Sailing On Red and White Waters: A 1995-96 Dynasty

Izulde · 03-31-2010, 11:24 PM

It's high time I got back in the dynasty saddle with this game and so I'm heading back to the Nephrinn 1995 roster set, to take over the woeful Clippers, who strike me as having the right balance of mediocre talent to make interesting.

Granted, most of it is young, but save for Loy Vaught, there's just not much there.

I'll do a roster breakdown in a second, but for now I'll note that I'm using Nephrinn's 1996-2000 draft files and beyond that, who knows? Maybe this dynasty will inspire him to want to add on 2001 and beyond.

The problem with going fictional after the draft classes, of course, is that the subsequent rookies will be superstars and very early on, due to Nephrinn's tweaking the player talents to perfect the game engine for contemporary NBA results. It's possible that I could run a DDS:CB dynasty concurrent with this one to produce the classes after 2000, but I'm not entirely sure about that. Something to think about it.

But in any case... on to our story.

When one acquires a reputation for theoretical greatness and an academic expertise, it is not unusual to be courted by business and the government for positions outside the academy.

This is not what happened to me.

Rather, late one night, while in San Diego, I got into a discussion with a friend over how to fix the various franchises in the NBA. We were at a Mexican-Irish bar, a clash of culinary ethnicities which is far more common than you might suppose. The drinks were cheap, the food cheaper and greasy in the bargain.

In any case, it appeared that someone overheard our conversation and was impressed with my opinions, because the next day, as I prepared to check out of my hotel for my flight back to Chicago, a knock came on my door.

It was an employee of the Los Angeles Clippers, a frazzled looking woman in her mid-forties. She said the owner, Donald Sterling, wanted to speak with me. Although it'd mean I'd miss my flight, an opportunity like that didn't happen every day, so I went to see him.

The upshot of our conversation was that his GM was paying too much money out to Pooh Richardson and Lamond Murray and running the risk of going over budget. He'd overheard at me Jose O'Kelly's and liked my ideas for changing the team. If I promised to run a cheap roster, I could become the new general manager, at a much lower salary than my predecessor of course, due to my lack of experience.

I knew he was a cheapskate and didn't care about winning, but I just had to take advantage of the challenge. And so I accepted.

The first thing I did was look at the roster.

Point Guard
Pooh Richardson
Terrific ball-handler and ultra-disciplined, with some stealing instincts. 29 years old and tied to a lengthy, overpaid contract. At least Sterling was right about one thing.

Terry Dehere
Average all around 24 year old guard. He looked like a capable backup to me, but not one I wanted to start. 2 years remaining on his deal.

Brent Barry
Raw 24 year old rookie with upside on defense, stealing and discipline. Why the PG listing I don't know, because he's clearly a swingman in size and game. Taken with the 15th overall pick and not worth it in my estimation.

Shooting Guard

Eric Piatowski
Long four year contract that's overpaid. 25 year old has the ability to develop into a good scoring 6th man, but coach Bill Fitch, who I can't fire because it costs money, hates him.

Small Forward

Malik Sealy
Great ballthief, but largely unremarkable outside of that. 26 and on a 2 year deal, so he's moveable.

Lamond Murray
Has the upside to be a good all-around player, but the 22 year old 2nd year player probably isn't worth the contract he has.

Power Forward

Loy Vaught
The team star. Great inside shooter and rebounder and respectable enough in the other categories. But he's not a franchise player by any means, and is probably better off as a #2 option. I'd like to keep him, but I may trade him if the right deal comes along.

Rodney Rogers
A 3 in every sense of the word, right down to the outside shooting genius. Could become a terrific scorer and has better consistency than most of the team, but we need to train him to be an outside shooter.

Quote:

Note: You can change a player's shooting preferences by being consistent with your player instructions. It won't happen right away, but as long as you keep giving the instructions, he will eventually change his shooting preferences as per the instructions. Thanks to the NLL for discovering this.

Bo Outlaw
Defense and shotblocking genius, who can only get better as a defender. Won't take a lot of shots, making him the perfect complement piece to a scorer. Needs lots of work on his discipline, however.

Logan Vander Velden
Scrub who could win a lot of free throw contests.

Center

Bison Dele
He's a 6'9 center. That's all you need to know, to know that he'll be traded. I hate short centers.

Stanley Roberts
7', 280 lb behemoth who can block a little bit and has a great inside shot, but that's it. Terrible rebounder, especially for his size.

Keith Tower
Scrub.

Projected Starting 5
PG Pooh Richardson
SG Lamond Murray
SF Malik Seal
PF Loy Vaught
C Bison Dele

Now it's time to blow that all to hell, while still keeping under the cap, like I promised Mr. Sterling. Funny thing was, he said he didn't care when I told him it'd be a rebuilding year. "Just make sure they come to the games", he said.

Heh.

Anyway, rolling up the sleeves time.

The first thing I do is pull off a trade to get a young player I really admired.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
SG Jalen Rose
PG Greg Grant

Denver Nuggets receive
C Bison Dele
SF Malik Sealy
Los Angeles Clippers 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
Rose is a borderline All-Star in the making, though he's raw yet. The 23 year old second year man from Michigan's Fab Five instantly steps in as the Clippers' starting SG and gives them a future outside threat to Loy Vaught's inside terror, a dynamic developing 1-2 punch for the Red and White. Rose is also capable of playing anywhere from 1-3, immense value in versatility as new GM Jestor tries to build the team. Grant is salary filler. The trade also puts the Clippers $4 million under the cap, which has to please tightfisted owner Donald Sterling.

What this means for the Nuggets
This was an insurance trade. SF Dale Ellis is 35 and starter SF LaPhonso Ellis is notoriously injury-prone and inconsistent. Sealy gives them a solid, dependable young reserve and Dele provides depth to an anemic frontcourt bench. The 98 2nd will likely be not worth much, as the Clippers finally appear to have competent management.

Winner: Clippers
What are the Nuggets doing trading away Rose for two depth players and a 2nd round pick? This deal makes absolutely no sense. New Clippers GM Jestor gets a huge steal in his first move.

I also tried to trade Rodney Rogers in the deal, but nobody wants his contract, so I think we're stuck with him for a couple seasons yet, unless he develops.

We need a new point guard, too, but Pooh, like Rogers, is untradeable, because of his contract. So is Lamond Murray, I come to find out. Damn those ugly contracts. Ditto Eric Piatowski. I'm starting to hate my predecessor.

But finally, we work out a trade and still manage to shed an ugly contract.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PG B.J. Armstrong
SF Chris Mullin
Golden State Warriors 1998 1st round pick

Golden State Warriors receive
PG Brent Barry
C Stanley Roberts
Los Angeles Clippers 1996 2nd round pick
Los Angeles Clippers 1997 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
The Clippers eat some of that cap space they freed up in the previous deal and take on Armstrong, a 28 year old and better floor general than Pooh Richardson, along with Mullin, who at 32 is no longer the great player he once was. Mullin will still become the new starting SF, though, Armstrong the top PG off the bench. Hard to predict the 1998 pick value this far out, though it'll probably be a late first.

What this means for the Warriors
Barry has 1-3 versatility, which will immensely help out Golden State's bench. The 15th overall pick is also a possible future starter at SF once Jerome Kersey's contract expires after this season. Roberts is a marginal upgrade over Clifford Rozier and Andrew DeClercq as a third-string center and comes with a bad contract. The Clippers should still be bad this year, in what promises to be one of the deepest draft classes in history, but that still doesn't change the fact that they gave away a 98 1st for two players who are iffy to be worth it.

Winner: Draw
Roberts doesn't really make sense for the Warriors and Mullin doesn't make sense for the Clippers, who aren't anywhere close to being a contending team. Going with Armstrong over Barry is another illogical switch for the Clippers, which negates the shrewd move of the 98 1st. It's just an odd deal all around, although Barry could pan out well for Golden State, as they build around Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell and Joe Smith.

With so many untradeable contracts on the books, that's the end of the dealing for now.

Projected 1995-96 Los Angeles Clippers Opening Night Lineup
PG Pooh Richardson
SG Jalen Rose
SF Chris Mullin
PF Loy Vaught
C Bo Outlaw
6th Rodney Rogers (SF/PF/C)
7th B.J. Armstrong (PG)
8th Lamond Murray (SG/SF/PF)
9th Terry Dehere (PG/SG)
10th Eric Piatkowski (SG/SF)
11th Greg Grant (PG)
12th Logan Vander Walen (SF/PF)

Inactive
C Keith Tower

I'd rather B.J. over Pooh (and so would 99% of all men out there), but overall, it's a starting 5 I can be pretty happy with. Outlaw is a woefully undersized center, but he needs the playing time to develop.

Now to see how they do.

kobe360x · 03-31-2010, 11:51 PM

hopefully this dynasty will be as good as your new york one

Izulde · 04-01-2010, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kobe360x

hopefully this dynasty will be as good as your new york one

Thanks, though I make no promises.

Izulde · 04-01-2010, 12:14 AM

Our fearless owner might not want to win, but I sure as hell do.

The lineup loses its first game on Halloween Night, a 118-107 track meet with the Phoenix Suns. Chris Mullin fouls out in 12 minutes, going 1 for 5 in an inauspicious Clippers debut, ruining Loy Vaught's 24 points and 12 rebounds, Rodney Rogers's 15 points and 9 rebounds off the bench and B.J. Armstrong's 12 bench points.

Bill Fitch gets the crackheaded idea to start Rodney Rogers at center the next game, but it works, as Rogers puts up 15 points, 9 rebounds to go with Loy Vaught's 11 points, 16 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench boards to overcome the Kings 89-74 in Sacramento for our first win.

A back-to-back is up next with shocking results. First, we stun the Sonics 93-91 in Seattle on Loy Vaught's 29 points and 20 rebounds. with an 18 point, 7 rebound assist from Rodney Rogers, still at center. Then we lose 100-83 the next night to 0-3 Atlanta, allowing Andrew Lang of all people to score 27 on us. Yeah, about that Rodney Rogers at C idea, Bill? You may want to rethink it. Anyway, Loy Vaught is the man again with 23 points and 10 rebounds and Bo Outlaw leads the reserves with 10 bench rebounds of his own.

We have a tougher time than we should against the expansion Grizzlies, but still pull out the 86-75 win on Loy Vaught's 13 points and 21 rebounds, Pooh Richardson's pleasant 21 points and B.J. Armstrong's 11 bench points.

Ironically enough, our next two contests are against Denver and Golden State. Loy Vaught crushes the Nuggets for 35 points and 19 rebounds as we hammer them 104-80, help coming from Eric Piatowski's 12 bench points and Bo Outlaw's matching 12 reserve rebounds. But then Joe Smith holds Loy Vaught to a 1/11 night two evenings later and we fall 102-86 to the Warriors. Rodney Rogers rings up a ridiculous 30 points and 11 rebounds at center and Bo Outlaw and Eric Piatowski carry the second unit with 12 and 10 points respectively.

A doubleheader of home games against the Grizzlies and Mavericks is a nice tonic for our record. 101-81 victory over Vancouver comes courtesy of Loy Vaught's 22 points and an astounding 20 bench points from Bo Outlaw, B.J. Armstrong chipping in 10 sub points himself. We beat the Mavericks 94-81 in a game so odd, it deserves its box score posted:

Yep, the triple-double by Jason Kidd, 25 points from Jamal Mashburn, 20 rebounds from Lorenzo Williams of all people, and they still lose. Of course, George McCloud going 0/11 didn't help.

We've also got a number of nagging injuries, but I never talk about those unless it's the playoffs, so I'll follow that here, too.

Road back-to-back and we drop both. The 105-98 loss to the Lakers was damned annoying, spoiling as it did Jalen Rose's first 20 point game with us at 22, along with Loy Vaught's 19 points and 13 rebounds and Lamond Murray's 12 bench points. I hate losing to our crosstown rivals but I'll blame this one and the 92-71 loss to the Blazers on Bill Fitch, who now has Rodney Rogers at SF and Bo Outlaw at C again. 22 points from Rogers out of the 3 and 10 bench points from Lamond Murray, but it wasn't even close to enough.

A furious rally from the Nets in Los Angeles falls just short, and we escape with a 101-98 win, thanks to Loy Vaught's 28 points and 13 rebounds and 19 points from Lamond Murray, the new starter at SF, with Rodney Rogers back at C. How many different starting 3s are we going to have this year? Sheesh!

I'm hoping Bill Fitch comes up with a sane lineup against the Spurs, but he doesn't and so of course David Robinson rips us apart for 37 points and 10 rebounds in a 119-99 loss. So much for Loy Vaught's 22 points and 15 rebounds and 12 and 10 bench points from B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw, the latter of whom should have been the starting center.

Yet more dominating center fun in a road doubleheader. I'm sure you're not shocked to hear we got our asses kicked. First, Hakeem Olajuwon makes everybody foul him en route to 36 points, with Bo Outlaw at center. Loy Vaught rises to the challenge with an impressive 39 point, 13 rebound, 5 assist, 4 steal game, but 18 points from Jalen Rose and 14 bench points from Lamond Murray is the only support he gets. As for the 124-78 beatdown from the Spurs the next night, let's just say the whole damn team sucked (highest scorer was 3 with 13 points) and be done with it.

Then, just in case we hadn't gotten the message yet that we're not a legit team despite a 6-3 start, the Bulls cornhole us 90-59. Lamond Murray with 15 bench points is our high scorer, as we've Chris Mullin and Rodney Rogers at SF and C respectively.

So here's to losing 6 of the last 7 and dropping down to 7-9, second to last in the Pacific, 5 games away from 12-4 Seattle, our division leaders, and two games in front of the Sacramento Kings.

11-2 San Antonio is shocking as they enjoy a 2.5 game edge over Houston... and... Minnesota. Yeah, the Timberwolves, who normally suck the first year. The Grizzlies do their usual fast start before falling apart, and are 4-12.

The Bucks are 1-13, worst in the league, but it's the Nuggets who have really crashed, at 2-12. And their only injury is Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf's broken wrist, which didn't happen until the 18th.

Out East, Orlando's 13-3, 5.5 up on the trainwrecking 7-8 New York Knicks and 12-3 Chicago's just a game ahead of the 12-5 Hornets, who are always a dangerous team here.

Interesting season. Can't wait to see the rest of it.

Oh. Clipper stat updates.

Scorers
Loy Vaught - 18.9
Rodney Rogers - 12.6
Jalen Rose - 11.4

Rebounders
Loy Vaught - 12.3
Rodney Rogers - 6.3
Bo Outlaw - 5.9

Assists
B.J. Armstrong - 3.8
Pooh Richardson - 3.7
Chris Mullin - 3.2
Jalen Rose - 3.1

Steals
Loy Vaught - 1.4
Rodney Rogers - 1.4
Chris Mullin - 1.3

Blocks
Bo Outlaw - 1.4
Chris Mullin - 1.1
Rodney Rogers - 0.9

Izulde · 04-02-2010, 05:06 AM

I actually hate L.A. as a city, which makes it a bit odd that I'm going with the Clippers, but I can pretend I live in San Diego and commute or something. I hate losing 6 of 7 games even more.

It does my heart good to see us shock the Magic 109-99. Loy Vaught does his thing with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and Bo Outlaw pops in 19 bench points. Underrated scorer? Why, yes! Oh yeah, B.J. Armstrong also added in 15 bench points.

No trades last month, by the way. Not a surprise.

On the road we go to the M-Midwest teams on consecutive nights. The Bucks fall 85-81, as Loy Vaught's 21 points and 10 rebounds lead the way, but what really allowed us to win was our bench outscoring theirs, 22-8. In fact, Todd Day was the lone Milwaukee reserve to score. It's a 93-89 sweep against the Timberwolves, courtesy of Loy Vaught's 24 points and 13 rebounds, Rodney Rogers's 16 points and 11 rebounds and Lamond Murray's 12 bench points. As much as Rogers at center is driving me crazy, he isn't horrible there, I guess.

The Pacers remind us we're still a middling team, crushing us 103-88 in Indiana. B.J. Armstrong was electric with 20 points, but doobeedoobeedoo, we slid in suckiness for the rest of it.

93-79 loss to the Cavs in Cleveland, making us 2-2 on the Central road trip, which is about what I figured. 17 points, 12 rebounds from Loy Vaught and that's all that's interesting.

Back home versus the Heat, we continue our mastery of Florida teams, whipping Miami 96-70. A pair of 21s in points and rebounds from Loy Vaught and matching 17 points from Jalen Rose and Pooh Richardson gives us the balance to lay the blackjack smackdown on Alonzo Mourning's boys.

If you told me before the game that Kendall Gill would smack us around for 28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks and that we'd lose 99-91 to the Hornets, I'd have called you drunkie, but that's what happened. And so we fritter away Loy Vaught's 22 points and Lamond Murray's 12 bench points. I'm shocked it was that close, because Charlotte had 4 players with double-doubles.

Kendal Gill: 28 points, 13 rebounds
Larry Johnson: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists
Glen Rice: 11 points, 14 rebounds
Matt Geiger: 10 points, 11 rebounds

No double-double for Mugsy Bogues, although he did chip in 12 points.

Pooh Richardson bruises his sternum in practice, so B.J. Armstrong gets the start and shoots the Bullets for 21 points in a 101-92 that makes us 3-0 this month against the Atlantic. Loy Vaught dominated as usual with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 3 steals and Rodney Rogers got his occasional center double-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds. Note to Bill Fitch: Please keep B.J. going. Thanks!

Oh look, another freaky lineup! Pooh Richardson starts again, but now it's Chris Mullin at SG, Rodney Rogers at SF and Bo Outlaw at C. It's strange, but it works, leading us to a 96-89 win over the Kings. All five starters score 11 or better, headlined by Chris Mullin's 18 points and Loy Vaught's 12 points and 19 rebounds. Jalen Rose and Lamond Murray pace the bench with 12 points each.

A dogfight in Denver goes our way, 88-83. Loy Vaught carries us with 19 points and 13 rebounds, but I'd be remiss in not mentioning Jalen Rose and Lamond Murray powering the second team with 13 and 12 points again.

A Southern road doubleheader is famously hospitable. Pooh Richardson's tired of me bitching about him and goes berserk for 32 points, while laughing Loy Vaught chimes in with 22 points, 12 rebounds in our 95-88 triumph over the Hawks. Then the Hornets go down 117-105 in an awesome scoring fest. Loy Vaught leads the charge with 27 points and 15 rebounds, Rodney Rogers scores 20 and Jalen Rose adds 12 bench points. Pooh Richardson's still on a mission, just missing the 20 point mark with 19.

Our road trip in the South continues in Florida against the revenge-minded Magic and Heat on back-to-back nights. Orlando gets their wish, enchanting us 110-83. Loy Vaught's 17 points and 12 rebounds and Jalen Rose's umpteenth 12 bench point showing can't save us. But that's okay, because we pound the Heat 103-83 with Loy Vaught's 19 points and 15 rebounds, Pooh Richardson's 21 points, 15 bench points from Jalen Rose and 10 points in 7 minutes from B.J. Armstrong. Hoowhah!

Then the Pacers spoil our New Year's party, beating us 97-88. Loy Vaught's 27 points and B.J. Armstrong's 10 bench points can't do it by themselves.

All in all, a damn fine month to close out the calendar year. We're above .500 at 17-14, 7 games behind Seattle and 4th place in the Pacific. If the playoffs started today, we'd be the #7 seed, going against the Sonics, who we already beat once this year. San Antonio's continued their torrid form at 23-5, four games better than the Rockets. Denver and Vancouver are now both 8-22.

Orlando's 21-9, 2.5 up on the Knicks in a two-team race. The Central features 26-3 Chicago with a 4 game edge on the Pacers. Milwaukee's last in the league at 4-20. They'll get a high pick to go with Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson and Vin Baker and start kicking ass, I'm sure.

Clippers Leaders

Points
Loy Vaught - 19.6
Rodney Rogers - 11.9
Chris Mullin - 11.6
Pooh Richardson - 11.6
Jalen Rose - 11.5

Assists
Pooh Richardson - 3.9
Chris Mullin - 3.8
B.J. Armstrong - 3.4

Rebounds
Loy Vaught - 12.6
Bo Outlaw - 6.1
Rodney Rogers - 6.0
(Falls off a cliff here. 3.8 is next highest (Pooh))

Blocks
Bo Outlaw - 1.7
Chris Mullin - 1.4
Jalen Rose - 0.8
Rodney Rogers - 0.8

Steals
Chris Mullin - 1.6
Rodney Rogers - 1.5
Loy Vaught - 1.3

Mullin, you are officially our Glue Guy.

Autumn · 04-02-2010, 09:45 AM

You know I love Bo. Glad to see him getting some play here. You just don't have anyone who can dish the ball though, huh?

Izulde · 04-02-2010, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

You know I love Bo. Glad to see him getting some play here. You just don't have anyone who can dish the ball though, huh?

Me too. The annoying part is, B.J. can dish the ball, but Coach Fitch insists on starting Pooh at PG. Suppose I can't complain too much, though, with our above-.500 record.

Izulde · 04-02-2010, 08:49 PM

I'm stunned when I find out not a single trade happened in December, either.

25 points from Chris Mullin and 18 bench points from Jalen Rose isn't quite enough to overcome the scorching Suns' offense in a 106-99 loss to start the month.

We comfort ourselves with a 110-98 beatdown of the Grizzlies, Loy Vaught tops with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists among all five starters scoring 12 or more. Jalen Rose again headlines the bench with 14 points.

107-80 loss to the Suns in Phoenix, with only Bo Outlaw (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Loy Vaught (14 points, 12 rebounds) looking alive in the desert heat.

Chris Mullin has his best game in a Clippers uniform with 27 points, 10 assists and 3 steals in a 105-86 managing of Minnesota. Loy Vaught chimes in with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Eric Piatowski is a scoring burst good for 13 points in 17 minutes.

I'm as shocked as anyone when we destroy the Rockets 113-98. Chris Mullin scores 27 for the second game in a row. He's having a monster January. Loy Vaught's Old Reliable with 22 points and 17 rebounds and I'm thrilled to see Pooh Richardson and Terry Dehere with 14 and 15 bench points respectively. Jalen Rose finally starts at PG again and dishes 10 assists.

A long break gives Bill Fitch ideas and he goes back to the Pooh/Jalen/Mullin/Loy/Rogers lineup, which allows the Knicks to smack us about 93-70. Loy Vaught's 17 points and 16 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points are the lone highlights.

All our December momentum is dying now. We drop both ends of a home doubleheader, losing 115-108 to the Lakers despite all 5 starters with 12 or more points and B.J. Armstrong with 14 bench points, and the Jazz lower the boom 95-72, despite B.J. Armstrong starting at PG. Bo Outlaw and Lamond Murray scored 10 each for the second team, but that was it.

Dikembe Mutombo just misses the triple double with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 9 blocks and we just escape with the 117-113 win over the Nuggets. Chris Mullin scores 27, his favorite number, and B.J. Armstrong shoots in 22 points. Lamond Murray headed up the reserves with 10 points.

We stomp Seattle for the second time this season, 110-94, on the strength of 3 players scoring 20+ points: Loy Vaught (21 points, 11 rebounds), Chris Mullin (22 points) and Jalen Rose (20 points). We also got support from Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points.

An expected doubleheader split is up next, part of 4 games in 5 days. We fend off the Mavericks 110-102 with all five starters scoring 13 or more, led by Loy Vaught and Rodney Rogers's double-doubles of 17 points, 10 rebounds and 18 points, 10 rebounds respectively. B.J. Armstrong pops in 11 bench points. Then the Spurs rally to beat us 113-105 in San Antonio, negating Pooh Richardson and Chris Mullin's 27 and 22 points a piece.

We polish off January with a pair of sweet back-to-back wins. First is a gritty, 79-65 defensive win over the Jazz, with Rodney Rogers grabbing boards left and right en route to a 14 point, 17 rebound double-double. Loy Vaught's good for 14 points and 10 rebounds himself and Bo Outlaw is his standard steady 10 bench point self. The Raptors give us a scare the next night, but Pooh Richardson scores 24, Loy Vaught hauls in 12 points and 17 rebounds and Bo Outlaw comes up with 10 bench points to save us, 94-89.

25-20 means we had a +2 increase this month, but that still places us 7th in the West, 8 games behind the Sonics, who are 3.5 up on Golden State, 33-9 San Antonio's same margin over the Rockets in the Midwest.

The Knicks and Magic are deadlocked atop the Atlantic, with the third place Bullets a distant 10 games behind. 40-4 Chicago is 6.5 up on the Pacers and the Hornets are even further back than the Bullets at 11.5 for third in the Central.

Clippers Stats Leaders

Points
Loy Vaught - 18.4
Chris Mullin - 13.8
Pooh Richardson - 12
Jalen Rose - 12

Assists
Pooh Richardson - 4.3
Chris Mullin - 3.7
B.J. Armstrong - 3.5
Jalen Rose - 3.4

Rebounds
Loy Vaught - 11.9
Rodney Rogers - 6.4
Bo Outlaw - 6

Blocks
Bo Outlaw - 1.8
Chris Mullin - 1.3
Rodney Rogers 0.8

Steals
Chris Mullin - 1.4
Rodney Rogers - 1.4
Loy Vaught - 1.3

Rodney seems to be adapting better to the center spot than I thought. Maybe Bill Fitch really does know what he's doing.

Izulde · 04-04-2010, 04:26 AM

Still no trades, which I think is a record of some kind.

We hammer Golden State 101-86 as Loy Vaught goes off for 27 points and 11 rebounds and Lamond Murray and Bo Outlaw contribute 12 and 11 bench points to kick off February.

A 109-108 heartbreaker in Houston on the front end of a doubleheader spoils Chris Mullin's 22 points, Loy Vaught's 18 points and 20 rebounds, all five starters with 11 points or more and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 13 and 12 points with the second unit. The sting's only brief, as we win the next night in Denver, 97-89 on Jalen Rose's 25 point, 8 assist, 7 rebound gem. Pooh Richardson scores 26 and Loy Vaught pulls down 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Bo Outlaw starts at center our next game, Chris Mullin the 15 point 6th man in our 94-84 victory over the Celtics. Team balance won us that game with Mullin the only statistical standout.

Our terrific run of form continues with an 84-64 squashing of the Blazers with Rodney Rogers back at center, although it's Loy Vaught's 20 points and 13 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points that carry us in the final game before All-Star weekend, which also has games scheduled during it because of how Nephrinn set up the schedule in the mod.

We've had our first two trades of the season this month, so I'll report on them now rather than with next month.

Boston Celtics receive
Cleveland Cavaliers 1996 1st round pick

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
SF Rick Fox

What this means for the Celtics
Boston's 18-32 and one of the least talented teams in the league, so trading for a first round pick in the most loaded class in NBA history to date makes a lot of sense. On the other hand, the Cavaliers are currently 29-20 and tied for the 5th seed with the Indiana Pacers.

What this means for the Cavaliers
Fox has really struggled shooting this season, but he's a good all-around 26 year old player with considerable defensive upside. He gives the Cavaliers a much-needed young player at SF, where he now starts as an upgrade over Dan Majerle. With Terrell Brandon and Danny Ferry on the roster, Fox doesn't feel the pressure to score and he can be more relaxed, which should translate into a better performance in the second half.

Winner: Cleveland
Even given the draft class's depth, the likely late first round pick means it's iffy that the Cavaliers will find a player who fits their team as well as Fox projects to, so it's a shrewd trade for Cleveland. It will be interesting seeing who Boston gets with the pick, however.

Golden State Warriors receive
PG Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Denver Nuggets 1996 2nd round pick

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Donyell Marshall
PF David Wood

What this means for the Warriors
MAR is a pure jolt of scoring and an excellent fit as the Warriors' 6th man, who had little in the way of bench offense until picking Rauf up. The 2nd round pick projects to be a high one in the bargain.

What this means for the Nuggets
Marshall is raw, but has some good all-around upside. Unfortunately, it's doubtful he'll see much playing time behind LaPhonso Ellis or Antonio McDyess. On the other hand, both Ellis and McDyess have durability issues, so he may get more PT than expected. Wood is roster filler.

Winner: Golden State
Excellent pickup by the Warriors. Denver's front office continues to make illogical moves. Without Jalen Rose and MAR on the team anymore, their guard play is atrocious. Then again, perhaps this is the 15-35 team's way of tanking to try and get the best pick possible in the upcoming draft.

We do some shopping and I found out that some teams are willing to take on long contracts after all as we make a trade.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
SF Stacey Augmon
PF Grant Long

Atlanta Hawks receive
SF Lamond Murray
SF Eric Piatowski

What this means for the Clippers
Augmon is a disciplined defensive ace and young enough at 27 to be around for quite a while longer. He can line up anywhere from 2-4, although the former UNLV star is best suited to the swingman spots. Long, 29, is a quality all-around player and no slouch on defense himself. His shooting has suffered this year, but he should do better moving to the Clippers, who have more offensive weapons than the Hawks. For now, Augmon projects to come off the bench, with Long the starting SF.

What this means for the Hawks
Murry has been a solid reserve for the Clippers, but he'll start at SF in Atlanta, where he'll get the time he needs to develop his scoring instincts and become the breath of offense the Hawks lack. Piatowski has upside as a role scorer himself and will see more than the 10 minutes a game he's been getting in LA.

Winner: Draw
Both teams exchange two long contracts and although the proof will be in the playing out, from our standpoint, the Hawks and Clippers both got what they needed. L.A. needed to beef up their defense for their playoff run and the Hawks, likely lottery candidates, got younger players who could develop into point producers.

The new lineup Bill Fitch hands me after the trade goes:
PG Jalen Rose
SG Chris Mullin
SF Grant Long
PF Loy Vaught
C Rodney Rogers
6th Pooh Richardson (PG)

Although I'm not thrilled with Pooh as the 6th man, I can live with it, I suppose.

All-Star Games
The Sophomores beat the Rookies 91-81, with Jalen Rose appearing for the second years. 13 minutes and 1/6 shooting were bad, but he hit all four of his free throws to finish with 7 points.

Loy Vaught represented us in the All-Star game itself, but didn't play, as the East beat the West 108-104, with a balanced offense, even though 21 point Clyde Drexler was voted MVP.

We played a doubleheader against the Lakers during All-Star weekend and beat them twice for the first two times this season. Game 1 was an ugly 92-88 win, Stacey Augmon and Bo Outlaw bailing us out with 12 and 11 bench points. Grant Long had 14 points and 7 rebounds in his Clippers debut. The next night was a scorefest and we ran out 113-104 winners on Loy Vaught's 24 points and 15 rebounds and 14 and 13 bench points from Terry Dehere and Bo Outlaw.

One last look around at the trade deadline and we pull off one more deal, just for kicks.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
Los Angeles Lakers 1996 1st round pick
Los Angeles Lakers 1998 1st round pick
Los Angeles Lakers 1996 2nd round pick
Los Angeles Lakers 1997 2nd round pick
Los Angeles Lakers 1998 2nd round pick

Los Angeles Lakers receive
PG Terry Dehere
Los Angeles Clippers 1996 1st round pick
Golden State Warriors 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
GM Jestor just cashed himself a boatload of draft picks, picking up three second round picks and moving up into the late lottery or mid 1st round by dealing away Dehere.

What this means for the Lakers
Magic Johnson and Sedale Threatt are both ancient and while they have Nick Van Exel as the point guard of the future, Dehere gives them a good quality backup point guard of the future and improves the Lakers' depth overall. Also, the first round drop isn't as deep as you might expect. The Clippers are tied for the 6th spot in the playoff race with the Jazz and who knows how good their new lineup will really turn out to be.

Winner: Draw
It's probably the edge to the Clippers, but it's too difficult to say how those 98 1st round picks are going to turn out, especially since the Lakers should be bad again in 97, which could open the door for them to land someone like, say, Tim Duncan.

Golden State kills us 102-78 on the front end of a doubleheader, Stacey Augmon's 12 bench points our sad little solo highlight. Then the Sonics beat us 96-85 the night after, even though Stacey Augmon pairs his 16 bench points with Loy Vaught's 16 and 12 points and rebounds. I blame Pooh Richardson's return to the starting lineup.

That home loss to Seattle also signifies the end of the trading deadline. Let's look at the moves since the Nuggets/Warriors trade (besides our own, of course).

New York Knicks receive
SF George McCloud
Dallas Mavericks 1996 2nd round pick

Dallas Mavericks receive
PG Charlie Ward

What this means for the Knicks
McCloud's a solid all-around player able to cover the 2-4 spots. Averaged 12.8 points a game as the Mavericks' 6th man, a role he reprises with the Knicks. Went 7/11 for 19 points his first game in New York, but he's good enough to be a starter at SG and he knows it, so he could cause locker room problems like he did in Dallas. 2nd rounder is a high one.

What this means for the Mavericks
The Mavericks dump a locker room cancer and get back a 3 point specialist in Ward, who wasn't getting much time in New York, not that he projects to in Dallas, either. At least he isn't likely to complain about it.

Winner: New York
If the Knicks can keep McCloud happy, he's that titanic wave of scoring they need off the bench to challenge the East's other elite teams. Ward may be 25, but with Jason Kidd there, there's simply not that many minutes for him in the Big D.

Chicago Bulls receive
SG Steve Smith

Atlanta Hawks receive
SF Dickey Simpkins
PF Jack Haley
C James Edwards

What this means for the Bulls
The 26 year old Smith is inconsistent, but he continues the theme we've seen this trade deadline of contenders picking up legitimate 6th men (see: Golden State, New York). A huge void filled for Da Bulls by getting a good all-around player and a nice counter to the Knicks' getting McCloud. Even better, Smith's a $2.6 million expiring contract.

What this means for the Hawks
Atlanta officially waves the white flag on the 1996 season by trading Smith for a trio of scrubs. Besides making the team worse overall and improving their chances of a great 1st round pick, the best thing about this deal for the Hawks is moving recent acquisition Eric Piatowski to the starting lineup at SG for development time.

Winner: Draw
This deal fits the ultimate end goal for both parties, even though it's lopsided in terms of the talent.

Nice to see Piatowski and Murray both get starting jobs with Atlanta. I always felt Eric deserved more PT than he had with us and Lamond wasn't going to develop well unless he became a starter somewhere.

But we're not done reviewing trades yet.

Charlotte Hornets receive
C Dikembe Mutombo

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Joe Wolf
C Robert Parish
Charlotte Hornets 1996 1st round pick

What this means for the Hornets
Mr. Rice, Mr. Johnson, meet your new best friend, Mr. Mutombo. A passing god at center and a deity without equal in defense and shotblocking, Mutombo gives the Hornets the last piece to the puzzle they needed, a dominating center. Better yet, he won't shoot the ball, deferring instead to The Natural and Grandmama. An absolutely brilliant piece of work by the Hornets. Oh, and if Charlotte decides, $3.2 million can be theirs if they renounce their rights to Mutombo this offseason.

What this means for the Nuggets
The Chief was cut immediately, so this boils down to Wolf and the Hornets' 96 1st for Mutombo. Wolf can play a little defense, but otherwise is forgettable. And with the Hornets currently sitting 5th in the East, the pick won't be worth much. At best, this trade makes the Nuggets that much worse and it's a tank move. When Bison Dele is your new starting center, you have problems.

Winner: Charlotte
We can't use the Hawks defense in favor of Denver here. Mutombo is just that godly.

I always liked the Chief, and the only true center we have on the roster is the scrub known as Keith Tower, with the $3.8 million in cap space we have after trading Terry Dehere, I call 42 year old Robert Parish and sign him, condemning Tower to the inactive list. And we still have cap space, which makes Donald Sterling happy.

Back on the court, we beat the Spurs 116-109, courtesy of Pooh Richardson's 20 points, Loy Vaught's 19 points and 12 rebounds and second-teamers B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 14 and 11 points.

The Kings are our next victims to the tune of 108-98, with Chris Mullin at SG and Jalen Rose at PG. Loy Vaught puts up 20 points and 10 rebounds and Stacey Augmon unleashes a torrential 21 points from the bench, Pooh Richardson adding to the downpour with 11 bench points of his own.

Loy Vaught finishes February in fantastic form with 30 points and 17 rebounds in our 96-68 beatdown of the Pistons. Jalen Rose gets a rare for us PG double-double of 11 points and 14 assists and supersub Stacey Augmon connects with 11 points.

We now stand 34-23, 8 games out from the 42-15 Sonics, who are 5.5 in front of Phoenix. Our playoff position has moved up to the 6th seed, which would pit us against the Rockets, who are 4 games behind the 41-15 Spurs in the Midwest.

39-19 Orlando has a 2 game edge on the Knicks, while 51-7 Chicago is 5.5 games clear of the Pacers.

League Leaders

Points
Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls - 28.7
Mitch Richmond - Sacramento Kings - 25.1
Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets - 24.7

Assists
John Stockton - Utah Jazz - 11.6
Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks - 10.2
Kevin Johnson - Phoenix Suns - 9

Rebounds
Dennis Rodman - Chicago Bulls - 14.1
Dikembe Mutombo - Charlotte Hornets - 12.9
Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics - 12.5

Blocks
Dikembe Mutombo - Charlotte Hornets - 4.4
Shawn Bradley - Philadelphia 76ers - 3.8
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 2.9

Rookies Leaders

Points
Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors - 19.6
Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors - 14.9
Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 11.7

Assists
Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors - 8.5
Tyus Edney - Sacramento Kings - 5.7
Michael Finley - Phoenix Suns - 2.8

Rebounds
Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors - 8.4
Kurt Thomas - Miami Heat - 8
Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 6.8

Blocks
Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors - 2.1
Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 1.7
Jerry Stackhouse - Philadelphia 76ers - 1.1

Steals
Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors - 1.7
Eric Williams - Boston Celtics - 1.2
Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 1.2

Los Angeles Clippers Leaders

Points
Loy Vaught - 18.4
Chris Mullin - 13.5
Jalen Rose - 12.6

Assists
Pooh Richardson - 4.4
Jalen Rose - 3.9
Chris Mullin - 3.7

Rebounds
Loy Vaught - 12
Grant Long - 9
Rodney Rogers - 6.1

Blocks
Bo Outlaw - 1.8
Chris Mullin - 1.1
Rodney Rogers - 0.9

Steals
Chris Mullin - 1.4
Rodney Rogers - 1.4
Stacey Augmon - 1.4

Autumn · 04-04-2010, 07:40 AM

I think in my run on this roster there were no trades the entire first year, so that must just be something about this roster. And one of the few trades that ended up happening was Mutumbo (in this case to the Lakers). Similarly Denver traded him for next to nothing that time too. I wonder why Denver's so eager to suck in this roster. The weirdest thing was that Mutumbo got no playing time once in Denver. I'll be interested to see what he does in Charlotte, keep us posted.

Some interesting trades here all around. Should be interesting to see how you do with Long, Augmon, Outlaw and Vaught. A nice core there.

Izulde · 04-04-2010, 01:04 PM

Well in the stints I've had with this set, usually November is tradeless, but December brings in a trade or two, so it varies.

I can see why the Nuggets trade Mutombo so much. He's an expiring contract and one that can fetch considerable value. Seems like a lot of times they end up with Rahim and Camby to replace Mutombo, which is kind of interesting.

What, no love for Rose?

He and Outlaw are the two best players to get cheaply from the AI in the roster set IMO, kind of like Ben Gordon in the default roster. Of course, they're also the players human GMs in MP leagues are smart enough to demand a king's ransom for.

Autumn · 04-04-2010, 05:29 PM

Ha, no Rose is a good grab too. And it's nice to see someone taking advantage of Vaught. He's such a solid player.

Izulde · 04-08-2010, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

Ha, no Rose is a good grab too. And it's nice to see someone taking advantage of Vaught. He's such a solid player.

Agreed on both counts. I've been tempted periodically to trade Loy, but in this era, he *WAS* the Clippers. Plus, he's so damn good, he deserves to be on a good Clippers team for once.

Izulde · 04-08-2010, 05:07 PM

March goes in like a lion with a long, nasty East conference road trip, starting off with a back to back in metropolises New York and Boston. Our trades have really punched up our depth, as we surprise the Knicks 108-104 on Loy Vaught's 22 points, Jalen Rose's 13 points and 13 assists and 3 bench players with 14 or 15 points. Namely: Rodney Rogers - 15 points, and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson with 14 each. Yes, there was another lineup change, but there have been so many, I'll refrain from commenting on the rest of them The next night is a comfortable 96-84 win over the Celtics via Chris Mullin's 20 points and 14 and 10 bench points from Pooh Richardson and Stacey Augmon.

The Bullets are the ones to get shot up in a 112-94 gunning. We shoot 56.2% against them, led by Chris Mullin's 33 points and second team members Bo Outlaw (14 points), Stacey Augmon (13 points) and Pooh Richardson (11 points). I love our depth.

We sweep the 5 game record trip, knocking out the 76ers and Pistons on back-to-back nights. 99-87 in Philly, with Jalen Rose dropping in 21 from the SG spot and Rodney Rogers and B.J. Armstrong keying the reserves with 13 and 10 points each. The Pistons and Grant Hill's 30 points and 10 rebounds threw a scare into us, but we come out on top 96-92 as Loy Vaught finally snaps out of his slump for 19 points and 12 rebounds, Grant Long puts up 18 points, 13 rebounds at center and all five starters score 12+ points, including Stacey Augmon, starting at SG in place of Jalen Rose's banged-up hip.

