They reported it like is common knowledge. If so, the Clippers must be aware of it. So why didn't they go ahead and trade a player who is having a career season and at least get something for him? He makes so little he certainly doesn't clear a lot of cap space next summer.

So where will he sign? Will it be the Clippers? I think the Clippers can either offer him a bigger deal or a longer deal than other teams.

But will they? That same article said that EB is not going to opt out. Why not? He is paid a lot better than Corey. But will the Clippers be willing to have over 40 Mil devoted to just 3 players? That is what it is going to take to keep EB, Maggette, and Kaman on the same roster for the next few years. Q ross is also an unrestricted free agent. He certainly will sign somewhere for more than the paltry $800,000 that he is making now. So if the Clippers want tot keep him, they will have to pony up some more bucks for him as well.

Meanwhile they are taking this "injury" opportunity to give Thorton as many minutes as possible to get him up to speed as quickly as they can. Is he the heir apparent for our small forward position? He certainly will not need a raise for a couple of years. If he ends up starting at small forward next season, the 13+ Mil they would have to give Corey could be spent on a top flight shooting guard or point guard. They may feel that Livinston's knee is just to risky to depend on next season to allow him to once again play at they same level he was at last year. Or they could use the 6 Mil exception to get a top veteran PG, and spend Corey's money on an all star level shooting guard.

The possibilites are endless. The reality for the Clippers is never all that certain. If Corey opts out and is gone, just because you now have the money to spend, doesn't mean top players will want to come to a team that seems to be in such a disfunctional state of disarray.

JamFan

The reports are so positive that it's easy to imagine that all of this is going to happen sooner rather than later. Elton reports that he is jumping as high as he ever has, especially off two feet. And if he can dunk.....well then it seems he is on his way to a full recovery.

Now that we are past the trading deadline with the same roster we had yesterday, when Elton returns we know that it is possible for this team to at least return to the same effectiveness that it had before he got injured.

Will he get so excited that he begs to return in time for the Laker game on Saturday night? Or will they wait a week or two to make sure that his legs are solid as a rock? The clock is ticking. We are waiting!

JamFan

Last season many pundits picked the Clippers to make an even stronger run in the playoffs than they had the previous year. Then things started to unravel. First, after Chris Kaman signed a contract extension he decided to go into hybernation. Sam struggled often with injuries. Then Shaun Livingston ripped his knee apart. The team struggled to a dismal finish.

Last summer was again full of promise. We made a crafty draft pick in Al Thorton and things were looking up. But the Clippers failed to sign one of the top free agent point guards to replace Shaun. Then the sky fell through the roof. Elton Brand sustains an injury that would keep him out for quite some time. The end result has not been all that pretty as the Clippers have sank to the bottom of their division and sport the 5th worst record in the NBA.

Sam fought the good fight and has been a good warrior. Now, with his contract expiring at the end of this season, he sees no purpose in his being here any longer. The Clippers need to rebuild for next year. For Sam, the clock is ticking. He only has only so many more games left in those legs.

Meanwhile, Danny Ainge parlayed one of the worst rosters in the NBA into a powerhouse by trading for two super stars. A roster that is likely headed the NBA finals. Sam, has the opportunity to become a part of that party. So, he is asking for a buyout. If not traded or given a buyout, he will finish his time with the Clippers with a bad taste in his mouth. It is time for him to move on. It is time for the Clippers to move on. We either get players, draft picks, or cap space. Either way, do the deal. Get it done and let Sam go. He is a good guy and deserves no less.

JamFan

http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_8007265

JamFan

2- Detroit Pistons 26-8 - Won 9 straight before running into the Boston Celtics Saturday night. How sizzling hot can you be. The Pistons are running on all cylinders.

3- San Antonio Spurs 22-9 - I reluctantly still put the Spurs in the 3rd spot despite the fact they have only won 5 of their last 10. They were on the road 7 of those games and mostly against tough opponents. Need a healthy Manu Ginobili

4- Phoenix Suns 23-10 - The Suns have looking human lately winning only 6 of 10 while struggling to be as consistant as in the past. They are winning on the road. They need to keep Grant Hill healthy. Even though they have 6 players in double figures, their bench is just not producing.

5 - Los Angeles Lakers 20-11 - The Lakers are surging of late winning 7 of thier last 10 with two of the losses against Cleveland and Boston while beating the Suns. Half of those games were on the road. With Fish, AB, Farmar and new addition Trevor Ariza making significant contributins, Kobe actually gets to take a breather on occasion.

6- Dallas Mavericks 22-10 - Won 8 of 10 and thier last 3 in a row after stumbling a little bit early on. The team in still loaded with talent and will be right there at the end.

7- New Orleans Hornets 23-11 - Won 8 of their last 10 and 3 in a row, with 6 games on the road. Most of their wins have been against week opponents. Good road record with Chris Paul leading the way.

