With the loss of Vlad Rad to the LA Lakers, the Clippers turned their eyes toward a more than suitable replacement, officially signing Tim Thomas to a reported 4 year deal using their mid level exemption.

The Clippers traded Chris Wilcox for Vlad Rad just last season to bring in an outside shooter. Vlad was more than competent from 3 point range, and when he bolted to the Lakers, the Clippers found that they still had the same need, a long range bomber.

Tim Thomas' numbers and shooting percentages are very similar to Vlad's. Unlike Vlad, he didn't seem to mind coming off the bench. During the playoffs, Tim's numbers and shooting percentages actually increased. Off the bench, in limited minutes, he average 15.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and shot 44% from the 3. It seemed like every time the going got tough for the Suns, he would come in and and make the tough shots, including a couple that literally were game savers for them.

Thomas was rated higher than Vlad in free agent rankings mainly because he can also post up and play like a power forward, and he is a better defender than Vlad.

The two players both signed for the same money except the Thomas 4 year deal is reportedly one year shorter than Vlads. It appears the Clippers got a better player for the same money.

So, the Clippers hold court. They lost a good player but replaced him with a slightly better player. It remains to be seen how well he will fit into the Dunleavy system. Coach seems to have no reservations about how well he will fit in.

JamFan

Maybe it is just because they do not have a draft pick until early in the second round. Or just maybe they already know who they are going to pick in the 35th position........hmmmmm. If they are just going through the motions, my guess it is because their target is a player coming out of Europe.

But it is hard to gleam anything out of the workout schedule the Clippers have displayed so far. Other than Jordan Farmar and Aaron Afflalo who were already in their backyard, they have only worked out 3 players.

The three players are all shooting guards who have been playing here in the good ole USA. That is how you know for sure that they are going to draft a center, forward, or point guard out of Europe. It is the old mis-direction play.

Anyway, we have a workout with James "Flight" White, a senior from Cincinnati, Thomas Gardner, a junior from Missouri, and Richard Roby, a sophomore from Colorado. These guys are certainly not household names in college basketball. "Flight" is the highest rated and best known of the group.

They do also have the #52 pick and one mock draft has them drafting a Bosnian player from the Euro leagues, 20 year old PF/SF, 6"11" Darmir Markota. When you read his scouting report his game sounds remarkably like Vlad Radmanovic.

And who is on the upcoming workout schedule for the Clippers with 3 weeks to go......................uh, er, nobody!

If we see any type of report we will let you know. Maybe all of our guys are vacationing over at a destination resort in the Ukraine. Lot of cute babes over there.

JamFan

I can't believe this rumor is true. The reason Griffen at 6'10" doesn't go inside is because he can't. And if you need an outside shooter, Eddie Griffin is not the guy. His career shooting percentage is only 38%, 31% from 3, and 66% from the line. Walter McCarty shoots better than that and we already have him.

I have recently written that Fred Hoiberg, who has now been cleared by his doctors to play, has his agent gaging interest in Fred coming back this year. Fred is the best 3 point shooter in the game. If you need a guy to come off the bench and shoot from the outside, we can get him without trading anybody. Moreover, if Wilcox is gone and Kaman or Brand gets injured, who could adequately fill in. Griffin can't play inside very well, and Rebraca can't be relied on at this point. Singleton would probably be the guy, but why put ourselves in that postion for Griffen who hasn't proven he can shoot in the NBA.

I believe we should keep Wilcox, match any free agent offer next summer and keep him. Wilcox is going to be a star in this league. If you do trade him, I believe you can get a frontline player who is good enough to start. We have talked about trade scenarios involving Wilcox, but it has been for players like Ron Artest and Paul Pierce, not Eddie Griffin. I'm Jamfan, and that's my opinion. What's yours?

JamFan

I tried to piece together their current situation by reading conflicting stories regarding where the Clippers are. Not all sports writers are accurate in their reporting. One report says that the Clips are over the cap which limits their ability to make any moves.

This is true. However, the cap is a soft cap, which means if the team resign their own free agents, those salaries do no count against the cap. Does that mean that the salaries of Brand and Maggette do not count? It appears so.

The Clippers have the highest salary payroll in their history at 51 Million (adjusted for released players). The soft cap is at 49 Mil which means they are over by only 2 Mil. But Brand's and Maggette's salaries total 18 Mil, which gives them plenty of room under the cap to add salary without being penalized.

Confused, well if you read the few articles available out their where sportswriters have addressed this issue regarding the Clippers, you could get more confused. But from what I can tell, the Clippers could trade for a more expensive player or sign an available free agent like Spree, and they would just be spending money without the penalty.

