing it as a down low force making it big time in D'Antoni's run and gun, shoot first from the outside offense.

Will Coach Dunleavy change his offense just to accomodate ZBo?
Will the Clippers trade either Chris Kaman or Marcus Camby for another shooter?
Will all 3 of our Bigs be able to coexist on the floor together?
Will there be enough minutes to go around if they don't make another trade?
Will Zach Randolph be able to put up the same numbers as a Clipper?
Will Zach be able to replace Elton Brand?

The saga begins tonight against the Denver Nuggets at the Staples arena. TV coverage on Fox Sports Net, check you local listings. This could be really fun to watch. Are you ready to rumble?

JamFan