8 - Denver Nuggets 22-12 - Won their last two in a row but only 6 of the last 10. Lots of talent here but they do not always play team ball.

9- Portland Trailblazer 21-13 - One of the hottest teams in the NBA winning 9 of their last 10 but most of the games were at home and against teams with poor records.

10 - Orlando Magic 22-13 - Started strong but fading a little losing their last two and finding only 5 wins out of the last 10.

11 - Golden State Warrior 19-15 - After starting slow they are starting to find themselves and are looking more like last years team again. They are winning on the road so now if they can only figure out how to win at home.

12 - New Jersey Nets 17 -16 - Starting to surge a little in a weak conference, but they have won 7 of 10 and their last 5 in a row.

13 - Washington Wizards 16-15 - With Caron Butler leading the way they are holding their own with Agent Zero out with injury.

14 - Utah Jazz 18-17 - Only a shell of last year's team so far this year. The teamwork and chemistry has suffered a blow.

15 - Cleveland Cavaliers 16-17 - Only team with a losing record to crack my top 16 and only because they have won their last 2 and 6 of 10. They can not seem to win on the road. King James can't do it alone.

16 - Houston Rockets 17-17 - Falling on hard times and having TMac out with injury is not helping. Hiring a new coach has not worked out so far.

On the out side looking in, who are the bubble teams?

Toronto Raptors - Indiana Pacers - Atlanta Hawks

JamFan

We just need to survive until we get Cat, Shaun, and EB back, probably in that order. So other players are stepping up. The MVP so far seems to be Chris Kaman. He is putting up All Star candidate style numbers. Through 5 games he is hitting 53% from the field, 18 PPG, 15 RPG, 1.6 blocks, and has an NBA efficiency rating of 28 EFF which puts him among the league's elite.

Corey Maggette is returning to his leading role with EB out, hitting 42% from the field, and enormous 46% from the 3, 90% form the line, 19PPG, 6 RPG, 3 APG, and has an NBA effieciency rating of 18 EFF.

Tim Thomas is another player who has stepped up with his new starting role. So far he has 15 PPG, 6 RPG, and a 15 EFF in 31 minutes.. He is only hitting 44% form the field 47% from the 3, and 90% from the line. These numbers are all better than his career numbers so this could be his best season ever. Maybe the other teams will try to pour a bucket of cold water on him to try and stop him.

After Corey, Cat, Tim, and Chris, there have been players who have had their moments but not consistantly every night. Sam went for 35 against Indiana, but is only averaging 13 PPG, 5 APG, and 15 EFF. To be fair, Sam is only averaging 24 minutes per game, which is probably a good thing.

We are all on our Al Thorton watch to see if he gets minutes and if he can produce even though he is a rookie. His best game was against Indiana where he went for 13 points and 7 rebounds. But his rookie inconsistancy is showing with 23% shooting from the field. So far he is going for 6 PPG and 4 RPG in 19 minutes. Once the butterflies are gone and he finds his game, he will be unstoppable. It's just a matter of time.

The rest of the team is playing well but not shooting a great percentage or scoring very much. We need more than 4 players in double figuers to continue this run. Cat Mobley, who is currently out of the lineup, was our 5th player in double figures with 18 PPG, 4 RPG, in only 27 minutes. And if you want to talk about hot shooting, he is hitting 62%, yes that was 62, from the field and 47% from the 3, and with an 18 EFF. It is easy to see why we need to get him back as soon as possible.

So we have a big game an home on Sunday against King James. The KTLA feed will be blacked out for many of you but we are working on that. Let's get a big reponse on TopBuzz during the game so those who can not get a feed in some other way won't feel totally left out on how well the game is going. Go Clipper Nation. Go Clippers!

JamFan aka Don Allen

OK, what you did in college, well that was then and this is now. Granted 20 PPG with 7 RPG in 31 minutes is pretty good for a college game. And hitting 53 % from the field and 44% from the 3, is pretty solid. But is it good enough to make the Clippers forget all about Corey Maggette?

The answer to that question would be easier if it were not this season. With Shaun Livingston and Elton Brand out to start the season, the Clippers are now more than ever looking for Corey Maggette to carry the team. Just prior to his last collision with injuries, Corey led the team and averaged over 20 points per game. They now need him to do that and even more.

Al Thorton finally got some significant minutes in Sunday nights game on the road against the athletic Warriors, and threw down 24 points, hitting 11 of 15 shots. It would seem that the Clippers could use that kind of play, along with Corey's, to help fill the gap while we are waiting for EB to return.

