Gonzaga has a history of producing moppy-haired basketball players who seem to play over their heads for a small school that always seems to be playing over it's head. Another such product of Gonzaga is Dan Dickau. So far, none of the Gonzaga stars have made a huge impact on the NBA. Now, Dan Dickau hopes he gets his opportunity with Clippers. After being traded to the New York Knicks in a 5 player deal, Dan has accepted a buyout from the Knicks and will be taking a physical today in LA. No announcement has been made, but it is expected that he will be in training camp with the Clips on Thursday.
You have to wonder if this scenario had something to do with the Clips trading Jared Jordan to the Knicks at the exact same time they were buying out Dickau and the Clips picking him up.
Dan is a pure up tempo point guard who hasn't as yet had a starting role, so his minutes have been limited. If you project his career numbers over 40 minutes, he would score 15 PPG while distributing 8 APG. His 40% from the field and 34% from the 3, is good enough so long as he is getting his assists.
Bringing in Dan, makes one wonder how much confidence the Clippers have in Sam, Brevin Knight, and Guillermo Diaz. Sam and Brevin get hurt a lot, so maybe they are thinking that if they do get hurt, they do not want to have to rely on a raw rookie Guillermo Diaz. Also, Sam is in the final year of his contract. And Shaun's Livingston's return to the team is uncertain. The most important thing is that if Dickau's contract is guaranteed, and no trades are made before the beginning of the season, there literally are no roster spots available for Diaz and Korolev.
Only time will tell what Dickau's role will be on the team, but he will be fun to watch. He is another young speedster who will fit into Coach Dunleavy's new found committment to an up tempo game. I can't see Sam leading a run and gun game, so are we going to have two offenses? One, when Sam is on the floor, and another when any other PG is running the show?