A couple days off and another back-to-back. We win a wild 127-106 no-defense game against the Dallas Mavericks in L.A. Jalen Rose is back in the lineup and scores 29, Bo Outlaw and B.J. Armstrong helping him out with 12 and 11 bench points. But then all this traveling catches up to us and we shoot for crap (37.8%) in a 93-70 loss in Portland. Loy Vaught scores 26 and B.J. Armstrong scores 10 bench points, but that's it.

By the way, we seem to have settled on a new lineup of Pooh/Rose/Mullin/Vaught/Long. I don't expect that to hold form, however, because Bill Fitch can never get fully settled on who to play anywhere except Loy.

Up to Seattle we fly and lose a tough one, 100-91. Great games by Chris Mullin (20 points), Loy Vaught (15 points, 10 rebounds), Grant Long (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Bo Outlaw (12 points, 9 rebounds as a reserve), but it's just short.

Three game losing streak now after a 100-93 drop to the T-Wolves. 21 points out of Jalen Rose, 14 points, 10 rebounds from Loy Vaught and 10 bench points from Rodney Rogers. I think Loy's starting to hit a wall a little bit.

Pathetic Philadelphia patriotically bows down and we snap the losing in a 103-85 win. Grant Long posts 20 points and 12 rebounds, perhaps his best game in a Red and White uniform, and Rodney Rogers and Pooh Richardson top the reserves with 18 and 10 points respectively.

Kevin Johnson triple-doubles for 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but we still escape the desert with a thrilling 111-106 victory, our 27-22 first quarter lead the difference. Jalen Rose and Grant Long score 26 and 20, while Loy Vaught doubles for 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Loy Vaught welcomes the Bucks to a 20 point, 10 rebound smacking and Rodney Rogers scores 12 bench points in a coaster of a 97-81 win.

We beat Cleveland 95-82 a couple nights later for a remarkably close repeat score. Loy Vaught rises for 19 points and 14 rebounds, Chris Mullin scores 12 off the bench and all five starters hit 11 points or more.

March ends with a three-game road trip, including a back-to-back against Bulls and Wolves. Chicago tops us 95-83 in spite of Loy Vaught's 25 and 10 and Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points, but we rebound the evening after, revenging ourselves in Minneapolis by a 97-93 line. Chris Mullin erupts for 23 points, Loy Vaught adds a quiet 12 points, 11 rebounds and Jalen Rose headlines the second team with 12 points of his own. For whatever reason, the Timberwolves match up really, really well against us.

The last game of March trips over into April, as we've a doubleheader on tap. We beat the Raptors 104-92, Loy Vaught's 23 points and 12 rebounds conspiring with Jalen Rose's 21 points and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 12 and 10 second unit points to fell the home team. You know it's defense that wins the game when 18 points (Loy Vaught) is the leading scorer for both sides. Felt more like a college game, but I'll take the 83-64 win over the Nets. 10 bench points from Chris Mullin, by the by, on this April Fool's night.

8 games left in the season, so I'm going to go ahead and report on them all now. Incidentally, we're presently 47-27, 6.5 games out of first place, so we won't win the division. On the other hand, we're currently the #5 seed and within striking distance of as high as the #3 seed. It's also possible we could drop back to the #6 seed by season's end, but a total collapse is the only way we fall to #7 seed.

110-80 crushing of the Mavericks is led by Loy Vaught's 22 points and 11 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 21 points and 15 and 14 bench points from Stacey Augmon and Chris Mullin.

We get a huge 97-83 home win against the Trailblazers on the backs of Loy Vaught (26 points), Grant Long (10 points, 12 rebounds), and Stacey Augmon (13 bench points). But Vaught strains his hamstring and Bo Outlaw strains his calf. Not a good time to pick up injuries.

But despite the injuries, we hold the Warriors to 36.7% shooting and get a critical 85-80 win. Jalen Rose was our lead scorer with 17 points, but Stacey Augmon's 12 bench points and Robert "The Chief" Parish's 11 bench rebounds were both huge. Feels great to see my nostalgia signing pay off.

Much to my amazement, the clutch wins just keep on coming. We nip the Jazz 94-83 on the front end of a doubleheader, Pooh Richardson's 18 points our lead, Stacey Augmon with 12 bench points. Our 102-78 lambasting in Sacramento the next night went much easier, as Jalen Rose shredded the Kings for 33 points and 4 steals, Rodney Rogers just missed the triple double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists and Stacey Augmon continued to be an on-fire 6th man with 16 points.

3 games left.

We shock the Jazz again, this time in Utah, 107-100. Jalen Rose and Stacey Augmon score 23 a piece and Chris Mullin has 11 bench points. It's exciting to watch Plastic Man and Rose kick so much tail right when we need them to.

2 games left and we've all but guaranteed ourselves the #4 seed and homecourt advantage in the first round. Now it's just a matter of if we can hang on to the #3 seed we currently own.

The best thing about the 104-81 hammering Houston gave us is the 10 point outings by benchmen Chris Mullin, Stacey Augmon and Robert Parish. The worst thing is B.J. Armstrong and Jalen Rose added to the list of nagging injuries.

We're still guaranteed the #4 seed after the Suns lost, but the Rockets' win may have just given them the #3 seed, as we're now tied. Fortunately, our last game is against the Grizzlies and we steamroll them 100-78. Loy Vaught electrifies with 24 points and 15 rebounds and Stacey Augmon and Jalen Rose put on a bench show of 18 and 16 points.

Unfortunately, Houston won too, so we'll have to wait and see what the results are. On the bright side, no new injuries, so we should be almost at 100% by the playoffs.

East Conference Playoff Seedings
1. Chicago Bulls (72-10)
2. Indiana Pacers (60-22)
3. Orlando Magic (56-26)
4. Charlotte Hornets (52-30)
5. New York Knicks (51-31)
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (45-37)
7. Washington Bullets (40-42)
8. Miami Heat (36-46)

West Conference Playoff Seedings
1. Seattle Supersonics (62-20)
2. San Antonio Spurs (61-21)
3. Houston Rockets (54-28)
4. Los Angeles Clippers (54-28)
5. Phoenix Suns (51-31)
6. Golden State Warriors (49-33)
7. Utah Jazz (46-36)
8. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)

Tough break here. We match up better against the Warriors than the Suns and probably better against the Spurs than the Sonics. I'm also not happy about the Lakers getting into the playoffs, as we go from guaranteed at-worst #13 to #16 or #17. Sure that's a lot better than #23 or #24, but considering I gave up a solid young reserve point guard in Terry Dehere, I was hoping to get more than a 6-8 spot jump. Ah well, we'll have to see how the 98 picks play out. Plus, there's the whole owning all the Lakers' 2nd round picks for the next three years.

If I had to guess, I'd say we've got a very good shot at getting into the second round, where Seattle will kill us. But hey, anything can happen in the postseason.

Autumn · 04-08-2010, 08:00 PM

Wow nice work. No huge wheeling and dealings yet you still hugely improved the team already.

Izulde · 04-09-2010, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

Wow nice work. No huge wheeling and dealings yet you still hugely improved the team already.

Oh I'd say there were a lot of huge wheelings and dealings.

I even traded my own 96 1st.

But yeah, I didn't touch Loy Vaught at all, who was my biggest trade piece. I'm very pleased with how the team turned out. I had us pegged for a #7 or #8 seed, not a #4 seed.

Izulde · 04-09-2010, 06:34 PM

First Playoff Berth For Clippers Since 1992-93

PF Loy Vaught has been the face of the franchise this season

Loy Vaught remembers the last time the Clippers made the playoffs. In 1993, they faced Hakeem Olajuwon's Houston Rockets and nearly pulled off the upset. Vaught was on the bench then and the Game 5 loss was a painful one.

"We thought sure we would do it, but we didn't", Vaught said. "But this team here, I like this team. I think we can definitely get to the second round, maybe even scare Seattle."

Indeed, there's reason for that quiet optimism. Unlike the '93 version, which relied heavily on Danny Manning, who ironically is now with the Suns, this iteration of the Clippers preaches team balance, led by stealing ability (9 per game - 7th in the league) and shooting accuracy (47.3% - 9th in league). They also rank 1st in fewest turnovers surrendered a game at 12.8 and give up just 6.7 steals a game, also tops in the NBA.

The Suns are just above the Clippers in steals, ranking 6th in the league, are 2nd in shooting accuracy at 48.6%, 6th in 3-point shooting (38.8%) and 2nd in points scored (100.2). However, their defense is nothing to write home about.

The preview:

Point Guard
Pooh Richardson vs. Kevin Johnson
You have to keep in mind that Clippers head coach Bill Fitch changes lineups more often than some people change underwear, so this is by no means set in stone. But Pooh averaged 11.3 points, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals in the regular season and while he's not the flashiest player or the true floor general GM Jestor prefers, he's the very epitome of the Clippers' No Turnover mantra.

When a guy averages 18.8 points, 9.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 51.4%, you know he's something special. And that is precisely what KJ is, a legitimate All-Star and franchise player. The only thing that can hold him back is injuries, and hold them back they have on occasion this year.

Advantage: Suns

Shooting Guard
Jalen Rose vs. Wesley Person
The Clippers brass loves Rose, the 6'8, 210 lb former Fab Five member who can play 1-3 brilliantly. Averaged 13.7 points, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals during the regular season. Mediocre defender, but the height and size mismatch he presents against smaller guards helps to make up for that.

Person's 6'6, 195 lbs, so he's not giving up that much to Rose. Posted near-identical numbers of 13.5 points and 1.2 steals. He's also a long-range sniper, converting 45.2% from long-range. It's going to be an interesting battle between these two second-year players to see who comes out on top.

Advantage: Draw

Small Forward
Grant Long vs. Michael Finley
Freed from the pressure of having to score after coming over in a deadline trade from Atlanta, Long's shooting accuracy jumped significantly with the Clippers. Between the two teams, he averaged 10.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals, splitting time between SF and C in Los Angeles. Solid all-around player, master of none, although he's a pretty darn good defender.

The rookie Finley reminds a lot of scouts of a super-charged version of Rose, with exceptional defensive potential. But as one remarked of the 21st overall pick, "He's not there yet. Another year or two of seasoning might do the trick." 10.3 points and 1.1 steals in 20 starts is a solid effort, though, and he showed flashes of becoming a future All-Star. Right now, he rates comparable to Long.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Loy Vaught vs. Danny Manning
What more needs to be said about Vaught, the Clippers' heart and soul? 17.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals. Like Rose, he's not a good defender, and if he were in a situation where he -had- to be the #1 guy, he'd be exposed, but on this team, he fits seamlessly into the overall balance.

How ironic. The old Clipper King faces off against the new, thanks to Sir Charles Barkley breaking his ankle in late March. Manning is a shadow of the player he once was, his 12.4 points, block and 1.2 steal per game nothing like the 21.1 points he averaged with the Clippers in that 92-93 season. He has little rebounding ability, which means a lot of second chances and point opportunities for Vaught.

Advantage: Clippers

Center
Rodney Rogers vs. Wayman Tisdale
Rogers is grossly undersized at 6'7 and an outside shooter, but yet, Fitch keeps insisting on him at center, a constant source of friction between the head coach and the GM. In spite of it, Rogers has posted 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals, respectable enough numbers.

Tisdale is a natural center at 6'9, but also a bit small. His game's limited to post scoring, and he averaged 8.9 points, largely as a reserve. Can't rebound worth a lick, a theme that seems to be common among Suns' bigs.

Advantage: Draw

Bench
The Red and White have a deep, talented bench as a result of all their lineup juggling. It starts with Chris Mullin of the 13.3 points, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks serving as the 6th man and ultimate glue guy, even at 32 years old. Then there's defensive specialist Stacey Augmon (9.7 points, 4 rebounds, 1.3 steals) and defense and blocking big man Bo Outlaw of the 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game. B.J. Armstrong is the top PG, a sweet-shooter who averaged 7.4 points and didn't get anywhere close to the playing time he deserved.

Look for A.C. Green, a 9 and 9 solid all-around player even at 32, to regain his starting center spot as he recovers from a back issue. Otherwise Elliot Perry's 7.6 points and 4.5 assists are the only other bench stats worthy of note.

Advantage: Clippers

Final Thoughts
Barkley's injury turns what would be a slight edge to the Suns into one that slightly favors the Clippers. Phoenix just doesn't have the depth, especially in the post, to be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Suns coaching staff is also going to have nightmares about the Clippers' versatility in lineups and you can expect Fitch will exploit that as much as possible. We see this one going the distance, with Jestor's Boys giving thanks for their homecourt advantage.
Prediction: Clippers in 7

Game One
It's as pumped a home crowd as we've had all year and although the Suns jump out to a 23-22 first quarter lead, we bury them 31-18 in the second quarter and that's the game right there. Pooh Richardson played splendidly with 25 points and Rodney Rogers and Wayman Tisdale fought to a 20 point a piece draw. Loy Vaught contributed a quiet 12 points and 11 rebounds and Stacey Augmon came up with 12 points, 8 rebounds off the bench. Besides Tisdale's 20, Kevin Johnson doubled with 14 points, 10 assists and A.C. Green fenced Augmon to another near-draw with 11 points and 9 rebounds as the 6th man. All that bashing I did of Pooh and he's the one who saved our butts in this game.
Final - Phoenix 89 Los Angeles 106

Game Two
How bad did we kick Phoenix's asses this game? So bad the lowest margin we won a quarter by was 7 points. The Suns had no way of stopping Loy Vaught this time, who burnt A.C. Green for 31 points. Pooh Richardson continued to shoot off the hook, going 8/10 for 20 points. Stacey Augmon added 10 bench points, Bo Outlaw 14 bench points. Best Phoenix could do was Kevin Johnson's 14 points, 11 assists and Wayman Tisdale's 12 bench points.
Final - Phoenix 87 Los Angeles 113

Game Three
I'm worried about complacency as we head to the desert with two easy wins under our belt. Sure enough, we get sloppy on defense and Kevin Johnson breaks out with a near triple-double of 23 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds. Wesley Person piles on 20 points and Wayman Tisdale and Thomas Streuvels chip in 13 and 11 bench points respectively. We muster up 21 points from Loy Vaught and 10 bench points from Stacey Augmon, but it's a whipping the other way in the end.
Final - Los Angeles 84 Phoenix 112

Game Four
Have we got the bad game out of our system? Well, Bo Outlaw and Stacey Augmon are good for 14 and 12 respective reserve points, but Kevin Johnson loves the heat and brings it for 22 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds and Wayman Tisdale goes off for 19 bench points. So, while the game was much closer, we still lost and now find ourselves in a 2-2 dogfight.
Final - Los Angeles 90 Phoenix 102

The Bulls sweep the Heat and the Pacers do the same to the Bullets. Bye-bye sub-.500 teams.

Game Five
Back home in L.A. and what happens? Kevin Johnson finally gets that triple-double with 33 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds. A.C. Green adds 10 points, 11 rebounds and Wayman Tisdale is again a bench beast with 11 points. We fire back with Loy Vaught's 26 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 20 points and a pair of 12 points off the bench in Bo Outlaw and B.J. Armstrong, which proves just barely enough to ward off KJ and take the 3-2 series lead.
Final - Phoenix 95 Los Angeles 102

The Rockets eliminate the Warriors in 5 games and we learn that Grant Long is out of the starting lineup for Game 6 with a sprained ankle. Chris Mullin will slot in at SF in his place.

Game Six
Let's get this done. Jalen Rose agrees and pops off 24 points, while Loy Vaught snags 16 points and 16 rebounds. In fact, all five starters score 16 points or better. But then there's Kevin Johnson almost getting a triple-double like just about every damn game this series 32 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. Danny Manning scores 20, A.C. Green doubles for 14 and 10 points and rebounds and Wayman Tisdale layers on 10 bench points. All told, it's a heartbreaking 4 point overtime loss that sends it to Game 7.
Final - Los Angeles 108 Phoenix 112 (OT)

The lone Game 6 advancement - Orlando over Cleveland.

This means we have the following Game 7 battles:
Phoenix @ L.A. Clippers
New York @ Charlotte
Utah @ San Antonio

and...

L.A. Lakers @ Seattle

Can an All-L.A. 2nd round matchup be in the offing?

Game Seven
You know, regardless of how this turns out, it's been a hell of a series. Kevin Johnson, even as I've wanted to tear my hair out, has been beautiful to watch, and I'm scared to think of what would have happened had Charles Barkley been able to play. It's a sellout May Day crowd here for Game 7 and they watch Kevin Johnson score 23 and Wayman Tisdale do his thing with 13 bench points. Chris Mullin scores 20 and Bo Outlaw has 10 bench points, but Loy Vaught is held to just 9 points, leaving things up in the air... until.... until Jalen Rose has his coming out party with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks to break the Suns' backs and carry us to the second round!!!!!! The team mobs him on the court and lifts him on their shoulders, the spectators in jubilation. It was a repeat of Game 1 and Game 2 by the final scoreboard, but we owe it all to Jalen.
Final - Phoenix 74 Los Angeles 101

As for the rest of the first round...
Charlotte over New York
San Antonio over Utah

and...

The 8 seed Los Angeles Lakers upset the 1 seed Seattle Sonics! IN SEATTLE! HOLY COW!!!!

George Lynch stepping up for the injured Cedric Ceballos in his first start of the postseason with the monster game!

All-L.A. 2nd Round is booked!

Izulde · 04-10-2010, 05:41 PM

The Battle For L.A. In Second Round

Who knew his draft day suit would foreshadow Jalen Rose's arrival to the Clippers?

The City of Angels is abuzz with basketball fever this week after the Clippers and Lakers both downed their first round foes in Game 7 clashes, the Red and White banishing superstar Kevin Johnson and the Phoenix Suns, the Purple and Gold stunning the #1 seed and prohibitive West favorite Seattle Sonics. Now the Battle for Los Angeles is on, with the winner earning the right to advance to the West Conference Finals against either Houston or San Antonio.

Point Guard
Pooh Richardson vs. Magic Johnson
Pooh shot 53.6% in the first round en route to 15.9 points, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals, but he was also used and abused by KJ, who singlehandedly kept the Suns in the thick of the hunt against the Clippers. Richardson will have his hands full against another Johnson this round.

Magic shot a career-low 32.8% in the first round, for a shockingly low 7.6 points and 6.9 assists. Those shooting and scoring numbers should go up for the 36 year old future Hall of Famer, because it's not Gary "The Glove" Payton guarding him anymore. Lakers will need that increased production to beat the newly resurgent Clippers.

Advantage: Lakers

Shooting Guard
Jalen Rose vs. Eddie Jones
This isn't a misprint. Rose shot 59.8% in the first round, an unheard of percentage for a guard and averaged a team-high 18.4 points and 4.9 assists. He kept getting better and better as the series went on and while he was a household name before as part of the Fab Five, now Jalen's starting to be taken seriously as a professional player, too.

Jones, also a member of Rose's class (10th overall) will someday be a lockdown defender, but that day isn't here yet. Bears some eerie similarities to Wesley Person in the first round and averaged 8.9 points and a steal per game. Rose has proven himself, Jones hasn't. That makes the difference here.

Advantage: Clippers

Small Forward
Chris Mullin vs. Cedric Ceballos/George Lynch
Grant Long is hurt, so Mullin, who averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 assists in the first round, will start at least the first game. Solid glue guy still at this stage in his career and had 20 points in one of his two starts against Phoenix.

Currently, Ceballos is slated to suit up and if he does, that's 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds to go with 1.1 steals from a 58% first round shooter. Of course, the ankle injury will greatly limit Ceballos's effectiveness, but Lynch was MVP with 34 points in Game 7 against the Sonics, so either way, it's looking good for the Lakers here.

Advantage: Lakers

Power Forward
Loy Vaught vs. Elden Campbell
The Clippers' star was shut down on occasion against Phoenix, but still came out with 18.1 points, 10 rebounds and 1.4 steals. The Red and White faithful have to hope for another huge series from him.

9.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 3 blocks in the first round for Campbell guarding against [b]Shawn Kemp/b]. We should see more of the same this round, as Elden's job will be not to completely stop Vaught, but slow him down enough that Ceballos and the others can rain down the points and win the series.

Advantage: Clippers

Center
Rodney Rogers vs. Vlade Divac
Save for a 20 point Game 1, Rogers was awful in the first round, shooting 35.9% and averaging just 10 points a contest. Why Bill Fitch is still starting him, especially at the five, is anyone's guess.

Divac is the Lakers' answer to Vaught, posting 16.4 points, 11 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.7 blocks. 7' tall and a breathtakingly gifted passer, it's rumored that he'll be Clippers GM Jestor's #1 target in free agency this offseason if they don't find someone they want in the draft.

Advantage: Lakers

Bench
Bo Outlaw averaged 8.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks against the Suns and is the lone shotblocking specialist the Clippers have. Stacey Augmon showed good scoring flash with 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first round and B.J. Armstrong contributed 7 points and 4.7 assists. Then there's Grant Long, whose impact can't be measured until he's back to full health.

There's the aforementioned Lynch of the 13 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals a game, but there's also former Clipper Terry Dehere averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 assists after being dealt at the deadline. Anthony Peeler scored 5.6 points in the first round as well. But the one thing the Lakers lack is a good post big like Outlaw, which makes Bo an X-factor in this series. Let's not also forget Nick Van Exel, who scored 19 points in Game 1 before getting hurt. He's the ultimate 6th man and an even better point guard backup than Armstrong.

Advantage: Draw

Final Thoughts
This is a very, very close matchup. So close, you could flip a coin to determine the winner. A lot of this will come down to Ceballos's health. The Clippers will need to close this one out quickly, or they'll probably lose. We don't see a fast one, as the Red and White have yet to win a road game. So it's the Lakers.
Prediction: Lakers in 6

They do match up quite well against us. Should be a fun series.

Game One
Really, now... are any of these games truly home or road contests? I don't think so in this series. At any rate, Magic Johnson and Eddie Jones take advantage of our weak backcourt defense to score 21 and 20 points, while Nick Van Exel pops in 18 points off the bench alongside Fred Roberts's 11 bench points. We counter with all five starters in double-digit scoring, led by Loy Vaught's 23 points, 14 rebounds and 4 steals and B.J. Armstrong's 12 bench points are more than enough for the win, as we take all four quarters and win handily. Oh, and no magic for George Lynch this time, held to 1/7 for 2 points.
Final - Lakers 91 Clippers 105

Game Two
The Lakers jump out to a 25-19 1st quarter lead, but our defense shuts them down the rest of the way. Vlade Divac doubled for 10 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out and Anthony Peeler scored 11 bench points, but Jalen Rose torches the Purple and Gold for 32 points and that, along with Stacey Augmon's 12 rebounds for the second team, nets us a 2-0 series lead.
Final - Lakers 72 Clippers 94

Pooh Richardson sprains his ankle in Game 2, so B.J. Armstrong will start Game 3. I should also add that Elden Campbell is 1 for 19 in the first two games of the series.

Game Three
We got very, very lazy in the fourth quarter and turned the last two minutes of the game into a nailbiter where anyone could win. Vlade Divac won Player of the Game with an excellent 20 point, 9 rebound, 6 block outing, and Nick Van Exel and Anthony Peeler put up 20 and 11 bench points. But we got Grant Long back in the starting lineup and squeezed out an 11 point, 11 rebound double-double to go with Loy Vaught's 19 points and 12 rebounds and Stacey Augmon led the reserves with 11 bench points. What gave us the narrowest of wins and the 3-0 series lead, however, was the entire starting lineup scoring 11 or more.
Final - Clippers 96 Lakers 92

Stacey Augmon goes down with back spasms, so our defense is going to be hurting in Game 4. Not cool, since that's how we almost lost Game 3 and let the Lakers back in.

Game Four
The Lakers' bench really poured it on this game: Nick Van Exel (17 points), Fred Roberts (12 points) and Anthony Peeler (11 points) were all hellbent on not embarassing Showtime by getting swept by the Clippers of all teams. Bo Outlaw and Chris Mullin neutralized Roberts and Peeler with 12 and 10 points of their own and B.J. Armstrong showed why he deserves to be the full-time starter with 15 points and 10 assists. Yet, it was Loy Vaught who carried us to the tight, five-point sweeping victory with 24 points and 17 rebounds, earning us a trip to the West Conference Finals!
Final - Clippers 89 Lakers 84

The Clippers' fans in the stands go crazy, as this is the first time in Los Angeles Clippers' history they've made it to the West Conference Finals. Actually, even getting to the second round was an L.A. Clippers first. That's how terrible this franchise has been since moving to Los Angeles from San Diego.

We sit back and relax, watching the Bulls, Pacers and Spurs all take five games to beat the Hornets, Magic and Rockets. In my opinion, Chicago beat their toughest competition when they knocked off Charlotte and should head to the NBA Finals with ease.

As for us? Well, we'll just have to see, now won't we?

Autumn · 04-10-2010, 08:00 PM

Wow, amazing, amazing success. Rose has turned it on at just the right time.

The most amazing thing of that Seattle/LA game was the assists. 42 by the Lakers!, Dehere with 10, Magic with 9 themselves. That was some Showtime.

Izulde · 04-10-2010, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

Wow, amazing, amazing success. Rose has turned it on at just the right time.

The most amazing thing of that Seattle/LA game was the assists. 42 by the Lakers!, Dehere with 10, Magic with 9 themselves. That was some Showtime.

Yeah, Rose is turning into exactly what I hoped he would - a poor man's Mateen Yeaton. Good point about the Lakers' assist totals. Dehere saw his minutes go down, but his efficiency go up with the Lakers, not unlike Long with us. He, Van Exel, and Jones give our cross-town rivals such a great three-headed young backcourt they won't miss Magic or Sedale at all should the two veterans walk after this season. And that's without counting Peeler, who's not a bad reserve guard in his own right.

Izulde · 04-11-2010, 06:03 PM

Contesting the Admiral

We'll lay good money on C David Robinson's MVP prospects

In a postseason that has seen little drama in the East and 3 of the 4 top seeds advance to the conference finals, the Clippers' run to the West Conference championship series is a welcome sight, all the more so because of the franchise's former futility.

And yet, the Cinderella run will likely end here, because at first glance, the San Antonio Spurs not only have the elite MVP-type player in David Robinson, but they have balance and depth sufficient to negate the Clippers' advantage in those areas.

But let's see what a closer look reveals.

Point Guard
B.J. Armstrong vs. Avery Johnson
Pooh Richardson is still hobbled by an ankle injury, but that's okay, because Armstrong is a much more natural passer and better suited to run the offense. B.J.'s averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 assists this postseason, with just 2 starts.

Johnson is the third straight starting PG named Johnson the Clippers have faced. He doesn't have the sexy pedigree of Kevin or Magic, but what Avery does have is solid all-around playoff play of 12.3 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks. He's also a lockdown defender and one of the most underrated players in the game, in part because of his 5'10 height and 30 year old body.

Advantage: Spurs

Shooting Guard
Jalen Rose vs. Vinny Del Negro
Think the first round was a fluke? Think again. Rose not only increased his playoff points to 18.8 per game, he's still shooting 58.2% alongside his 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks. He's easily manhandled his opposing numbers and is a big reason why the Clippers have made their shocking run.

Del Negro's passing and handling skills are such that he could start at PG for a good number of teams, and his 14.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals are quality playoff averages. But he's also 6'4, 185 lbs and, swipes numbers aside, is only an average defender. We've seen what Jalen does to average defenders.

Advantage: Clippers

Small Forward
Grant Long vs. Sean Elliott
This is one of the most interesting and perhaps most pivotal matchups of the series. Long is by no means a star, but he's a do-everything forward posting 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game this postseason. He's also a solid defender and an understated part of the Clippers' starting five.

Ellliott is the Spurs' second leading postseason scorer with 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, but he also has yet to face a defender of Long's caliber in this year's playoffs. That's in part what makes this faceoff so intriguing and so difficult to call. If Long can contain Elliott, that's a huge step forward for the Clippers.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Loy Vaught vs. Will Perdue
Rose has been getting a lot of the postseason press, but Vaught is still the Red and White's most valuable player, even in the playoffs - 18.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals. True, he'll sometimes have an off game, but he's on more than not.

The Spurs are counting on the 7', 240 lb Perdue to be a size mismatch of epic proportions and limit Loy's productivity. And it's not like 8.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2 blocks a game is a terrible set of playoff statistics, either. This matchup could be more even than it looks at first glance, even if it still clearly favors the Clippers.

Advantage: Clippers

Center
Rodney Rogers vs. David Robinson
We won't even try to understand why Rogers is still here. 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds is simply awful from a starting center, to say nothing of the 38.9% shooting. But Bill Fitch, for whatever reason, believes in him.

And then there's The Admiral. 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.8 blocks. Go ahead and pencil him in as the series MVP. He's got a great mismatch against the 6'7 Rogers and could very easily average 30 and 12 this round. Couldn't work out better for San Antonio.

Advantage: Spurs

Bench
Stacey Augmon is still bothered by back spasms and that's going to hurt. The Clippers need his 7.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, steal and shutdown defense he brings to every game. Chris Mullin has gone ice-cold in the playoffs, shooting just 40% for a 9.6 point per game average. He needs to bring that up. Bo Outlaw is the lone reliable player left, averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.

Chuck Person - 8.3 points. Carl Herrera - 6.2 points. Doc Rivers - 5.3 points. In short, the Spurs' bench is a lot like the Lakers', where they have plenty of perimeter players capable of scoring, but no bench bigs to bring to bear. If the Admiral gets hurt, the Spurs are in trouble.

Advantage: Draw because of Augmon's injury, otherwise Clippers

Final Thoughts
Great run for the Cinderella Clippers, but the dance ends here. The Spurs are simply too talented, The Admiral too godly, to fall to either of the Los Angeles teams this year. The clock strikes midnight and fairly soon.
Prediction: Spurs in 5

Game One
If we can just steal a game in San Antonio, I believe we've got a chance. Game 1's not it, though, as David Robinson dominates with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals and all five Spurs starters score 11 or more. 11 bench points each from Bo Outlaw and Chris Mullin on our end, though Mullin was 4/14, 1/8 from 3 point range. Shooting 38.7% as a team is not a way to win playoff games.
Final - Clippers 70 Spurs 103

Game Two
Much closer score, but same result. Chris Mullin finally discovers his shooting stroke and pours in 24 points off the bench, Loy Vaught fighting his way to 10 points and 13 rebounds, but Carl Herrara scores 12 off the bench for San Antonio. And that's without mentioning Avery Johnson's 16 points and 10 assists or David Robinson's 23 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks. Shades of Kevin Johnson indeed.
Final - Clippers 91 Spurs 108

Game Three
Our backs are up against the wall and we need a win to shore our flagging confidence. So what happens? We score 59 points. And here's David Robinson with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. At this point, we'll be lucky just to avoid a sweep.
Final - Spurs 83 Clippers 59

Game Four
David Robinson has another 20+, 10+ night with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Avery Johnson scores 20 and Chuck Person is a perfect 4 for 4 with the reserves for 11 bench points. We fight back with all five starters in 10+ points and Stacey Augmon, back to full health, fires off 16 bench points and saves us from the embarassment of the sweep!
Final - Spurs 87 Clippers 96

Game Five
Back in San Antonio, trying to delay for as long as we can. What follows is the most inspired basketball we've played all year long. Jalen Rose finally wakes up for 24 points and 11 rebounds, Loy Vaught kicks in 14 points and 18 rebounds and even Rodney Rogers doubles for 12 points and 10 rebounds. Stacey Augmon pitches in 15 points with the second team, B.J. Armstrong adding 10 points of his own as Pooh Richardson is back. The Spurs counter with David Robinson's 23 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks, Avery Johnson's 19 points and 16 assists, Sean Elliott's 20 points and 12 rebounds and 11 and 10 bench points from Chuck Person and Greg Anderson. It was a magnificent, beautiful game that had the entire nation glued to the television sets. But in the end, we lose by a single basket. In overtime. And so our wonderful season is over.
Final - Clippers 108 Spurs 110 (OT)

Everybody's disappointed and sweat-drenched in the locker room afterwards. But we gave it our all and got further than anybody, even me, could have dared hope for. Our fans agonize over the loss, but are also thrilled with how the season went.

The Bulls beat the Pacers in five games as well and Chicago goes on to beat the Spurs in six for the NBA championship, David Robinson slowed by a shoulder injury in Game 4.

Lottery
13. Portland Trailblazers
12. Sacramento Kings
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (-1)
10. Atlanta Hawks (-1)
9. Vancouver Grizzlies (-1)
8. Boston Celtics (-1)
7. Philadelphia 76ers (-1)
6. Toronto Raptors (-1)
5. Denver Nuggets (-1)
4. Dallas Mavericks (-1)
3. New Jersey Nets (-2)
2. Detroit Pistons (+9)
1. Milwaukee Bucks (+1)

Unbelievable luck by the Pistons, who will now get a superstar to pair up with Grant Hill. The Bucks will have someone to team up with Glenn Robinson and Vin Baker. Suddenly, the Bulls' run as the top team in the Central just got a lot shorter.

Well deserved award for The Admiral, Payton and Mighty Mouse. Not sure I agree with Cage. I definitely don't agree with Karl. His team lost in the first round for crying out loud!

All-NBA 1st Team
PG Terrell Brandon - Cleveland Cavaliers
SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls
SF Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons
PF Karl Malone - Utah Jazz
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA 2nd Team
PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics
SG Reggie Miller - Indiana Pacers
SF Cedric Ceballos - Los Angeles Lakers
PF Larry Johnson - Charlotte Hornets
C Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets

All-NBA 3rd Team
PG Penny Hardaway - Orlando Magic
SG Mitch Richmond - Sacramento Kings
SF Glen Rice - Charlotte Hornets
PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics
C Alonzo Mourning - Miami Heat

All-Defense 1st Team
PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics
SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls
SF Scottie Pippen - Chicago Bulls
PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics
C Dikembe Mutombo - Charlotte Hornets

All-Defense 2nd Team
PG Mookie Blaylock - Atlanta Hawks
SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors
SF Derrick McKey - Indiana Pacers
PF Chris Webber - Washington Bullets
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-Rookie 1st Team
PG Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors
SG Jerry Stackhouse - Philadelphia 76ers
SF Michael Finley - Phoenix Suns
PF Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors
C Bryant Reeves - Vancouver Grizzlies

All-Rookie 2nd Team
PG Tyus Edney - Sacramento Kings
SG Voshon Lenard - Miami Heat
SF Eric Williams - Boston Celtics
PF Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets
C Don Reid - Detroit Pistons

I try to talk Donald Sterling into going right about the cap for next year, but he tells me to keep it under the cap. "I'm not asking for much", he said, "Heck, I don't need to make $5 million in cap space. Just make sure I'm turning some type of salary profit."

Gee, thanks, Donald. Such a nice guy. Wish I could trump your ass.

No coaching staff changes. We have everyone under contract for another year and I don't want to piss Sterling off by firing anyone.

Mock Draft
Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant are the consensus #1-#2 picks. After that, it's anybody's guess. We have pick #17 and are tabbed to select C Lorenzen Wright out of Memphis, who, ironically enough, was the real-life Clippers' first round pick. It'll be a cold day in hell before that happens, though.

I really, really want to move up, so I make some calls around the league and eventually strike a deal.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
SG Sarunas Marciulionis
#12 overall pick

Sacramento Kings receive
SF Chris Mullin
#17 overall pick
Los Angeles Lakers 1997 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
Pure and simple, this is a trade to move up into the lottery. Sarunas, 32, has some scoring and stealing pop and is an expiring $2.5 million contract after this upcoming season.

What this means for the Kings
Mullin's playoff meltdown made him much more tradeable, but the 33 year old was coveted by the Kings because of his still solid all-around game, which is significantly better than Sarunas's, especially on the defensive and passing/ballhandling end. He's also worth about $300k more in expiring money, to say nothing of the likely high 2nd round pick.

Winner: Draw
Both sides get what they want out of this deal. With Mullin and Richmond together, the Kings now have a quality pair of swingmen that could propel them to the playoffs next season, while the Clippers are in a much better draft position.

And it's there that I get bogged down. Even trying to move up 1 or 2 spots from there requires far more than I'm willing to pay, as Loy Vaught and Jalen Rose are untouchable.

We try some more combinations, trying to free up cap space, but everybody's being pigheaded right now, so we'll revisit on the eve of free agency.

At least the player crop is *much* better at #12 than #17.

Time to scout guys and then go drafting. Hoorah!

Izulde · 04-16-2010, 03:21 AM

No idea who we'll take this draft. Just have to wait and see.

1996 NBA Draft 1st Round
1. PG Allen Iverson - Milwaukee Bucks
2. PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons

A stunner by the Pistons, although it makes some sense. They have no post game to speak of and he's the best power forward in the draft. But #2 overall? Really?

3. PF Antoine Walker - New Jersey Nets

Another stunner. What is Walker doing in the Top 5?

4. SG Kobe Bryant - Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks need a post player, but they go for the value selection here. Kidd/Bryant/Mashburn could be a damned scary 1-3 someday.

5. SG Ray Allen - Denver Nuggets

Snap up one of the best pure scorers in the draft? Why not? The Jalen Rose replacement. Analysts are panning it, though.

6. PG Stephon Marbury - Toronto Raptors

They must be wanting to build from the backcourt. Stoudamire and Starbury is going to be a sick young pair of guards, but I'm amazed at some of the players who have been dropping so far.

7. PG Steve Nash - Philadelphia 76ers
8. PF Jermaine O'Neal - Boston Celtics

There's two guys left I have my eye on.

9. C Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies

See the Raptors. Camby/Reeves for a nasty, injury-prone frontcourt. Wow. Crazy choice! The Hawks are particularly pissed. They really wanted Camby.

I call still-fuming Atlanta and ask about a trade. They tell me to go to hell since they're planning on taking the best center left. Great.

10. C Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks

Just effing great. Big Z falls so close to me and we can't get him. There's two players left worth taking, so I'll sit and see which one comes to me.

11. C Erick Dampier - Minnesota Timberwolves

...When they have Christian Laettner and Kevin Garnett? Really?!

Both guys I like are still out there, and there's something of a hot and heavy debate in the war room. But finally, after realizing the other teams are being real stiffwads about trading with me, I make the selection.

12. SF Peja Stojakovic - Los Angeles Clippers

The Peja pick got slammed, but I don't care. Between him and Rose, opponents will have bad dreams about how to stop our swingmen shooters with filthy scoring and size.

13. SG Kerry Kittles - Portland Trailblazers

Kittles was the other guy on our radar, but Peja fits Jestorball better. Portland's ecstatic to get him as they have no natural SGs on the roster.

14. PG Jeff McInnis - Miami Heat
15. PG Randy Livingston - Washington Bullets
16. PF Roy Rogers - Boston Celtics
17. C Vitaly Potapenko - Sacramento Kings
18. C Lorenzen Wright - Utah Jazz

Great value for Utah here, who get a guy whose stock crashed and at their single biggest area of need.

19. SF Donte Harris - Golden State Warriors
20. PG Josh Hardy - New York Knicks
21. PG Derek Fisher - Phoenix Suns

Seriously? Why is Fisher so low? Steal by Suns.

22. C Michael Marek - Denver Nuggets

Dikembe Mutombo, this is not.

23. PF Malik Rose - Los Angeles Lakers

Good value for the Purple and Gold, even if he's a tweener.

24. PF Othella Harrington - Houston Rockets
25. SF John Wallace - Orlando Magic
26. PF Samaki Walker - Indiana Pacers
27. PF Andrew Burke - San Antonio Spurs
28. C Priest Lauderdale - Seattle Supersonics

..Aw, shit. I was hoping Lauderdale would fall into the second round. I'm not looking forward to this huge project beast in our division. He'll probably start right away and get a shot to develop, too.

29. PF Cory Wheat - Chicago Bulls

There's not much left late in the 2nd round, but I take a flyer on C Amal McCaskill for the whole SE Wisconsin thing. He probably won't be signed.

Suddenly teams have cap space to talk about. We strike quickly.

...Or we would if teams weren't being hardasses.

Still, we finally manage to make the salary dump I was hoping for.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
C Travis Knight
PF Marty Conlon
Milwaukee Bucks 1998 2nd round pick
Milwaukee Bucks 1999 2nd round pick

Milwaukee Bucks receive
PF Grant Long
PF Rodney Rogers

What this means for the Clippers
This is an out and out salary dump designed to create cap room. It also gets rid of Rogers and frees up starting spots for Jestor favorites Stacey Augmon and Bo Outlaw. Knight and Conlon are filler to make this work; Knight's a 2nd round pick that may or may not even be signed.

What this means for the Bucks
They kept Allen Iverson, Vin Baker and Glenn Robinson, their Big Three. Baker's out with a torn ACL until February or March, so in the meantime, Milwaukee's got Long and Rogers to hold down the ford at PF and C respectively. They'll get a defensive boost out of Long, but they also just sacrificed all their cap space, leaving the Bucks to rely on MLE, LLE and min-sal players.

Winner: Clippers
Jestor wanted to make a bigger splash, but no one was buying. At least he got some cap space relief and cleared flotsam off the roster. The seconds will be pretty worthless, given how improved the Bucks should be.

I'm stuck with Pooh's contract for another year, but I'm now $6.1 million under the cap without signing the 2nd round scrubs to contracts. If everything goes right I should have $5 million to throw at a big-name player.