This analysis means that it is more likely that the Clippers would make a move than they otherwise would if they got penalized for every dollar they spent. Sterling probably has his checkbook handy! JamFan

Reports out there include Coach Dunleavy having talks with Indiana to set the stage and Owner Donald Sterling chiming in that he has no problem with the trade. What trade?

So, far it is all talk. The Clippers also reportedly have told Indiana that Maggette is off the table. But that is actually OK with Indiana because they are so high on Danny Granger at small forward, and actually need a center. They don't like Jermain ONeal at center and want him to stay at power forward. Which brings us to Wilcox. Is he the best young center available? If so, this deal might go down if the Clippers include a first round draft choice. And it might go down soon.

If so, the top 7 players in the Clippers rotation will be Brand, Kaman, Maggette, Livingston, Mobley, Cassell, and Artest. Who starts and who gets minutes may depend on match ups and who is playing/shooting well. It also depends on Livingston staying healthy and Maggette getting healthy. The Clippers may start to realize that Maggette is injury prone. He has repeated injured himself the last couple of years. Recently the Clippers lost 5 of 6 with Maggette out. That....will not get it done

However, if healthy, that is a powerful 7 man rotation. But it only works if Artest comes in with his dead screwed on straight. Don't count on it. Oh yeah, it will be OK for awhile. But Artest's problems are not isolated incidences. He has been constantly disruptive to his teams even going back to his college days. There is a long term pattern with Artest.

He has recently said three things that make him a bad risk. 1- He is only going to play for another year or two. 2- He needs the ball (wants to be the first option) 3- He needs a new contract. I don't know about you, but these comments are a deal killer for me.

Cassell is not concerned and says he understands Artest. Coach doesn't seem concerned. Even tighwad owner Sterling is cool. Maybe Artest, after seeing his current teamates, as of today, literally turning their backs on him, not even wanting to even meet with him, make him realize that there is a price to pay for you actions. Even your friends can and will turn their back on you. Maybe Artest will see the light and become a good citizen. NOT! More likely, if the Clippers trade for him they will have play and live with his eccentricities and try to keep them off the court. Wilcox, is in his last year of his contract and will be a restricted free agent after the season and doesn't hide the fact he is not excited about his backup role with the Clippers. The Clips could end up getting nothing for him if they don't match offers next summer.

New poll, Should the Clippers trade for Ron Artest? Go and vote. JamFan

The good news is the Spurs weren't lighting it up either and Duncan was 1 for 11 from the free throw line. But in the end with 17 seconds to go, a timeout is called, the Clippers were on defense, and they are up by 2 points poised to win from the Champs on their floor.

So you are now the Coach. In that time out what do you tell the team to do?

1- Play tough straight up defense and force them to take a difficult shot, even foul them while shooting because the refs eat their whistles in the waning moments. Let the clock run out.

2- If Tim Duncan touches the ball, intentionally foul him (refs call those), stop the clock, and send the MVP to the line with a chance to tie the game.

I don't know what decision you would make (comments are requested), but Coach Dunleavy reportedly told his team to take option 2. He must have been in a coma and forgot he was ahead by 2 not behind by 2. You only go for option 2 if you are behind. Moreover, EB fouled a BIG, 35 ft from the basket with 12 seconds remaining. With the clock now stopped, the MVP goes to the line, hits 2 free throws, ties the game, and the Clippers lose in overtime.

On a bad night, the team still won the game in regulation. The Coach lost the game soon after temporariily losing his mind. JamFan

Since neither team made it to 100, Lawlers Law didn't come into play. That's a pretty good line to end up with a loss. Chris Kaman even had one of his best efforts of the season with 18 Pts. 12 rebs and 3 blocked shots.

We lost a 9 point lead twice, but were still in a postion to win very late in the 4th quarter. The Clippers went on a 10 - 2 run capped by a Mobley jumper with 1 minute to play, but it wasn't enough. Sometimes, a seasoned playoff team, just beats you. They hold you off at crunch time. You have to do everything right to beat them. That one stat, tunrovers, led the Pacers to getting 84 shots to the Clippers 70. Great shooting percentages don't help you if you are not shooting enough

So, the Clippers have lost 2 consecutive games for the first time this season. But, we knew by looking at the schedule, that this would be the stretch where we find out if they are real or not.

We'll have to see if they can pick themselves up and bounce back Tuesday night against the Timberwolves on the road. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net 2 at 5 PM Pacific. Keep the Faith! JamFan

Vans with satellite dishes have become common at Clipper practices, and TV cameramen jockey for position daily around players and Coach Mike Dunleavy.

Such is life for the Southland's hottest NBA team, adjusting to an unfamiliar spotlight. "With winning comes all the accolades and all the attention, and that's what we're experiencing now," forward Elton Brand said Tuesday after practice.