But what if come January the season is lost, and it is starting to look like a rebuilding year? They might feel that by the time EB returns, it might be too late, and EB not strong enough to make a difference, to make the playoffs, or go very far if you got there. What if Corey's agent signals to the Clippers that he is not coming back and will sign elsewhere next summer? What if Al Thorton is scoring in double figures with a high shooting percentage?

This is a scenario that could lead to the Clippers dealing Corey away before the trading deadline. They would at least get something for him instead of just letting him depart during the summer and leave the Clippers stuck holding the bag. An expiring contract and a first round draft pick would be nice. Especially if the option is........nothing.

Whatever happens, one thing is for sure. Either way, if Al Thorton turns into the scoring monster that some think he just might turn out to be, we are good if Corey stays, and we are good if Corey goes. But if Al is the heir apparent at SF, then getting a stud shooting guard for Corey wouldn't be all that bad. Gilbert Arenas anyone?

1st off you can make a trade. There are fewer trade rumors this off season involving the Clippers than just about any other team. We haven't even heard Corey Maggette's name until draft night and then it was commentators purely speculating what might happen now that the Clippers have drafted Al Thorton. The only other speculation I have heard is that with Thorton on board, the player that brings the most back to the Clippers is Elton Brand. But you can be rest assured that did not come from the Clippers and I am quite sure EB will be here next fall.

Your second opportunity is the draft. It certainly seems that the Clippers made the most of their lottery opportunity in selecting Al Thorton who was rated as high as the 7th pick by some Mock Drafts. We actually improved here. Drafting Jared Jordan in the second round brought in a PG with promise but probably will not help us to much this upcoming season.

Well, for the Clippers, trades are not that likely, the draft is over, so that leaves us with Free Agency. We are already very close to the cap and that leaves us only enough money to sign Guillermo Diaz and fill out our roster with role players. We will need to sign Thorton and presumably Jordan. So that leaves us with only our MLE of about 6 Mil to go out and make a free agent splash.

Oddly enough, the Clippers have the same problem the Lakers have. They need a point guard. And the targets that the Clippers will be going after could be the same guys the Lakers want since they only have their MLE to offer as well. So who are the best free agent PG's. The #1 rated PG is Chauncey Billups. The Lakers or the Clippers can forget him unless there is someway they could trade for him. He is not signing for the MLE. The #2 and #3 rated PG's appears to be Mo Williams and Steve Blake. It is unclear as of right now exactly how much these two guys will ask for, but it is conceivable one of the could be had for 6 Mil. The next tier is comprised of Jannero Pargo, Gary Payton, Chucky Atkins, Kenyon Dooling, and Jason Hart. They are all good PG's, but they do not help in getting you to the next level. All of them could be had for less that MLE money.

So that brings us to Theo Papaloukas. He is rated the best PG in Europe and brings the history of a game in the World Championships where he humbled the best PG's that the NBA and the Team USA had to offer. Nobody could stop him. He went for 25 and dished a bunch of assists. He played with the court sense of a Steve Nash. I went a studied tape of Theo and he reminds you of the way that Steve Nash dishes the ball off. He seems more athletic that Nash. He might be the best PG available at the MLE. One problem is the buy our of his Euro contract which is reported to be 400K. If you want him and you think he is the best, that is mere chump change.

There isn't a lot more that the Clippers can do. They have to make good use of their MLE during free agency. The urgency is thrust upon us because of Shaun's injury and the thought that he may never ever come back as good as he was.

If the Clippers ever did sign Smush, it would be because they could sign him on the cheap. The Clips are hampered by the salary cap. However, they would not have to trade an asset to get Smush. He hasn't produced at a level that would command big money, so he fits in with their desire to not pay luxury tax for going over the cap.

Smush can be a credible offensive threat and can hit from downtown. But he disappears offensively at times. Some of that could be due to Kobe taking over the offense, leaving little opportunities for him to get shots in some games. If the Clips think that he could be a more consistant outside threat with Kobe not around, they might take a chance on him.

The larger concern however is defense. Smush is actually great at creating steals with his quickness and anticipation. But he is not very good at straight up defense against the best guards in the league like Nash. But a lot of guys can't guard Nash. He doesn't fight his way around screens very well. But this weakness was magnified with the Lakers because there often was nobody behind him clogging up the middle or rotating over with help.

Smush is ranked 8th in the NBA in steals vs turnover ratio, and 13th overall. He was 38th in 3 PT shooting with Kobe on the court. In two seasons with the Lakers, he averaged 11 PPG, 3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 steals, while hitting 44% and 36% from the 3. Some critics says he would be a better guard off the bench because he could be instant offense off the bench and wouldn't have to guard the starting PG for the opposing team.

So can Smush be helpful? Yes! Would Mike Dunleavey like his style? Nope! Is Smush afraid of anything or anybody? Nope! Can he play great at times? Yep! Can he take you deep into the playoffs? NO!

JamFan