Summer League
Jalen Rose
Peja Stojakovic
Bo Outlaw
Amal McCaskill
Travis Knight

96-86 win over Raptors keyed by Jalen Rose's 30 points and Chris Capel's 13 bench points.

It almost doesn't seem fair to have Jalen Rose as we score 96 again, beating the Lakers by 20. Rose scores 28, Travis Knight doubles for 10 points and 12 rebounds and Amal McCaskill scores 10 bench points.

Defense goes out the door and we lose 108-101 to the Warriors. No individual standouts, save for Tim Breaux's 12 bench points.

110-99 loss the next night in Vancouver, but then again, we were practically playing the entire Grizzlies' regular season roster. 12 points, 11 rebounds from Bo Outlaw. Chris Capel and Tim Breaux with 13 and 11 bench points.

22 and 20 points out of Bo Outlaw and Jalen Rose net us the 95-74 win over the Magic. Chris Capel is doing his damnedest to earn a spot with 12 bench points, Shaun Hunter right behind him with 11.

And finally a 96-86 win in Cleveland off Bo Outlaw and Jalen Rose each scoring 22, Shaun Hunter and Amal McCaskill with 14 and 10 bench points.

Free Agency
I decide to sign my 2nd round picks to 2 year deals. This leaves us just over $5.3 million. Keep in mind, the salary cap is $24.4 million, so all those guys like Patrick Ewing's $18 million and change contract aren't happening again, because it's now a capped year.

This gives us the money to try and make a major splash. I talk to all the top-flight centers and settle on my choice. We strike out on David Robinson, but it was worth a try.

So what do I do? Instead of the smart thing and conserving my money, maybe even splitting it among a couple guys, I sign Vlade Divac to a 5 year, $26.5 million contract, way overpaying for a guy who doesn't shoot that well. Stupid mistake, but I wasn't thinking straight.

Miami Heat make interesting moves, signing Vernon Maxwell, Chris Gatling,and Benoit Benjamin to try and give Alonzo Mourning some help. Mario Elie, too.

On the last day of free agency, I sign Lorenzo Williams to beef up our bench rebounding.

Training Camp
Peja Stojakovic made some good strides, but he's going to struggle to find playing time, as he's still quite raw. Bo Outlaw also had a great camp.

Everyone else is more or less the same or regressed slightly.

We're picked to finish 12th in the West, which is a joke. Jazz, Suns, and Rockets are the three favorites, which I can kind of see, although age and durability issues abound for each of them. In the East, the defending champion Bulls with Toni Kukoc at PG are favored, followed by the Detroit Pistons and Washington Bullets.

1996-97 Los Angeles Clippers Opening Night Roster
PG Pooh Richardson
SG Jalen Rose
SF Stacey Augmon
PF Loy Vaught
C Vlade Divac
6th Bo Outlaw (PF/C)
7th Lorenzo Williams (PF/C)
8th B.J. Armstrong (PG)
9th Sarunas Marciulionis (SG/SF)
10th Marty Conlon (PF/C)
11th Travis Knight (C)
12th Peja Stojakovic (SF)

D-League
C Amal McCaskill (7th man)

Going to be an interesting year. I hope to hell Vlade proves worthy of the fat contract we gave him.

Izulde · 04-16-2010, 04:21 AM

I love Percocet. Got my wisdom teeth pulled Tuesday morning and it's made the recovery process a pleasant one.

But anyway, Halloween night. West conference favorites Phoenix coming to town. Tough 100-96 loss. Bo Outlaw's 11 bench points were the only true statistical highlight. We could really use an elite scorer.

Vlade Divac has 21 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists in our next game, but the Kings beat us handily, 105-91. Loy Vaught has been getting killed his first two outings this season and his opposing number has been Player of the Game both contests. But it's early yet.

Sure enough, for the third straight game, the opposing PF wins player of the game, but we eke out a 121-118 firefight for our first win of the year against the Sonics in Seattle on the front end of a doubleheader. Vlade Divac has 25 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks, B.J. Armstrong starts at PG for 21 points and 11 assists, Loy Vaught snaps his slump for 20 points and Sarunas Marciulionis scores 11 off the bench. Next night we beat the Hawks 102-87 on Jalen Rose's 31 points and 18 and 10 respective bench points from Bo Outlaw and Sarunas Marciulionis. Rose wins Player of the Game, our first such distinction of the young season and the first non-PF to get the nod.

A balanced offense keyed by Loy Vaught's 17 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 20 points and Sarunas Marciulionis's 16 bench points leads us to a 108-88 win and our first winning mark of the year.

Two nights later, we host the Nuggets to a 99-88 loss, led by Loy Vaught's 25 points and 4 steals and B.J. Armstrong's 14 points as the 6th man. At least Bill Fitch has been pretty consistent with his lineup so far. *knocks on wood*.

We keep our win streak alive and top Golden State 110-105 on the strenght of all five starters in double-digit scoring. Jalen Rose fired off 25 points, Pooh Richardson had a rare double-double of 19 points, 11 assists, Loy Vaught scores 21 and Vlade Divac grinds his way to a 10 point, 14 rebound double-double.

The Grizzlies come to town and Marcus Camby puts up a gorgeous 28 points, 12 rebounds and 9 blocks... as the SF. Against Stacey Augmon. Unfortunately for the Great White North, he's the only who comes to play and we crush Vancouver 112-85. Loy Vaught rampages for 32 points and 12 rebounds and Sarunas Marciulionis and Bo Outlaw headline the reserves with 17 and 11 points.

Loy Vaught strains his hamstring in that game. Bad news for a back-to-back, but we still steamroll the Mavericks 108-86 next evening. Jalen Rose steps up with 29 points, Vlade Divac hammers home 20 points and 10 rebounds, Loy Vaught fights through the hamstring pain for 14 points and 10 rebounds and Bo Outlaw matches our starting PF with 14 points himself.

Despite a 21 point, 10 assist, 7 rebound outing from Magic Johnson, we squish our crosstown rivals 108-94 in the opening match of a doubleheader. All five starters score 11 or more, Jalen Rose first with 20 points. Vlade Divac hangs around triple-double territory with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and Sarunas Marciulionis continues to be the season's biggest surprise with 16 bench points. Our eight game-win streak finally comes to an end the night after, a 101-88 loss to the Blazers in Portland. Vlade Divac's 17 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 20 points and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points weren't enough.

As if this wasn't bad enough, Sarunas Marciulionis strains his knee, putting a crimp in our bench scoring.

We rally to beat the Nets 99-89 on Vlade Divac's 21 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, with help from Jalen Rose's 24 points and B.J. Armstrong's 10 bench points. Once again, all five starters hit the double-digit mark. Balance on offense really has been a team theme for my first year and change here.

The Spurs knock us down 105-93 the next game, which I expected given Loy Vaught's hamstring injury. But check out the starting center lines:

David Robinson - 37 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Vlade Divac - 10 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 7 blocks, 1 steal

A perfect representation of what each center means to his team, in my opinion. Anyway, Jalen Rose with 23 points and Peja Stojakovic with his best game to date: 5/7, including 4/5 from 3 point range for 14 bench points. That definitely got a few highlight reel mentions in the local media, in spite of our loss.

On the road we go for a back-to-back against two of the West's better teams. We surprise the Rockets 104-80, thanks to Jalen Rose's 24 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, Pooh Richardson's 25 points and B.J. Armstrong's 14 bench points. But that Houston win was nowhere near as sweet as the 101-93 payback over the Spurs. We had just 3 players in double digit figures and one of them was Jalen Rose, with 41 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Kind of reminds you of a certain other huge SG, doesn't it?. Rose's support came chiefly from Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points.

The first month ends with an expected 114-91 loss to the Bulls. No statistical highlights there as we struggled to find open looks all night long.

That said, our 11-5 start has us tied for 2nd in the Pacific with the Sonics and we're both 2.5 games behind the Suns, who are off to a scorching 13-2 start, tops in the whole NBA.

Clippers Leaders

Points
Jalen Rose - 21.8
Loy Vaught - 14.1
Vlade Divac - 13.3

Assists
Jalen Rose - 5.6
Pooh Richardson - 5.6
B.J. Armstrong - 5.5
Vlade Divac - 3.9

Rebounds
Vlade Divac - 9.4
Loy Vaught - 7.9
Stacey Augmon - 4.6
Jalen Rose - 4.2

Blocks
Bo Outlaw - 1.9
Vlade Divac - 1.4
Lorenzo Williams - 1.1

Steals
Vlade Divac - 1.4
Loy Vaught - 1.3
Stacey Augmon - 1.2
Sarunas Marciulionis - 1.2

So is Divac worth 5 years, $26.4 million so far? No, but he's producing as a very solid all-around player and given the dearth of quality under-30 centers in the league, that's not such a huge overpayment.

Izulde · 04-19-2010, 12:02 AM

So I won't need to trade Stacey "Plastic Man" Augmon after all.

No trades to report in the league, period, incidentally.

Thus, it's on to December we roll.

112-103 loss to the Magic that wasn't as close as it appeared. Pooh Richardson's 24 points, Loy Vaught's 16 points and 12 rebounds and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 17 and 10 bench points kept us in it, but it wasn't enough to knock off Orlando's Big Two.

Then we start a long Midwest region road trip with a doubleheader. Milwaukee tops us 101-88 despite 16 points, 11 rebounds from Loy Vaught, Jalen Rose's 23 points and Sarunas Marciulionis's 10 bench points. The Timberwolves tear into us for a 107-95 bleeding, nevermind B.J. Armstrong and Sarunas Marciulionis's 14 and 12 bench points.

In both games, Stacey Augmon got ripped apart by his counterparts, which is a bit worrying, given that he's supposed to be a defensive stalwart.

Our losing streak ends, 87-81, against the Pacers. All five starters with 13+ points and Vlade Divac gets the first triple-double by a Clipper in my tenure with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He's aided by Loy Vaught's 13 points and 19 rebounds.

But you know, Loy just hasn't really had it this season. I know part of it is that the talent around him is massively upgraded, but he just doesn't feel like the guy he was last year. So it's trading time.

And of course, there can only be one option.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PF Larry Johnson

Charlotte Hornets receive
PF Loy Vaught
Milwaukee Bucks 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
Grandmama is re-united with his fellow Runnin' Rebel, Stacey Augmon, and they'll occupy the 3 and 4 spots together. Johnson's an excellent passer and ballhandler and a year younger at 27 than Vaught. High intelligence and discipline along with passing/handling talents should make LJ an interesting pairing with Vlade Divac.

What this means for the Hornets
Glen Rice is out with a broken leg and he struggled in the first 3 games of the year. Charlotte's 10-10 and they're in need of a move. Loy gives them another post-rebounder to pair with Dikembe Mutombo and a much more durable option. He also comes with a much shorter contract than Johnson. The second rounder is negligible.

Winner: Draw
It's an interesting switch, as both teams improve their post areas of strength (passing for Clippers, rebounding for Hornets). As such, the effect on the two squads is an unknown one and it's a real puzzle as to who got better.

The Runnin' Rebels live again. Neither one stands out in our next game, but we destroy the Cavaliers 114-82 on B.J. Armstrong's 26 bench points. Sarunas Marciulionis adds 17 reserve points of his own and Vlade Divac has a poor man's double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds.

Larry Johnson dazzles the home fans with a 24 point, 10 rebound performance and we edge the Heat 104-97. All of the starting five scored 10 or more.

A nationally televised game against the Hornets turns into a 106-79 embarassment, the loss on our side. Vlade Divac goes 0 for 13 and Loy Vaught wins Player of the Game with 31 points and 17 rebounds. Oh and Dikembe Mutombo tripled-doubled for 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 blocks.

We take out our anger on the Bullets, 103-81. Vlade Divac redeems himself with a 16 point, 17 rebound, 5 block outing and 3 bench players score 12+ points: B.J. Armstrong (12), Sarunas Marciulionis (14), and Bo Outlaw (15).

Larry Johnson scores 22 vs the Kings in our 106-99 win, but the real story is again our reserves. B.J. Armstrong scores 26, Sarunas Marciulionis chips in 19, and Bo Outlaw scores 14 points.

The starters wake out of their slumber, Stacey Augmon and Vlade Divac scoring 22 and 20 respectively to lead the charge over the Nuggets, 101-94. Larry Johnson contributed a pair of 14s in points and rebounds.

The holidays mean an East road trip. In Game 1 of Doubleheader 1, we nip the Hawks 88-83 on Jalen Rose's 28 points, Larry Johnson's 13 points and 15 rebounds and B.J. Armstrong's 14 bench points. But there wasn't anywhere as cool as our 103-79 reversal over the Hornets the next night. Larry Johnson puts up 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists on Loy Vaught and Jalen Rose scores 21. And that's with Vlade Divac going 1/11 to be a combined 1 for 24 against Dikembe Mutombo in our last two games.

Doubleheader 2 is in Florida. Our opening month 112-103 loss to the Magic turns into a 117-93 rape here. Larry Johnson busts loose for 28 points, 14 rebounds and 4 steals, Jalen Rose scores 29, Pooh Richardson nets a cheap 10 point, 10 assist double-double and Sarunas Marciulionis scores 10 bench points. But don't get too excited about that rout, because...

Orlando Magic Injury Report
Shaquille O'Neal - Broken Finger
Penny Hardaway - Broken Elbow
Horace Grant - Strained Knee
John Wallace - Sore Knee

Yeah that's right. Penny and Shaq both out at the same time. They're also both out another 30 days. Them's the breaks. Literally.

Our 95-84 win over the Heat the night after featured a much less interesting 19 points and 13 rebound from Vlade Divac and 10 bench points from Sarunas Marciulionis.

We end 1996 with a heartbreaking 116-113 OT loss to the Pacers, in spite of Jalen Rose's 25 points and 16 and 10 points from second-teamers Bo Outlaw and B.J. Armstrong.

Still, I'm not going to complain about our 21-10 record. We're tied with the Sonics for 2nd in the Pacific still, 4 games behind the Suns, still the league's best at 23-4.

19-9 has San Antonio with the Midwest lead, 3.5 games over the Jazz.

The Pacers' victory over us puts them at 22-7, a half-game over Cleveland and a full game over the Bulls in the Central.

Washington owns the Atlantic at 18-11, five games up on the 76ers. The Bullets are the only .500+ team in the division; that's how bad it is. Philly's 13-16 and Orlando is lost without its Big Two, floundering at 12-18.

Clippers Leaders

Points
Jalen Rose - 19.3
Larry Johnson - 17.9 (0.3 higher than with Charlotte - 11 starts in L.A.)
Vlade Divac - 12.2

Assists
Pooh Richardson - 5.3
Larry Johnson - 5.3
Jalen Rose - 5.1

Rebounds
Vlade Divac - 9.1
Larry Johnson - 8.9
Stacey Augmon - 4.8

Blocks
Bo Outlaw - 1.9
Vlade Divac - 1.6
Lorenzo Williams - 1.0

Steals
Vlade Divac - 1.4
Sarunas Marciulionis - 1.3
Stacey Augmon - 1.0
Pooh Richardson - 1.0

Record since the LJ/LV Trade
Clippers: 9-2
Hornets: 5-5

I think I'll track Larry and Loy's careers, like I did with Paulinho Buboltz and Mateen Yeaton. It'll be interesting to see how they turn out, even if the players here aren't near the level of the other two.

Izulde · 04-20-2010, 04:25 AM

We actually saw a bit of trade activity this past month.

Toronto Raptors receive
C Benoit Benjamin

Miami Heat receive
Toronto Raptors 1997 2nd round pick

What this means for the Raptors
For some reason, Toronto has a fetish for collecting ex-Grizzlies frontcourt players. They signed PF Anthony Avent in free agency and now acquire Benjamin, who at 32 is a has-been and relegated to a mid-bench role on one of the league's worst teams.

What this means for the Heat
C Alonzo Mourning broke his ankle four days before this trade happened, so apparently Miami is planning to acquire more draft picks to build a team around 'Zo for next year.

Winner: Miami
Both teams are likely lottery bound, but the player drafted with the Raptors' 2nd round pick is going to be more valuable long-term than the decaying Benjamin. Puzzling trade for Toronto.

Miami Heat receive
PF P.J. Brown

New Jersey Nets receive
Toronto Raptors 1997 2nd round pick

What this means for the Heat
Didn't take Miami long to spin the 2nd round pick into another player. Brown is a bad shooter and butterfingers man, but a rebounding specialist who has a nice bag of tricks on the defensive end. He becomes a key part of Miami's frontcourt depth.

What this means for the Nets
New Jersey brought Brown back on a 1 year deal, but he was extremely unhappy about his lost starting spot, so the Nets dealt him for a fairly reasonable value. Won't help New Jersey's playoff aspirations this year, however.

Winner: Miami
Brown for Benjamin is a trade we'd make every time and that's essentially what the Heat did, getting younger and better with a pair of dexterous moves.

Beautiful stroke by Miami there. Makes me think they learned from me.

We show no fear to the league-leading Suns and torch them 110-99 to open the 1997 calendar year. Larry Johnson and Jalen Rose score 25 and 22 points respectively to carry us.

The Grizzlies play us tough, but we run out 103-99 winners on B.J. Armstrong's 28 points as the starter while Pooh Richardson rehabs an ankle injury. Stacey Augmon (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Larry Johnson (12 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists) show off that Runnin' Rebel power, while Sarunas Marciulionis hits 11 bench points.

Although Marciulionis is now trade-eligible as part of my house rule of no-trade for 60 days starting with first day of season for offseason pickups, he's proven himself far too valuable a reserve to deal him.

We brutalize the Suns 107-81 in Phoenix, B.J. Armstrong posting a ridiculous 24 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds, while Vlade Divac double-doubles for 21 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Rose scores 20 and Stacey Augmon chimes in with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

A classic against the Timberwolves is up next and we win a thrilling 107-106 OT barnburner in front of the home fans. [b]Vlade Divac[/b is off the hook for 30 points,8 rebounds, 7 blocks and 3 steals and Jalen Rose and B.J. Armstrong support him with double-doubles of 24 points, 10 assists and 21 points, 10 assists respectively.

I'm trying to dump Pooh Richardson's contract, but nobody will take it, not even when I offer to take a bad one in return, so I make a different move instead.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PF Charles Oakley
C Matt Fish
New York Knicks 1998 2nd round pick
New York Knicks 1999 2nd round pick

New York Knicks receive
C Travis Knight
PF Marty Conlon
C Lorenzo Williams

What this means for the Clippers
Oakley, 33, becomes the new 6th man, a great rebounder with scoring ability and a honed veteran intelligence. He also has much better ballhandling than Bo Outlaw. Fish is an accurate shooter, but is largely a body thrown in for salary purposes. Two seconds is always nice, particularly since the Knicks project to be rebuilding over the next couple seasons.

What this means for the Knicks
Knight looks like a career D-leaguer, though his rebounding upside might allow him to hang on as an end-bench player. Conlon is an expiring contract of $1.4 million. Williams might be the most valuable piece, as he instantly becomes the Knicks' best shotblocker. Ultimately, though, this was about moving Oakley's contract off the books. New York already has $5.1 million in cap space and now, with just under $4 million in committed salary next season, they'll have the room to become major free agency players.

Winner: Clippers
It's a risky gamble by GM Jestor, as his team's on a 13-2 run after acquiring Larry Johnson last month and this could affect their chemistry, but Oakley is talented and more importantly, a durable insurance policy in case the somewhat fragile LJ gets injured.

Jalen Rose goes gangbusters for 44 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals and we obliterate the Rockets 113-96. Stacey Augmon scores 20 and we're just fine, even with Pooh Richardson back in the lineup.

We get sloppy against the Knicks and dig ourselves a 27-12 1st quarter hole, but we rally to a heart-pounding 86-84 win, Patrick Ewing's 26 points, 23 rebounds and 4 blocks undone by our reserves. Sarunas Marciulionis scores 15 and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw each score 10 to rescue us from an embarrassing loss.

Been a while since we had a back-to-back and it's nice to see us sweep. 111-83 win over the archrival Lakers comes via Jalen Rose's 24 points and 11 and 10 bench points from Sarunas Marciulionis and B.J. Armstrong. Our ensuing 105-80 rout of the Jazz is due to Larry Johnson and Jalen Rose's matching 22 points, Vlade Divac's 14 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists and Sarunas Marciulionis's 10 bench points.

Balanced offense guides us to a 119-81 blowout of the Nuggets, Jalen Rose's 21 points the field marshal to the scoring parade. Second teamers B.J. Armstrong (17 points), Sarunas Marciulionis (13 points), and Bo Outlaw (11 points) provided their usual fireworks.

The Sonics come hellbent on stopping us, but we send them back to the Northwest with a 105-95 loss. All five starters score double-digits, led by Pooh Richardson's 25 points and Jalen Rose's 23 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Johnson muscled his way to 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Dallas ends our hopes for an undefeated January with a 98-88 beat on the front end of a road doubleheader. Great game by Vlade Divac with 32 points and 13 rebounds, but nobody else really showed up. We atone for it the next night by grinding out a nailbiting 85-84 win over the Spurs. All five starters with 11+ points and it's Vlade Divac who shouldered much of the burden with his 12 points and 20 rebounds.

4 games in 5 days is a bitch, so I'm not surprised when we drop both games of a back-to-back at the end of the month. 92-83 loss to the Jazz in Utah, nevermind Vlade Divac's weak 10 points and 13 rebounds, followed by a 95-89 defeat to the Raptors, where Jalen Rose scored 23, Larry Johnson picked up 12 points and 11 rebounds and Sarunas Mariulionis scored 12 bench points, but we looked exhausted.

Even with the 3 of 4 skid at the end of the month, we're in sole possession of 2nd place at 32-13, a game behind the Sonics, a game in front of the Suns, who have started sliding due to injuries.

San Antonio leads the Midwest at 27-15, but somehow the Vancouver Grizzlies are in 2nd place, 2.5 back at 26-19 .

Indiana, 36-9, now owns the league's best record and is up by 2.5 on Chicago. There's also finally two .+500 teams in the Atlantic, 28-15 Washington with a 4.5 game edge on the Nets.

I should add that the Hornets are barely above .500 at 22-21, so they're still treading water while we remain on fire.

Grizzlies rank #2 in blocks and #9 in FG %, #8 in 3 point %. They also have the 7th fewest turnovers and allow the 9th fewest rebounds and tied for 2nd fewest steals. They're also tied for 6th best at defending against the 3 point shot. I suppose it all makes sense, but it's still mind-boggling to see.

Clippers Leaders

Points
Jalen Rose - 19.8
Larry Johnson - 17
Vlade Divac - 13

Assists
Pooh Richardson - 5.2
Larry Johnson - 5.1
Jalen Rose - 5.1

Rebounds
Vlade Divac - 9.4
Larry Johnson - 9
Charles Oakley - 7.1 (due to Knicks starts)
Stacey Augmon - 5.1

Blocks
Vlade Divac - 1.7
Bo Outlaw - 1.7
Jalen Rose - 0.8

Steals
Vlade Divac - 1.4
Sarunas Marciulionis - 1.3
Stacey Augmon -1.2

I'll start the LJ/LV comparisons at the end of the year. One thing to note about Glen Rice. He came back on New Year's Day, then broke his arm on January 24th. Between that and the broken leg earlier, he's having a hell of a season.

Izulde · 04-21-2010, 09:07 AM

No January trades, so I suspect we'll see a deluge near the trade deadline. And of course, I can't promise that we'll sit idle either. I know myself too well.

We wash away the bad taste of our end January losing streak with a 107-92 win over the Warriors. Larry Johnson goes off for 33 points and Vlade Divac pulls down 20 points and 11 rebounds.

A doubleheader turns into a sweep as we beat the Rockets and Nuggets. in a home and away split. Our 108-98 win over Houston features the very strange double-double of 11 assists and 11 rebounds from Larry Johnson to go with Vlade Divac's 24 points, Jalen Rose's 26 points, B.J. Armstrong's starter double-double of 11 points and 10 assists (Pooh Richardson has a foot injury) and Sarunas Marciulionis's 13 bench points. Larry Johnson returns to normal when we beat the Nuggets 94-75, posting 23 points and 11 rebounds alongside Vlade Divac's 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Our starting lineup all score 12 points or better in a defensive 95-69 bashing of Boston. Larry Johnson was the man of the night with a solid all-around 14 point, 15 rebound, 7 assist, 2 steal game.

We head into All-Star Weekend (and the games to be played there) with a 110-93 punchout of Portland. 21 points, 16 rebounds from Larry Johnson, 23 points from Jalen Rose, and 18 and 12 points from benchmen Sarunas Marciulionis and B.J. Armstrong.

Two trades occur before the start of the All-Star festivities.

Sacramento Kings receive
PG Mookie Blaylock

Atlanta Hawks receive
SF Corliss Williamson
C Duane Causwell

What this means for the Kings
Blaylock is not your traditional PG, as he's a terrible passer. On the other hand, he's a secure ballhandler and a great rebounder and defender who represents an overall talent upgrade over Tyus Edney, who now slides to the 6th man role.

What this means for the Hawks
The Kings are one of the league's better teams and playoff-bound, the Hawks lottery-bound and one of the NBA's worst franchises, so grabbing the versatile, 4 position capable Williamson (everything but C) and expiring Causwell. But with Eric Piatowski now the starting PG it's a brutal situation. Even more so given that the Hawks inexplicably start Dickey Simpkins at SF over the much more ready-now and promising Williamson.

Winner: Sacramento
Blaylock's shooting is suspect, but having a player of his defensive and all-around talents is a major upgrade to the Kings' lineup, especially when the price was just two young bench players.

Seattle Supersonics receive
SG Hubert Davis

New York Knicks receive
Seattle Supersonics 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Sonics
Davis, 26, is a sweet-shooting youngster, albeit mediocre on the defensive end. Also not an elite scorer, but solid. He escapes the bench in the Big Apple and becomes Gary Payton's new running mate in Seattle's backcourt.

What this means for the Knicks
A late first in a weak draft for a pretty good young player. Not a great move here, but Davis was disrespected by the coaching staff anyway.

Winner; Seattle
Although they take a hit on the defensive end by now benching Vincent Askew, Davis is a player the Sonics can make part of their long-range plans if they re-sign him in the offseason. Certainly in terms of talent, he's better than anything they'd get with the pick.

All-Star Weekend
The Rookies beat the Sophs 110-92 but Arvydas Sabonis's 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals win him MVP over Ray Allen's 21 points. Allen Iverson tore his MCL back in mid-December, which really, really blows considering he was averaging 22 points at the time.

The West clobbers the East 99-83, led by Jason Kidd's near triple-double of 13 points, 13 assists, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Can't argue with the MVP nod there. Jalen Rose gets in for 2 minutes and makes his only shot. Larry Johnson made it as well, but he didn't get to play because the West is so ridiculously stacked with great forwards this year.

How did we do with our annual All-Star doubleheader against the cross-town Lakers? Game 1: 116-101 win for the Clippers, with Larry Johnson's 21 points, Jalen Rose's 20 points and second-teamers Bo Outlaw (17 points) and B.J. Armstrong (12 points) holding court. Game 2: 109-101 win for the Clippers. Our two All-Stars again dominated. Larry Johnson had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Rose 22 points. But let's not forget Bo Outlaw's beasting it for 14 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench, or fellow reserve Sarunas Marciulionis's 12 points.

All-Star Weekend was dead for trades, but that doesn't stop me poking around after the festivities are over. There's a couple of fascinating players on the block and I can't help investigating. But the Rockets won't trade Hakeem Olajuwon despite a very generous offer.

That doesn't stop me from pulling off a blockbuster.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
C Dikembe Mutombo
PG Michael Adams
PG Muggsy Bogues
Charlotte Hornets 1999 1st round pick

Charlotte Hornets receive
C Vlade Divac
New York Knicks 1998 2nd round pick
Milwaukee Bucks 1999 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
The league's best defensive and shotblocking center in the league in Mutombo, plus veteran point guards in Bogues and Adams and the Hornets 1999 1st. It's a terrific bonanza for the Clippers, who now have the stopper they need to combat Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson in the West. Mutombo's signed through his year 34 season, but at a fraction of Divac's cost. Bogues is a solid veteran passer and handler, one who won't tip the Pooh Richardson/B.J. Armstrong boat. Adams is here just for salary.

What this means for the Hornets
Charlotte's improved to a 29-22 record even without Glen Rice, but they're just not looking like championship contenders. Divac gives them more scoring punch inside alongside Loy Vaught, a combination that worked pretty well in Los Angeles and should do the same in Charlotte, especially with Glen "The Natural" Rice as a turbocharged Jalen Rose figure. This also means a longer window, as Divac's 27 to Mutombo's 30.

Winner: Clippers
The trade makes sense for both teams in terms of where they're at and what their needs are, but Divac's much more expensive contract and the 1st round pick surrendered by the Hornets, even with the two probable high 2nds, make this another great move by Jestor.

Of course, what the article didn't mention was that by dumping Divac, we're sacrificing quite a bit of interior scoring.

Record at Trade Time
Hornets: 29-22 (10.5 back)
Clippers: 39-13 (0.5 ahead)

Yeah, we're staking our division lead on this move.

And as fate would have it, we have two division foes up first after the All-Star break. A back-to-back, including against the stalking Seattle Sonics. We win the front half 98-94 in Oakland thanks to Larry Johnson (16 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists), Dikembe Mutombo (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Sarunas Marciulionis (13 bench points). Then we destroy the Sonics 113-95, as Larry Johnson dazzles with 31 points, 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose scores 27 and Dikembe Mutombo bangs down low for 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The game against Seattle marked the end of the trade window and there was considerable activity at deadline time.

Chicago Bulls receive
PF Grant Long

Milwaukee Bucks receive
PF Cory Wheat
C Bill Wennington

What this means for the Bulls
There's just something about the 30 year old Long that makes him tradeable, as he joins his 4th team in 2 seasons. That something is his versatility, able to play 3-5, and his disciplined solid all-around play. Currently he's the starting center while Luc Longley recovers from a triceps injury, but he's a key boost to their frontcourt in any case.

What this means for the Bucks
Wennington was cut and re-signed with the Bulls, so this is a Wheat for Long deal. Wheat, taken with the last pick in the first round of the draft, has some upside to be an okay rotation player, but his horrible work ethic and rawness suggest he won't get there. Milwaukee does need to get younger, but this is a poor choice and they traded away their most valuable vet to do it.

Winner: Chicago
Great pickup for a cheap price by the defending champions.

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
SF Anthony Mason

New York Knicks receive
Cleveland Cavaliers 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Cavaliers
Mason's a phenomenal rebounder and passer/handler in the 3 spot. Very disciplined and cerebral player, but he's weak on the defensive end and will only get worse as he's 30. Becomes the starting SF and should be an excellent glue guy for the playoff-bound Cavs.

What this means for the Knicks
First the Hubert Davis for a 1st. Now Mason for another late 1st in a poor draft. 20-33 New York will probably miss the postseason and it's clear they're preparing for life after Patrick Ewing, which is smart, but this is just the wrong year to do it in.

Winner: Cleveland
It'd be a draw, but the bad draft class makes this a win for the Cavaliers, who continue to be one of the more underrated teams in the league.

Indiana Pacers receive
SF Robert Horry

Houston Rockets receive
Indiana Pacers 1997 1st round pick

What this means for the Pacers
Indiana's well aware of the moves made by the Bulls and Cavs, so the Central leaders counter by getting the 26 year old Horry, a ball-thief with good passing who now becomes the starting PF, allowing Dale Davis to be a rebounding monster off the bench and enhance Indiana's passing and handling ability overall. It's going to be an interesting strategy, given that Reggie Miller is now the best boarder in the starting five, but on the other hand, the Pacers also really needed youth at the small forward spot.

What this means for the Rockets
Houston's 19-37. Everything you can say about the Knicks, you can say about the Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Winner: Indiana
Same basic principles as the Cavs/Knicks trade above.

Chicago Bulls receive
SF Malik Sealy
Denver Nuggets 1997 2nd round pick

Denver Nuggets receive
PG Kenny Smith
PF Jason Caffey

What this means for the Bulls
Ironically enough, Sealy was a guy the Clippers included to get Grant Long and Stacey Augmon and now both Long and Sealy are on the same team. Sealy is a great scorer with excellent ball-stealing talents, although he's a 3 point chucker despite shooting just 15% from long-range. That said, he'll be a quality 6th man for the Bulls and he allows them to get younger.

What this means for the Nuggets
Smith cut, Smith re-sign with Bulls, despite being unhappy about playing time. Caffey's a terrible shooter for a big man, but the Nuggets are so hungry for frontcourt players after Antonio McDyess broke his hand, that 14-39 Denver willingly gets younger and gives up a starter for Caffey to be the starting center until McDyess returns. Can you say Dysfunctional in Denver?

Winner: Chicago
Don't blame the Bulls GM if they fail to repeat. He's doing everything he can to ensure Chicago has a shot at a second straight ring.

Big test up next forDikembe Mutombo against the Spurs and he passes with flying colors, holding David Robinson to 4/17 and 10 points, 10 rebounds. He also outplayed The Admiral, with 15 points and 10 rebounds of his own. We whip San Antonio 114-88, Larry Johnson aiding the effort with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Sarunas Marciulionis sniping in 18 bench points. Oh, and all five starters scored 14 or better.

Our 111-99 win over the Kings follows a familiar formula: Larry Johnson with 28 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose with 20 points and Sarunas Marciulionis with 13 bench points.

February concludes with a 117-83 rout of the Pistons. Sarunas Marciulionis epitomizes our balanced attack with 12 bench points as the lone noteworthy statistical highlight.

Record since deadline deal
Clippers: 5-0
Hornets: 0-5

That about says it all, doesn't it?

We're now 44-13, owners of the NBA's best record and in front of the Suns by 2.5 games. 33-23 San Antonio is 2 games ahead of Minnesota.

In the East, 43-14 Indiana is fending off the hard-charging Bulls by just a half-game and 5 game leader 33-24 Washington is again the Atlantic's only over-.500 team.

League Leaders

Points
Shaquille O'Neal - Orlando Magic - 26.6
Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls - 25.6
Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons - 25

Assists
Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks - 12.9
John Stockton - Utah Jazz - 12.4
Kevin Johnson - Phoenix Suns - 9.6

Rebounds
Dennis Rodman - Chicago Bulls - 15.4
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 12.6
Shawn Kemp - Seattle Sonics - 11.6

Blocks
Shawn Bradley - Philadelphia 76ers - 3.9
Dikembe Mutombo - Los Angeles Clippers - 3.8
Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 3.2

Steals
Tim Hardaway - Golden State Warriors - 2.2
Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks - 2.2
Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls - 2
Penny Hardaway - Orlando Magic - 2

Rookies Leaders

Points
Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 15.6*
Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons - 14.1
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 12.2

* - Allen Iverson got moved to the D-league after his MCL tear

Assists
Josh Hardy - New York Knicks - 3.2
Ray Allen - Denver Nuggets - 2.9
3 tied with 2.4

Rebounds
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 9.8
Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons - 7.8
Lorenzen Wright - Utah Jazz - 6.5
Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 6.5

Blocks
Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 3.2
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 2.2
Roy Rogers - Boston Celtics - 1.6

Steals
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 1.1
Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 1.0
Antoine Walker - New Jersey Nets - 1.0

Camby vs. Ilgauskas for Rookie of the Year is one of the most intriguing battles of the season. Personally, I favor Camby, since the Grizzlies are 29-26 and would be the 7th seed if the playoffs started right now.

Autumn · 04-21-2010, 09:26 AM

Wow, what is it about the AI that doesn't like Mutumbo? He seems to get traded a lot, and not for full value. I guess the game likes scorers. A nice steal there.

Those are some crazy assist numbers from Kidd and Stockton.

Izulde · 04-22-2010, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

Wow, what is it about the AI that doesn't like Mutumbo? He seems to get traded a lot, and not for full value. I guess the game likes scorers. A nice steal there.

Those are some crazy assist numbers from Kidd and Stockton.

I believe the game, much like the real-life NBA, tends to overvalue scorers, yeah. I was stoked about the deal myself and I don't mind those kind of steals, especially when I offer full value for franchise guys and it rejects it.

Even crazier when you consider this is a roster set designed to harmonize with the engine's biases vs. real-life NBA numbers.

Izulde · 04-22-2010, 04:02 AM

Our annual March road trip out East starts off with a back-to-back of a blowout win and an ugly win. The laugher's 97-76 over the Knicks, Larry Johnson hitting for 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Dikembe Mutombo pulverizing former Clipper Lorenzo Williams for 20 points and 13 rebounds. Guess Patrick Ewing got hurt. Sarunas Marciulionis led the reserves with 10 points. Both teams shoot for crap in our 72-69 win against the Celtics the next night, but Jalen Rose and Pooh Richardson combine for 35 points to battle David Wesley's 24 points in a strange game.

Jalen Rose scores 22, Larry Johnson hauls in 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists and Sarunas Marciulionis scores 12 bench points as we coast to a 103-83 Bullets rout.

Shawn Bradley has a freakish 9 points, 22 rebounds and 12 blocks and Elliot Perry is the lone 76er to even reach double-digit figures with 26 points, but Dikembe Mutombo's 20 rebounds and 7 blocks, Stacey Augmon's 22 points and Sarunas Marciulionis's 15 bench points carry the day in our 99-67 win. Great game if you like to watch rebounding, shot-blocking centers go at it.

Unfortunately, we lose 102-97 the next night in Detroit, as the guys just run out of gas from the long road journey. B.J. Armstrong's 12 bench points was the only noteworthy statistical showing.

A few days off and we plunge right into another back-to-back. We come home and mow down the Mavericks 104-82 with Jalen Rose's 34 points and B.J. Armstrong's 15 bench points. Our flight to Portland for next night's game inspires Stacey Augmon and Jalen Rose to 20 points, Dikembe Mutombo to 13 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists and an excellent all-around game from Larry Johnson of 19 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals in our 95-84 victory over the Blazers.

18 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds from Larry Johnson and Sarunas Marciulionis's 12 bench points ignite a balanced attack that allows us to beat the Sonics 103-89 in Seattle.

We then head home and whip the Timberwolves 102-75 a couple nights later, led by Larry Johnson's 29 points and Jalen Rose's 20 points.

Things keep right on rolling with a 108-70 shredding of the 76ers. Dikembe Mutombo just misses a triple double with 11 points, 15 rebounds and 9 blocks, while Shawn Bradley netted 14 points, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks. Nothing like their prior craziness, but still fun. Jalen Rose scores 20 and Bo Outlaw and Sarunas Marciulionis each score 12 off the bench, Outlaw getting his in exactly 12 minutes on 6 of 6 shooting.

I think we're pretty darn close to clinching the division after squishing the Suns 104-83 in Phoenix. Larry Johnson scores 23, Jalen Rose chips in 21 and Bo Outlaw and Sarunas Marciulionis pace the reserves with 11 and 10 points each.

Dikembe Mutombo makes Kevin Willis look like an old-ass mofo, abusing him for 21 points and 15 rebounds as we bash the Bucks 104-78. Sarunas Marciulionis (19 points), Bo Outlaw (15 points) and B.J. Armstrong (11 points) mark one of the best second unit performances I've seen in all my basketball years.

But the win comes at a costly price: Jalen Rose breaks his hand and is out 69 days. He's done for the regular season and will only come back in the playoffs if we advance far enough.

Bereft of our leading scorer, I wonder where the points are going to come from. B.J. Armstrong takes over as the starting SG and is our lead scorer with 19 points in a gritty 85-69 win over Cleveland, Sarunas Marciulionis adding 10 bench points.

Three games on the road to end March. We shock the Bulls 101-88 on the front end of a doubleheader, Larry Johnson rampaging for 28 points, Dikembe Mutombo throwing down 15 points and 10 rebounds and Bo Outlaw firing off 15 bench points. Then comes an 89-85 loss to the T-Wolves the next night in a close game, but Minnesota shot just a little bit better and not even Charles Oakley's rare 14 bench points could save us.

On the last day of the month, we trample Toronto 95-76 with the killer frontcourt performance of Dikembe Mutombo's 24 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks, Larry Johnson's 25 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists and Stacey Augmon's 20 points.

It's game one of a doubleheader, so I might as well just finish that out. A near-identical 96-74 win over the Nets follows, Sarunas Marciulionis starting at SG due to yet more backcourt injuries. All five starters score 12 or more, led by Stacey Augmon's 20 points, Larry Johnson's 18 points and 12 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo's weaksauce double-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds.

8 games left and we have a 6 game lead on the Suns. We've already clinched at least the #2 seed and only need a couple wins or a couple Phoenix losses to take that #1 spot.

Eh, let's keep going.

The Big D hosts a 98-79 Clippers domination of the Mavericks, led Dikembe Mutombo the torture master with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks. Sarunas Marciulionis contributes 17 points off the bench and the duo carry us to our 60th win of the year.

It's Dikembe Mutombo taking charge again in our 94-72 win over Portland with 18 points, 11 rebound and 4 steals and it's rookie Peja Stojakovic as the top bench player this time with 15 points. Our first round pick is averaging only a little over 10 and a half minutes a game, but he's shown some good development in his first year and I hope he can continue that trend.

Dikembe Mutombo's 16 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks can't prevent a tough 89-86 loss to Golden State. Tim Hardaway was the man of the night with 21 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Just no answer for him.