"It's good because it's based on our success as a team. It's based on everything we're doing together on the court, but it's definitely different than what we've been used to.

"It was kind of cool when we were in the shadows; you only had to worry about trying to win games and then go home. Now, everybody's on the bandwagon, but we'd still rather have it this way."

The experience of veteran guards Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley has helped the Clippers handle their newfound celebrity.

"Sam and Cuttino have played in the playoffs and been through a lot of the things we're just getting a taste of now," Corey Maggette said. "The last time me and E.B. had a great season was when we were at Duke, so bringing in that veteran leadership has been a key.

"They're telling us, 'Hey, let's keep ourselves humble and continue doing what we do.' We're just going to keep working hard and keep this going."

What a diffence 11 games makes. They have continued to rise in everyone's power rankings and they are not making fun of us anymore. Mark Heisler's new power rankings were published in the LA Times, and he now has the Clippers at #3 overall behind San Antonio and Detroit, and ahead of Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, and Indiana. Welcome to the big time. The Lakers are at a generous #17.

I'm shocked personally. I'm afraid someone will pinch me and I will wake up from this dream. Already, when the Clippers win we are all starting to go....ho hum....another win.

The Clippers have already been crowned the Kings of LA. With the win last Friday over the Lakers there is no doubt. The Clippers have to many weapons that are effective every night. The Lakers weaknesses are now exposed for all to see. If Kupcake doesn't do something soon, the fans will slip slowly away, to Clippers games.

There is only one more thing that needs to happen for the Clippers to truely own LA. That is for Jack Nicholson to show up at courtside for the Clipper's next home game. Welcome to the Big Show...Jack! JamFan

So, here are my picks for the final seeds at the end of the season. It is actually hard to do this year with so many teams in transition and injuries to key players. Here goes!

#1 San Antonio - Tough choice. They added key free agents to a championship roster.

#2 Houston - TMac is out but when he comes back they will come together and finish strong.

#3 LA Clippers - Yeah, I believe. They will win close games against top teams and blow out the weak sisters. Maggette and Livingston haven't even played yet.

#4 Dallas - If chemistry doesn't develope they could drop. Might be inconsistant.

#5 Phoenix - Amare might be gone for the season. If he comes back late, it could be to late.

#6 Seattle - Did not improve roster, others got stronger. Coaching change could be a problem.

#7 Sacramento - Changes at key positions, but if chemistry developes they have enough.

#8 LA Lakers - Roster is actually weaker on paper, but Phil Jackson has them actually playing better and some players are stepping up. Bench is question mark. So far, Kobe is a better player this season than last.

After San Antonio there is alot of parity from #2 to #8. There will be alot of teams winning between 40 & 50 games. Moreover, the bubble teams, Denver, Memphis, Minnesota, and Golden State are all very capable of making into the top 8. Only Utah, New Orleans and Portland seem to be teams who would have to improve greatly before being considered for the playoffs. JamFan

2005-06 LAC OPENING NIGHT ROSTER

Elton Brand,
Sam Cassell,
Daniel Ewing,
Anthony Goldwire,
Chris Kaman,
Yaroslav Korolev,
Shaun Livingston,
Corey Maggette,
Walter McCarty,
Cuttino Mobley,
Boniface N'Dong,
Zeljko Rebraca,
Quinton Ross,
James Singleton,
Chris Wilcox

You, the fans voted 37% Yes, 40% No, and 22% Maybe. I voted Maybe. It's probably to early to tell. I think he needs to be around a little longer and prove himself. He can only do that with minutes on the floor.

Our next poll relates to the current situation on who will actually make the final roster. Coach Dunleavy originally said that he was only going to carry 14 players.

But now, with injuries to Livingston and others who are hobbled, it looks like he will carry 15. There appears to be 13 players who have a lock on a roster spot, leaving 2 spots open. The players who are on the bubble include 7" Center Boniface Ndong, PG Yuta Tabuse, 34 year old veteran PG Anthony Goldwire, and SF Rodney White.

With Livingston hurt and with Rebraca's hobbled knees, the team seems to need another backup Center or Point Guard. That would seem to favor Ndong who can play Center, and Tabuse and Goldwire at PG. Tabuse is a fan favorite, while Goldwire is an experienced veteran. The roster has less need for another player who plays Small Forward which hurts Rodney White's chances.

Do you pick a veteran who is only going to decline with age, and give up on youthful players whose future impact is as yet unknown? Do you go with a Center or PG and give up on the instant offence that Rodney White provides and a player who could be great one day?

Alert! It was just announced that Rodney White has just been waived.

You are the now the coach. You must make the final painful cuts. Go vote. JamFan