We sweep a doubleheader to secure the #1 seed if we didn't have it already. Pooh Richardson suddenly wakes up for 23 points and Sarunas Marciulionis and Bo Outlaw score 10 bench points to guide us to a 92-73 win over the Jazz. The Kings fall 95-78, due to Larry Johnson's 17 points and 10 rebounds and huge help from the second team: Bo Outlaw with 16 points and Charles Oakley and Michael Adams of all people with 10 points a piece.

The Jazz beat us 105-93 in Utah despite 24 points and 12 rebounds from Larry Johnson, 12 points and 11 rebounds from Stacey Augmon, 12 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks from Dikembe Mutombo and 10 bench points each from Bo Outlaw and Muggsy Bogues.

A rally in Houston brings us a heart-stopping 109-107 win over the Rockets, our comeback fueled by B.J. Armstrong's 29 points and Larry Johnson's 28 points.

Not a single Vancouver Grizzly scores more than 7 points in our season-ending 98-65 win. 6 Grizzlies reached that high point So Larry Johnson, with his 24 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists, outscores 3 Grizzlies all by himself. And that's without mentioning Bo Outlaw's 14 bench points.

West Conference Seedings
1. Los Angeles Clippers (65-17)
2. Phoenix Suns (55-27)
3. Seattle Sonics (53-29)
4. Sacramento Kings (51-31)
5. San Antonio Spurs (51-31)
6. Vancouver Grizzlies (45-37)
7. Minnesota Timberwolves (43-39)
8. Utah Jazz (43-39)

East Conference Seedings
1. Chicago Bulls (63-19)
2. Indiana Pacers (60-22)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (56-26)
4. Charlotte Hornets (45-37)
5. Washington Bullets (44-38)
6. Detroit Pistons (43-39)
7. Miami Heat (42-40)
8. New Jersey Nets (40-42)

I'm not happy about getting matched up with the Jazz. We would play much better against Minnesota, I think. But we'll have to see how it turns out.

42 days until Jalen Rose returns. I think we'd have to make the Finals to have a shot at getting him back and playing.

We have a tall order ahead of us.

Izulde · 04-23-2010, 06:34 AM

Missing The Mailman and a Rose: Jazz vs. Clippers Preview

C Dikembe Mutombo's offensive output is the X-Factor in this series

How quickly the Los Angeles Clippers' fortunes have turned in the Jestor era. Once a laughingstock of the league, the Red and White made a surprising run to the West Conference Finals last season and this year posted the best record in the NBA.

The change has been a result of several shrewd trades by Jestor, such as last season's pickups of Jalen Rose, Stacey Augmon and B.J. Armstrong and this year's acquisitions of Larry Johnson and Dikembe Mutombo. In fact, the only starter to have been on the Clippers when the GM arrived was Pooh Richardson, whose contract made him untradeable. For the matter, the only two original Clippers in terms of the beginning of Jestor's tenure are Richardson and Outlaw. All the rest were acquired via trade or the draft.

But even with the feel-good stories coming out of the radical transformation, a cloud hangs over these playoffs and the #1 seed. Leading scorer Jalen Rose is out and will, at the very earliest, be back for the NBA Finals, forcing the team to get that far without him. It's going to be a tough fight, even though the Jazz themselves are without Karl Malone, who was lost since November with a torn ACL.

Let's look at the breakdown.

Point Guard
Pooh Richardson vs. John Stockton
There's something wrong with a starting PG that averages 10.4 points and not even 5 assists, but that's what Richardson is. On the other hand, he's only averaging 29 minutes a game and his trade will continue to be Jestor's dearest wish.

Stockton is still an unequaled master, with apologies to Jason Kidd. 16 points, 12.8 assists and 1.7 steals a game while shooting 49% as a guard is just all-around impressive. The league's best guard, he'll have no problem outplaying Pooh.

Advantage: Jazz

Shooting Guard
B.J. Armstrong vs. Jeff Hornacek
Armstrong has been respectable as Rose's replacement and has better passing and much better ballhandling, but he lacks Rose's consistent explosiveness as a scorer, not to mention is 6 inches shorter. Averaged 9.6 points and 4.8 assists as the team's backup point guard.

Hornacek took over a lot of the scoring load after Malone went down, averaging 20.5 points and 1.5 steals for the regular season. Smart and disciplined, but his stealing talents will be negated against Armstrong's surehandedness.

Advantage: Jazz

Small Forward
Stacey Augmon vs. Chris Morris
The Plastic Man's calling card is defense and he frequently forces teams to shift their 3 over to the SG spot. Better than expected rebounder who averaged 11.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals this year and shot a superb 48.2%. Not a prolific scorer, although he's capable of hot production at times.

Augmon has a tough assignment in guarding Morris, who exploded for 18.6 points and a steal per game in the regular season. Morris is also a quality defender in his own right, albeit a couple steps below Augmon. Also, Chris's inconsistency could haunt the Jazz, especially against so textbook a defender. He'll still get his points, but if he takes a lot of shots at low accuracy to get them, Utah will be the worse for it.

Advantage: Jazz

Power Forward
Larry Johnson vs. Jamie Watson
Many observers were stunned by the blockbuster deal that swapped Johnson and Loy Vaught, not least because LJ, at 6'6, is the type of undersized PF that Jestor is known to loathe. But he also packs on 250 lbs of muscle and the chemistry he and Augmon have from their Runnin' Rebels days at UNLV have proven a blessing to the Clippers. So, too, has Grandmama's scoring over Vaught's. He averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists between the two teams and is the best passing power forward in the league. He also shot 54% for the season and improved his accuracy after moving to Los Angeles.

Watson's a nice guy. Averaged 9.7 points and 1.3 steals after stepping in for Malone, but he's outclassed here. Shot well (48.4%), but he's more of a 3 and is a career bench player forced to start in the post where his skinny 6'7, 190 lb frame is going to get mowed down by the burly Johnson. Pretty bad in just about every area, if you want to know the truth.

Advantage: Clippers

Center
Dikembe Mutombo vs. Greg Ostertag
12.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 blocks. Fantastic defense. 7'2. 50% shooter. There isn't enough you can say in praise about Mutombo, who additionally showed flashes of huge scoring bursts after Rose went down. How well he does in point production could well be the key to this series.

Ostertag's 6.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks don't look impressive until you consider he was only a part-time starter, averaging 21.5 minutes in total per game this season. He has some inside scoring ability and can block shots, but he's undisciplined, a mediocre defender, horrible with protecting the ball and grabs far fewer boards than a man of his 7'2, 280 lb frame should.

Advantage: Clippers

Bench
Sarunas Marciulionis has been an unexpected boon for the Clippers. He averaged 9.2 points and 1.2 steals as the team's 6th man after being a throw-in in the Chris Mullin trade. Defensive powerhouse Bo Outlaw averaged 7.2 points and 1.5 blocks and is a huge part of the team's rotation. His contract is also up after this season and it's uncertain if the team can afford to bring him back. Muggsy Bogues is a brilliant little 5'3 floor general and Charles Oakley is a former starter on a playoff team who could produce if called upon to do so.

Adam Keefe averaged 5.8 points and shot 49.3% as an overachiever relative to his talent and Felton Spencer averaged 5.4 points in 11 and a half minutes of playing time. Howard Eisley is a great floor general and Stockton's heir apparent, but he's actually regressed in his shooting, a worrying sign.

Advantage: Clippers

Final Thoughts
This boils down down to the Jazz's stellar backcourt against the Clippers' imposing frontcourt and terrific depth. It's a formula that favors Los Angeles, who has the ability to survive an injury to anyone but Johnson and not miss a step, whereas if Utah loses someone, they're done. It should still be an enjoyable series, but it won't be a sweep. The Jazz will win at least one home game, even with the Clippers' 32-9 road record, well ahead of even second place Chicagos' 27-14 away mark.

Prediction: Clippers in 5

Game One
Maybe it was overconfidence, but we were flat all game long. Jeff Hornacek torches us for 27 points with John Stockton feeding him via 12 points and 19 assists. Adam Keefe and Byron Russell gave the lie to Utah's purported weak bench with 14 and 11 points and our only noteworthy player was Sarunas Marciulionis with 11 bench points... on 5/15 shooting, 1/7 from 3 point range.
Final - Utah 102 Clippers 85

Game Two
If we play another garbage game like the first one, we're done. Fortunately, B.J. Armstrong gets a fire lit under his ass after getting whipped so bad in Game 1 and comes through with 20 points and 9 assists, Dikembe Mutombo his support with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Even though we win big and shut the Jazz down completely, it still feels like we're struggling as we head to Utah .
Final - Utah 72 Clippers 102

Game Three
It's a bloodthirsty crowd of Mormons in Salt Lake, who see their team as having a real shot after the Game 1 upset. Jeff Hornacek feeds off their energy for 21 points and Chris Morris doubles for 16 points and 11 rebounds. Adam Keefe punches in 10 bench points. But then Larry Johnson finally snaps out of the funk he's in and comes up with 24 points and 10 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo gets the freaky double-double that only he can of 15 rebounds and 11 blocks and somehow, it's all enough to right the ship and steal a six-point victory.
Final - Clippers 88 Utah 82

Game Four
We've now canceled out the Game 1 mishap and look forward to pushing the Jazz to the brink. Larry Johnson builds on his Game 3 outing with 25 points, B.J. Armstrong scores 20 and Dikembe Mutombo doubles for 10 points and 15 rebounds. Utah mounts a challenge with Jeff Hornacek's 24 points, John Stockton's 11 points and 12 assists and Felton Spencer's 17 bench points, but it's not enough. We head back to L.A. with the 3-1 series lead and the Jazz fans are left mourning their lost opportunity.
Final - Clippers 104 Jazz 94

Only one sweep to report as Seattle knocks off the upstart Grizzlies in four. About what I figured, as Vancouver had no business being in the playoffs in the first place.

Game Five
I'm a bit nervous coming back home, as Larry Johnson seemed to play better on the road. And in fact, he does underachieve here, but Dikembe Mutombo makes up for it with 16 points and 13 rebounds, leading a balanced offense and stifling defense to a comfortable win to send Utah to the offseason.
Final - Utah 72 Clippers 98

The Suns beat the Timberwolves in 5 and the Heat pull off a major upset, stunning the second-seed Pacers in 5 as well.

Chicago cuts down the pesky Nets in 6 and the Kings get the second major coup of the playoffs, ousting David Robinson's Spurs in 6 and turning into our dates for the second round. Guess that means Dikembe Mutombo won't be tested against the postseason version of The Admiral after all.

The Cavaliers disappoint Detroit in 7, and the Hornets fall to the Bullets in a full series, a heartbreaking 109-108 defeat in which Gheorghe Muresan was 11/12 for 24 points and 12 rebounds. If Charlotte still has Mutombo, they win that series.

Not that I'm complaining, of course.

Izulde · 04-24-2010, 06:33 AM

The NorCal/SoCal War: Kings/Clippers Preview

Make no mistake about it. Kings SG Mitch Richmond is the hottest player in this series.

The good news is the Los Angeles Clippers survived Round 1 without any new major injuries. The bad news is, they're still without super-scoring SG Jalen Rose and face a second round opponent in the Kings who have that sharpshooting 2, veteran Mitch Richmond, who proved pivotal in Sacramento's unseating of the fairly heavily favored Spurs.

There's a small subplot here as well, in the form of the team's 6th men, Sarunas Marciulionis (Clippers) and Chris Mullin (Kings) who were traded for each other as part of a larger pick-swapping deal this past offseason.

Here's how things look:

Point Guard
Pooh Richardson vs. Mookie Blaylock
12.4 points and 4 assists in the first round is about what people expected from Pooh. On the plus side, he showed his 50.8% shooting in last year's playoffs was no fluke, shooting at 50% this season as well. He also did an excellent job of keeping John Stockton from having monster scoring games in Round 1.

For all the flack Blaylock gets for not being a good passer, he still averaged 15.8 points, 6 assists and 1.3 steals along with an unheard of for a guard 7.7 rebounds in the first round. Supremely gifted defender, but shot just 36.9% against the Spurs. He should have an easier time of it here and even if he doesn't, Mookie's magnificent all-around game still trumps Pooh's careful clutch shooting.

Advantage: Kings

Shooting Guard
B.J. Armstrong vs. Mitch Richmond
Like Richardson, Armstrong has elevated his play in the postseason, averaging 15.6 points on a sliver above 50% shooting, with 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals. Although nowhere near the level of Rose, he's proven an adequate playoff replacement.

Poor B.J. Last round he had Jeff Hornacek's prolific scoring to deal with. Now he has Richmond's 23.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists to contend with. Richmond struggled a bit with his accuracy in Round 1, shooting 38.9%, but he's also an elite defender, even better than Blaylock, and he should do an excellent job of snuffing out Armstrong.

Advantage: Kings

Small Forward
Stacey Augmon vs. Walt Williams
On the face of it, Augmon's 12.4 points look remarkably pedestrian, but he proved his defensive prowess by completely shutting down Chris Morris in the first round, a role he'll be expected to play here as well.

Williams was fantastic against the Spurs, second on the Kings in scoring with 17.7 points, 2.5 steals and 1.2 blocks. Don't look for him to reprise that scoring success against Augmon, or even the same defensive numbers, as the former Runnin' Rebel is more surehanded. Williams also has discipline problems and with the Plastic Man's ability to draw fouls, this could be a very long series for Walt. A key battle in this series.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Larry Johnson vs. Brian Grant
It took a bit for Grandmama to get going in the first round, but he was the biggest reason why the Clippers swept the Jazz on the road and finished the series averaging 19.8 points, 8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals. The Clippers will need him to start producing at home if they hope to win against the fully healthy Kings.

Grant has been a double-double machine thus far, averaging 11.5 points, 11 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, numbers analogous to his regular season outing. But he's horrible at handling the ball and shot a shockingly bad 39.4% in the first round after shooting 57.4% in the regular season. An above average defender with 3 inches on LJ, the Kings are counting on him to disrupt Johnson's flow, but it's more likely to be the other way around.

Advantage: Clippers

Center
Dikembe Mutombo vs. Olden Polynice
The big man fell just shy of the double-double mark in the first round, averaging 9.8 points and 14 rebounds with a staggering 4.8 blocks a game. Much of his low scoring came from a disturbing 37.1% conversion rate, which, coupled with his 44.1% shooting last year with the Hornets, suggests that he's not nearly as accurate in the playoffs. He needs to raise that number this series.

9.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks mark Polynice as a clear fifth starter and inferior to Mutombo. Very average all-around center, one who at 6'11, 220 lbs, is just asking to get crushed against the behemoth the Clippers feature.

Advantage: Clippers

Bench
For all the talk of the explosiveness of the Clippers' bench, it wasn't really present in the first round. That said, Sarunas Marciulionis averaged 7.8 points and Muggsy Bogues showed that he's still got it, averaging 4.2 assists with a ridiculous 10.5 A/TO ratio. Bo Outlaw averaged 5.8 rebounds in 14.2 minutes a game, Charles Oakley 4 in just under 10. But the real surprise has been rookie Peja Stojakovic, averaging 5.8 points as he's starting to get more comfortable with the NBA game.

Unlike the Clippers' depth, the Kings only go two deep on their bench. Undersized post player Michael Smith is averaging a terrific 8 points and 8.3 rebounds and former Clipper Chris Mullin is posting 7.5 points and a steal per game, albeit at 32.1% shooting, continuing the consistency issues from last season.

Advantage: Clippers

Final Thoughts
This is a repeat of Round 1, where it comes down to depth and frontcourt of the Red and White against the stellar backcourt of their opponent. The difference is that the Kings have two shutdown defensive guards who will force Los Angeles to rely on their forwards and big men to do the scoring and even with Larry Johnson, the Clippers just don't have enough points to answer Sacramento's perimeter firepower, even if Augmon neutralizes Williams as expected.

Prediction
Kings in 6

Game One
It's a tough matchup; I'll grant you that. And after our opening game flameout versus the Jazz, this one has me and some of the home fans a little wary. A scrappy, defensive fight ensues, in which Mitch Richmond scores 24, Olden Polynice proves a game battler with 12 points and 18 rebounds and Brian Grant hauls in 12 points and 13 rebounds. And then there's Chris Mullin really getting up for this one, pouring in 19 bench points. We fight back with Larry Johnson's 16 points and 11 rebounds, but what allows us to win this one is better shooting accuracy, a balanced offense that features four bench players with 5+ points and Dikembe Mutombo's monster game of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. We needed every last one of those points, too, to escape with a narrow series-opening win. How close was it? 24 lead changes and 14 ties.
Final - Sacramento 90 Clippers 94

Game Two
I'm proud of the heart we showed in the first game and hope we can carry it over here. Olden Polynice continues to impress me with 10 points and 18 rebounds, but Dikembe Mutombo squashes him with a near-triple double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 blocks. Aiding Mutombo is Larry Johnson's 19 points and 15 rebounds and 12 and 10 bench points from Sarunas Marciulionis and Bo Outlaw. Surprisingly easy win.
Final - Sacramento 77 Clippers 104

Game Three
Getting out of L.A. with a 2-0 series lead was critical, because the Kings are going to come out fighting on their home turf. Or at least, that's what I think until Dikembe Mutombo continues his unreal second round with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Larry Johnson gets a crazy double-double of 10 points and 13 assists, just feeding it in to our center. Then there's Sarunas Marciulionis and Muggsy Bogues playing shock troop snipers with 15 and 12 points respectively. Too bad for the Kings, as Brian Grant finally broke through for 24 points and 11 rebounds and Olden Polynice despite being made Mutombo's bitch, continues to fight against our titanic champion with 12 points and 14 rebounds. I'm just in awe of what Dikembe's done.
Final - Clippers 109 Sacramento 88

Game Four
If you'd told me before this series began that we could sweep the Kings, I'd have called you a crackhead. But we're in just that possible scenario. Brian Grant continues his late series run with 20 points and Mookie Blaylock finally gets on the statistically noteworthy board with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but that's all she wrote as our defense takes over. Dikembe Mutombo finally cooled off with 10 points and 13 rebounds and Sarunas Marciulionis scored 10 bench points. But in the end, it's 44.9% shooting (us) to 34.7% shooting (them) and that's what makes the difference, especially when Mookie Blaylock is 0/11 from downtown. So all told, we once again come out slow before laying down the hammer the rest of the way, only this time, it's a sweet sweep.
Final - Clippers 92 Kings 71

We're going back to the West Conference Finals!!!

Dikembe Mutombo's 2nd Round Averages
21 PPG 12 RPG 5 BPG - 41/69 - 59.4% shooting

Un-freaking-believable! Quite possibly the single greatest series performance I've seen since a certain Hall of Famer with initials MY.

We learn our West Conference Finals opponent the game after. Once again, we won't have an easy challenge, facing the #2 seed Phoenix Suns, who downed Seattle in 5.

The East Conference semi-finals go to a full seven games, with the Cavaliers finishing off the Heat and the Washington Bullets shocking the defending champion Chicago Bulls. Wow! No injuries to Chi-town either. What happened?

This happened.

Total frontcourt annihilation by Washington. Should be a hell of a series with Cleveland.

So for that matter, should we have with the Suns.

On the eve of Game 1 of the conference finals, the team doctor tells me it'll be 18 days before Jalen Rose comes back.

2 back to back
1 day off
2 back to back
1 day off
1 game
1 day off
1 game
1 day off
1 game
1 day off
--------------------
12 days to complete conference finals

If we make it to the Finals:

2 back to back
1 day off
2 back to back
1 day off
------------
6 days, which means Jalen would be back for Game 5. So in order to have him back in our lineup, we need to not only win the West Conference Finals, but avoid getting swept in the NBA Finals.

Hope we can do it.

Izulde · 04-25-2010, 04:23 AM

The Wright Bargain, Suns To Face Clippers For West Crown

Free agent signing C Sharone Wright has been the biggest steal of the season

The most shocking development of this year's West Conference playoffs hasn't been the Clippers' sweep of the Kings without Jalen Rose. It's been that C Sharone Wright, signed off the free agent scrap heap for $810,000 on a one year deal, is leading the Phoenix Suns in scoring this postseason.

Yes, that's right. More than Kevin Johnson and more than Sir Charles Barkley. Wright's eruption was a volcanic event that even the most diehard Suns' faithful couldn't have predicted and NBA insiders are even more stunned.

"Here was a guy who got himself run out of Philadelphia because he's the single laziest player in the league", one East scout said, "But then all of a sudden, Phoenix picks him up and he not only wins the starting center job, but he has a quality regular season and tears it up in the playoffs. I don't get it. Paul Westphal deserves a lot of credit for getting Wright to work hard."

It's been the talk of the desert all postseason long and it's a development that makes Clippers GM Jestor's deadline deal for Dikembe Mutombo all the more important.

The breakdown:

Point Guard
Pooh Richardson vs. Kevin Johnson
Richardson did a fantastic job of containing Mookie Blaylock last round and has played much better defense than anyone expected. 11.9 points, 4 assists and 1.1 steals to date.

The question isn't KJ's talent. Not with 15.4 points, 11.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals in the postseason and his proven All-Star track record. The issue is, can one of the league's best all-around point guards stay healthy? If he can't, things get tougher for Phoenix. A lot tougher.

Advantage: Suns

Shooting Guard
B.J. Armstrong vs. Wesley Person
Armstrong continues to be solid, but unremarkable, averaging 13.2 points, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals. But like his backcourt partner, he's been better than expected on defense and kept Mitch Richmond under wraps for all but one game last round.

Person is averaging 13.6 points and 1.3 steals in the postseason and is an average all-around shooting guard. On the other hand, he's 6'6, 195 lbs and could present a significant challenge to the smaller Armstrong. But he also doesn't have Armstrong's passing talents.

Advantage: Draw

Small Forward
Stacey Augmon vs. Danny Manning
Augmon's 10.7 points a game don't impress and a lot of times, you don't notice him when he's playing, but he will get in your face and shut you down as he's done all postseason long.

10.8 points, 1.2 steals, and a block per game make Manning's numbers similar to Augmon's. But he's not the lockdown defender his Clippers counterpart is, even if he's bigger and a much more accurate shooter.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Larry Johnson vs. Charles Barkley
LJ is the one of the most versatile fours in the business and he's showing his skills off this playoffs as he's averaging 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals. Picking him up was one of the best trades Jestor's made.

Sir Charles is no slouch himself, averaging 20.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the postseason. He's an excellent all-around player and is the exact same height and weight (well, 2 pounds heavier) than Grandmama. On the other hand, Barkley's hampered by a strained hamstring that's going to bother him in Games 1-4 and in as a tightly matched a pair as these two, that's a huge difference.

Advantage: Draw

Center
Dikembe Mutombo vs. Sharone Wright
We know all about Dikembe's otherworldly outing against the Kings that raised his playoff averages to 14.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.9 blocks. What remains to be seen is if he can reprise that stellar play in this round.

It's possible, because Wright is about the same size as Olden Polynice and, Wright's offensive blossoming in the first two rounds aside, he's going to get shut down by the Mountain of Defense. So look for those 21.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.4 blocks to take a steep drop, particularly given his horrible passing and handling.

Advantage: Clippers

Bench
Sarunas Marciulinis's 9 points and 1.1 steals are the clear leader, but let's not forget Bo Outlaw's 4.8 points and 4 rebounds a game or Muggsy Bogues's 4.7 points and 4.6 assists.

The Suns' bench largely lives and dies by Wayman Tisdale's 7.9 points and 1.1 steals, because the rest of the bench is simply bad, with apologies to rookie Derek Fisher.

Advantage: Clippers

Final Thoughts
Tough series to call. Unlike the first two rounds, where it was a clean case of backcourt vs. frontcourt and depth, here, things are a little more even. That said, Barkley's injury and the Clippers' depth should make this a fairly quick series. If goes beyond our projected outcome, Los Angeles is in trouble.

Prediction
Clippers in 5

Game One
Injury to Barkley aside, this still strikes me as a very difficult series, so we need to gain advantage quickly. We do in the opener, allowing just 2 Suns players in double-digit scoring and one of them bench player Jud Buechler with 10 points. With that kind of defense, it's no wonder we win in a blowout. Dikembe Mutombo romps on with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 8 blocks, while all five starters hit 10 points or more and Bo Outlaw scores 10 bench points.
Final - Phoenix 80 Clippers 101

Stacey Augmon injures his finger, so Sarunas Marciulionis will start at SF until he's fully healed.

Game Two
Things are much tighter in the second contest, Kevin Johnson bursting for 22 points and 11 assists, Sharone Wright fighting the defensive Dikembe wall for 15 points and 10 rebounds. But Dikembe Mutombo more than matches Wright with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. Larry Johnson scores 21, B.J. Armstrong adds 20 and Muggsy Bogues speeds off the bench for 12 points as part of the fairly comfortable 10 point win to take the 2-0 lead.
Final - Phoenix 92 Clippers 102

Game Three
We have to get out of Phoenix with at least a split, because I don't relish a fully healthy Sir Charles. Unfortunately, Pooh Richardson goes 0 for 8 and Larry Johnson's 19 points and 10 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo's 14 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks are easily swept aside by the combined might of Kevin Johnson's 19 points and 16 assists, Wesley Person's 21 points, paired doubles of 14 points, 14 rebounds and 13 points, 13 rebounds from Sharone Wright and Charles Barkley respectively, and Wayman Tisdale's 10 bench points. In a word, we = owned.
Final - Clippers 77 Phoenix 95

Game Four
Our sweep dreams up in smoke, we try to bear down and keep this from being tied up. Larry Johnson hammers in 25 points and Dikembe Mutombo muscles his way to 16 points and 17 rebounds. The Suns counter with Kevin Johnson's 24 points and 14 assists, Charles Barkley's 24 points and 10 reobunds and Sharone Wright's 14 points and 13 rebounds. But what cost us the game was falling apart in the second half and getting outscored 71-53, losing both quarters. And now it's all tied up. Ugh.
Final - Clippers 109 Suns 116

The good news is, the East isn't a sweep.

Game Five
We can not afford to lose at home. B.J. Armstrong gets the message and has a breakout game with 26 points, while Dikembe Mutombo chips in 16 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks and Larry Johnson is good for 15 points and 12 rebounds. That trio and a huge fourth quarter comeback is enough to overcome Charles Barkley's 21 points, 17 rebounds and 5 steals and Wayman Tisdale's 11 bench points. A teethscraper of a win, but we'll take everything we can get at this point.
Final - Phoenix 87 Clippers 93

The Cavaliers win the East conference title by beating the Bullets in five games, so they're just letting us and Phoenix beat up on each other.

We also have a long injury list.

Jalen Rose - Broken Hand
Sarunas Marciulionis - Sprained Toe
Stacey Augmon - Sprained Finger
Peja Stojakovic - Sore Calf
Bo Outlaw - Mild Concussion
Dikembe Mutombo - Sore Calf

The Suns' only injury? Hot Rod Williams with sprained ankle.

Game Six
That Game 5 win was huge. It allows me to breathe normally here, rather than break out into sweat because of our Game 2 and 3 letdowns in Phoenix. Given the list of serious and minor injuries on our roster, I think we're done. Stacey Augmon returns to the lineup and Larry Johnson has 17 points and 10 rebounds, but it's little to cheer about when Kevin Johnson goes off for 32 points, 18 assists and 8 rebounds, Wesley Person scores 22 and Charles Barkley scores 20. We get embarassed and now fight for our lives in Game 7.
Final - Clippers 89 Suns 112

Game Seven
I can't watch. Things are looking brutal as Charles Barkley has 23 points and 14 rebounds, Sharone Wright takes advantage of our injuries for 20 points and 12 rebounds and Kevin Johnson doubles for 16 points and 12 assists. Larry Johnson leads our answer with 26 points and our bench outscores theirs 26-12, which proves to be the exact difference in the game. Best reserve of the night is Charles Oakley, with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals in just 13 minutes, the unsung hero of the game.
Final - Phoenix 96 Clippers 110

We're going to the Finals!!!! Clippers win the West Championship for the first time in franchise history!!!!

Izulde · 04-25-2010, 11:42 AM

A Tale Of No Superstars: Cavs/Clippers Finals

PG Terrell Brandon is the Cavaliers' version of Larry Johnson - a versatile star not considered a superstar

How very much alike these Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers are in some respects. Both were, before the season began, considered good teams, but not championship contenders. Neither one had, and still does not have, a superstar player, although they not are bereft of stars in their own right.

Each of them also made a pivotal trade deadline move. For the Clippers, as we all know, it was C Dikembe Mutombo. For the Cavaliers, SF Anthony Mason was the pickup. Mason also signals another similarity between the two teams; that of having an ex-Knicks starter on the roster, as the Clippers have Charles Oakley as a vastly underrated reserve.

Cleveland and Los Angeles both play a hard-nosed, stifling defensive game, ranking #2 and #3 respectively in fewest points allowed, as well as #6 and #3 in opponents' field goal % in addition to #5 and #4 in 3 point percentage allowed. Cleveland also is #2 in fewest assists allowed and fewest rebounds allowed, whereas the Clippers, playing the surehanded basketball that has been a calling card under the Jestor regime, allowed the 3rd fewest steals. But that's not all. Los Angeles also ranked #3 in team blocks and #9 in steals, whereas the Cavaliers were #7 in steals.

In terms of offense, the Clippers ranked #4 in points scored, largely because of their #2 in assists and #6 in rebounds. And that's not even counting their 2nd-best field goal shooting % or their #1 ranked fewest turnovers surrendered for the second straight year.

The Cavaliers, in contrast, were T-6th in field goal %, #7 in steals, and #9 in rebounds.

On the face of it, Cleveland has a difficult challenge ahead of them as they seek to bring a title to the long-suffering fans of the Mistake By The Lake. But it's possible, especially with Clippers leading scoring Jalen Rose out until Game 5, if there is one.

The position preview:

Point Guard
Pooh Richardson vs. Terrell Brandon
Richardson will try to use his height to contain Brandon, the Cavaliers' closest thing to a superstar. 10.9 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.2 steals are an increasing sign of Pooh's attention to floor generalship in the playoffs, an unexpected boon.

Brandon thrives off the underrated role and doesn't think his All-NBA 1st Team selection last season or his two straight All-Star appearances were enough respect. Although he averaged 20.8 points in the regular season, he's focused on more of a hybrid role in the postseason, racking up 18.2 points, 10.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Phenomenal on the defensive end, but doesn't get much credit for his passing skills or how much bigger he plays than his 5'11, 173 frame suggests.

Advantage: Cavaliers

Shooting Guard
B.J. Armstrong vs. Rick Fox
15.3 points, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals are not shabby numbers at all, especially when Armstrong is really best suited to point guard. He'll hold down the fort until Rose is ready to come back, unless there's a sweep one way or the other.

For two straight years, the Cavaliers have traded away their first round pick. This year it was for Mason, last year it was for Fox, a respectable all-around 6'7, 230 lb swingman averaging 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals. His major height advantage over Armstrong is somewhat mitigated by the fact that he has yet to shoot 40% for the postseason while in Cleveland.

Advantage: Draw

Small Forward
Stacey Augmon vs. Anthony Mason
Augmon's scoring and shooting numbers dropped because he's been bothered by a finger injury picked up last round and it'll be a couple games before it fully heals. Even with his 9.6 points, though, he concentrates on playing suffocating defenses and hauled down 5.1 rebounds. No matter what, he finds ways to contribute.

Mason has also altered his game in the postseason relative to the regular season, taking on more of a scoring role to average 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds thus far. Outstanding rebounder, but very weak on the defensive side of the equation. Disciplined and smart, the definition of veteran savvy. His defensive deficiencies won't matter here, because Augmon's not a big part of the points equation for the Clippers.

Advantage: Cavaliers

Power Forward
Larry Johnson vs. Tyrone Hill
LJ has been the Clippers' most reliable presence on the court in the playoffs, posting 18.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists. If we had to pick somebody to be MVP if the Clippers win it, Grandmama would be our man.

Hill will eat some of those rebounds, as he's averaging 11.1 points and 8.2 boards a game to date. Not the most disciplined player and one that should never be a primary option, but he doesn't get enough credit for his defense and Cleveland's hoping he can use his 6'9 height to slow Johnson down a bit.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Center
Dikembe Mutombo vs. Oliver Miller
In his own way, Mutombo has been just as valuable as Johnson, putting up 15.7 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.9 blocks, the sort of dominating all-around post presence that observers expected in rebounding and blocking, but never saw coming in points scored. Simply put, he's on fire, shooting 49% in the playoffs and taking on a greater than expected burden of the scoring load in Rose's absence.

Miller may only be 6'9, but he's 280 lbs and has the stockiness to hassle Mutombo a bit. 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in the postseason. Great shotblocker and pretty good ballthief for being such a round man, but otherwise the very definition of mediocrity.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Bench
Sarunas Marciulionis has a sprained toe, which will limit his 9 points per game average. Muggsy Bogues is getting more and more comfortable in the Clippers offense with each game played and is averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 assists. Bo Outlaw and Charles Oakley perform extremely well in their shared limited minutes.

Danny Ferry is averaging 9.2 points as the Cavs' main bench option. Chris Mills broke his finger in Game 1 of the East Conference Finals and losing his 8.7 points is a devastating blow to Cleveland's reserve offense, but that'll mean more minutes for Bobby Phils, the Cavs' version of Augmon.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Final Thoughts
Perimeter game for post game and depth is the familiar theme we've seen all throughout the playoffs for their opponents and the Clippers. But that's only going to last through the first four games and then Jalen Rose comes back for Los Angeles. The Clippers have home court advantage and honestly, given all that together, we just can't see the Cavs having much hope here.

Prediction:
Clippers in 5

Game One
I'm not comfortable being such heavy favorites. After all, there's a reason Cleveland got this far, including beating the Bullets in five and they're a dominant post team, too. The opening game was all about defense. B.J. Armstrong was game's high scorer with 20 points and 3 steals and we also got 12 and 12 in points and rebounds from Larry Johnson. Michael Adams was a surprise bonus of 10 bench points. Terrell Brandon got his with 13 points and 10 assists, but he was 5 of 19 to get the scoring. Danny Ferry fared much better with 13 bench points on 4/9 shooting. An easy, gritty sort of win.
Final - Cleveland 71 Los Angeles 87

Game Two
This is what happens when you get overconfident. Tyrone Hill of all people, busts your ass for 26 points and 10 rebounds, Terrell Brandon sneaks in 12 points and 12 assists and Danny Ferry keeps playing the point matching game with Brandon, scoring 12 bench points. Stacey Augmon brought down 10 points and 10 rebounds, but we shot 41.6% and played like crap to get stunned at home.
Final - Cleveland 95 Los Angeles 84

Game Three
Can we please score 90 points sometime in this series? Rick Fox pops off 22 points and Terrell Brandon has 20 points and 12 assists. This time Danny Ferry doesn't match up with TB, but he scores 15 bench points. Looking grim, right? But then Stacey Augmon has a playoff high 24 points, Dikembe Mutombo finally shows up 13 points and 15 rebounds and our bench is +8, because Ferry was the only Cavalier reserve to score a single point. It totals up to a 9 point win and a restoration of the series balance. This is exactly the sort of brutal, knock-down Finals you'd expect from two defensively strong teams. Oh, and we break 90 points for the first time in the Finals.
Final - Los Angeles 94 Cleveland 85

Game Four
Save for Dikembe Mutombo's 10 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks and Michael Adams's 10 bench points, our offense once again goes missing. Terrell Brandon (24 points), Rick Fox (21 points), and Danny Ferry (17 bench points) continue to abuse our bad backcourt and Oliver Miller adds insult to injury with 10 points and 13 rebounds. It's all knotted up at two a piece, but our Knight of the Rose comes back next game.
Final - Los Angeles 82 Cleveland 94

Game Five
I keep forgetting the Finals are a 2-3-2 scenario, so much to my dismay, we're still in Cleveland. And guess what happens? More defense! So much defense that Oliver Miller is the leading scorer with 18 points. To aid him, Danny Ferry scores 11 bench points. We return fire with 17 points and 11 rebounds from Dikembe Mutombo and a once-again bench saving performance, this time from Sarunas Marciulionis's 15 points and Charles Oakley's 10 points and 8 rebounds as part of a 39-16 Clippers reserve scoring advantage. We've now got the Cavs on the ropes and if we can't close out at home, we don't deserve to win. By the way, Jalen Rose was very rusty, going 3/12 in his return. So much for being our rescuer. Yay for our bench!
Final - Cleveland 83 Los Angeles 97

Game Six
Will -anybody- break 100 points in these Finals? Cleveland offers 21 points from Rick Fox and Danny Ferry and Eugene Sanders's 12 bench points to try for the feat, but they fail. Our contribution is Larry Johnson's 24 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, Pooh Richardson's 21 points and B.J. Armstrong's 13 bench points. But what really did it was that all five of our starters scored 12 points or better, even Jalen Rose on 4/12 shooting to finally break the 100 point barrier and GIVE THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS THEIR FIRST EVER TITLE!!!!!!!!!
Final - Cleveland 89 Los Angeles 106

The home fans are delirious in their celebration and I think Billy Crystal may well have keeled over of a heart attack courtside. It's an enjoyable feeling and I can't help but smile because Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson now have an NBA ring to go with their NCAA championship. Go Fight Win! UNLV Runnin' Rebels Forever!!!!!

In all honesty, that's why I traded for both Augmon and LJ. So they could start together, play together, and win a professional title. The fact that it's with the Clippers, heretofore one of the NBA's most derided franchises, makes it all the sweeter.

Autumn · 04-25-2010, 01:12 PM

Wow, nice gritty win. You didn't even need Rose, really, to get it done. Quite an unexpected Finals matchup there.

Izulde · 04-26-2010, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autumn

Wow, nice gritty win. You didn't even need Rose, really, to get it done. Quite an unexpected Finals matchup there.

Thanks.

I was incredibly shocked by it myself. Almost felt a little too easy.

Izulde · 04-26-2010, 01:40 AM

Clippers In Transition?

Rumors abound that Donald Sterling will sell the Clippers.

Mere days after the Los Angeles Clippers hosted a joyous parade celebrating the first trophy in franchise history, cracks are already appearing in the foundation and could make this ring a one and done situation.

The team's financial value has never been higher, with two deep playoff runs, including the most just-won championship, a stable roster in terms of contracts and a stable coaching staff, with all but 1st assistant Lamar Lee having just signed three year contract extensions as a reward for the ring.

All this points to the idea that team owner Donald Sterling may sell the Clippers and try to buy the St. Louis Rams to move them back to Los Angeles, since the return of NFL football would prove far more lucrative than owning what will always be a second-fiddle team in the Clippers.

Even if Sterling can't find a selling price to his liking, there's also the issue of GM Jestor, who reportedly hates living in Los Angeles, even with its proximity to San Diego. His mission, according to unnamed sources, was to bring the woeful Clippers a title and do it with Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson as starters. Having accomplished that, it appears wanderlust has set in and we could see him move on, should the right opportunity open up.

But for now, let tiny Clippers Nation enjoy the success of a championship. It's been a long time coming.

***End Article***

It's something I'm quite torn about, though I have to say, if you'd had told me when I started this job that I would have given Bill Fitch a contract extension, I'd have thought you were certifiable.

1996-97 NBA Lottery
13. Golden State Warriors
12. Orlando Magic
11. Portland Trailblazers
10. Philadelphia 76ers (-1)
9. Boston Celtics (-1)
8. New York Knicks (-3)
7. Denver Nuggets (-3)
6. Atlanta Hawks (-3)
5. Dallas Mavericks (-3)
4. Toronto Raptors (-3)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (+7)
2. Houston Rockets (+4)
1. Milwaukee Bucks (+6)

Unbelievable. The Milwaukee Bucks win the lottery for the second year in a row and will now get the right to pair Allen Iverson with Tim Duncan. That's just not fair.

NBA Awards

MVP
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 25.6 PPG 3.0 APG 13.1 RPG 2.9 BPG 1.5 SPG
Defensive Player of the Year
David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 25.6 PPG 3.0 APG 13.1 RPG 2.9 BPG 1.5 SPG
Rookie of the Year
Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 15.5 PPG 2.0 APG 6.8 RPG 3.2 BPG 1.0 SPG
6th Man of the Year
Chris Gatling - Miami Heat - 10.8 PPG 1.7 APG 7.0 RPG 0.7 BPG 0.8 SPG
Coach of the Year
George Karl - Seattle Supersonics

Man, did Bill Fitch ever get robbed.

All-NBA 1st Team
PG Terrell Brandon - Cleveland Cavaliers
SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls
SF Tom Gugliotta - Minnesota Timberwolves
PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-NBA 2nd Team
PG John Stockton - Utah Jazz
SG Reggie Miller - Indiana Pacers
SF Toni Kukoc - Chicago Bulls
PF Larry Johnson - Los Angeles Clippers
C Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets

All-NBA 3rd Team
PG Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks
SG Allan Houston - Detroit Pistons
SF Glenn Robinson - Milwaukee Bucks
PF Charles Barkley - Phoenix Suns
C Dikembe Mutombo - Los Angeles Clippers

Great to see LJ and Mutombo get the recognition they deserve.

All-Defense 1st Team
PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics
SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls
SF Scottie Pippen - Chicago Bulls
PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics
C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs

All-Defense 2nd Team
PG Tim Hardaway - Golden State Warriors
SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors
SF Derrick McKey - Indiana Pacers
PF Kevin Garnett - Minnesota Timberwolves
C Dikembe Mutombo - Los Angeles Clippers

All-Rookie 1st Team
PG Josh Hardy - New York Knicks
SG Ray Allen - Denver Nuggets
SF Donte Harris - Golden State Warriors
PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons
C Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies

All-Rookie 2nd Team
PG Allen Iverson - Milwaukee Bucks
SG Kerry Kittles - Portland Trailblazers
SF John Wallace - Orlando Magic
PF Antoine Walker - New Jersey Nets
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks

AI on the 2nd Team I can understand because of his limited number of games, even though he averaged 22 points to Hardy's 4.6, but Kittles' 13.4 PPG second to Ray Allen's 6.3 makes absolutely no sense to me. Ah well.

Donald Sterling doesn't sell the team after all, but I still really have to think when he asks if I want to come back or not. In the end, I decide to return, but only because there's no other vacancies. We agree to the usual playoffs and under the cap though he'll let me go short of $5 million again, thanks to all the money I made him via our title.

Earl Carrawell is signed to a 4 year deal as our 1st assistant and he represents a major upgrade in my opinion.

Mock Draft
It's Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and Chauncey Billups by my lights, even though they're picked to go #1, #4 and #6 in the mock. Duncan to the Bucks is a revolting slam dunk, no matter how you slice it.

With the last pick in the first round, we're projected to take PG Ross Jones out of USC. We do need to get younger at point guard. Pooh and B.J. are 31 and 30 next season and Muggsy's 33.

Unfortunately, it's also a shallow looking pool. But we'll see how it pans out.

Izulde · 04-26-2010, 05:49 AM

1997 NBA Draft 1st Round
1. PF Tim Duncan - Milwaukee Bucks
2. SF Keith Van Horn - Houston Rockets

Very reasonable pick, as McGrady's raw and Billups is an unneeded PG.

3. SG Tracy McGrady - Los Angeles Lakers

I'm not going to relish facing a 6'8 guard multiple times a year when he develops. Especially with Cedric Ceballos still there, too.

4. PF Danny Fortson - Toronto Raptors

Remember, Toronto already has Stoudamire and Starbury, so Fortson's the best move here.

5. C Kelvin Cato - Dallas Mavericks

...Can you say stupid reach?

6. PG Chauncey Billups - Atlanta Hawks

Things played out perfectly for the Hawks here. They finally have that true point guard they've lacked for so long.

7. PG Brevin Knight - Denver Nuggets
8. PF Maurice Taylor - New York Knicks
9. PG Antonio Daniels - Boston Celtics

Stupid pick by the Celtics. Daniels isn't worth a Top 10 pick and furthermore, all the PG prospects are flying off the board, which is bad for us.

10. SF Ron Mercer - Philadelphia 76ers
11. SF Tim Thomas - Portland Trailblazers
12. SF Chris Crawford - Orlando Magic
13. C Tony Battie - Golden State Warriors
14. PG Bobby Jackson - New Jersey Nets
15. SG Derek Anderson - Miami Heat
16. PG Alvin Williams - Detroit Pistons
17. C Adonal Foyle - Minnesota Timberwolves

A steal by the T-Wolves at this late stage in the draft if you ask me.

18. SG Stephen Jackson - Utah Jazz
19. C Mark Blount - Washington Bullets
20. SG Tariq Abdul-Wahad - Charlotte Hornets
21. PG Jacque Vaughn - Vancouver Grizzlies
22. PF Austin Croshere - Sacramento Kings
23. C Marc Jackson - San Antonio Spurs
24. SG Ed Gray - New York Knicks
25. C Chris Antsey - Phoenix Suns
26. SF Rob Landram - New York Knicks
27. PG Anthony Johnson - Houston Rockets
28. PF Johnny Taylor - Chicago Bulls

Nobody knows what I'll do. J.P. says it's either Ross Jones, Cedric Henderson, or trade.

Trade it is.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PG Jeff McInnis

Miami Heat receive
PF Charles Oakley
#29 overall pick

What this means for the Clippers
McInnis is a pass-first 24 year old point guard who played well in the D-League last season. Not a starter worthy player by most scouts, but a good, young reserve floor general for an aging Red and White point guard corps, even with his mediocre defense.

What this means for the Heat
Oakley is a solid veteran who played a small, but key role in the Clippers' title run last year. He teams with Kurt Thomas and Alonzo Mourning to make the Miami Heat one of the best in the business at rebounding. The pick will be some young scrub.

Winner: Draw
Both teams got something of value here, but McInnis's inattentive defense and Oakley's age plus the low talent coming back balance it out. The Clippers needed to move Oakley, as he was extremely unhappy about his lack of playing time in Los Angeles.

29. PF John Thomas - Miami Heat

After the draft, we pick up Jeff McInnis's third year option and renounce everyone but Bo Outlaw. It stung to renounce Sarunas Marciulionis because of how great he was for us last season, but he's too far into his 30s to bring back and Peja Stojakovic needs more playing time to build on the nice strides he made in his first year.

We're under the cap by a hair under $4 million after renouncements are done.

Summer League
PG Jeff McInnis
SG Jalen Rose
SF Peja Stojakovic
C Amal McCaskill

Jalen Rose scores 25 and Eliezer Moliar and Peja Stojakovic score 13 and 10 off the bench, but we lose 106-95 to the Raptors.

95's our number again and this time it's good for a 20 point win over the Lakers, with Lou Roe scoring 22 and Peja Stojakovic adding 13 bench points.

Great game in Oakland, where we win 105-102 against the Warriors on Jalen Rose's 32 points, Lou Roe's 22 points and 14 points from Peja Stojakovic, who has really shown improved scoring skills this summer.

We fly up to Canada the next night for a 100-94 win, beating the Grizzlies. Lou Roe scores 22, Jalen Rose has 21 points and Peja Stojakovic leads the reserves again with 12 points.

Lou Roe continues to create a huge buzz with 23 points and 12 rebounds as we roll up the Magic 95-72. Peja Stojakovic scores a summer-high 18 points as the other much-hyped Clippers summer team player.

96-68 win over the Cavaliers, led by Lou Roe's 19 points and 11 rebounds and the following reserves: Moochie Norris with 18 points and Peja Stojakovic and Eliezer Moliar's matching 10 points.

Roe, 25, has potential to be a fantastic post scorer, but he doesn't have much rebounding ability. It'll be interesting seeing where he goes.

Free Agency
We have $6.4 million and change in space after the salary cap is raised is to $26.9 million.

Not a stellar crop this year. Sam Cassell is the biggest under 30 option, although I could see some high potential guys who just need a chance like Lou Roe being a steal.

Even with the raised cap, we still can't get anyone to take Pooh Richardson, so instead I pull off a blockbuster.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PG Stephon Marbury

Toronto Raptors receive
PG B.J. Armstrong
Los Angeles Clippers 1998 1st round pick
Los Angeles Lakers 1998 2nd round pick
New York Knicks 1999 2nd round pick
Los Angeles Clippers 2000 2nd round pick

What this means for the Clippers
The Clippers weren't satisfied with Jeff McInnis's summer league performance and although Armstrong performed admirably all throughout the playoffs as Jalen Rose's replacement, he's 30 years old and with an expiring contract. Starbury, 21, gives them an excellent young combo guard who will fight with Pooh Richardson for the starting PG spot and replace him as soon as Richardson's gone.

What this means for the Raptors
Toronto limited Starbury to just 10.1 minutes a game his rookie season despite making him the 6th overall pick. This did not sit well with the young former Yellow Jacket star and he's been demanding a trade for months. He finally gets his wish and the Raptors get a probable late 1st, a handful of 2nd round picks and a proven, solid all-around veteran in Armstrong.

Advantage: Draw
On the face of it, the Clippers win, but it's somewhat mitigated by the fact that the Raptors restore their team chemistry by moving Starbury and by the fact that the rookie shot just 39.6% in his limited minutes, whereas Armstrong is a proven, accurate shooter not only in the regular season, but the playoffs. It's a real gamble on GM Jestor's part.

I get their point, but if I want to make a dynasty out of this, I need to get younger and better. Besides which, I still hold the Lakers 1998 1st and two 1999 1sts. I'm a little sad to see B.J. go, but the fact of the matter is, I had to. Otherwise I would have been faced with the dilemma next free agency over whether to sign him to a multi-year deal while he was *still* forced to sit behind Pooh.

I chose not to do that and to give B.J. the best possible chance to start. We definitely lucked out with Toronto's shocking mishandling of Starbury, because if he isn't throwing a hissy fit about wanting a trade, that deal doesn't happen.

We find the perfect solution to our bench rebounding depth issue by signing C Matt Geiger, who only wanted a 3 year minimum salary deal. That's a price we were more than willing to pay as we continue collecting ex-Charlotte Hornets.

PF Bo Outlaw re-signs for a 6 year, $12 million contract a week later. It's probably overpaying relative to his actual market value, but you can't beat a $2 million a year flat-rate contract for one of the best young defensive bigs in the game.

We miss out on C Hakeem Olajuwon, who takes a little less money to go to the Pistons, as he's wary of my trading reputation. It's the second loss the Rockets suffer the same day, as Sam Cassell goes to division rival Utah for a cool 5 years, $13.3 million.

PF Ashraf Amaya, a personal favorite, signs a 2 year min-sal deal, but SF Detlef Schrempf takes far less money to stay with Seattle on the same day that the following changes occur:

Sharone Wright to Philadelphia - 2 years, $1.55 mil as the 76ers bring him back after seeing what he did in playoffs for Phoenix

Bobby Phils to Kings - 2 years, $1.87 mil. - one of the best defensive SGs in the game

Chris Morris to Kings - 2 years, $2.15 mil.

Clyde Drexler to Sonics - 1 year, $2.66 mil.

And the biggest shocker of them all.

C Patrick Ewing goes to the Chicago Bulls on a 5 year, $15.84 million deal.

After that, I decide our ample cap room is best saved for a later date, which thrills Donald Sterling.

We considered Tracy Murray for a moment, but let him go for $1.41 million and a year to the Knicks. In other free agency news of note, Miami makes a good deal in snapping up Doug Christie and Chris Dudley, which will help their weak bench. Chris Mullin goes to the Nets and Sarunas Marciulionis is un-signed, so I keep his number prominently by my phone.

Training Camp
All of our young guys showed modest improvement, but the big story was Stephon Marbury showing more upside than we originally thought.

We're picked to finish 6th in the West, 2nd in the Pacific to the Kings. Minnesota, Dallas, and Portland are the 3 favorites in the conference, with Detroit, Chicago and Washington the picks in the East.

Check out the following starting fives of the three East favorites

Detroit Pistons
PG Avery Johnson
SG Allan Houston
SF Grant Hill
PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim
C Hakeem Olajuwon

Chicago Bulls
PG Toni Kukoc
SG Michael Jordan
SF Scottie Pippen
PF Dennis Rodman
C Patrick Ewing

Washington Bullets
PG Brent Price
SG George McCloud
SF Juwan Howard
PF Chris Webber
C Gheorghe Muresan

Okay so the Bullets aren't that impressive, but the frontcourts of these three contenders is just ouch!

And the Bucks are on crack because they've got Tim Duncan as the 6th man, Rodney Rogers as the starting center. Did they not learn from us?

Speaking of which:

1997-98 Los Angeles Clippers Opening Night Lineup
PG Pooh Richardson
SG Jalen Rose
SF Stacey Augmon
PF Larry Johnson
C Dikembe Mutombo
6th Ashraf Amaya (SF/PF/C)
7th Stephon Marbury (PG/SG)
8th Bo Outlaw (PF/C)
9th Matt Geiger (C)
10th Muggsy Bogues (PG/SG)
11th Jeff McInnis (PG)
12th Peja Stojakovic (SG/SF/PF)
D-League
Amal McCaskill - 7th man

I'm not happy about Peja as the 12th man, but it's Bill Fitch's call. I still feel like we're one of the deepest teams in the league, which is definitely a good thing. Just have to see how Starbury turns out as a bench scorer.

Izulde · 04-28-2010, 03:24 AM

It's tough to get a read on how good or bad this team is. But we'll see how it turns out.

If our 116-87 blistering of the Suns on Opening Night is any indication, pretty damned good. Larry Johnson scores 22, Jalen Rose 20. Dikembe Mutombo gets 12 points and 16 rebounds and Stephon Marbury has a filthy Clippers debut of 16 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds off the bench.

Stephon Marbury gets the start at point guard next game and has 14 points and 11 assists in our 99-94 win over the Kings, fending off a late Sacramento rally. 17 points off the bench from Ashraf Amaya, 14 from Bo Outlaw.

A third quarter meltdown translates into our first loss of the year 113-105 to the Sonics. Stephon Marbury has an ugly triple-double of 12 points, 10 assists and 13 turnovers. Nice way to ruin Larry Johnson's 21 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 21 points and Bo Outlaw's 16 bench points. But we go back to our dominant ways with a 112-80 route of the Hawks the night after, propelled by Jalen Rose's 32 points and Stephon Marbury's 18 points and 11 assists.

Jalen Rose scores 28 and Dikembe Mutombo has 22 points and 12 rebounds as we overcome the Grizzlies 107-94. Bryant Reeves played SF and had a ridiculous 28 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, but like they say, you can't teach size.

Denver's got a nice looking young backcourt in Ray Allen and Brevin Knight, but we bash them 109-79. A cheap double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds from Dikembe Mutombo and Pooh Richardson's 10 bench points are the weak statistical highlights.

We keep on going, 103-72 over the Warriors. Dikembe Mutombo is amazing down low for 16 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks, while Larry Johnson triple-doubles for 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Jalen Rose scores 20. The bench is led by Bo Outlaw's 10 points.

Unlike the first back-to-back, which was a split, we sweep our next doubleheader, and in convincing fashion. Jalen Rose and Larry Johnson provide the points with 27 and 25 respectively and Pooh Richardson hands out 11 bench assists in our 106-85 romp over the Grizzlies. The Mavericks forget how to play defense, bowing down 122-97, as Jalen Rose tees off for 30 points, Stephon Marbury scores 22 and three bench players break double-digits: Pooh Richardson with 12 points and Ashraf Amaya and Bo Outlaw with 10.

We beat the Lakers 97-90 next game on Larry Johnson's 21 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 14 points, 13 rebound and 8 blocks and Pooh Richardson's 10 bench points. But we shoot awful the night after, a season-low 40.2%, and fall 96-84 to Portland, irregardless of Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points and 14 boards.

New Jersey's annihilated 110-75 thanks to Stephon Marbury's 20 points and Bo Outlaw's 19 bench points.

Dikembe Mutombo holds David Robinson to 3/22 shooting and we beat the Spurs 109-80. Mutombo, who had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks, is one of three Clippers with a double-double. The other two are Larry Johnson (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Stephon Marbury (13 points, 11 assists). Jalen Rose leads all scorers with 26 points.

A two-day Texas road trip nets another pair of wins. Larry Johnson's 24 points and Dikembe Mutombo's solid all-around 10 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 blocks are enough to beat the Rockets 96-86. The revenge-minded Spurs just miss out, dropping 96-93. despite David Robinson's insane triple-double of 34 points, 19 rebounds, 11 blocks and 4 assists. Balance edges out the Spurs, best signified by Bo Outlaw's 14 bench points. We also outscored them 43-32 in the fourth quarter to complete the rally.

I'm not surprised that we lose to the Bulls a few days after that dramatic win. However, I'm disturbed that we lose 92-72 at home with nothing to show for it. Patrick Ewing is off to his most efficient start in years and Da Bulls will be tough to beat as a result. Then again, they're 11-4 and the Hakeem Olajuwon and Grant Hill and Allan Houston having Pistons are 13-2, the league's top team.

On the other hand, we're 13-3, tops in the West and a game and a half in front of the Suns. We may lack the star power of other teams, but we make up for it with depth and balance.

Clippers Leaders

Scoring
Jalen Rose - 20.3
Larry Johnson - 16.3
Stephon Marbury - 14.2

Assists
Stephon Marbury - 6.8
Larry Johnson - 4.6
Jalen Rose - 4.1

Rebounds
Dikembe Mutombo - 10.6
Larry Johnson - 7.9
Bo Outlaw - 4.7
Ashraf Amaya - 4.7

Blocks
Dikembe Mutombo - 4.4
Bo Outlaw - 1.6
Jalen Rose - 0.8

Steals
Stacey Augmon - 1.8
Stephon Marbury - 1.3
Bo Outlaw - 0.9

You think that Starbury deal's working out for us? We were lucky if Pooh even broke 5 assists the last two seasons, which he didn't (closest was 4.9) and now Starbury's knocking on the door of 7.

Izulde · 04-29-2010, 04:22 AM

Only one trade last month but it was a shocker.

Indiana Pacers receive
PG Damon Stoudamire

Toronto Raptors receive
Indiana Pacers 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Pacers
Mighty Mouse Stoudamire is one of the best young point guards in the game and he replaces Mark Jackson as the starting PG right away, in addition to giving the Pacers a building block for when the Reggie Miller era is over. Not the greatest defender, but a fantastic stealer and terrific all-around player.

What this means for the Raptors
Puzzling trade for the Raptors. They trade away Stephon Marbury in the offseason and now deal Stoudamire for a probable late first round pick that isn't going to net them a player of Mighty Mouse's caliber. Starbury, Stoudamire, and rookie Danny Fortson would have been a good young trio to build around, but they're throwing away all their foundation pieces.

Winner: Indiana
Toronto needs a new GM, pronto.

22 points and 11 rebounds from Larry Johnson and 16 bench points from Bo Outlaw ignite us to a 104-75 whipping of the Magic to start December.

The Bucks got smart and started Tim Duncan after that first game and he scores 24 points to lead Milwaukee to a 98-80 upset, in which Stephon Marbury just misses a bad triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and 9 turnovers. We beat Minnesota 92-78 the next night in an ugly, scummy game.

It's been hard to find minutes for Peja Stojakovic and Jeff McInnis. Matt Geiger is also furious about his lack of playing time, so we may have to investigate some trade options.

We lose 103-94 to the Pacers, wasting Jalen Rose's 24 points and 12 and 10 bench points from Ashraf Amaya and Bo Outlaw.

Dikembe Mutombo's been erratic this year, but he comes up with a monster 16 point, 15 point, 13 block outing as we cleave the Cavs 108-76. He's aided by Stephon Marbury's 20 points and Ashraf Amaya's 10 bench points.

We finally get to go home, but fall apart in the fourth quarter and lose 106-96 to the Heat, Larry Johnson's 25 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 16 points and 14 rebounds and Pooh Richardson's 13 bench points notwithstanding.

Our inconsistency drives me crazy, but I'll take the 123-68 swarming of the Hornets. Stephon Marbury and Jalen Rose almost beat Charlotte by themselves with 29 and 21 points respectively and Muggsy Bogues adds 11 bench points.

101-77 win over Washington comes via Jalen Rose's 21 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 20 points and Bo Outlaw's 13 bench points.

I stay my hand of execution for now as we finally win three in a row again, crushing the Kings 99-77. Dikembe Mutombo plays awesome with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 8 blocks and 5 assists and Bo Outlaw tips in 14 bench points.

Our 116-107 footrace win in Denver is anchored by Jalen Rose (25 points), Stephon Marbury (24 points) and Larry Johnson (21 points, 10 rebounds).

It's the annual Christmas road doubleheader and happy holidays as we win both. Dikembe Mutombo's 18 points and 14 rebounds, Stephon Marbury's 14 points and 13 assists and [b[Muggsy Bogues[/b]'s 11 bench points stuff the Hawks 94-79. Christmas Eve has Larry Johnson with 25 points and 13 rebounds, Jalen Rose with 24 points and Stephon Marbury with 13 points and 10 assists in our jolly 104-92 win in Charlotte.

I try to do some Christmas shopping, but it's a little difficult going. Nobody wants Matt Geiger's contract. Luckily, we're able to strike a deal after some hunting around.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
SF Michael Finley

Phoenix Suns receive
SF Peja Stojakovic
C Amal McCaskill

What this means for the Clippers
Although Stojakovic was a Jestor favorite, he was too raw to get minutes in the Clippers' stacked rotation. Finley is a much more developed player and extremely versatile. He's a four-position type who can play everywhere but C and has a wide range of skills. He'll step in as the Clippers' starting small forward and give them more scoring punch.

What this means for the Suns
This is the best thing that could have happened to Peja's career as he moves to Phoenix where he'll be the 6th man and give the Suns a potential future scoring superstar. McCaskill's a project who's likely done after this season.

Winner: Draw
On talent, the Clippers win, but they might miss Stacey Augmon's superb defense and ability to draw fouls at the starting small forward spot and that could hurt their hopes for a repeat.

Early returns are positive as we sweep a Florida road trip. 113-92 win over the Magic thanks to Jalen Rose's 32 points, Larry Johnson's 16 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points. We get revenge on the Heat, barely clawing out an 82-78 win the next night. Dikembe Mutombo picks up 11 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks and Jalen Rose scores 21.

But once again we end a month with a loss to the East, 82-71 to the Pacers, a game so irritating, I don't want to get into it.

24-7 record after our frustrating December, a mere game ahead of the Suns and Sonics. Minnesota leads the Midwest by 2 games over San Antonio at 17-11. In the East, 26-4 Detroit is up by 1.5 games over the Bulls and Pacers and 17-12 Washington is a mere half-game up on Miami.

Clippers Leaders

Scoring
Jalen Rose - 19.7
Larry Johnson - 16
Stephon Marbury - 14.6*

*- Finley is actually third with 15.2, but not counting him since he just joined.

Assists
Stephon Marbury - 6.6
Larry Johnson - 4.8
Jalen Rose - 3.9*

Rebounds
Dikembe Mutombo - 10.5
Larry Johnson - 8.1
Bo Outlaw - 4.4*

Blocks
Dikembe Mutombo - 4.5
Bo Outlaw - 1.7
Stacey Augmon - 0.7
Jalen Rose - 0.7

Steals
Stacey Augmon - 1.6
Larry Johnson - 1*
Bo Outlaw - 0.9*
Stephon Marbury - 0.9*

18 and 14 minutes for Peja in his first two games with the Suns, which is astronomically better than the scant minutes and legions of DNPs he was getting with us this year. Hated to see him go, but it's a move we had to make.

Izulde · 04-30-2010, 04:25 AM

A small trade besides ours in December.

Houston Rockets receive
SG Todd Day

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
Houston Rockets 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Rockets
Day's a terrible shooter with some scoring pop and yet for some unknown reason, Houston's starting him at the point guard spot, even though he has no point guard skills of any kind.

What this means for the Cavaliers
Day's a scrub, so getting a high 2nd is great news for him.

Winner: Cleveland
It's moves like this that will make the Rockets lucky to break 10 wins on the year.

1998 calendar year opens with a 100-66 pummeling of Phoenix. Michael Finley is fired up to play his old team and scores 21. Dikembe Mutombo snatches 11 points and 13 rebounds and Pooh Richardson and Stacey Augmon headline the second team with 13 and 11 points respectively. Peja Stojakovic was 0/8.

Vancouver is showing last year was no fluke as they knock us off 92-81. Larry Johnson's cheap double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, Bo Outlaw's same numbers off the bench and Stephon Marbury's 22 points go to waste. I'm just glad they're currently not likely to make the playoffs, because the Grizzlies play extremely well against us.

Kind of like how we match up great against the Suns, squashing them 100-70 for the second time in a week. Michael Finley again turns it on, with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Larry Johnson gets 14 points and 11 rebounds and Stacey Augmon doubles off the bench for 14 points and 12 rebounds, joined in the reserves assault by Bo Outlaw's 12 points and Pooh Richardson's 10 points.

Michael Finley sprained his toe vs Phoenix, so it's Stacey Augmon starting at SF as the defensive spearhead of our 86-77 win against the Timberwolves. But it's our backcourt of Stephon Marbury and Jalen Rose with 22 and 20 points, 6 blocks that leads us to victory.

Hapless Houston is hung 120-77 as Michael Finley erupts for 25 points, Larry Johnson nets 21 points and 11 rebounds and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson score 10 each off the bench.

Michael Finley continues his torrid run with 20 points and Ashraf Amaya just misses the bench double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds in our 87-70 win over the Knicks.

I'm pissed when the Lakers upset us 82-69 in the first game of a back-to-back, not least because we own their damn pick this year. Stephon Marbury went 1 for 20 and that's all you need to know. Then we have to fight an OT war before winning 118-113 versus Utah the next night. Jalen Rose scores 35, Stephon Marbury makes slight amends with 23 points and Dikembe Mutombo (12 points, 16 rebounds) and Larry Johnson (11 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) clear double-doubles to save us.

We're starting to develop a really annoying habit of losing to lottery teams, the Nuggets beating us 81-77, with only Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points and 12 rebounds to show for it.

Then we go out and whip the Sonics 120-100 on Stephon Marbury's best game as a pro, with 30 points and 11 assists. Jalen Rose adds 23 points, Larry Johnson hauls in 19 points and 10 rebounds and Ashraf Amaya scores 10 bench points. It's like we play to the level of our competition, which could be dangerous if we draw a bad team in the playoffs.

Jason Kidd triple-doubles for 22 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, but we come out on top 105-98 over the Mavericks via Michael Finley's 21 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 16 points and 14 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 18 bench points. The night after in San Antonio is much easier, a 110-82 rout of the Spurs keyed by Jalen Rose's 24 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks, and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson's 14 and 10 bench points.

27 lead changes and 13 ties and we lose 99-96 to the Jazz in Utah on the front end of a doubleheader. So much for Jalen Rose's 21 points and Stacey Augmon's 13 bench points. I'm only somewhat mollified by our month ending 106-80 tripping of Toronto. Michael Finley scores 27, Pooh Richardson and Stacey Augmon add 11 and 10 bench points and Ashraf Amaya gathers 10 bench boards.

Another uneven month and we're 34-11. The good news is, we've staked out a 4 game lead over the Sonics. The Lakers won 8 games this month to suddenly jump up to 20-24 . 28-16 Minnesota is 4.5 games up on the Spurs.

In the East, Indiana has come from out of nowhere to get a 2 game lead on the Pistons at 36-9, while 26-17 Washington is fending off the Heat by a mere half-game.

Clippers Leaders

Scoring
Jalen Rose - 18.8
Michael Finley - 15.9
Larry Johnson - 15

Assists
Stephon Marbury - 6.4
Larry Johnson - 4.8
Jalen Rose - 4.2

Rebounds
Dikembe Mutombo - 10
Larry Johnson - 8.1
Michael Finley - 6.1

Blocks
Dikembe Mutombo - 4
Bo Outlaw - 1.5
Jalen Rose - 1.1

Steals
Stacey Augmon - 1.6
Michael Finley - 1.3
Larry Johnson - 1
Stephon Marbury - 1

Izulde · 05-02-2010, 04:02 PM

We've had trade movement!

Atlanta Hawks receive
C Chris Dudley

Miami Heat receive
Atlanta Hawks 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Hawks
Zydrunas Ilgauskas tore his Achilles in early December, so getting Dudley, a rebounding/defense/shotblocking monster to shore up the frontcourt depth makes sense, but only so far. He's 32 and the Hawks have won just 5 games through January 1st.

What this means for the Heat
Bit of a puzzling move for Miami's playoff aspirations, but they're apparently trusting in Charles Oakley to step in case of injury to Alonzo Mourning. And at least it's a high 2nd.

Winner: Miami
Even with the hit to their depth, the Heat make out much better long-term than the Hawks.

New Jersey Nets receive
SF Jamal Mashburn

Dallas Mavericks receive
New Jersey Nets 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Nets
The Nets saw what the Clippers did with Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson, so they're hoping to do the same with Antoine Walker and Monster Mash by pairing two Kentucky alums in their forward spots. Mashburn's a prolific scorer and rebounder, but his shot selection is bad and his health is always a concern. That said, he gives the lottery-bound New Jersey and its fans an impact player to be excited about.

What this means for the Mavericks
Project Kobe Bryant is extremely unhappy about playing time, so this trade is designed to get him more minutes, which he's struggled to find so far in his Mavericks career. Dallas is sticking with Dennis Scott as the new starting SF, even though the Mavericks are yet again one of the league's worst teams. Two lottery picks in a deep draft will be nothing to sneeze at.

Winner: Draw
Good value trade and one that makes sense for both teams.

Dallas Mavericks receive
SF Dennis Scott

Portland Trailblazers receive
Dallas Mavericks 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Mavericks
Scott is an average all-around SF but acquiring him is a mistake because of what he does to Bryant's playing time as noted above.

What this means for the Trailblazers
High 2nd for an average player is always worthwhile.

Winner: Portland
Stupid trade by Dallas.

We're now free to trade the guys we signed in the offseason, so I do some hunting around.

And that's when insanity takes over. Or, at least it would have, had not Jerry Reisendorf suddenly come to his senses and realized he was about to trade The One, even with a broken toe.

But that still doesn't stop a blockbuster.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PG Allen Iverson

Milwaukee Bucks receive
PG Stephon Marbury

What this means for the Clippers
Iverson is one of GM Jestor's favorite players of all time, so the chance to get him was too great to pass up. AI was unhappy with the way the Bucks made him spend a month in the D-League rehabbing from his torn MCL and with all the attention Tim Duncan was getting as Milwaukee's savior. The Answer is instantly the Clippers' brightest star for the future and the starting PG.

What this means for the Bucks
AI's fury was becoming a distraction for the Bucks, who were looking to get bigger and a more developed point guard anyway. Starbury can be that guy, who has shown more floor generalship abilities than the scoring AI.

Winner: Clippers
Jestor's love of AI alone makes this a huge, huge Clippers win.

I got him! I got him!

...and he promptly goes 3/18 in his debut a leading contributor to our 92-70 loss to the Warriors. Larry Johnson's 17 points and 10 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo's 11 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks mean nothing as we shoot a season low 32.7%. That's the price to pay for having young guys like AI, Rose and Finley in the lineup.

We recover our equilibrium by sweeping a doubleheader. 111-89 final over the Rockets, Jalen Rose going off for 32 points, Allen Iverson with 28. Larry Johnson repeated his 17 points and 10 rebounds and Ashraf Amaya scored 12 bench points. Our 91-67 win in Denver came via Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points and 11 rebounds and Ashraf Amaya's 16 bench points.

Allen Iverson scores 25 in a 110-73 dethroning of the Celtics. Larry Johnson throws in 22 points and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson carry the bench with 10 points each, Augmon with 9 rebounds besides.

It's Allen Iverson and Larry Johnson again with 20 points each in the 100-69 pre-All Star snuffing out of the Blazers. Jalen Rose doubles for 15 points and 12 rebounds. Second teamers Stacey Augmon and Ashraf Amaya each hit 10 points and we're on a roll now.

All-Star Weekend
Allen Iverson is snubbed by the Rookies/Sophs game, which the second years win anyway, 101-87. The man who took his place? Yep, Stephon Marbury. More incentive for AI. Kerry Kittles earns game MVP with a breathtaking 27 points.

No Clippers representation at the All-Star game itself, which doesn't surprise me. The East wins big, 113-81, Glen Rice coming off the bench for 21 points and the MVP award.

Oh and we topped the Lakers both games on All-Star Weekend. 106-97 in Game 1, with Michael Finley's 22 points and 10 rebounds, Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks and Ashraf Amaya's 16 bench points in 11 minutes. Game 2 went 117-83 and it was all about the balance, headlined by Larry Johnson's 22 points and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points.

After the All-Star festivities, I decide I want to make one last change, a small move.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
PG Avery Johnson
PF Lou Roe
Detroit Pistons 1998 2nd round pick
Detroit Pistons 1999 2nd round pick
Detroit Pistons 2000 2nd round pick

Detroit Pistons receive
PG Jeff McInnis

What this means for the Clippers
The Clippers needed depth as they only had 12 players on their roster. Now they go to 13 with the pickups of Johnson, an undersized 32 year old guard who plays smart, disciplined, turnover-free defense and stealing basketball and Roe, the 25 year old star of the Clippers summer league team. Avery takes over as the top backup point guard from Pooh Richardson, while Roe will fight for minutes. The plethora of 2nd round picks are trade chips as per Jestor policy.

What this means for the Pistons
Roe was unhappy about his minutes and Detroit's best days are ahead of them. The 24 year old McInnis has possible future fifth starter potential ahead of him, but he wasn't going to develop with the Clippers, where he'd appeared in just 10 games, averaging a scant 2.2 minutes per appearance. In Motown, he'll be a top backup to Allan Houston and get much needed PT, a la Peja Stojakovic in Phoenix.

Winner: Draw
Both teams get what they need out of this deal. The Pistons weren't going to contend with Johnson and they get rid of a locker room cancer, whereas the Clippers get deeper and trade bait.

Remember that Golden State embarrassment in AI's first game? Well that's gone now as we whip the Warriors 105-79 on the front end of a doubleheader. Michael Finley is lights out with a 20 point, 13 rebound, 7 assist performance and he's aided by Larry Johnson (17 points, 15 rebounds), Dikembe Mutombo (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Bo Outlaw's 14 bench points. I should also mention all five starters scored at least 12. A comeback netted us a 101-97 win versus the Sonics the night after. Dikembe Mutombo found his old scoring touch with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks and Jalen Rose was right behind him with 24 points.

It was an insane trading deadline, although most of the biggest deals happened in the first 10 days of the month, including our AI for Starbury swap that grabbed so many headlines.

In chronological order:

February 3rd

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
PG Jason Kidd

Dallas Mavericks receive
Cleveland Cavaliers 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Cavaliers
Kidd is a triple-double threat every single game and he's the present and the future at point guard, so much so that All-Star Terrell Brandon now gets less than 10 minutes a game. The money may say that Brandon leaves for elsewhere after this season, if they don't trade him by the deadline.

What this means for the Mavericks
We're trying to figure out on what planet this deal makes sense. The Cavs are, at most, a #13 pick for the best point guard in the league right now, never mind in the future. We can't think of any reason why this would pass muster.

Winner: Cleveland
The Mavericks continue to blow up their franchise, trading off their best players for mid-late first round picks in the upcoming draft.

February 9th

Minnesota Timberwolves receive
SG Bryant Stith

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Sam Mitchell
Minnesota Timberwolves 1998 1st

What this means for the Timberwolves
One of Minnesota's biggest needs, besides a true point guard, is a good backup guard and Stith fills that need. Not a flashy player, but the kind of quality, solid all-around 6th man type with scoring pop that a division leader and playoff hopeful like the Timberwolves need.

What this means for the Nuggets
Mitchell's here for salary purposes only, but at least he's an expiring contract. The first is going to be a late one, but Denver's committed to trying to build around Brevin Knight, Ray Allen and Antonio McDyess. Evidently they feel they can get a comparable piece to Stith who will also be much younger than the 27 year old, with the pick.

Winner: Minnesota
It's a fair trade, but Stith helps the Timberwolves much more than the late first is likely to help the Nuggets, unless Denver drafts a big man for the eternally injured McDyess, now out with a broken finger.

Portland Trailblazers receive
PF Dino Radja

Boston Celtics receive
Portland Trailblazers 1998 1st

What this means for the Trailblazers
Radja's injury-prone, just coming off an ACL in fact, and on a long contract, but the Blazers really want to make a playoff push and when Dino's healthy, he's a terrific glue guy to team with the rest of the starting five: Arvydas Sabonis, Rod Strickland, Kerry Kittles, and Clifford Robinson. He does a lot of things well and should fit in great here where he doesn't feel the pressure to be the man.

What this means for the Celtics
Best thing about this trade for the rebuilding C's is Roy Rogers now guaranteed the starting spot, rather than Radja's injury fill-in. Between him and Jermaine O'Neal, Boston's finally getting the pieces together, even though they appear to be not so in love with Antonio Daniels anymore. The pick projects to be a mid-1st currently, just outside the lottery.

Winner: Draw
Both teams benefit here, but both take risks. If the Blazers get hot and move even further up the playoff seeding, the 1st round pick drops. If Radja has another season-ending injury, Portland wasted the pick for this year.

February 15th

Miami Heat receive
SG John Starks

New York Knicks receive
Miami Heat 1998 2nd round pick

What this means for the Heat
Master stroke by Miami, who gets the first player in a long time that can legitimately run the offense in Starks. He takes over as the starting PG and ends the silly David Wesley experiment, making the Heat that much stronger a team as they push for the Atlantic crown.

What this means for the Knicks
New York's trying to get younger, but they have no good players on their roster. Brian Shaw is 31 and has has been a poor-shooting bust in spite of his defense and passing ability since coming in free agency after the 1995 season, Tracy Murray could be good, but can't seem to keep a starting spot, and it says something when your best player is Maurice Taylor, the #8 overall pick described as most scouts as "an okay fourth or fifth starter, but not someone you'd want to carry a franchise and his work ethic is literally non-existant." Taylor's line so far: 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals.

Winner: Miami
A scorching triumph by the Heat, although I don't know if it was the Heat 98 2nd or the Hawks 98 2nd, as I'm past the deadline now.

Deadline Deals

Miami Heat receive
C Jayson Williams

New Jersey Nets receive
Miami Heat 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Heat
Nice pickup by the Heat to grab a quality rebounding center with some scoring and blocking pop to give added depth behind 'Zo and Charles Oakley. On the other hand, Williams is an expiring contract, so he may be a half-season rental.

What this means for the Nets
New Jersey knows it's not going anywhere this year and by trading Williams, they ensure that Armon Gilliam doesn't throw their two Kentucky Wildcats out of the starting lineup. The first is going to be a late one, but Williams is frankly a touch overrated anyway.

Winner: New Jersey
Williams, while solid, isn't worth a half-season rental for a first round pick, even a late one, in a semi-decent class.

Indiana Pacers receive
SG Jim Jackson

Dallas Mavericks receive
PG Travis Best

What this means for the Pacers
Jackson, 27, is a terrific rebounder for a guard and has some good scoring ability. He slots in as the 6th man and is an expiring $4.6 million contract if Indiana doesn't keep him. That'd get the Pacers back under the cap nicely, where a lot of the league's teams are currently situated. Nice reserve to get for the end-season and playoffs.

What this means for the Mavericks
And so the last J of the Triple J goes. Funny how they all went in one season, just like Cap Ologist's Dallas dynasty. Best is a guy who, according to scouts, should be a starting point guard someday, but he's so lazy, he might not achieve it. He's the 6th man, stuck behind Robert Pack right now, so he probably won't be a starter any time soon. The best part of this deal is Kobe Bryant finally moves to the starting role at SG. With this move, Dalls is clearly signaling they're building their future around the 20 year old. Now if they can just keep him from leaving in free agency...

Winner: Draw
Both teams made much-needed plays here, although with the Mavericks, it was a domino effect more than a direct consequence. Dallas is going to be interesting to watch the next few seasons.

Sacramento Kings receive
SF LaPhonso Ellis

Denver Nuggets receive
PG Bobby Hurley
Sacramento Kings 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Kings
For all the crap Ellis gets about his durability and inconsistency, he's shooting a career-high 43.1% this year, which is pretty respectable. More than respectable is his 20.8 points per game, also a career high. He's an underrated defender and rebounder as well, and between him, Mitch Richmond, Chris Morris, and Mookie Blaylock, the Kings have 4 players scoring 17.2 points or more. Morris's numbers will go down as Ellis takes over the starting SF spot, but damn, that's a hell of a lot of scoring.

What this means for the Nuggets
Late first and Hurley's overpaid contract for Ellis. Not all that fair a trade, even given Ellis's drawback. The good news is, Denver's only on the hook for this season and next for the former Duke star that I, who will IRL become a Runnin' Rebel this fall, loved as a kid along with Christian Laettner.

Winner: Sacramento
Best player goes to the Kings, but the question now becomes, can all these scorers be kept happy? It's worth noting that Ellis went off for 32 points in his Sacramento debut, a 100-80 road win... in Seattle. Great indicator, if you ask me.

Seattle Sonics receive
SG Derek Anderson

Miami Heat receive
Seattle Sonics 1998 1st round pick

What this means for the Sonics
Anderson, taken 15th overall, is a sweet-shooting swingman who has been impressive in limited minutes his rookie season and has upside to become an excellent 6th man. The heir apparent to Clyde Drexler

What this means for the Heat
Evidently Miami couldn't stand to stay out of the draft. 1998 is a stronger class than 1997's, but I'm not so sure they'll get a player of Anderson's quality with the late 1st.

Winner: Seattle
Much-needed youth for the Sonics, who are fighting to still be considered a legitimate title contender.

And that's a wrap. Like I said, crazy month.

Hell of a game by David Robinson, with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 8 blocks. Unfortunately for him, he's the only Spur to reach double-digit scoring and San Antonio loses 89-73. Allen Iverson's 20 points and Jalen Rose's 14 points and 10 rebounds helped counter The Admiral.

Allen Iverson just misses his first career triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in our 100-79 win over the Kings. Michael Finley rattles off 24 points and Larry Johnson hits the post for 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Finally we end the month with a win over an East conference team. Allen Iverson bombs the Pistons for 34 points, Dikembe Mutombo bouncing in for 14 points and 11 rebounds and we're 92-82 victors.

45-12 now, 5 games in front of Seattle, the only other 40 win team in the West. Minnesota matches our 5 game advantage on the other S.S. team, the Spurs. 46-11 gives Indiana the 6.5 game lead on the Bulls and Miami's magnificent moves have propelled them to a 36-22 mark, 2.5 games in front of the Bullets in the Atlantic.

We've gone 11-1 since the AI/Starbury swap, with our only loss the first game. The Bucks, in contrast, have been 7-6. What's interesting about this is that 5 of the 6 losses came on the road, making the Bucks 0-5 on the road and 6-1 at home in February and with Starbury.

If Milwaukee could get its road troubles sorted out, they'd be a damn good team.

04-04-2010, 01:04 PM	#11
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Well in the stints I've had with this set, usually November is tradeless, but December brings in a trade or two, so it varies. I can see why the Nuggets trade Mutombo so much. He's an expiring contract and one that can fetch considerable value. Seems like a lot of times they end up with Rahim and Camby to replace Mutombo, which is kind of interesting. What, no love for Rose? He and Outlaw are the two best players to get cheaply from the AI in the roster set IMO, kind of like Ben Gordon in the default roster. Of course, they're also the players human GMs in MP leagues are smart enough to demand a king's ransom for. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-08-2010, 05:07 PM	#14
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	March goes in like a lion with a long, nasty East conference road trip, starting off with a back to back in metropolises New York and Boston. Our trades have really punched up our depth, as we surprise the Knicks 108-104 on Loy Vaught's 22 points, Jalen Rose's 13 points and 13 assists and 3 bench players with 14 or 15 points. Namely: Rodney Rogers - 15 points, and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson with 14 each. Yes, there was another lineup change, but there have been so many, I'll refrain from commenting on the rest of them The next night is a comfortable 96-84 win over the Celtics via Chris Mullin's 20 points and 14 and 10 bench points from Pooh Richardson and Stacey Augmon. The Bullets are the ones to get shot up in a 112-94 gunning. We shoot 56.2% against them, led by Chris Mullin's 33 points and second team members Bo Outlaw (14 points), Stacey Augmon (13 points) and Pooh Richardson (11 points). I love our depth. We sweep the 5 game record trip, knocking out the 76ers and Pistons on back-to-back nights. 99-87 in Philly, with Jalen Rose dropping in 21 from the SG spot and Rodney Rogers and B.J. Armstrong keying the reserves with 13 and 10 points each. The Pistons and Grant Hill's 30 points and 10 rebounds threw a scare into us, but we come out on top 96-92 as Loy Vaught finally snaps out of his slump for 19 points and 12 rebounds, Grant Long puts up 18 points, 13 rebounds at center and all five starters score 12+ points, including Stacey Augmon, starting at SG in place of Jalen Rose's banged-up hip. A couple days off and another back-to-back. We win a wild 127-106 no-defense game against the Dallas Mavericks in L.A. Jalen Rose is back in the lineup and scores 29, Bo Outlaw and B.J. Armstrong helping him out with 12 and 11 bench points. But then all this traveling catches up to us and we shoot for crap (37.8%) in a 93-70 loss in Portland. Loy Vaught scores 26 and B.J. Armstrong scores 10 bench points, but that's it. By the way, we seem to have settled on a new lineup of Pooh/Rose/Mullin/Vaught/Long. I don't expect that to hold form, however, because Bill Fitch can never get fully settled on who to play anywhere except Loy. Up to Seattle we fly and lose a tough one, 100-91. Great games by Chris Mullin (20 points), Loy Vaught (15 points, 10 rebounds), Grant Long (12 points, 13 rebounds) and Bo Outlaw (12 points, 9 rebounds as a reserve), but it's just short. Three game losing streak now after a 100-93 drop to the T-Wolves. 21 points out of Jalen Rose, 14 points, 10 rebounds from Loy Vaught and 10 bench points from Rodney Rogers. I think Loy's starting to hit a wall a little bit. Pathetic Philadelphia patriotically bows down and we snap the losing in a 103-85 win. Grant Long posts 20 points and 12 rebounds, perhaps his best game in a Red and White uniform, and Rodney Rogers and Pooh Richardson top the reserves with 18 and 10 points respectively. Kevin Johnson triple-doubles for 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but we still escape the desert with a thrilling 111-106 victory, our 27-22 first quarter lead the difference. Jalen Rose and Grant Long score 26 and 20, while Loy Vaught doubles for 12 points and 16 rebounds. Loy Vaught welcomes the Bucks to a 20 point, 10 rebound smacking and Rodney Rogers scores 12 bench points in a coaster of a 97-81 win. We beat Cleveland 95-82 a couple nights later for a remarkably close repeat score. Loy Vaught rises for 19 points and 14 rebounds, Chris Mullin scores 12 off the bench and all five starters hit 11 points or more. March ends with a three-game road trip, including a back-to-back against Bulls and Wolves. Chicago tops us 95-83 in spite of Loy Vaught's 25 and 10 and Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points, but we rebound the evening after, revenging ourselves in Minneapolis by a 97-93 line. Chris Mullin erupts for 23 points, Loy Vaught adds a quiet 12 points, 11 rebounds and Jalen Rose headlines the second team with 12 points of his own. For whatever reason, the Timberwolves match up really, really well against us. The last game of March trips over into April, as we've a doubleheader on tap. We beat the Raptors 104-92, Loy Vaught's 23 points and 12 rebounds conspiring with Jalen Rose's 21 points and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 12 and 10 second unit points to fell the home team. You know it's defense that wins the game when 18 points (Loy Vaught) is the leading scorer for both sides. Felt more like a college game, but I'll take the 83-64 win over the Nets. 10 bench points from Chris Mullin, by the by, on this April Fool's night. 8 games left in the season, so I'm going to go ahead and report on them all now. Incidentally, we're presently 47-27, 6.5 games out of first place, so we won't win the division. On the other hand, we're currently the #5 seed and within striking distance of as high as the #3 seed. It's also possible we could drop back to the #6 seed by season's end, but a total collapse is the only way we fall to #7 seed. 110-80 crushing of the Mavericks is led by Loy Vaught's 22 points and 11 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 21 points and 15 and 14 bench points from Stacey Augmon and Chris Mullin. We get a huge 97-83 home win against the Trailblazers on the backs of Loy Vaught (26 points), Grant Long (10 points, 12 rebounds), and Stacey Augmon (13 bench points). But Vaught strains his hamstring and Bo Outlaw strains his calf. Not a good time to pick up injuries. But despite the injuries, we hold the Warriors to 36.7% shooting and get a critical 85-80 win. Jalen Rose was our lead scorer with 17 points, but Stacey Augmon's 12 bench points and Robert "The Chief" Parish's 11 bench rebounds were both huge. Feels great to see my nostalgia signing pay off. Much to my amazement, the clutch wins just keep on coming. We nip the Jazz 94-83 on the front end of a doubleheader, Pooh Richardson's 18 points our lead, Stacey Augmon with 12 bench points. Our 102-78 lambasting in Sacramento the next night went much easier, as Jalen Rose shredded the Kings for 33 points and 4 steals, Rodney Rogers just missed the triple double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists and Stacey Augmon continued to be an on-fire 6th man with 16 points. 3 games left. We shock the Jazz again, this time in Utah, 107-100. Jalen Rose and Stacey Augmon score 23 a piece and Chris Mullin has 11 bench points. It's exciting to watch Plastic Man and Rose kick so much tail right when we need them to. 2 games left and we've all but guaranteed ourselves the #4 seed and homecourt advantage in the first round. Now it's just a matter of if we can hang on to the #3 seed we currently own. The best thing about the 104-81 hammering Houston gave us is the 10 point outings by benchmen Chris Mullin, Stacey Augmon and Robert Parish. The worst thing is B.J. Armstrong and Jalen Rose added to the list of nagging injuries. We're still guaranteed the #4 seed after the Suns lost, but the Rockets' win may have just given them the #3 seed, as we're now tied. Fortunately, our last game is against the Grizzlies and we steamroll them 100-78. Loy Vaught electrifies with 24 points and 15 rebounds and Stacey Augmon and Jalen Rose put on a bench show of 18 and 16 points. Unfortunately, Houston won too, so we'll have to wait and see what the results are. On the bright side, no new injuries, so we should be almost at 100% by the playoffs. East Conference Playoff Seedings 1. Chicago Bulls (72-10) 2. Indiana Pacers (60-22) 3. Orlando Magic (56-26) 4. Charlotte Hornets (52-30) 5. New York Knicks (51-31) 6. Cleveland Cavaliers (45-37) 7. Washington Bullets (40-42) 8. Miami Heat (36-46) West Conference Playoff Seedings 1. Seattle Supersonics (62-20) 2. San Antonio Spurs (61-21) 3. Houston Rockets (54-28) 4. Los Angeles Clippers (54-28) 5. Phoenix Suns (51-31) 6. Golden State Warriors (49-33) 7. Utah Jazz (46-36) 8. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37) Tough break here. We match up better against the Warriors than the Suns and probably better against the Spurs than the Sonics. I'm also not happy about the Lakers getting into the playoffs, as we go from guaranteed at-worst #13 to #16 or #17. Sure that's a lot better than #23 or #24, but considering I gave up a solid young reserve point guard in Terry Dehere, I was hoping to get more than a 6-8 spot jump. Ah well, we'll have to see how the 98 picks play out. Plus, there's the whole owning all the Lakers' 2nd round picks for the next three years. If I had to guess, I'd say we've got a very good shot at getting into the second round, where Seattle will kill us. But hey, anything can happen in the postseason. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-10-2010, 05:41 PM	#18
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	The Battle For L.A. In Second Round Who knew his draft day suit would foreshadow Jalen Rose's arrival to the Clippers? The City of Angels is abuzz with basketball fever this week after the Clippers and Lakers both downed their first round foes in Game 7 clashes, the Red and White banishing superstar Kevin Johnson and the Phoenix Suns, the Purple and Gold stunning the #1 seed and prohibitive West favorite Seattle Sonics. Now the Battle for Los Angeles is on, with the winner earning the right to advance to the West Conference Finals against either Houston or San Antonio. Point Guard Pooh Richardson vs. Magic Johnson Pooh shot 53.6% in the first round en route to 15.9 points, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals, but he was also used and abused by KJ, who singlehandedly kept the Suns in the thick of the hunt against the Clippers. Richardson will have his hands full against another Johnson this round. Magic shot a career-low 32.8% in the first round, for a shockingly low 7.6 points and 6.9 assists. Those shooting and scoring numbers should go up for the 36 year old future Hall of Famer, because it's not Gary "The Glove" Payton guarding him anymore. Lakers will need that increased production to beat the newly resurgent Clippers. Advantage: Lakers Shooting Guard Jalen Rose vs. Eddie Jones This isn't a misprint. Rose shot 59.8% in the first round, an unheard of percentage for a guard and averaged a team-high 18.4 points and 4.9 assists. He kept getting better and better as the series went on and while he was a household name before as part of the Fab Five, now Jalen's starting to be taken seriously as a professional player, too. Jones, also a member of Rose's class (10th overall) will someday be a lockdown defender, but that day isn't here yet. Bears some eerie similarities to Wesley Person in the first round and averaged 8.9 points and a steal per game. Rose has proven himself, Jones hasn't. That makes the difference here. Advantage: Clippers Small Forward Chris Mullin vs. Cedric Ceballos/George Lynch Grant Long is hurt, so Mullin, who averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 assists in the first round, will start at least the first game. Solid glue guy still at this stage in his career and had 20 points in one of his two starts against Phoenix. Currently, Ceballos is slated to suit up and if he does, that's 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds to go with 1.1 steals from a 58% first round shooter. Of course, the ankle injury will greatly limit Ceballos's effectiveness, but Lynch was MVP with 34 points in Game 7 against the Sonics, so either way, it's looking good for the Lakers here. Advantage: Lakers Power Forward Loy Vaught vs. Elden Campbell The Clippers' star was shut down on occasion against Phoenix, but still came out with 18.1 points, 10 rebounds and 1.4 steals. The Red and White faithful have to hope for another huge series from him. 9.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 3 blocks in the first round for Campbell guarding against [b]Shawn Kemp/b]. We should see more of the same this round, as Elden's job will be not to completely stop Vaught, but slow him down enough that Ceballos and the others can rain down the points and win the series. Advantage: Clippers Center Rodney Rogers vs. Vlade Divac Save for a 20 point Game 1, Rogers was awful in the first round, shooting 35.9% and averaging just 10 points a contest. Why Bill Fitch is still starting him, especially at the five, is anyone's guess. Divac is the Lakers' answer to Vaught, posting 16.4 points, 11 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.7 blocks. 7' tall and a breathtakingly gifted passer, it's rumored that he'll be Clippers GM Jestor's #1 target in free agency this offseason if they don't find someone they want in the draft. Advantage: Lakers Bench Bo Outlaw averaged 8.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks against the Suns and is the lone shotblocking specialist the Clippers have. Stacey Augmon showed good scoring flash with 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first round and B.J. Armstrong contributed 7 points and 4.7 assists. Then there's Grant Long, whose impact can't be measured until he's back to full health. There's the aforementioned Lynch of the 13 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals a game, but there's also former Clipper Terry Dehere averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 assists after being dealt at the deadline. Anthony Peeler scored 5.6 points in the first round as well. But the one thing the Lakers lack is a good post big like Outlaw, which makes Bo an X-factor in this series. Let's not also forget Nick Van Exel, who scored 19 points in Game 1 before getting hurt. He's the ultimate 6th man and an even better point guard backup than Armstrong. Advantage: Draw Final Thoughts This is a very, very close matchup. So close, you could flip a coin to determine the winner. A lot of this will come down to Ceballos's health. The Clippers will need to close this one out quickly, or they'll probably lose. We don't see a fast one, as the Red and White have yet to win a road game. So it's the Lakers. Prediction: Lakers in 6 They do match up quite well against us. Should be a fun series. Game One Really, now... are any of these games truly home or road contests? I don't think so in this series. At any rate, Magic Johnson and Eddie Jones take advantage of our weak backcourt defense to score 21 and 20 points, while Nick Van Exel pops in 18 points off the bench alongside Fred Roberts's 11 bench points. We counter with all five starters in double-digit scoring, led by Loy Vaught's 23 points, 14 rebounds and 4 steals and B.J. Armstrong's 12 bench points are more than enough for the win, as we take all four quarters and win handily. Oh, and no magic for George Lynch this time, held to 1/7 for 2 points. Final - Lakers 91 Clippers 105 Game Two The Lakers jump out to a 25-19 1st quarter lead, but our defense shuts them down the rest of the way. Vlade Divac doubled for 10 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out and Anthony Peeler scored 11 bench points, but Jalen Rose torches the Purple and Gold for 32 points and that, along with Stacey Augmon's 12 rebounds for the second team, nets us a 2-0 series lead. Final - Lakers 72 Clippers 94 Pooh Richardson sprains his ankle in Game 2, so B.J. Armstrong will start Game 3. I should also add that Elden Campbell is 1 for 19 in the first two games of the series. Game Three We got very, very lazy in the fourth quarter and turned the last two minutes of the game into a nailbiter where anyone could win. Vlade Divac won Player of the Game with an excellent 20 point, 9 rebound, 6 block outing, and Nick Van Exel and Anthony Peeler put up 20 and 11 bench points. But we got Grant Long back in the starting lineup and squeezed out an 11 point, 11 rebound double-double to go with Loy Vaught's 19 points and 12 rebounds and Stacey Augmon led the reserves with 11 bench points. What gave us the narrowest of wins and the 3-0 series lead, however, was the entire starting lineup scoring 11 or more. Final - Clippers 96 Lakers 92 Stacey Augmon goes down with back spasms, so our defense is going to be hurting in Game 4. Not cool, since that's how we almost lost Game 3 and let the Lakers back in. Game Four The Lakers' bench really poured it on this game: Nick Van Exel (17 points), Fred Roberts (12 points) and Anthony Peeler (11 points) were all hellbent on not embarassing Showtime by getting swept by the Clippers of all teams. Bo Outlaw and Chris Mullin neutralized Roberts and Peeler with 12 and 10 points of their own and B.J. Armstrong showed why he deserves to be the full-time starter with 15 points and 10 assists. Yet, it was Loy Vaught who carried us to the tight, five-point sweeping victory with 24 points and 17 rebounds, earning us a trip to the West Conference Finals! Final - Clippers 89 Lakers 84 The Clippers' fans in the stands go crazy, as this is the first time in Los Angeles Clippers' history they've made it to the West Conference Finals. Actually, even getting to the second round was an L.A. Clippers first. That's how terrible this franchise has been since moving to Los Angeles from San Diego. We sit back and relax, watching the Bulls, Pacers and Spurs all take five games to beat the Hornets, Magic and Rockets. In my opinion, Chicago beat their toughest competition when they knocked off Charlotte and should head to the NBA Finals with ease. As for us? Well, we'll just have to see, now won't we? __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-11-2010, 06:03 PM	#21
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Contesting the Admiral We'll lay good money on C David Robinson's MVP prospects In a postseason that has seen little drama in the East and 3 of the 4 top seeds advance to the conference finals, the Clippers' run to the West Conference championship series is a welcome sight, all the more so because of the franchise's former futility. And yet, the Cinderella run will likely end here, because at first glance, the San Antonio Spurs not only have the elite MVP-type player in David Robinson, but they have balance and depth sufficient to negate the Clippers' advantage in those areas. But let's see what a closer look reveals. Point Guard B.J. Armstrong vs. Avery Johnson Pooh Richardson is still hobbled by an ankle injury, but that's okay, because Armstrong is a much more natural passer and better suited to run the offense. B.J.'s averaging 10.3 points and 4.9 assists this postseason, with just 2 starts. Johnson is the third straight starting PG named Johnson the Clippers have faced. He doesn't have the sexy pedigree of Kevin or Magic, but what Avery does have is solid all-around playoff play of 12.3 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks. He's also a lockdown defender and one of the most underrated players in the game, in part because of his 5'10 height and 30 year old body. Advantage: Spurs Shooting Guard Jalen Rose vs. Vinny Del Negro Think the first round was a fluke? Think again. Rose not only increased his playoff points to 18.8 per game, he's still shooting 58.2% alongside his 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks. He's easily manhandled his opposing numbers and is a big reason why the Clippers have made their shocking run. Del Negro's passing and handling skills are such that he could start at PG for a good number of teams, and his 14.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals are quality playoff averages. But he's also 6'4, 185 lbs and, swipes numbers aside, is only an average defender. We've seen what Jalen does to average defenders. Advantage: Clippers Small Forward Grant Long vs. Sean Elliott This is one of the most interesting and perhaps most pivotal matchups of the series. Long is by no means a star, but he's a do-everything forward posting 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game this postseason. He's also a solid defender and an understated part of the Clippers' starting five. Ellliott is the Spurs' second leading postseason scorer with 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, but he also has yet to face a defender of Long's caliber in this year's playoffs. That's in part what makes this faceoff so intriguing and so difficult to call. If Long can contain Elliott, that's a huge step forward for the Clippers. Advantage: Draw Power Forward Loy Vaught vs. Will Perdue Rose has been getting a lot of the postseason press, but Vaught is still the Red and White's most valuable player, even in the playoffs - 18.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals. True, he'll sometimes have an off game, but he's on more than not. The Spurs are counting on the 7', 240 lb Perdue to be a size mismatch of epic proportions and limit Loy's productivity. And it's not like 8.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2 blocks a game is a terrible set of playoff statistics, either. This matchup could be more even than it looks at first glance, even if it still clearly favors the Clippers. Advantage: Clippers Center Rodney Rogers vs. David Robinson We won't even try to understand why Rogers is still here. 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds is simply awful from a starting center, to say nothing of the 38.9% shooting. But Bill Fitch, for whatever reason, believes in him. And then there's The Admiral. 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.8 blocks. Go ahead and pencil him in as the series MVP. He's got a great mismatch against the 6'7 Rogers and could very easily average 30 and 12 this round. Couldn't work out better for San Antonio. Advantage: Spurs Bench Stacey Augmon is still bothered by back spasms and that's going to hurt. The Clippers need his 7.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, steal and shutdown defense he brings to every game. Chris Mullin has gone ice-cold in the playoffs, shooting just 40% for a 9.6 point per game average. He needs to bring that up. Bo Outlaw is the lone reliable player left, averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Chuck Person - 8.3 points. Carl Herrera - 6.2 points. Doc Rivers - 5.3 points. In short, the Spurs' bench is a lot like the Lakers', where they have plenty of perimeter players capable of scoring, but no bench bigs to bring to bear. If the Admiral gets hurt, the Spurs are in trouble. Advantage: Draw because of Augmon's injury, otherwise Clippers Final Thoughts Great run for the Cinderella Clippers, but the dance ends here. The Spurs are simply too talented, The Admiral too godly, to fall to either of the Los Angeles teams this year. The clock strikes midnight and fairly soon. Prediction: Spurs in 5 Game One If we can just steal a game in San Antonio, I believe we've got a chance. Game 1's not it, though, as David Robinson dominates with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals and all five Spurs starters score 11 or more. 11 bench points each from Bo Outlaw and Chris Mullin on our end, though Mullin was 4/14, 1/8 from 3 point range. Shooting 38.7% as a team is not a way to win playoff games. Final - Clippers 70 Spurs 103 Game Two Much closer score, but same result. Chris Mullin finally discovers his shooting stroke and pours in 24 points off the bench, Loy Vaught fighting his way to 10 points and 13 rebounds, but Carl Herrara scores 12 off the bench for San Antonio. And that's without mentioning Avery Johnson's 16 points and 10 assists or David Robinson's 23 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks. Shades of Kevin Johnson indeed. Final - Clippers 91 Spurs 108 Game Three Our backs are up against the wall and we need a win to shore our flagging confidence. So what happens? We score 59 points. And here's David Robinson with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. At this point, we'll be lucky just to avoid a sweep. Final - Spurs 83 Clippers 59 Game Four David Robinson has another 20+, 10+ night with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Avery Johnson scores 20 and Chuck Person is a perfect 4 for 4 with the reserves for 11 bench points. We fight back with all five starters in 10+ points and Stacey Augmon, back to full health, fires off 16 bench points and saves us from the embarassment of the sweep! Final - Spurs 87 Clippers 96 Game Five Back in San Antonio, trying to delay for as long as we can. What follows is the most inspired basketball we've played all year long. Jalen Rose finally wakes up for 24 points and 11 rebounds, Loy Vaught kicks in 14 points and 18 rebounds and even Rodney Rogers doubles for 12 points and 10 rebounds. Stacey Augmon pitches in 15 points with the second team, B.J. Armstrong adding 10 points of his own as Pooh Richardson is back. The Spurs counter with David Robinson's 23 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks, Avery Johnson's 19 points and 16 assists, Sean Elliott's 20 points and 12 rebounds and 11 and 10 bench points from Chuck Person and Greg Anderson. It was a magnificent, beautiful game that had the entire nation glued to the television sets. But in the end, we lose by a single basket. In overtime. And so our wonderful season is over. Final - Clippers 108 Spurs 110 (OT) Everybody's disappointed and sweat-drenched in the locker room afterwards. But we gave it our all and got further than anybody, even me, could have dared hope for. Our fans agonize over the loss, but are also thrilled with how the season went. The Bulls beat the Pacers in five games as well and Chicago goes on to beat the Spurs in six for the NBA championship, David Robinson slowed by a shoulder injury in Game 4. Lottery 13. Portland Trailblazers 12. Sacramento Kings 11. Minnesota Timberwolves (-1) 10. Atlanta Hawks (-1) 9. Vancouver Grizzlies (-1) 8. Boston Celtics (-1) 7. Philadelphia 76ers (-1) 6. Toronto Raptors (-1) 5. Denver Nuggets (-1) 4. Dallas Mavericks (-1) 3. New Jersey Nets (-2) 2. Detroit Pistons (+9) 1. Milwaukee Bucks (+1) Unbelievable luck by the Pistons, who will now get a superstar to pair up with Grant Hill. The Bucks will have someone to team up with Glenn Robinson and Vin Baker. Suddenly, the Bulls' run as the top team in the Central just got a lot shorter. Well deserved award for The Admiral, Payton and Mighty Mouse. Not sure I agree with Cage. I definitely don't agree with Karl. His team lost in the first round for crying out loud! All-NBA 1st Team PG Terrell Brandon - Cleveland Cavaliers SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls SF Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons PF Karl Malone - Utah Jazz C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs All-NBA 2nd Team PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics SG Reggie Miller - Indiana Pacers SF Cedric Ceballos - Los Angeles Lakers PF Larry Johnson - Charlotte Hornets C Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets All-NBA 3rd Team PG Penny Hardaway - Orlando Magic SG Mitch Richmond - Sacramento Kings SF Glen Rice - Charlotte Hornets PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics C Alonzo Mourning - Miami Heat All-Defense 1st Team PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls SF Scottie Pippen - Chicago Bulls PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics C Dikembe Mutombo - Charlotte Hornets All-Defense 2nd Team PG Mookie Blaylock - Atlanta Hawks SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors SF Derrick McKey - Indiana Pacers PF Chris Webber - Washington Bullets C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs All-Rookie 1st Team PG Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors SG Jerry Stackhouse - Philadelphia 76ers SF Michael Finley - Phoenix Suns PF Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors C Bryant Reeves - Vancouver Grizzlies All-Rookie 2nd Team PG Tyus Edney - Sacramento Kings SG Voshon Lenard - Miami Heat SF Eric Williams - Boston Celtics PF Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets C Don Reid - Detroit Pistons I try to talk Donald Sterling into going right about the cap for next year, but he tells me to keep it under the cap. "I'm not asking for much", he said, "Heck, I don't need to make $5 million in cap space. Just make sure I'm turning some type of salary profit." Gee, thanks, Donald. Such a nice guy. Wish I could trump your ass. No coaching staff changes. We have everyone under contract for another year and I don't want to piss Sterling off by firing anyone. Mock Draft Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant are the consensus #1-#2 picks. After that, it's anybody's guess. We have pick #17 and are tabbed to select C Lorenzen Wright out of Memphis, who, ironically enough, was the real-life Clippers' first round pick. It'll be a cold day in hell before that happens, though. I really, really want to move up, so I make some calls around the league and eventually strike a deal. Los Angeles Clippers receive SG Sarunas Marciulionis #12 overall pick Sacramento Kings receive SF Chris Mullin #17 overall pick Los Angeles Lakers 1997 2nd round pick What this means for the Clippers Pure and simple, this is a trade to move up into the lottery. Sarunas, 32, has some scoring and stealing pop and is an expiring $2.5 million contract after this upcoming season. What this means for the Kings Mullin's playoff meltdown made him much more tradeable, but the 33 year old was coveted by the Kings because of his still solid all-around game, which is significantly better than Sarunas's, especially on the defensive and passing/ballhandling end. He's also worth about $300k more in expiring money, to say nothing of the likely high 2nd round pick. Winner: Draw Both sides get what they want out of this deal. With Mullin and Richmond together, the Kings now have a quality pair of swingmen that could propel them to the playoffs next season, while the Clippers are in a much better draft position. And it's there that I get bogged down. Even trying to move up 1 or 2 spots from there requires far more than I'm willing to pay, as Loy Vaught and Jalen Rose are untouchable. We try some more combinations, trying to free up cap space, but everybody's being pigheaded right now, so we'll revisit on the eve of free agency. At least the player crop is much better at #12 than #17. Time to scout guys and then go drafting. Hoorah! __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-16-2010, 03:21 AM	#22
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	No idea who we'll take this draft. Just have to wait and see. 1996 NBA Draft 1st Round 1. PG Allen Iverson - Milwaukee Bucks 2. PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons A stunner by the Pistons, although it makes some sense. They have no post game to speak of and he's the best power forward in the draft. But #2 overall? Really? 3. PF Antoine Walker - New Jersey Nets Another stunner. What is Walker doing in the Top 5? 4. SG Kobe Bryant - Dallas Mavericks The Mavericks need a post player, but they go for the value selection here. Kidd/Bryant/Mashburn could be a damned scary 1-3 someday. 5. SG Ray Allen - Denver Nuggets Snap up one of the best pure scorers in the draft? Why not? The Jalen Rose replacement. Analysts are panning it, though. 6. PG Stephon Marbury - Toronto Raptors They must be wanting to build from the backcourt. Stoudamire and Starbury is going to be a sick young pair of guards, but I'm amazed at some of the players who have been dropping so far. 7. PG Steve Nash - Philadelphia 76ers 8. PF Jermaine O'Neal - Boston Celtics There's two guys left I have my eye on. 9. C Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies See the Raptors. Camby/Reeves for a nasty, injury-prone frontcourt. Wow. Crazy choice! The Hawks are particularly pissed. They really wanted Camby. I call still-fuming Atlanta and ask about a trade. They tell me to go to hell since they're planning on taking the best center left. Great. 10. C Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks Just effing great. Big Z falls so close to me and we can't get him. There's two players left worth taking, so I'll sit and see which one comes to me. 11. C Erick Dampier - Minnesota Timberwolves ...When they have Christian Laettner and Kevin Garnett? Really?! Both guys I like are still out there, and there's something of a hot and heavy debate in the war room. But finally, after realizing the other teams are being real stiffwads about trading with me, I make the selection. 12. SF Peja Stojakovic - Los Angeles Clippers The Peja pick got slammed, but I don't care. Between him and Rose, opponents will have bad dreams about how to stop our swingmen shooters with filthy scoring and size. 13. SG Kerry Kittles - Portland Trailblazers Kittles was the other guy on our radar, but Peja fits Jestorball better. Portland's ecstatic to get him as they have no natural SGs on the roster. 14. PG Jeff McInnis - Miami Heat 15. PG Randy Livingston - Washington Bullets 16. PF Roy Rogers - Boston Celtics 17. C Vitaly Potapenko - Sacramento Kings 18. C Lorenzen Wright - Utah Jazz Great value for Utah here, who get a guy whose stock crashed and at their single biggest area of need. 19. SF Donte Harris - Golden State Warriors 20. PG Josh Hardy - New York Knicks 21. PG Derek Fisher - Phoenix Suns Seriously? Why is Fisher so low? Steal by Suns. 22. C Michael Marek - Denver Nuggets Dikembe Mutombo, this is not. 23. PF Malik Rose - Los Angeles Lakers Good value for the Purple and Gold, even if he's a tweener. 24. PF Othella Harrington - Houston Rockets 25. SF John Wallace - Orlando Magic 26. PF Samaki Walker - Indiana Pacers 27. PF Andrew Burke - San Antonio Spurs 28. C Priest Lauderdale - Seattle Supersonics ..Aw, shit. I was hoping Lauderdale would fall into the second round. I'm not looking forward to this huge project beast in our division. He'll probably start right away and get a shot to develop, too. 29. PF Cory Wheat - Chicago Bulls There's not much left late in the 2nd round, but I take a flyer on C Amal McCaskill for the whole SE Wisconsin thing. He probably won't be signed. Suddenly teams have cap space to talk about. We strike quickly. ...Or we would if teams weren't being hardasses. Still, we finally manage to make the salary dump I was hoping for. Los Angeles Clippers receive C Travis Knight PF Marty Conlon Milwaukee Bucks 1998 2nd round pick Milwaukee Bucks 1999 2nd round pick Milwaukee Bucks receive PF Grant Long PF Rodney Rogers What this means for the Clippers This is an out and out salary dump designed to create cap room. It also gets rid of Rogers and frees up starting spots for Jestor favorites Stacey Augmon and Bo Outlaw. Knight and Conlon are filler to make this work; Knight's a 2nd round pick that may or may not even be signed. What this means for the Bucks They kept Allen Iverson, Vin Baker and Glenn Robinson, their Big Three. Baker's out with a torn ACL until February or March, so in the meantime, Milwaukee's got Long and Rogers to hold down the ford at PF and C respectively. They'll get a defensive boost out of Long, but they also just sacrificed all their cap space, leaving the Bucks to rely on MLE, LLE and min-sal players. Winner: Clippers Jestor wanted to make a bigger splash, but no one was buying. At least he got some cap space relief and cleared flotsam off the roster. The seconds will be pretty worthless, given how improved the Bucks should be. I'm stuck with Pooh's contract for another year, but I'm now $6.1 million under the cap without signing the 2nd round scrubs to contracts. If everything goes right I should have $5 million to throw at a big-name player. Summer League Jalen Rose Peja Stojakovic Bo Outlaw Amal McCaskill Travis Knight 96-86 win over Raptors keyed by Jalen Rose's 30 points and Chris Capel's 13 bench points. It almost doesn't seem fair to have Jalen Rose as we score 96 again, beating the Lakers by 20. Rose scores 28, Travis Knight doubles for 10 points and 12 rebounds and Amal McCaskill scores 10 bench points. Defense goes out the door and we lose 108-101 to the Warriors. No individual standouts, save for Tim Breaux's 12 bench points. 110-99 loss the next night in Vancouver, but then again, we were practically playing the entire Grizzlies' regular season roster. 12 points, 11 rebounds from Bo Outlaw. Chris Capel and Tim Breaux with 13 and 11 bench points. 22 and 20 points out of Bo Outlaw and Jalen Rose net us the 95-74 win over the Magic. Chris Capel is doing his damnedest to earn a spot with 12 bench points, Shaun Hunter right behind him with 11. And finally a 96-86 win in Cleveland off Bo Outlaw and Jalen Rose each scoring 22, Shaun Hunter and Amal McCaskill with 14 and 10 bench points. Free Agency I decide to sign my 2nd round picks to 2 year deals. This leaves us just over $5.3 million. Keep in mind, the salary cap is $24.4 million, so all those guys like Patrick Ewing's $18 million and change contract aren't happening again, because it's now a capped year. This gives us the money to try and make a major splash. I talk to all the top-flight centers and settle on my choice. We strike out on David Robinson, but it was worth a try. So what do I do? Instead of the smart thing and conserving my money, maybe even splitting it among a couple guys, I sign Vlade Divac to a 5 year, $26.5 million contract, way overpaying for a guy who doesn't shoot that well. Stupid mistake, but I wasn't thinking straight. Miami Heat make interesting moves, signing Vernon Maxwell, Chris Gatling,and Benoit Benjamin to try and give Alonzo Mourning some help. Mario Elie, too. On the last day of free agency, I sign Lorenzo Williams to beef up our bench rebounding. Training Camp Peja Stojakovic made some good strides, but he's going to struggle to find playing time, as he's still quite raw. Bo Outlaw also had a great camp. Everyone else is more or less the same or regressed slightly. We're picked to finish 12th in the West, which is a joke. Jazz, Suns, and Rockets are the three favorites, which I can kind of see, although age and durability issues abound for each of them. In the East, the defending champion Bulls with Toni Kukoc at PG are favored, followed by the Detroit Pistons and Washington Bullets. 1996-97 Los Angeles Clippers Opening Night Roster PG Pooh Richardson SG Jalen Rose SF Stacey Augmon PF Loy Vaught C Vlade Divac 6th Bo Outlaw (PF/C) 7th Lorenzo Williams (PF/C) 8th B.J. Armstrong (PG) 9th Sarunas Marciulionis (SG/SF) 10th Marty Conlon (PF/C) 11th Travis Knight (C) 12th Peja Stojakovic (SF) D-League C Amal McCaskill (7th man) Going to be an interesting year. I hope to hell Vlade proves worthy of the fat contract we gave him. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

03-31-2010, 11:51 PM	#2
kobe360x n00b Join Date: Sep 2009	hopefully this dynasty will be as good as your new york one

04-01-2010, 12:14 AM	#4
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Our fearless owner might not want to win, but I sure as hell do. The lineup loses its first game on Halloween Night, a 118-107 track meet with the Phoenix Suns. Chris Mullin fouls out in 12 minutes, going 1 for 5 in an inauspicious Clippers debut, ruining Loy Vaught's 24 points and 12 rebounds, Rodney Rogers's 15 points and 9 rebounds off the bench and B.J. Armstrong's 12 bench points. Bill Fitch gets the crackheaded idea to start Rodney Rogers at center the next game, but it works, as Rogers puts up 15 points, 9 rebounds to go with Loy Vaught's 11 points, 16 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench boards to overcome the Kings 89-74 in Sacramento for our first win. A back-to-back is up next with shocking results. First, we stun the Sonics 93-91 in Seattle on Loy Vaught's 29 points and 20 rebounds. with an 18 point, 7 rebound assist from Rodney Rogers, still at center. Then we lose 100-83 the next night to 0-3 Atlanta, allowing Andrew Lang of all people to score 27 on us. Yeah, about that Rodney Rogers at C idea, Bill? You may want to rethink it. Anyway, Loy Vaught is the man again with 23 points and 10 rebounds and Bo Outlaw leads the reserves with 10 bench rebounds of his own. We have a tougher time than we should against the expansion Grizzlies, but still pull out the 86-75 win on Loy Vaught's 13 points and 21 rebounds, Pooh Richardson's pleasant 21 points and B.J. Armstrong's 11 bench points. Ironically enough, our next two contests are against Denver and Golden State. Loy Vaught crushes the Nuggets for 35 points and 19 rebounds as we hammer them 104-80, help coming from Eric Piatowski's 12 bench points and Bo Outlaw's matching 12 reserve rebounds. But then Joe Smith holds Loy Vaught to a 1/11 night two evenings later and we fall 102-86 to the Warriors. Rodney Rogers rings up a ridiculous 30 points and 11 rebounds at center and Bo Outlaw and Eric Piatowski carry the second unit with 12 and 10 points respectively. A doubleheader of home games against the Grizzlies and Mavericks is a nice tonic for our record. 101-81 victory over Vancouver comes courtesy of Loy Vaught's 22 points and an astounding 20 bench points from Bo Outlaw, B.J. Armstrong chipping in 10 sub points himself. We beat the Mavericks 94-81 in a game so odd, it deserves its box score posted: Yep, the triple-double by Jason Kidd, 25 points from Jamal Mashburn, 20 rebounds from Lorenzo Williams of all people, and they still lose. Of course, George McCloud going 0/11 didn't help. We've also got a number of nagging injuries, but I never talk about those unless it's the playoffs, so I'll follow that here, too. Road back-to-back and we drop both. The 105-98 loss to the Lakers was damned annoying, spoiling as it did Jalen Rose's first 20 point game with us at 22, along with Loy Vaught's 19 points and 13 rebounds and Lamond Murray's 12 bench points. I hate losing to our crosstown rivals but I'll blame this one and the 92-71 loss to the Blazers on Bill Fitch, who now has Rodney Rogers at SF and Bo Outlaw at C again. 22 points from Rogers out of the 3 and 10 bench points from Lamond Murray, but it wasn't even close to enough. A furious rally from the Nets in Los Angeles falls just short, and we escape with a 101-98 win, thanks to Loy Vaught's 28 points and 13 rebounds and 19 points from Lamond Murray, the new starter at SF, with Rodney Rogers back at C. How many different starting 3s are we going to have this year? Sheesh! I'm hoping Bill Fitch comes up with a sane lineup against the Spurs, but he doesn't and so of course David Robinson rips us apart for 37 points and 10 rebounds in a 119-99 loss. So much for Loy Vaught's 22 points and 15 rebounds and 12 and 10 bench points from B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw, the latter of whom should have been the starting center. Yet more dominating center fun in a road doubleheader. I'm sure you're not shocked to hear we got our asses kicked. First, Hakeem Olajuwon makes everybody foul him en route to 36 points, with Bo Outlaw at center. Loy Vaught rises to the challenge with an impressive 39 point, 13 rebound, 5 assist, 4 steal game, but 18 points from Jalen Rose and 14 bench points from Lamond Murray is the only support he gets. As for the 124-78 beatdown from the Spurs the next night, let's just say the whole damn team sucked (highest scorer was 3 with 13 points) and be done with it. Then, just in case we hadn't gotten the message yet that we're not a legit team despite a 6-3 start, the Bulls cornhole us 90-59. Lamond Murray with 15 bench points is our high scorer, as we've Chris Mullin and Rodney Rogers at SF and C respectively. So here's to losing 6 of the last 7 and dropping down to 7-9, second to last in the Pacific, 5 games away from 12-4 Seattle, our division leaders, and two games in front of the Sacramento Kings. 11-2 San Antonio is shocking as they enjoy a 2.5 game edge over Houston... and... Minnesota. Yeah, the Timberwolves, who normally suck the first year. The Grizzlies do their usual fast start before falling apart, and are 4-12. The Bucks are 1-13, worst in the league, but it's the Nuggets who have really crashed, at 2-12. And their only injury is Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf's broken wrist, which didn't happen until the 18th. Out East, Orlando's 13-3, 5.5 up on the trainwrecking 7-8 New York Knicks and 12-3 Chicago's just a game ahead of the 12-5 Hornets, who are always a dangerous team here. Interesting season. Can't wait to see the rest of it. Oh. Clipper stat updates. Scorers Loy Vaught - 18.9 Rodney Rogers - 12.6 Jalen Rose - 11.4 Rebounders Loy Vaught - 12.3 Rodney Rogers - 6.3 Bo Outlaw - 5.9 Assists B.J. Armstrong - 3.8 Pooh Richardson - 3.7 Chris Mullin - 3.2 Jalen Rose - 3.1 Steals Loy Vaught - 1.4 Rodney Rogers - 1.4 Chris Mullin - 1.3 Blocks Bo Outlaw - 1.4 Chris Mullin - 1.1 Rodney Rogers - 0.9 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-02-2010, 05:06 AM	#5
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	I actually hate L.A. as a city, which makes it a bit odd that I'm going with the Clippers, but I can pretend I live in San Diego and commute or something. I hate losing 6 of 7 games even more. It does my heart good to see us shock the Magic 109-99. Loy Vaught does his thing with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists and Bo Outlaw pops in 19 bench points. Underrated scorer? Why, yes! Oh yeah, B.J. Armstrong also added in 15 bench points. No trades last month, by the way. Not a surprise. On the road we go to the M-Midwest teams on consecutive nights. The Bucks fall 85-81, as Loy Vaught's 21 points and 10 rebounds lead the way, but what really allowed us to win was our bench outscoring theirs, 22-8. In fact, Todd Day was the lone Milwaukee reserve to score. It's a 93-89 sweep against the Timberwolves, courtesy of Loy Vaught's 24 points and 13 rebounds, Rodney Rogers's 16 points and 11 rebounds and Lamond Murray's 12 bench points. As much as Rogers at center is driving me crazy, he isn't horrible there, I guess. The Pacers remind us we're still a middling team, crushing us 103-88 in Indiana. B.J. Armstrong was electric with 20 points, but doobeedoobeedoo, we slid in suckiness for the rest of it. 93-79 loss to the Cavs in Cleveland, making us 2-2 on the Central road trip, which is about what I figured. 17 points, 12 rebounds from Loy Vaught and that's all that's interesting. Back home versus the Heat, we continue our mastery of Florida teams, whipping Miami 96-70. A pair of 21s in points and rebounds from Loy Vaught and matching 17 points from Jalen Rose and Pooh Richardson gives us the balance to lay the blackjack smackdown on Alonzo Mourning's boys. If you told me before the game that Kendall Gill would smack us around for 28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks and that we'd lose 99-91 to the Hornets, I'd have called you drunkie, but that's what happened. And so we fritter away Loy Vaught's 22 points and Lamond Murray's 12 bench points. I'm shocked it was that close, because Charlotte had 4 players with double-doubles. Kendal Gill: 28 points, 13 rebounds Larry Johnson: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists Glen Rice: 11 points, 14 rebounds Matt Geiger: 10 points, 11 rebounds No double-double for Mugsy Bogues, although he did chip in 12 points. Pooh Richardson bruises his sternum in practice, so B.J. Armstrong gets the start and shoots the Bullets for 21 points in a 101-92 that makes us 3-0 this month against the Atlantic. Loy Vaught dominated as usual with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 3 steals and Rodney Rogers got his occasional center double-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds. Note to Bill Fitch: Please keep B.J. going. Thanks! Oh look, another freaky lineup! Pooh Richardson starts again, but now it's Chris Mullin at SG, Rodney Rogers at SF and Bo Outlaw at C. It's strange, but it works, leading us to a 96-89 win over the Kings. All five starters score 11 or better, headlined by Chris Mullin's 18 points and Loy Vaught's 12 points and 19 rebounds. Jalen Rose and Lamond Murray pace the bench with 12 points each. A dogfight in Denver goes our way, 88-83. Loy Vaught carries us with 19 points and 13 rebounds, but I'd be remiss in not mentioning Jalen Rose and Lamond Murray powering the second team with 13 and 12 points again. A Southern road doubleheader is famously hospitable. Pooh Richardson's tired of me bitching about him and goes berserk for 32 points, while laughing Loy Vaught chimes in with 22 points, 12 rebounds in our 95-88 triumph over the Hawks. Then the Hornets go down 117-105 in an awesome scoring fest. Loy Vaught leads the charge with 27 points and 15 rebounds, Rodney Rogers scores 20 and Jalen Rose adds 12 bench points. Pooh Richardson's still on a mission, just missing the 20 point mark with 19. Our road trip in the South continues in Florida against the revenge-minded Magic and Heat on back-to-back nights. Orlando gets their wish, enchanting us 110-83. Loy Vaught's 17 points and 12 rebounds and Jalen Rose's umpteenth 12 bench point showing can't save us. But that's okay, because we pound the Heat 103-83 with Loy Vaught's 19 points and 15 rebounds, Pooh Richardson's 21 points, 15 bench points from Jalen Rose and 10 points in 7 minutes from B.J. Armstrong. Hoowhah! Then the Pacers spoil our New Year's party, beating us 97-88. Loy Vaught's 27 points and B.J. Armstrong's 10 bench points can't do it by themselves. All in all, a damn fine month to close out the calendar year. We're above .500 at 17-14, 7 games behind Seattle and 4th place in the Pacific. If the playoffs started today, we'd be the #7 seed, going against the Sonics, who we already beat once this year. San Antonio's continued their torrid form at 23-5, four games better than the Rockets. Denver and Vancouver are now both 8-22. Orlando's 21-9, 2.5 up on the Knicks in a two-team race. The Central features 26-3 Chicago with a 4 game edge on the Pacers. Milwaukee's last in the league at 4-20. They'll get a high pick to go with Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson and Vin Baker and start kicking ass, I'm sure. Clippers Leaders Points Loy Vaught - 19.6 Rodney Rogers - 11.9 Chris Mullin - 11.6 Pooh Richardson - 11.6 Jalen Rose - 11.5 Assists Pooh Richardson - 3.9 Chris Mullin - 3.8 B.J. Armstrong - 3.4 Rebounds Loy Vaught - 12.6 Bo Outlaw - 6.1 Rodney Rogers - 6.0 (Falls off a cliff here. 3.8 is next highest (Pooh)) Blocks Bo Outlaw - 1.7 Chris Mullin - 1.4 Jalen Rose - 0.8 Rodney Rogers - 0.8 Steals Chris Mullin - 1.6 Rodney Rogers - 1.5 Loy Vaught - 1.3 Mullin, you are officially our Glue Guy. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-02-2010, 09:45 AM	#6
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	You know I love Bo. Glad to see him getting some play here. You just don't have anyone who can dish the ball though, huh?

04-02-2010, 08:49 PM	#8
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	I'm stunned when I find out not a single trade happened in December, either. 25 points from Chris Mullin and 18 bench points from Jalen Rose isn't quite enough to overcome the scorching Suns' offense in a 106-99 loss to start the month. We comfort ourselves with a 110-98 beatdown of the Grizzlies, Loy Vaught tops with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists among all five starters scoring 12 or more. Jalen Rose again headlines the bench with 14 points. 107-80 loss to the Suns in Phoenix, with only Bo Outlaw (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Loy Vaught (14 points, 12 rebounds) looking alive in the desert heat. Chris Mullin has his best game in a Clippers uniform with 27 points, 10 assists and 3 steals in a 105-86 managing of Minnesota. Loy Vaught chimes in with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Eric Piatowski is a scoring burst good for 13 points in 17 minutes. I'm as shocked as anyone when we destroy the Rockets 113-98. Chris Mullin scores 27 for the second game in a row. He's having a monster January. Loy Vaught's Old Reliable with 22 points and 17 rebounds and I'm thrilled to see Pooh Richardson and Terry Dehere with 14 and 15 bench points respectively. Jalen Rose finally starts at PG again and dishes 10 assists. A long break gives Bill Fitch ideas and he goes back to the Pooh/Jalen/Mullin/Loy/Rogers lineup, which allows the Knicks to smack us about 93-70. Loy Vaught's 17 points and 16 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points are the lone highlights. All our December momentum is dying now. We drop both ends of a home doubleheader, losing 115-108 to the Lakers despite all 5 starters with 12 or more points and B.J. Armstrong with 14 bench points, and the Jazz lower the boom 95-72, despite B.J. Armstrong starting at PG. Bo Outlaw and Lamond Murray scored 10 each for the second team, but that was it. Dikembe Mutombo just misses the triple double with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 9 blocks and we just escape with the 117-113 win over the Nuggets. Chris Mullin scores 27, his favorite number, and B.J. Armstrong shoots in 22 points. Lamond Murray headed up the reserves with 10 points. We stomp Seattle for the second time this season, 110-94, on the strength of 3 players scoring 20+ points: Loy Vaught (21 points, 11 rebounds), Chris Mullin (22 points) and Jalen Rose (20 points). We also got support from Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points. An expected doubleheader split is up next, part of 4 games in 5 days. We fend off the Mavericks 110-102 with all five starters scoring 13 or more, led by Loy Vaught and Rodney Rogers's double-doubles of 17 points, 10 rebounds and 18 points, 10 rebounds respectively. B.J. Armstrong pops in 11 bench points. Then the Spurs rally to beat us 113-105 in San Antonio, negating Pooh Richardson and Chris Mullin's 27 and 22 points a piece. We polish off January with a pair of sweet back-to-back wins. First is a gritty, 79-65 defensive win over the Jazz, with Rodney Rogers grabbing boards left and right en route to a 14 point, 17 rebound double-double. Loy Vaught's good for 14 points and 10 rebounds himself and Bo Outlaw is his standard steady 10 bench point self. The Raptors give us a scare the next night, but Pooh Richardson scores 24, Loy Vaught hauls in 12 points and 17 rebounds and Bo Outlaw comes up with 10 bench points to save us, 94-89. 25-20 means we had a +2 increase this month, but that still places us 7th in the West, 8 games behind the Sonics, who are 3.5 up on Golden State, 33-9 San Antonio's same margin over the Rockets in the Midwest. The Knicks and Magic are deadlocked atop the Atlantic, with the third place Bullets a distant 10 games behind. 40-4 Chicago is 6.5 up on the Pacers and the Hornets are even further back than the Bullets at 11.5 for third in the Central. Clippers Stats Leaders Points Loy Vaught - 18.4 Chris Mullin - 13.8 Pooh Richardson - 12 Jalen Rose - 12 Assists Pooh Richardson - 4.3 Chris Mullin - 3.7 B.J. Armstrong - 3.5 Jalen Rose - 3.4 Rebounds Loy Vaught - 11.9 Rodney Rogers - 6.4 Bo Outlaw - 6 Blocks Bo Outlaw - 1.8 Chris Mullin - 1.3 Rodney Rogers 0.8 Steals Chris Mullin - 1.4 Rodney Rogers - 1.4 Loy Vaught - 1.3 Rodney seems to be adapting better to the center spot than I thought. Maybe Bill Fitch really does know what he's doing. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-04-2010, 04:26 AM	#9
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Still no trades, which I think is a record of some kind. We hammer Golden State 101-86 as Loy Vaught goes off for 27 points and 11 rebounds and Lamond Murray and Bo Outlaw contribute 12 and 11 bench points to kick off February. A 109-108 heartbreaker in Houston on the front end of a doubleheader spoils Chris Mullin's 22 points, Loy Vaught's 18 points and 20 rebounds, all five starters with 11 points or more and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 13 and 12 points with the second unit. The sting's only brief, as we win the next night in Denver, 97-89 on Jalen Rose's 25 point, 8 assist, 7 rebound gem. Pooh Richardson scores 26 and Loy Vaught pulls down 16 points and 14 rebounds. Bo Outlaw starts at center our next game, Chris Mullin the 15 point 6th man in our 94-84 victory over the Celtics. Team balance won us that game with Mullin the only statistical standout. Our terrific run of form continues with an 84-64 squashing of the Blazers with Rodney Rogers back at center, although it's Loy Vaught's 20 points and 13 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points that carry us in the final game before All-Star weekend, which also has games scheduled during it because of how Nephrinn set up the schedule in the mod. We've had our first two trades of the season this month, so I'll report on them now rather than with next month. Boston Celtics receive Cleveland Cavaliers 1996 1st round pick Cleveland Cavaliers receive SF Rick Fox What this means for the Celtics Boston's 18-32 and one of the least talented teams in the league, so trading for a first round pick in the most loaded class in NBA history to date makes a lot of sense. On the other hand, the Cavaliers are currently 29-20 and tied for the 5th seed with the Indiana Pacers. What this means for the Cavaliers Fox has really struggled shooting this season, but he's a good all-around 26 year old player with considerable defensive upside. He gives the Cavaliers a much-needed young player at SF, where he now starts as an upgrade over Dan Majerle. With Terrell Brandon and Danny Ferry on the roster, Fox doesn't feel the pressure to score and he can be more relaxed, which should translate into a better performance in the second half. Winner: Cleveland Even given the draft class's depth, the likely late first round pick means it's iffy that the Cavaliers will find a player who fits their team as well as Fox projects to, so it's a shrewd trade for Cleveland. It will be interesting seeing who Boston gets with the pick, however. Golden State Warriors receive PG Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Denver Nuggets 1996 2nd round pick Denver Nuggets receive PF Donyell Marshall PF David Wood What this means for the Warriors MAR is a pure jolt of scoring and an excellent fit as the Warriors' 6th man, who had little in the way of bench offense until picking Rauf up. The 2nd round pick projects to be a high one in the bargain. What this means for the Nuggets Marshall is raw, but has some good all-around upside. Unfortunately, it's doubtful he'll see much playing time behind LaPhonso Ellis or Antonio McDyess. On the other hand, both Ellis and McDyess have durability issues, so he may get more PT than expected. Wood is roster filler. Winner: Golden State Excellent pickup by the Warriors. Denver's front office continues to make illogical moves. Without Jalen Rose and MAR on the team anymore, their guard play is atrocious. Then again, perhaps this is the 15-35 team's way of tanking to try and get the best pick possible in the upcoming draft. We do some shopping and I found out that some teams are willing to take on long contracts after all as we make a trade. Los Angeles Clippers receive SF Stacey Augmon PF Grant Long Atlanta Hawks receive SF Lamond Murray SF Eric Piatowski What this means for the Clippers Augmon is a disciplined defensive ace and young enough at 27 to be around for quite a while longer. He can line up anywhere from 2-4, although the former UNLV star is best suited to the swingman spots. Long, 29, is a quality all-around player and no slouch on defense himself. His shooting has suffered this year, but he should do better moving to the Clippers, who have more offensive weapons than the Hawks. For now, Augmon projects to come off the bench, with Long the starting SF. What this means for the Hawks Murry has been a solid reserve for the Clippers, but he'll start at SF in Atlanta, where he'll get the time he needs to develop his scoring instincts and become the breath of offense the Hawks lack. Piatowski has upside as a role scorer himself and will see more than the 10 minutes a game he's been getting in LA. Winner: Draw Both teams exchange two long contracts and although the proof will be in the playing out, from our standpoint, the Hawks and Clippers both got what they needed. L.A. needed to beef up their defense for their playoff run and the Hawks, likely lottery candidates, got younger players who could develop into point producers. The new lineup Bill Fitch hands me after the trade goes: PG Jalen Rose SG Chris Mullin SF Grant Long PF Loy Vaught C Rodney Rogers 6th Pooh Richardson (PG) Although I'm not thrilled with Pooh as the 6th man, I can live with it, I suppose. All-Star Games The Sophomores beat the Rookies 91-81, with Jalen Rose appearing for the second years. 13 minutes and 1/6 shooting were bad, but he hit all four of his free throws to finish with 7 points. Loy Vaught represented us in the All-Star game itself, but didn't play, as the East beat the West 108-104, with a balanced offense, even though 21 point Clyde Drexler was voted MVP. We played a doubleheader against the Lakers during All-Star weekend and beat them twice for the first two times this season. Game 1 was an ugly 92-88 win, Stacey Augmon and Bo Outlaw bailing us out with 12 and 11 bench points. Grant Long had 14 points and 7 rebounds in his Clippers debut. The next night was a scorefest and we ran out 113-104 winners on Loy Vaught's 24 points and 15 rebounds and 14 and 13 bench points from Terry Dehere and Bo Outlaw. One last look around at the trade deadline and we pull off one more deal, just for kicks. Los Angeles Clippers receive Los Angeles Lakers 1996 1st round pick Los Angeles Lakers 1998 1st round pick Los Angeles Lakers 1996 2nd round pick Los Angeles Lakers 1997 2nd round pick Los Angeles Lakers 1998 2nd round pick Los Angeles Lakers receive PG Terry Dehere Los Angeles Clippers 1996 1st round pick Golden State Warriors 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Clippers GM Jestor just cashed himself a boatload of draft picks, picking up three second round picks and moving up into the late lottery or mid 1st round by dealing away Dehere. What this means for the Lakers Magic Johnson and Sedale Threatt are both ancient and while they have Nick Van Exel as the point guard of the future, Dehere gives them a good quality backup point guard of the future and improves the Lakers' depth overall. Also, the first round drop isn't as deep as you might expect. The Clippers are tied for the 6th spot in the playoff race with the Jazz and who knows how good their new lineup will really turn out to be. Winner: Draw It's probably the edge to the Clippers, but it's too difficult to say how those 98 1st round picks are going to turn out, especially since the Lakers should be bad again in 97, which could open the door for them to land someone like, say, Tim Duncan. Golden State kills us 102-78 on the front end of a doubleheader, Stacey Augmon's 12 bench points our sad little solo highlight. Then the Sonics beat us 96-85 the night after, even though Stacey Augmon pairs his 16 bench points with Loy Vaught's 16 and 12 points and rebounds. I blame Pooh Richardson's return to the starting lineup. That home loss to Seattle also signifies the end of the trading deadline. Let's look at the moves since the Nuggets/Warriors trade (besides our own, of course). New York Knicks receive SF George McCloud Dallas Mavericks 1996 2nd round pick Dallas Mavericks receive PG Charlie Ward What this means for the Knicks McCloud's a solid all-around player able to cover the 2-4 spots. Averaged 12.8 points a game as the Mavericks' 6th man, a role he reprises with the Knicks. Went 7/11 for 19 points his first game in New York, but he's good enough to be a starter at SG and he knows it, so he could cause locker room problems like he did in Dallas. 2nd rounder is a high one. What this means for the Mavericks The Mavericks dump a locker room cancer and get back a 3 point specialist in Ward, who wasn't getting much time in New York, not that he projects to in Dallas, either. At least he isn't likely to complain about it. Winner: New York If the Knicks can keep McCloud happy, he's that titanic wave of scoring they need off the bench to challenge the East's other elite teams. Ward may be 25, but with Jason Kidd there, there's simply not that many minutes for him in the Big D. Chicago Bulls receive SG Steve Smith Atlanta Hawks receive SF Dickey Simpkins PF Jack Haley C James Edwards What this means for the Bulls The 26 year old Smith is inconsistent, but he continues the theme we've seen this trade deadline of contenders picking up legitimate 6th men (see: Golden State, New York). A huge void filled for Da Bulls by getting a good all-around player and a nice counter to the Knicks' getting McCloud. Even better, Smith's a $2.6 million expiring contract. What this means for the Hawks Atlanta officially waves the white flag on the 1996 season by trading Smith for a trio of scrubs. Besides making the team worse overall and improving their chances of a great 1st round pick, the best thing about this deal for the Hawks is moving recent acquisition Eric Piatowski to the starting lineup at SG for development time. Winner: Draw This deal fits the ultimate end goal for both parties, even though it's lopsided in terms of the talent. Nice to see Piatowski and Murray both get starting jobs with Atlanta. I always felt Eric deserved more PT than he had with us and Lamond wasn't going to develop well unless he became a starter somewhere. But we're not done reviewing trades yet. Charlotte Hornets receive C Dikembe Mutombo Denver Nuggets receive PF Joe Wolf C Robert Parish Charlotte Hornets 1996 1st round pick What this means for the Hornets Mr. Rice, Mr. Johnson, meet your new best friend, Mr. Mutombo. A passing god at center and a deity without equal in defense and shotblocking, Mutombo gives the Hornets the last piece to the puzzle they needed, a dominating center. Better yet, he won't shoot the ball, deferring instead to The Natural and Grandmama. An absolutely brilliant piece of work by the Hornets. Oh, and if Charlotte decides, $3.2 million can be theirs if they renounce their rights to Mutombo this offseason. What this means for the Nuggets The Chief was cut immediately, so this boils down to Wolf and the Hornets' 96 1st for Mutombo. Wolf can play a little defense, but otherwise is forgettable. And with the Hornets currently sitting 5th in the East, the pick won't be worth much. At best, this trade makes the Nuggets that much worse and it's a tank move. When Bison Dele is your new starting center, you have problems. Winner: Charlotte We can't use the Hawks defense in favor of Denver here. Mutombo is just that godly. I always liked the Chief, and the only true center we have on the roster is the scrub known as Keith Tower, with the $3.8 million in cap space we have after trading Terry Dehere, I call 42 year old Robert Parish and sign him, condemning Tower to the inactive list. And we still have cap space, which makes Donald Sterling happy. Back on the court, we beat the Spurs 116-109, courtesy of Pooh Richardson's 20 points, Loy Vaught's 19 points and 12 rebounds and second-teamers B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 14 and 11 points. The Kings are our next victims to the tune of 108-98, with Chris Mullin at SG and Jalen Rose at PG. Loy Vaught puts up 20 points and 10 rebounds and Stacey Augmon unleashes a torrential 21 points from the bench, Pooh Richardson adding to the downpour with 11 bench points of his own. Loy Vaught finishes February in fantastic form with 30 points and 17 rebounds in our 96-68 beatdown of the Pistons. Jalen Rose gets a rare for us PG double-double of 11 points and 14 assists and supersub Stacey Augmon connects with 11 points. We now stand 34-23, 8 games out from the 42-15 Sonics, who are 5.5 in front of Phoenix. Our playoff position has moved up to the 6th seed, which would pit us against the Rockets, who are 4 games behind the 41-15 Spurs in the Midwest. 39-19 Orlando has a 2 game edge on the Knicks, while 51-7 Chicago is 5.5 games clear of the Pacers. League Leaders Points Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls - 28.7 Mitch Richmond - Sacramento Kings - 25.1 Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets - 24.7 Assists John Stockton - Utah Jazz - 11.6 Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks - 10.2 Kevin Johnson - Phoenix Suns - 9 Rebounds Dennis Rodman - Chicago Bulls - 14.1 Dikembe Mutombo - Charlotte Hornets - 12.9 Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics - 12.5 Blocks Dikembe Mutombo - Charlotte Hornets - 4.4 Shawn Bradley - Philadelphia 76ers - 3.8 David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 2.9 Rookies Leaders Points Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors - 19.6 Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors - 14.9 Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 11.7 Assists Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors - 8.5 Tyus Edney - Sacramento Kings - 5.7 Michael Finley - Phoenix Suns - 2.8 Rebounds Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors - 8.4 Kurt Thomas - Miami Heat - 8 Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 6.8 Blocks Joe Smith - Golden State Warriors - 2.1 Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 1.7 Jerry Stackhouse - Philadelphia 76ers - 1.1 Steals Damon Stoudamire - Toronto Raptors - 1.7 Eric Williams - Boston Celtics - 1.2 Antonio McDyess - Denver Nuggets - 1.2 Los Angeles Clippers Leaders Points Loy Vaught - 18.4 Chris Mullin - 13.5 Jalen Rose - 12.6 Assists Pooh Richardson - 4.4 Jalen Rose - 3.9 Chris Mullin - 3.7 Rebounds Loy Vaught - 12 Grant Long - 9 Rodney Rogers - 6.1 Blocks Bo Outlaw - 1.8 Chris Mullin - 1.1 Rodney Rogers - 0.9 Steals Chris Mullin - 1.4 Rodney Rogers - 1.4 Stacey Augmon - 1.4 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-04-2010, 07:40 AM	#10
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	I think in my run on this roster there were no trades the entire first year, so that must just be something about this roster. And one of the few trades that ended up happening was Mutumbo (in this case to the Lakers). Similarly Denver traded him for next to nothing that time too. I wonder why Denver's so eager to suck in this roster. The weirdest thing was that Mutumbo got no playing time once in Denver. I'll be interested to see what he does in Charlotte, keep us posted. Some interesting trades here all around. Should be interesting to see how you do with Long, Augmon, Outlaw and Vaught. A nice core there.

04-04-2010, 05:29 PM	#12
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Ha, no Rose is a good grab too. And it's nice to see someone taking advantage of Vaught. He's such a solid player.

04-08-2010, 08:00 PM	#15
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Wow nice work. No huge wheeling and dealings yet you still hugely improved the team already.

04-09-2010, 06:34 PM	#17
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	First Playoff Berth For Clippers Since 1992-93 PF Loy Vaught has been the face of the franchise this season Loy Vaught remembers the last time the Clippers made the playoffs. In 1993, they faced Hakeem Olajuwon's Houston Rockets and nearly pulled off the upset. Vaught was on the bench then and the Game 5 loss was a painful one. "We thought sure we would do it, but we didn't", Vaught said. "But this team here, I like this team. I think we can definitely get to the second round, maybe even scare Seattle." Indeed, there's reason for that quiet optimism. Unlike the '93 version, which relied heavily on Danny Manning, who ironically is now with the Suns, this iteration of the Clippers preaches team balance, led by stealing ability (9 per game - 7th in the league) and shooting accuracy (47.3% - 9th in league). They also rank 1st in fewest turnovers surrendered a game at 12.8 and give up just 6.7 steals a game, also tops in the NBA. The Suns are just above the Clippers in steals, ranking 6th in the league, are 2nd in shooting accuracy at 48.6%, 6th in 3-point shooting (38.8%) and 2nd in points scored (100.2). However, their defense is nothing to write home about. The preview: Point Guard Pooh Richardson vs. Kevin Johnson You have to keep in mind that Clippers head coach Bill Fitch changes lineups more often than some people change underwear, so this is by no means set in stone. But Pooh averaged 11.3 points, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals in the regular season and while he's not the flashiest player or the true floor general GM Jestor prefers, he's the very epitome of the Clippers' No Turnover mantra. When a guy averages 18.8 points, 9.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 51.4%, you know he's something special. And that is precisely what KJ is, a legitimate All-Star and franchise player. The only thing that can hold him back is injuries, and hold them back they have on occasion this year. Advantage: Suns Shooting Guard Jalen Rose vs. Wesley Person The Clippers brass loves Rose, the 6'8, 210 lb former Fab Five member who can play 1-3 brilliantly. Averaged 13.7 points, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals during the regular season. Mediocre defender, but the height and size mismatch he presents against smaller guards helps to make up for that. Person's 6'6, 195 lbs, so he's not giving up that much to Rose. Posted near-identical numbers of 13.5 points and 1.2 steals. He's also a long-range sniper, converting 45.2% from long-range. It's going to be an interesting battle between these two second-year players to see who comes out on top. Advantage: Draw Small Forward Grant Long vs. Michael Finley Freed from the pressure of having to score after coming over in a deadline trade from Atlanta, Long's shooting accuracy jumped significantly with the Clippers. Between the two teams, he averaged 10.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals, splitting time between SF and C in Los Angeles. Solid all-around player, master of none, although he's a pretty darn good defender. The rookie Finley reminds a lot of scouts of a super-charged version of Rose, with exceptional defensive potential. But as one remarked of the 21st overall pick, "He's not there yet. Another year or two of seasoning might do the trick." 10.3 points and 1.1 steals in 20 starts is a solid effort, though, and he showed flashes of becoming a future All-Star. Right now, he rates comparable to Long. Advantage: Draw Power Forward Loy Vaught vs. Danny Manning What more needs to be said about Vaught, the Clippers' heart and soul? 17.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals. Like Rose, he's not a good defender, and if he were in a situation where he -had- to be the #1 guy, he'd be exposed, but on this team, he fits seamlessly into the overall balance. How ironic. The old Clipper King faces off against the new, thanks to Sir Charles Barkley breaking his ankle in late March. Manning is a shadow of the player he once was, his 12.4 points, block and 1.2 steal per game nothing like the 21.1 points he averaged with the Clippers in that 92-93 season. He has little rebounding ability, which means a lot of second chances and point opportunities for Vaught. Advantage: Clippers Center Rodney Rogers vs. Wayman Tisdale Rogers is grossly undersized at 6'7 and an outside shooter, but yet, Fitch keeps insisting on him at center, a constant source of friction between the head coach and the GM. In spite of it, Rogers has posted 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals, respectable enough numbers. Tisdale is a natural center at 6'9, but also a bit small. His game's limited to post scoring, and he averaged 8.9 points, largely as a reserve. Can't rebound worth a lick, a theme that seems to be common among Suns' bigs. Advantage: Draw Bench The Red and White have a deep, talented bench as a result of all their lineup juggling. It starts with Chris Mullin of the 13.3 points, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks serving as the 6th man and ultimate glue guy, even at 32 years old. Then there's defensive specialist Stacey Augmon (9.7 points, 4 rebounds, 1.3 steals) and defense and blocking big man Bo Outlaw of the 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game. B.J. Armstrong is the top PG, a sweet-shooter who averaged 7.4 points and didn't get anywhere close to the playing time he deserved. Look for A.C. Green, a 9 and 9 solid all-around player even at 32, to regain his starting center spot as he recovers from a back issue. Otherwise Elliot Perry's 7.6 points and 4.5 assists are the only other bench stats worthy of note. Advantage: Clippers Final Thoughts Barkley's injury turns what would be a slight edge to the Suns into one that slightly favors the Clippers. Phoenix just doesn't have the depth, especially in the post, to be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Suns coaching staff is also going to have nightmares about the Clippers' versatility in lineups and you can expect Fitch will exploit that as much as possible. We see this one going the distance, with Jestor's Boys giving thanks for their homecourt advantage. Prediction: Clippers in 7 Game One It's as pumped a home crowd as we've had all year and although the Suns jump out to a 23-22 first quarter lead, we bury them 31-18 in the second quarter and that's the game right there. Pooh Richardson played splendidly with 25 points and Rodney Rogers and Wayman Tisdale fought to a 20 point a piece draw. Loy Vaught contributed a quiet 12 points and 11 rebounds and Stacey Augmon came up with 12 points, 8 rebounds off the bench. Besides Tisdale's 20, Kevin Johnson doubled with 14 points, 10 assists and A.C. Green fenced Augmon to another near-draw with 11 points and 9 rebounds as the 6th man. All that bashing I did of Pooh and he's the one who saved our butts in this game. Final - Phoenix 89 Los Angeles 106 Game Two How bad did we kick Phoenix's asses this game? So bad the lowest margin we won a quarter by was 7 points. The Suns had no way of stopping Loy Vaught this time, who burnt A.C. Green for 31 points. Pooh Richardson continued to shoot off the hook, going 8/10 for 20 points. Stacey Augmon added 10 bench points, Bo Outlaw 14 bench points. Best Phoenix could do was Kevin Johnson's 14 points, 11 assists and Wayman Tisdale's 12 bench points. Final - Phoenix 87 Los Angeles 113 Game Three I'm worried about complacency as we head to the desert with two easy wins under our belt. Sure enough, we get sloppy on defense and Kevin Johnson breaks out with a near triple-double of 23 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds. Wesley Person piles on 20 points and Wayman Tisdale and Thomas Streuvels chip in 13 and 11 bench points respectively. We muster up 21 points from Loy Vaught and 10 bench points from Stacey Augmon, but it's a whipping the other way in the end. Final - Los Angeles 84 Phoenix 112 Game Four Have we got the bad game out of our system? Well, Bo Outlaw and Stacey Augmon are good for 14 and 12 respective reserve points, but Kevin Johnson loves the heat and brings it for 22 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds and Wayman Tisdale goes off for 19 bench points. So, while the game was much closer, we still lost and now find ourselves in a 2-2 dogfight. Final - Los Angeles 90 Phoenix 102 The Bulls sweep the Heat and the Pacers do the same to the Bullets. Bye-bye sub-.500 teams. Game Five Back home in L.A. and what happens? Kevin Johnson finally gets that triple-double with 33 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds. A.C. Green adds 10 points, 11 rebounds and Wayman Tisdale is again a bench beast with 11 points. We fire back with Loy Vaught's 26 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 20 points and a pair of 12 points off the bench in Bo Outlaw and B.J. Armstrong, which proves just barely enough to ward off KJ and take the 3-2 series lead. Final - Phoenix 95 Los Angeles 102 The Rockets eliminate the Warriors in 5 games and we learn that Grant Long is out of the starting lineup for Game 6 with a sprained ankle. Chris Mullin will slot in at SF in his place. Game Six Let's get this done. Jalen Rose agrees and pops off 24 points, while Loy Vaught snags 16 points and 16 rebounds. In fact, all five starters score 16 points or better. But then there's Kevin Johnson almost getting a triple-double like just about every damn game this series 32 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. Danny Manning scores 20, A.C. Green doubles for 14 and 10 points and rebounds and Wayman Tisdale layers on 10 bench points. All told, it's a heartbreaking 4 point overtime loss that sends it to Game 7. Final - Los Angeles 108 Phoenix 112 (OT) The lone Game 6 advancement - Orlando over Cleveland. This means we have the following Game 7 battles: Phoenix @ L.A. Clippers New York @ Charlotte Utah @ San Antonio and... L.A. Lakers @ Seattle Can an All-L.A. 2nd round matchup be in the offing? Game Seven You know, regardless of how this turns out, it's been a hell of a series. Kevin Johnson, even as I've wanted to tear my hair out, has been beautiful to watch, and I'm scared to think of what would have happened had Charles Barkley been able to play. It's a sellout May Day crowd here for Game 7 and they watch Kevin Johnson score 23 and Wayman Tisdale do his thing with 13 bench points. Chris Mullin scores 20 and Bo Outlaw has 10 bench points, but Loy Vaught is held to just 9 points, leaving things up in the air... until.... until Jalen Rose has his coming out party with 34 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks to break the Suns' backs and carry us to the second round!!!!!! The team mobs him on the court and lifts him on their shoulders, the spectators in jubilation. It was a repeat of Game 1 and Game 2 by the final scoreboard, but we owe it all to Jalen. Final - Phoenix 74 Los Angeles 101 As for the rest of the first round... Charlotte over New York San Antonio over Utah and... The 8 seed Los Angeles Lakers upset the 1 seed Seattle Sonics! IN SEATTLE! HOLY COW!!!! George Lynch stepping up for the injured Cedric Ceballos in his first start of the postseason with the monster game! All-L.A. 2nd Round is booked! __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-10-2010, 08:00 PM	#19
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Wow, amazing, amazing success. Rose has turned it on at just the right time. The most amazing thing of that Seattle/LA game was the assists. 42 by the Lakers!, Dehere with 10, Magic with 9 themselves. That was some Showtime.

04-16-2010, 04:21 AM	#23
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	I love Percocet. Got my wisdom teeth pulled Tuesday morning and it's made the recovery process a pleasant one. But anyway, Halloween night. West conference favorites Phoenix coming to town. Tough 100-96 loss. Bo Outlaw's 11 bench points were the only true statistical highlight. We could really use an elite scorer. Vlade Divac has 21 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists in our next game, but the Kings beat us handily, 105-91. Loy Vaught has been getting killed his first two outings this season and his opposing number has been Player of the Game both contests. But it's early yet. Sure enough, for the third straight game, the opposing PF wins player of the game, but we eke out a 121-118 firefight for our first win of the year against the Sonics in Seattle on the front end of a doubleheader. Vlade Divac has 25 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks, B.J. Armstrong starts at PG for 21 points and 11 assists, Loy Vaught snaps his slump for 20 points and Sarunas Marciulionis scores 11 off the bench. Next night we beat the Hawks 102-87 on Jalen Rose's 31 points and 18 and 10 respective bench points from Bo Outlaw and Sarunas Marciulionis. Rose wins Player of the Game, our first such distinction of the young season and the first non-PF to get the nod. A balanced offense keyed by Loy Vaught's 17 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 20 points and Sarunas Marciulionis's 16 bench points leads us to a 108-88 win and our first winning mark of the year. Two nights later, we host the Nuggets to a 99-88 loss, led by Loy Vaught's 25 points and 4 steals and B.J. Armstrong's 14 points as the 6th man. At least Bill Fitch has been pretty consistent with his lineup so far. knocks on wood. We keep our win streak alive and top Golden State 110-105 on the strenght of all five starters in double-digit scoring. Jalen Rose fired off 25 points, Pooh Richardson had a rare double-double of 19 points, 11 assists, Loy Vaught scores 21 and Vlade Divac grinds his way to a 10 point, 14 rebound double-double. The Grizzlies come to town and Marcus Camby puts up a gorgeous 28 points, 12 rebounds and 9 blocks... as the SF. Against Stacey Augmon. Unfortunately for the Great White North, he's the only who comes to play and we crush Vancouver 112-85. Loy Vaught rampages for 32 points and 12 rebounds and Sarunas Marciulionis and Bo Outlaw headline the reserves with 17 and 11 points. Loy Vaught strains his hamstring in that game. Bad news for a back-to-back, but we still steamroll the Mavericks 108-86 next evening. Jalen Rose steps up with 29 points, Vlade Divac hammers home 20 points and 10 rebounds, Loy Vaught fights through the hamstring pain for 14 points and 10 rebounds and Bo Outlaw matches our starting PF with 14 points himself. Despite a 21 point, 10 assist, 7 rebound outing from Magic Johnson, we squish our crosstown rivals 108-94 in the opening match of a doubleheader. All five starters score 11 or more, Jalen Rose first with 20 points. Vlade Divac hangs around triple-double territory with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and Sarunas Marciulionis continues to be the season's biggest surprise with 16 bench points. Our eight game-win streak finally comes to an end the night after, a 101-88 loss to the Blazers in Portland. Vlade Divac's 17 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 20 points and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points weren't enough. As if this wasn't bad enough, Sarunas Marciulionis strains his knee, putting a crimp in our bench scoring. We rally to beat the Nets 99-89 on Vlade Divac's 21 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, with help from Jalen Rose's 24 points and B.J. Armstrong's 10 bench points. Once again, all five starters hit the double-digit mark. Balance on offense really has been a team theme for my first year and change here. The Spurs knock us down 105-93 the next game, which I expected given Loy Vaught's hamstring injury. But check out the starting center lines: David Robinson - 37 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal Vlade Divac - 10 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 7 blocks, 1 steal A perfect representation of what each center means to his team, in my opinion. Anyway, Jalen Rose with 23 points and Peja Stojakovic with his best game to date: 5/7, including 4/5 from 3 point range for 14 bench points. That definitely got a few highlight reel mentions in the local media, in spite of our loss. On the road we go for a back-to-back against two of the West's better teams. We surprise the Rockets 104-80, thanks to Jalen Rose's 24 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, Pooh Richardson's 25 points and B.J. Armstrong's 14 bench points. But that Houston win was nowhere near as sweet as the 101-93 payback over the Spurs. We had just 3 players in double digit figures and one of them was Jalen Rose, with 41 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Kind of reminds you of a certain other huge SG, doesn't it?. Rose's support came chiefly from Bo Outlaw's 10 bench points. The first month ends with an expected 114-91 loss to the Bulls. No statistical highlights there as we struggled to find open looks all night long. That said, our 11-5 start has us tied for 2nd in the Pacific with the Sonics and we're both 2.5 games behind the Suns, who are off to a scorching 13-2 start, tops in the whole NBA. Clippers Leaders Points Jalen Rose - 21.8 Loy Vaught - 14.1 Vlade Divac - 13.3 Assists Jalen Rose - 5.6 Pooh Richardson - 5.6 B.J. Armstrong - 5.5 Vlade Divac - 3.9 Rebounds Vlade Divac - 9.4 Loy Vaught - 7.9 Stacey Augmon - 4.6 Jalen Rose - 4.2 Blocks Bo Outlaw - 1.9 Vlade Divac - 1.4 Lorenzo Williams - 1.1 Steals Vlade Divac - 1.4 Loy Vaught - 1.3 Stacey Augmon - 1.2 Sarunas Marciulionis - 1.2 So is Divac worth 5 years, $26.4 million so far? No, but he's producing as a very solid all-around player and given the dearth of quality under-30 centers in the league, that's not such a huge overpayment. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-19-2010, 12:02 AM	#24
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	So I won't need to trade Stacey "Plastic Man" Augmon after all. No trades to report in the league, period, incidentally. Thus, it's on to December we roll. 112-103 loss to the Magic that wasn't as close as it appeared. Pooh Richardson's 24 points, Loy Vaught's 16 points and 12 rebounds and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw's 17 and 10 bench points kept us in it, but it wasn't enough to knock off Orlando's Big Two. Then we start a long Midwest region road trip with a doubleheader. Milwaukee tops us 101-88 despite 16 points, 11 rebounds from Loy Vaught, Jalen Rose's 23 points and Sarunas Marciulionis's 10 bench points. The Timberwolves tear into us for a 107-95 bleeding, nevermind B.J. Armstrong and Sarunas Marciulionis's 14 and 12 bench points. In both games, Stacey Augmon got ripped apart by his counterparts, which is a bit worrying, given that he's supposed to be a defensive stalwart. Our losing streak ends, 87-81, against the Pacers. All five starters with 13+ points and Vlade Divac gets the first triple-double by a Clipper in my tenure with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. He's aided by Loy Vaught's 13 points and 19 rebounds. But you know, Loy just hasn't really had it this season. I know part of it is that the talent around him is massively upgraded, but he just doesn't feel like the guy he was last year. So it's trading time. And of course, there can only be one option. Los Angeles Clippers receive PF Larry Johnson Charlotte Hornets receive PF Loy Vaught Milwaukee Bucks 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Clippers Grandmama is re-united with his fellow Runnin' Rebel, Stacey Augmon, and they'll occupy the 3 and 4 spots together. Johnson's an excellent passer and ballhandler and a year younger at 27 than Vaught. High intelligence and discipline along with passing/handling talents should make LJ an interesting pairing with Vlade Divac. What this means for the Hornets Glen Rice is out with a broken leg and he struggled in the first 3 games of the year. Charlotte's 10-10 and they're in need of a move. Loy gives them another post-rebounder to pair with Dikembe Mutombo and a much more durable option. He also comes with a much shorter contract than Johnson. The second rounder is negligible. Winner: Draw It's an interesting switch, as both teams improve their post areas of strength (passing for Clippers, rebounding for Hornets). As such, the effect on the two squads is an unknown one and it's a real puzzle as to who got better. The Runnin' Rebels live again. Neither one stands out in our next game, but we destroy the Cavaliers 114-82 on B.J. Armstrong's 26 bench points. Sarunas Marciulionis adds 17 reserve points of his own and Vlade Divac has a poor man's double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds. Larry Johnson dazzles the home fans with a 24 point, 10 rebound performance and we edge the Heat 104-97. All of the starting five scored 10 or more. A nationally televised game against the Hornets turns into a 106-79 embarassment, the loss on our side. Vlade Divac goes 0 for 13 and Loy Vaught wins Player of the Game with 31 points and 17 rebounds. Oh and Dikembe Mutombo tripled-doubled for 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 blocks. We take out our anger on the Bullets, 103-81. Vlade Divac redeems himself with a 16 point, 17 rebound, 5 block outing and 3 bench players score 12+ points: B.J. Armstrong (12), Sarunas Marciulionis (14), and Bo Outlaw (15). Larry Johnson scores 22 vs the Kings in our 106-99 win, but the real story is again our reserves. B.J. Armstrong scores 26, Sarunas Marciulionis chips in 19, and Bo Outlaw scores 14 points. The starters wake out of their slumber, Stacey Augmon and Vlade Divac scoring 22 and 20 respectively to lead the charge over the Nuggets, 101-94. Larry Johnson contributed a pair of 14s in points and rebounds. The holidays mean an East road trip. In Game 1 of Doubleheader 1, we nip the Hawks 88-83 on Jalen Rose's 28 points, Larry Johnson's 13 points and 15 rebounds and B.J. Armstrong's 14 bench points. But there wasn't anywhere as cool as our 103-79 reversal over the Hornets the next night. Larry Johnson puts up 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists on Loy Vaught and Jalen Rose scores 21. And that's with Vlade Divac going 1/11 to be a combined 1 for 24 against Dikembe Mutombo in our last two games. Doubleheader 2 is in Florida. Our opening month 112-103 loss to the Magic turns into a 117-93 rape here. Larry Johnson busts loose for 28 points, 14 rebounds and 4 steals, Jalen Rose scores 29, Pooh Richardson nets a cheap 10 point, 10 assist double-double and Sarunas Marciulionis scores 10 bench points. But don't get too excited about that rout, because... Orlando Magic Injury Report Shaquille O'Neal - Broken Finger Penny Hardaway - Broken Elbow Horace Grant - Strained Knee John Wallace - Sore Knee Yeah that's right. Penny and Shaq both out at the same time. They're also both out another 30 days. Them's the breaks. Literally. Our 95-84 win over the Heat the night after featured a much less interesting 19 points and 13 rebound from Vlade Divac and 10 bench points from Sarunas Marciulionis. We end 1996 with a heartbreaking 116-113 OT loss to the Pacers, in spite of Jalen Rose's 25 points and 16 and 10 points from second-teamers Bo Outlaw and B.J. Armstrong. Still, I'm not going to complain about our 21-10 record. We're tied with the Sonics for 2nd in the Pacific still, 4 games behind the Suns, still the league's best at 23-4. 19-9 has San Antonio with the Midwest lead, 3.5 games over the Jazz. The Pacers' victory over us puts them at 22-7, a half-game over Cleveland and a full game over the Bulls in the Central. Washington owns the Atlantic at 18-11, five games up on the 76ers. The Bullets are the only .500+ team in the division; that's how bad it is. Philly's 13-16 and Orlando is lost without its Big Two, floundering at 12-18. Clippers Leaders Points Jalen Rose - 19.3 Larry Johnson - 17.9 (0.3 higher than with Charlotte - 11 starts in L.A.) Vlade Divac - 12.2 Assists Pooh Richardson - 5.3 Larry Johnson - 5.3 Jalen Rose - 5.1 Rebounds Vlade Divac - 9.1 Larry Johnson - 8.9 Stacey Augmon - 4.8 Blocks Bo Outlaw - 1.9 Vlade Divac - 1.6 Lorenzo Williams - 1.0 Steals Vlade Divac - 1.4 Sarunas Marciulionis - 1.3 Stacey Augmon - 1.0 Pooh Richardson - 1.0 Record since the LJ/LV Trade Clippers: 9-2 Hornets: 5-5 I think I'll track Larry and Loy's careers, like I did with Paulinho Buboltz and Mateen Yeaton. It'll be interesting to see how they turn out, even if the players here aren't near the level of the other two. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-20-2010, 04:25 AM	#25
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	We actually saw a bit of trade activity this past month. Toronto Raptors receive C Benoit Benjamin Miami Heat receive Toronto Raptors 1997 2nd round pick What this means for the Raptors For some reason, Toronto has a fetish for collecting ex-Grizzlies frontcourt players. They signed PF Anthony Avent in free agency and now acquire Benjamin, who at 32 is a has-been and relegated to a mid-bench role on one of the league's worst teams. What this means for the Heat C Alonzo Mourning broke his ankle four days before this trade happened, so apparently Miami is planning to acquire more draft picks to build a team around 'Zo for next year. Winner: Miami Both teams are likely lottery bound, but the player drafted with the Raptors' 2nd round pick is going to be more valuable long-term than the decaying Benjamin. Puzzling trade for Toronto. Miami Heat receive PF P.J. Brown New Jersey Nets receive Toronto Raptors 1997 2nd round pick What this means for the Heat Didn't take Miami long to spin the 2nd round pick into another player. Brown is a bad shooter and butterfingers man, but a rebounding specialist who has a nice bag of tricks on the defensive end. He becomes a key part of Miami's frontcourt depth. What this means for the Nets New Jersey brought Brown back on a 1 year deal, but he was extremely unhappy about his lost starting spot, so the Nets dealt him for a fairly reasonable value. Won't help New Jersey's playoff aspirations this year, however. Winner: Miami Brown for Benjamin is a trade we'd make every time and that's essentially what the Heat did, getting younger and better with a pair of dexterous moves. Beautiful stroke by Miami there. Makes me think they learned from me. We show no fear to the league-leading Suns and torch them 110-99 to open the 1997 calendar year. Larry Johnson and Jalen Rose score 25 and 22 points respectively to carry us. The Grizzlies play us tough, but we run out 103-99 winners on B.J. Armstrong's 28 points as the starter while Pooh Richardson rehabs an ankle injury. Stacey Augmon (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Larry Johnson (12 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists) show off that Runnin' Rebel power, while Sarunas Marciulionis hits 11 bench points. Although Marciulionis is now trade-eligible as part of my house rule of no-trade for 60 days starting with first day of season for offseason pickups, he's proven himself far too valuable a reserve to deal him. We brutalize the Suns 107-81 in Phoenix, B.J. Armstrong posting a ridiculous 24 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds, while Vlade Divac double-doubles for 21 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Rose scores 20 and Stacey Augmon chimes in with 17 points and 10 rebounds. A classic against the Timberwolves is up next and we win a thrilling 107-106 OT barnburner in front of the home fans. [b]Vlade Divac[/b is off the hook for 30 points,8 rebounds, 7 blocks and 3 steals and Jalen Rose and B.J. Armstrong support him with double-doubles of 24 points, 10 assists and 21 points, 10 assists respectively. I'm trying to dump Pooh Richardson's contract, but nobody will take it, not even when I offer to take a bad one in return, so I make a different move instead. Los Angeles Clippers receive PF Charles Oakley C Matt Fish New York Knicks 1998 2nd round pick New York Knicks 1999 2nd round pick New York Knicks receive C Travis Knight PF Marty Conlon C Lorenzo Williams What this means for the Clippers Oakley, 33, becomes the new 6th man, a great rebounder with scoring ability and a honed veteran intelligence. He also has much better ballhandling than Bo Outlaw. Fish is an accurate shooter, but is largely a body thrown in for salary purposes. Two seconds is always nice, particularly since the Knicks project to be rebuilding over the next couple seasons. What this means for the Knicks Knight looks like a career D-leaguer, though his rebounding upside might allow him to hang on as an end-bench player. Conlon is an expiring contract of $1.4 million. Williams might be the most valuable piece, as he instantly becomes the Knicks' best shotblocker. Ultimately, though, this was about moving Oakley's contract off the books. New York already has $5.1 million in cap space and now, with just under $4 million in committed salary next season, they'll have the room to become major free agency players. Winner: Clippers It's a risky gamble by GM Jestor, as his team's on a 13-2 run after acquiring Larry Johnson last month and this could affect their chemistry, but Oakley is talented and more importantly, a durable insurance policy in case the somewhat fragile LJ gets injured. Jalen Rose goes gangbusters for 44 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals and we obliterate the Rockets 113-96. Stacey Augmon scores 20 and we're just fine, even with Pooh Richardson back in the lineup. We get sloppy against the Knicks and dig ourselves a 27-12 1st quarter hole, but we rally to a heart-pounding 86-84 win, Patrick Ewing's 26 points, 23 rebounds and 4 blocks undone by our reserves. Sarunas Marciulionis scores 15 and B.J. Armstrong and Bo Outlaw each score 10 to rescue us from an embarrassing loss. Been a while since we had a back-to-back and it's nice to see us sweep. 111-83 win over the archrival Lakers comes via Jalen Rose's 24 points and 11 and 10 bench points from Sarunas Marciulionis and B.J. Armstrong. Our ensuing 105-80 rout of the Jazz is due to Larry Johnson and Jalen Rose's matching 22 points, Vlade Divac's 14 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists and Sarunas Marciulionis's 10 bench points. Balanced offense guides us to a 119-81 blowout of the Nuggets, Jalen Rose's 21 points the field marshal to the scoring parade. Second teamers B.J. Armstrong (17 points), Sarunas Marciulionis (13 points), and Bo Outlaw (11 points) provided their usual fireworks. The Sonics come hellbent on stopping us, but we send them back to the Northwest with a 105-95 loss. All five starters score double-digits, led by Pooh Richardson's 25 points and Jalen Rose's 23 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Johnson muscled his way to 10 points and 16 rebounds. Dallas ends our hopes for an undefeated January with a 98-88 beat on the front end of a road doubleheader. Great game by Vlade Divac with 32 points and 13 rebounds, but nobody else really showed up. We atone for it the next night by grinding out a nailbiting 85-84 win over the Spurs. All five starters with 11+ points and it's Vlade Divac who shouldered much of the burden with his 12 points and 20 rebounds. 4 games in 5 days is a bitch, so I'm not surprised when we drop both games of a back-to-back at the end of the month. 92-83 loss to the Jazz in Utah, nevermind Vlade Divac's weak 10 points and 13 rebounds, followed by a 95-89 defeat to the Raptors, where Jalen Rose scored 23, Larry Johnson picked up 12 points and 11 rebounds and Sarunas Mariulionis scored 12 bench points, but we looked exhausted. Even with the 3 of 4 skid at the end of the month, we're in sole possession of 2nd place at 32-13, a game behind the Sonics, a game in front of the Suns, who have started sliding due to injuries. San Antonio leads the Midwest at 27-15, but somehow the Vancouver Grizzlies are in 2nd place, 2.5 back at 26-19 . Indiana, 36-9, now owns the league's best record and is up by 2.5 on Chicago. There's also finally two .+500 teams in the Atlantic, 28-15 Washington with a 4.5 game edge on the Nets. I should add that the Hornets are barely above .500 at 22-21, so they're still treading water while we remain on fire. Grizzlies rank #2 in blocks and #9 in FG %, #8 in 3 point %. They also have the 7th fewest turnovers and allow the 9th fewest rebounds and tied for 2nd fewest steals. They're also tied for 6th best at defending against the 3 point shot. I suppose it all makes sense, but it's still mind-boggling to see. Clippers Leaders Points Jalen Rose - 19.8 Larry Johnson - 17 Vlade Divac - 13 Assists Pooh Richardson - 5.2 Larry Johnson - 5.1 Jalen Rose - 5.1 Rebounds Vlade Divac - 9.4 Larry Johnson - 9 Charles Oakley - 7.1 (due to Knicks starts) Stacey Augmon - 5.1 Blocks Vlade Divac - 1.7 Bo Outlaw - 1.7 Jalen Rose - 0.8 Steals Vlade Divac - 1.4 Sarunas Marciulionis - 1.3 Stacey Augmon -1.2 I'll start the LJ/LV comparisons at the end of the year. One thing to note about Glen Rice. He came back on New Year's Day, then broke his arm on January 24th. Between that and the broken leg earlier, he's having a hell of a season. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-21-2010, 09:07 AM	#26
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	No January trades, so I suspect we'll see a deluge near the trade deadline. And of course, I can't promise that we'll sit idle either. I know myself too well. We wash away the bad taste of our end January losing streak with a 107-92 win over the Warriors. Larry Johnson goes off for 33 points and Vlade Divac pulls down 20 points and 11 rebounds. A doubleheader turns into a sweep as we beat the Rockets and Nuggets. in a home and away split. Our 108-98 win over Houston features the very strange double-double of 11 assists and 11 rebounds from Larry Johnson to go with Vlade Divac's 24 points, Jalen Rose's 26 points, B.J. Armstrong's starter double-double of 11 points and 10 assists (Pooh Richardson has a foot injury) and Sarunas Marciulionis's 13 bench points. Larry Johnson returns to normal when we beat the Nuggets 94-75, posting 23 points and 11 rebounds alongside Vlade Divac's 12 points and 15 rebounds. Our starting lineup all score 12 points or better in a defensive 95-69 bashing of Boston. Larry Johnson was the man of the night with a solid all-around 14 point, 15 rebound, 7 assist, 2 steal game. We head into All-Star Weekend (and the games to be played there) with a 110-93 punchout of Portland. 21 points, 16 rebounds from Larry Johnson, 23 points from Jalen Rose, and 18 and 12 points from benchmen Sarunas Marciulionis and B.J. Armstrong. Two trades occur before the start of the All-Star festivities. Sacramento Kings receive PG Mookie Blaylock Atlanta Hawks receive SF Corliss Williamson C Duane Causwell What this means for the Kings Blaylock is not your traditional PG, as he's a terrible passer. On the other hand, he's a secure ballhandler and a great rebounder and defender who represents an overall talent upgrade over Tyus Edney, who now slides to the 6th man role. What this means for the Hawks The Kings are one of the league's better teams and playoff-bound, the Hawks lottery-bound and one of the NBA's worst franchises, so grabbing the versatile, 4 position capable Williamson (everything but C) and expiring Causwell. But with Eric Piatowski now the starting PG it's a brutal situation. Even more so given that the Hawks inexplicably start Dickey Simpkins at SF over the much more ready-now and promising Williamson. Winner: Sacramento Blaylock's shooting is suspect, but having a player of his defensive and all-around talents is a major upgrade to the Kings' lineup, especially when the price was just two young bench players. Seattle Supersonics receive SG Hubert Davis New York Knicks receive Seattle Supersonics 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Sonics Davis, 26, is a sweet-shooting youngster, albeit mediocre on the defensive end. Also not an elite scorer, but solid. He escapes the bench in the Big Apple and becomes Gary Payton's new running mate in Seattle's backcourt. What this means for the Knicks A late first in a weak draft for a pretty good young player. Not a great move here, but Davis was disrespected by the coaching staff anyway. Winner; Seattle Although they take a hit on the defensive end by now benching Vincent Askew, Davis is a player the Sonics can make part of their long-range plans if they re-sign him in the offseason. Certainly in terms of talent, he's better than anything they'd get with the pick. All-Star Weekend The Rookies beat the Sophs 110-92 but Arvydas Sabonis's 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals win him MVP over Ray Allen's 21 points. Allen Iverson tore his MCL back in mid-December, which really, really blows considering he was averaging 22 points at the time. The West clobbers the East 99-83, led by Jason Kidd's near triple-double of 13 points, 13 assists, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Can't argue with the MVP nod there. Jalen Rose gets in for 2 minutes and makes his only shot. Larry Johnson made it as well, but he didn't get to play because the West is so ridiculously stacked with great forwards this year. How did we do with our annual All-Star doubleheader against the cross-town Lakers? Game 1: 116-101 win for the Clippers, with Larry Johnson's 21 points, Jalen Rose's 20 points and second-teamers Bo Outlaw (17 points) and B.J. Armstrong (12 points) holding court. Game 2: 109-101 win for the Clippers. Our two All-Stars again dominated. Larry Johnson had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Rose 22 points. But let's not forget Bo Outlaw's beasting it for 14 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench, or fellow reserve Sarunas Marciulionis's 12 points. All-Star Weekend was dead for trades, but that doesn't stop me poking around after the festivities are over. There's a couple of fascinating players on the block and I can't help investigating. But the Rockets won't trade Hakeem Olajuwon despite a very generous offer. That doesn't stop me from pulling off a blockbuster. Los Angeles Clippers receive C Dikembe Mutombo PG Michael Adams PG Muggsy Bogues Charlotte Hornets 1999 1st round pick Charlotte Hornets receive C Vlade Divac New York Knicks 1998 2nd round pick Milwaukee Bucks 1999 2nd round pick What this means for the Clippers The league's best defensive and shotblocking center in the league in Mutombo, plus veteran point guards in Bogues and Adams and the Hornets 1999 1st. It's a terrific bonanza for the Clippers, who now have the stopper they need to combat Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson in the West. Mutombo's signed through his year 34 season, but at a fraction of Divac's cost. Bogues is a solid veteran passer and handler, one who won't tip the Pooh Richardson/B.J. Armstrong boat. Adams is here just for salary. What this means for the Hornets Charlotte's improved to a 29-22 record even without Glen Rice, but they're just not looking like championship contenders. Divac gives them more scoring punch inside alongside Loy Vaught, a combination that worked pretty well in Los Angeles and should do the same in Charlotte, especially with Glen "The Natural" Rice as a turbocharged Jalen Rose figure. This also means a longer window, as Divac's 27 to Mutombo's 30. Winner: Clippers The trade makes sense for both teams in terms of where they're at and what their needs are, but Divac's much more expensive contract and the 1st round pick surrendered by the Hornets, even with the two probable high 2nds, make this another great move by Jestor. Of course, what the article didn't mention was that by dumping Divac, we're sacrificing quite a bit of interior scoring. Record at Trade Time Hornets: 29-22 (10.5 back) Clippers: 39-13 (0.5 ahead) Yeah, we're staking our division lead on this move. And as fate would have it, we have two division foes up first after the All-Star break. A back-to-back, including against the stalking Seattle Sonics. We win the front half 98-94 in Oakland thanks to Larry Johnson (16 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists), Dikembe Mutombo (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Sarunas Marciulionis (13 bench points). Then we destroy the Sonics 113-95, as Larry Johnson dazzles with 31 points, 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose scores 27 and Dikembe Mutombo bangs down low for 11 points and 10 rebounds. The game against Seattle marked the end of the trade window and there was considerable activity at deadline time. Chicago Bulls receive PF Grant Long Milwaukee Bucks receive PF Cory Wheat C Bill Wennington What this means for the Bulls There's just something about the 30 year old Long that makes him tradeable, as he joins his 4th team in 2 seasons. That something is his versatility, able to play 3-5, and his disciplined solid all-around play. Currently he's the starting center while Luc Longley recovers from a triceps injury, but he's a key boost to their frontcourt in any case. What this means for the Bucks Wennington was cut and re-signed with the Bulls, so this is a Wheat for Long deal. Wheat, taken with the last pick in the first round of the draft, has some upside to be an okay rotation player, but his horrible work ethic and rawness suggest he won't get there. Milwaukee does need to get younger, but this is a poor choice and they traded away their most valuable vet to do it. Winner: Chicago Great pickup for a cheap price by the defending champions. Cleveland Cavaliers receive SF Anthony Mason New York Knicks receive Cleveland Cavaliers 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Cavaliers Mason's a phenomenal rebounder and passer/handler in the 3 spot. Very disciplined and cerebral player, but he's weak on the defensive end and will only get worse as he's 30. Becomes the starting SF and should be an excellent glue guy for the playoff-bound Cavs. What this means for the Knicks First the Hubert Davis for a 1st. Now Mason for another late 1st in a poor draft. 20-33 New York will probably miss the postseason and it's clear they're preparing for life after Patrick Ewing, which is smart, but this is just the wrong year to do it in. Winner: Cleveland It'd be a draw, but the bad draft class makes this a win for the Cavaliers, who continue to be one of the more underrated teams in the league. Indiana Pacers receive SF Robert Horry Houston Rockets receive Indiana Pacers 1997 1st round pick What this means for the Pacers Indiana's well aware of the moves made by the Bulls and Cavs, so the Central leaders counter by getting the 26 year old Horry, a ball-thief with good passing who now becomes the starting PF, allowing Dale Davis to be a rebounding monster off the bench and enhance Indiana's passing and handling ability overall. It's going to be an interesting strategy, given that Reggie Miller is now the best boarder in the starting five, but on the other hand, the Pacers also really needed youth at the small forward spot. What this means for the Rockets Houston's 19-37. Everything you can say about the Knicks, you can say about the Rockets and Hakeem Olajuwon. Winner: Indiana Same basic principles as the Cavs/Knicks trade above. Chicago Bulls receive SF Malik Sealy Denver Nuggets 1997 2nd round pick Denver Nuggets receive PG Kenny Smith PF Jason Caffey What this means for the Bulls Ironically enough, Sealy was a guy the Clippers included to get Grant Long and Stacey Augmon and now both Long and Sealy are on the same team. Sealy is a great scorer with excellent ball-stealing talents, although he's a 3 point chucker despite shooting just 15% from long-range. That said, he'll be a quality 6th man for the Bulls and he allows them to get younger. What this means for the Nuggets Smith cut, Smith re-sign with Bulls, despite being unhappy about playing time. Caffey's a terrible shooter for a big man, but the Nuggets are so hungry for frontcourt players after Antonio McDyess broke his hand, that 14-39 Denver willingly gets younger and gives up a starter for Caffey to be the starting center until McDyess returns. Can you say Dysfunctional in Denver? Winner: Chicago Don't blame the Bulls GM if they fail to repeat. He's doing everything he can to ensure Chicago has a shot at a second straight ring. Big test up next forDikembe Mutombo against the Spurs and he passes with flying colors, holding David Robinson to 4/17 and 10 points, 10 rebounds. He also outplayed The Admiral, with 15 points and 10 rebounds of his own. We whip San Antonio 114-88, Larry Johnson aiding the effort with 19 points and 11 rebounds, Sarunas Marciulionis sniping in 18 bench points. Oh, and all five starters scored 14 or better. Our 111-99 win over the Kings follows a familiar formula: Larry Johnson with 28 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose with 20 points and Sarunas Marciulionis with 13 bench points. February concludes with a 117-83 rout of the Pistons. Sarunas Marciulionis epitomizes our balanced attack with 12 bench points as the lone noteworthy statistical highlight. Record since deadline deal Clippers: 5-0 Hornets: 0-5 That about says it all, doesn't it? We're now 44-13, owners of the NBA's best record and in front of the Suns by 2.5 games. 33-23 San Antonio is 2 games ahead of Minnesota. In the East, 43-14 Indiana is fending off the hard-charging Bulls by just a half-game and 5 game leader 33-24 Washington is again the Atlantic's only over-.500 team. League Leaders Points Shaquille O'Neal - Orlando Magic - 26.6 Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls - 25.6 Grant Hill - Detroit Pistons - 25 Assists Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks - 12.9 John Stockton - Utah Jazz - 12.4 Kevin Johnson - Phoenix Suns - 9.6 Rebounds Dennis Rodman - Chicago Bulls - 15.4 David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 12.6 Shawn Kemp - Seattle Sonics - 11.6 Blocks Shawn Bradley - Philadelphia 76ers - 3.9 Dikembe Mutombo - Los Angeles Clippers - 3.8 Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 3.2 Steals Tim Hardaway - Golden State Warriors - 2.2 Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks - 2.2 Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls - 2 Penny Hardaway - Orlando Magic - 2 Rookies Leaders Points Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 15.6* Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons - 14.1 Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 12.2 * - Allen Iverson got moved to the D-league after his MCL tear Assists Josh Hardy - New York Knicks - 3.2 Ray Allen - Denver Nuggets - 2.9 3 tied with 2.4 Rebounds Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 9.8 Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons - 7.8 Lorenzen Wright - Utah Jazz - 6.5 Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 6.5 Blocks Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 3.2 Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 2.2 Roy Rogers - Boston Celtics - 1.6 Steals Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks - 1.1 Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 1.0 Antoine Walker - New Jersey Nets - 1.0 Camby vs. Ilgauskas for Rookie of the Year is one of the most intriguing battles of the season. Personally, I favor Camby, since the Grizzlies are 29-26 and would be the 7th seed if the playoffs started right now. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-21-2010, 09:26 AM	#27
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Wow, what is it about the AI that doesn't like Mutumbo? He seems to get traded a lot, and not for full value. I guess the game likes scorers. A nice steal there. Those are some crazy assist numbers from Kidd and Stockton.

04-22-2010, 04:02 AM	#29
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Our annual March road trip out East starts off with a back-to-back of a blowout win and an ugly win. The laugher's 97-76 over the Knicks, Larry Johnson hitting for 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Dikembe Mutombo pulverizing former Clipper Lorenzo Williams for 20 points and 13 rebounds. Guess Patrick Ewing got hurt. Sarunas Marciulionis led the reserves with 10 points. Both teams shoot for crap in our 72-69 win against the Celtics the next night, but Jalen Rose and Pooh Richardson combine for 35 points to battle David Wesley's 24 points in a strange game. Jalen Rose scores 22, Larry Johnson hauls in 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists and Sarunas Marciulionis scores 12 bench points as we coast to a 103-83 Bullets rout. Shawn Bradley has a freakish 9 points, 22 rebounds and 12 blocks and Elliot Perry is the lone 76er to even reach double-digit figures with 26 points, but Dikembe Mutombo's 20 rebounds and 7 blocks, Stacey Augmon's 22 points and Sarunas Marciulionis's 15 bench points carry the day in our 99-67 win. Great game if you like to watch rebounding, shot-blocking centers go at it. Unfortunately, we lose 102-97 the next night in Detroit, as the guys just run out of gas from the long road journey. B.J. Armstrong's 12 bench points was the only noteworthy statistical showing. A few days off and we plunge right into another back-to-back. We come home and mow down the Mavericks 104-82 with Jalen Rose's 34 points and B.J. Armstrong's 15 bench points. Our flight to Portland for next night's game inspires Stacey Augmon and Jalen Rose to 20 points, Dikembe Mutombo to 13 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists and an excellent all-around game from Larry Johnson of 19 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals in our 95-84 victory over the Blazers. 18 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds from Larry Johnson and Sarunas Marciulionis's 12 bench points ignite a balanced attack that allows us to beat the Sonics 103-89 in Seattle. We then head home and whip the Timberwolves 102-75 a couple nights later, led by Larry Johnson's 29 points and Jalen Rose's 20 points. Things keep right on rolling with a 108-70 shredding of the 76ers. Dikembe Mutombo just misses a triple double with 11 points, 15 rebounds and 9 blocks, while Shawn Bradley netted 14 points, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks. Nothing like their prior craziness, but still fun. Jalen Rose scores 20 and Bo Outlaw and Sarunas Marciulionis each score 12 off the bench, Outlaw getting his in exactly 12 minutes on 6 of 6 shooting. I think we're pretty darn close to clinching the division after squishing the Suns 104-83 in Phoenix. Larry Johnson scores 23, Jalen Rose chips in 21 and Bo Outlaw and Sarunas Marciulionis pace the reserves with 11 and 10 points each. Dikembe Mutombo makes Kevin Willis look like an old-ass mofo, abusing him for 21 points and 15 rebounds as we bash the Bucks 104-78. Sarunas Marciulionis (19 points), Bo Outlaw (15 points) and B.J. Armstrong (11 points) mark one of the best second unit performances I've seen in all my basketball years. But the win comes at a costly price: Jalen Rose breaks his hand and is out 69 days. He's done for the regular season and will only come back in the playoffs if we advance far enough. Bereft of our leading scorer, I wonder where the points are going to come from. B.J. Armstrong takes over as the starting SG and is our lead scorer with 19 points in a gritty 85-69 win over Cleveland, Sarunas Marciulionis adding 10 bench points. Three games on the road to end March. We shock the Bulls 101-88 on the front end of a doubleheader, Larry Johnson rampaging for 28 points, Dikembe Mutombo throwing down 15 points and 10 rebounds and Bo Outlaw firing off 15 bench points. Then comes an 89-85 loss to the T-Wolves the next night in a close game, but Minnesota shot just a little bit better and not even Charles Oakley's rare 14 bench points could save us. On the last day of the month, we trample Toronto 95-76 with the killer frontcourt performance of Dikembe Mutombo's 24 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks, Larry Johnson's 25 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists and Stacey Augmon's 20 points. It's game one of a doubleheader, so I might as well just finish that out. A near-identical 96-74 win over the Nets follows, Sarunas Marciulionis starting at SG due to yet more backcourt injuries. All five starters score 12 or more, led by Stacey Augmon's 20 points, Larry Johnson's 18 points and 12 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo's weaksauce double-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds. 8 games left and we have a 6 game lead on the Suns. We've already clinched at least the #2 seed and only need a couple wins or a couple Phoenix losses to take that #1 spot. Eh, let's keep going. The Big D hosts a 98-79 Clippers domination of the Mavericks, led Dikembe Mutombo the torture master with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks. Sarunas Marciulionis contributes 17 points off the bench and the duo carry us to our 60th win of the year. It's Dikembe Mutombo taking charge again in our 94-72 win over Portland with 18 points, 11 rebound and 4 steals and it's rookie Peja Stojakovic as the top bench player this time with 15 points. Our first round pick is averaging only a little over 10 and a half minutes a game, but he's shown some good development in his first year and I hope he can continue that trend. Dikembe Mutombo's 16 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks can't prevent a tough 89-86 loss to Golden State. Tim Hardaway was the man of the night with 21 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Just no answer for him. We sweep a doubleheader to secure the #1 seed if we didn't have it already. Pooh Richardson suddenly wakes up for 23 points and Sarunas Marciulionis and Bo Outlaw score 10 bench points to guide us to a 92-73 win over the Jazz. The Kings fall 95-78, due to Larry Johnson's 17 points and 10 rebounds and huge help from the second team: Bo Outlaw with 16 points and Charles Oakley and Michael Adams of all people with 10 points a piece. The Jazz beat us 105-93 in Utah despite 24 points and 12 rebounds from Larry Johnson, 12 points and 11 rebounds from Stacey Augmon, 12 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks from Dikembe Mutombo and 10 bench points each from Bo Outlaw and Muggsy Bogues. A rally in Houston brings us a heart-stopping 109-107 win over the Rockets, our comeback fueled by B.J. Armstrong's 29 points and Larry Johnson's 28 points. Not a single Vancouver Grizzly scores more than 7 points in our season-ending 98-65 win. 6 Grizzlies reached that high point So Larry Johnson, with his 24 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists, outscores 3 Grizzlies all by himself. And that's without mentioning Bo Outlaw's 14 bench points. West Conference Seedings 1. Los Angeles Clippers (65-17) 2. Phoenix Suns (55-27) 3. Seattle Sonics (53-29) 4. Sacramento Kings (51-31) 5. San Antonio Spurs (51-31) 6. Vancouver Grizzlies (45-37) 7. Minnesota Timberwolves (43-39) 8. Utah Jazz (43-39) East Conference Seedings 1. Chicago Bulls (63-19) 2. Indiana Pacers (60-22) 3. Cleveland Cavaliers (56-26) 4. Charlotte Hornets (45-37) 5. Washington Bullets (44-38) 6. Detroit Pistons (43-39) 7. Miami Heat (42-40) 8. New Jersey Nets (40-42) I'm not happy about getting matched up with the Jazz. We would play much better against Minnesota, I think. But we'll have to see how it turns out. 42 days until Jalen Rose returns. I think we'd have to make the Finals to have a shot at getting him back and playing. We have a tall order ahead of us. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-23-2010, 06:34 AM	#30
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Missing The Mailman and a Rose: Jazz vs. Clippers Preview C Dikembe Mutombo's offensive output is the X-Factor in this series How quickly the Los Angeles Clippers' fortunes have turned in the Jestor era. Once a laughingstock of the league, the Red and White made a surprising run to the West Conference Finals last season and this year posted the best record in the NBA. The change has been a result of several shrewd trades by Jestor, such as last season's pickups of Jalen Rose, Stacey Augmon and B.J. Armstrong and this year's acquisitions of Larry Johnson and Dikembe Mutombo. In fact, the only starter to have been on the Clippers when the GM arrived was Pooh Richardson, whose contract made him untradeable. For the matter, the only two original Clippers in terms of the beginning of Jestor's tenure are Richardson and Outlaw. All the rest were acquired via trade or the draft. But even with the feel-good stories coming out of the radical transformation, a cloud hangs over these playoffs and the #1 seed. Leading scorer Jalen Rose is out and will, at the very earliest, be back for the NBA Finals, forcing the team to get that far without him. It's going to be a tough fight, even though the Jazz themselves are without Karl Malone, who was lost since November with a torn ACL. Let's look at the breakdown. Point Guard Pooh Richardson vs. John Stockton There's something wrong with a starting PG that averages 10.4 points and not even 5 assists, but that's what Richardson is. On the other hand, he's only averaging 29 minutes a game and his trade will continue to be Jestor's dearest wish. Stockton is still an unequaled master, with apologies to Jason Kidd. 16 points, 12.8 assists and 1.7 steals a game while shooting 49% as a guard is just all-around impressive. The league's best guard, he'll have no problem outplaying Pooh. Advantage: Jazz Shooting Guard B.J. Armstrong vs. Jeff Hornacek Armstrong has been respectable as Rose's replacement and has better passing and much better ballhandling, but he lacks Rose's consistent explosiveness as a scorer, not to mention is 6 inches shorter. Averaged 9.6 points and 4.8 assists as the team's backup point guard. Hornacek took over a lot of the scoring load after Malone went down, averaging 20.5 points and 1.5 steals for the regular season. Smart and disciplined, but his stealing talents will be negated against Armstrong's surehandedness. Advantage: Jazz Small Forward Stacey Augmon vs. Chris Morris The Plastic Man's calling card is defense and he frequently forces teams to shift their 3 over to the SG spot. Better than expected rebounder who averaged 11.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals this year and shot a superb 48.2%. Not a prolific scorer, although he's capable of hot production at times. Augmon has a tough assignment in guarding Morris, who exploded for 18.6 points and a steal per game in the regular season. Morris is also a quality defender in his own right, albeit a couple steps below Augmon. Also, Chris's inconsistency could haunt the Jazz, especially against so textbook a defender. He'll still get his points, but if he takes a lot of shots at low accuracy to get them, Utah will be the worse for it. Advantage: Jazz Power Forward Larry Johnson vs. Jamie Watson Many observers were stunned by the blockbuster deal that swapped Johnson and Loy Vaught, not least because LJ, at 6'6, is the type of undersized PF that Jestor is known to loathe. But he also packs on 250 lbs of muscle and the chemistry he and Augmon have from their Runnin' Rebels days at UNLV have proven a blessing to the Clippers. So, too, has Grandmama's scoring over Vaught's. He averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists between the two teams and is the best passing power forward in the league. He also shot 54% for the season and improved his accuracy after moving to Los Angeles. Watson's a nice guy. Averaged 9.7 points and 1.3 steals after stepping in for Malone, but he's outclassed here. Shot well (48.4%), but he's more of a 3 and is a career bench player forced to start in the post where his skinny 6'7, 190 lb frame is going to get mowed down by the burly Johnson. Pretty bad in just about every area, if you want to know the truth. Advantage: Clippers Center Dikembe Mutombo vs. Greg Ostertag 12.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 blocks. Fantastic defense. 7'2. 50% shooter. There isn't enough you can say in praise about Mutombo, who additionally showed flashes of huge scoring bursts after Rose went down. How well he does in point production could well be the key to this series. Ostertag's 6.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks don't look impressive until you consider he was only a part-time starter, averaging 21.5 minutes in total per game this season. He has some inside scoring ability and can block shots, but he's undisciplined, a mediocre defender, horrible with protecting the ball and grabs far fewer boards than a man of his 7'2, 280 lb frame should. Advantage: Clippers Bench Sarunas Marciulionis has been an unexpected boon for the Clippers. He averaged 9.2 points and 1.2 steals as the team's 6th man after being a throw-in in the Chris Mullin trade. Defensive powerhouse Bo Outlaw averaged 7.2 points and 1.5 blocks and is a huge part of the team's rotation. His contract is also up after this season and it's uncertain if the team can afford to bring him back. Muggsy Bogues is a brilliant little 5'3 floor general and Charles Oakley is a former starter on a playoff team who could produce if called upon to do so. Adam Keefe averaged 5.8 points and shot 49.3% as an overachiever relative to his talent and Felton Spencer averaged 5.4 points in 11 and a half minutes of playing time. Howard Eisley is a great floor general and Stockton's heir apparent, but he's actually regressed in his shooting, a worrying sign. Advantage: Clippers Final Thoughts This boils down down to the Jazz's stellar backcourt against the Clippers' imposing frontcourt and terrific depth. It's a formula that favors Los Angeles, who has the ability to survive an injury to anyone but Johnson and not miss a step, whereas if Utah loses someone, they're done. It should still be an enjoyable series, but it won't be a sweep. The Jazz will win at least one home game, even with the Clippers' 32-9 road record, well ahead of even second place Chicagos' 27-14 away mark. Prediction: Clippers in 5 Game One Maybe it was overconfidence, but we were flat all game long. Jeff Hornacek torches us for 27 points with John Stockton feeding him via 12 points and 19 assists. Adam Keefe and Byron Russell gave the lie to Utah's purported weak bench with 14 and 11 points and our only noteworthy player was Sarunas Marciulionis with 11 bench points... on 5/15 shooting, 1/7 from 3 point range. Final - Utah 102 Clippers 85 Game Two If we play another garbage game like the first one, we're done. Fortunately, B.J. Armstrong gets a fire lit under his ass after getting whipped so bad in Game 1 and comes through with 20 points and 9 assists, Dikembe Mutombo his support with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Even though we win big and shut the Jazz down completely, it still feels like we're struggling as we head to Utah . Final - Utah 72 Clippers 102 Game Three It's a bloodthirsty crowd of Mormons in Salt Lake, who see their team as having a real shot after the Game 1 upset. Jeff Hornacek feeds off their energy for 21 points and Chris Morris doubles for 16 points and 11 rebounds. Adam Keefe punches in 10 bench points. But then Larry Johnson finally snaps out of the funk he's in and comes up with 24 points and 10 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo gets the freaky double-double that only he can of 15 rebounds and 11 blocks and somehow, it's all enough to right the ship and steal a six-point victory. Final - Clippers 88 Utah 82 Game Four We've now canceled out the Game 1 mishap and look forward to pushing the Jazz to the brink. Larry Johnson builds on his Game 3 outing with 25 points, B.J. Armstrong scores 20 and Dikembe Mutombo doubles for 10 points and 15 rebounds. Utah mounts a challenge with Jeff Hornacek's 24 points, John Stockton's 11 points and 12 assists and Felton Spencer's 17 bench points, but it's not enough. We head back to L.A. with the 3-1 series lead and the Jazz fans are left mourning their lost opportunity. Final - Clippers 104 Jazz 94 Only one sweep to report as Seattle knocks off the upstart Grizzlies in four. About what I figured, as Vancouver had no business being in the playoffs in the first place. Game Five I'm a bit nervous coming back home, as Larry Johnson seemed to play better on the road. And in fact, he does underachieve here, but Dikembe Mutombo makes up for it with 16 points and 13 rebounds, leading a balanced offense and stifling defense to a comfortable win to send Utah to the offseason. Final - Utah 72 Clippers 98 The Suns beat the Timberwolves in 5 and the Heat pull off a major upset, stunning the second-seed Pacers in 5 as well. Chicago cuts down the pesky Nets in 6 and the Kings get the second major coup of the playoffs, ousting David Robinson's Spurs in 6 and turning into our dates for the second round. Guess that means Dikembe Mutombo won't be tested against the postseason version of The Admiral after all. The Cavaliers disappoint Detroit in 7, and the Hornets fall to the Bullets in a full series, a heartbreaking 109-108 defeat in which Gheorghe Muresan was 11/12 for 24 points and 12 rebounds. If Charlotte still has Mutombo, they win that series. Not that I'm complaining, of course. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-24-2010, 06:33 AM	#31
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	The NorCal/SoCal War: Kings/Clippers Preview Make no mistake about it. Kings SG Mitch Richmond* is the hottest player in this series.* The good news is the Los Angeles Clippers survived Round 1 without any new major injuries. The bad news is, they're still without super-scoring SG Jalen Rose and face a second round opponent in the Kings who have that sharpshooting 2, veteran Mitch Richmond, who proved pivotal in Sacramento's unseating of the fairly heavily favored Spurs. There's a small subplot here as well, in the form of the team's 6th men, Sarunas Marciulionis (Clippers) and Chris Mullin (Kings) who were traded for each other as part of a larger pick-swapping deal this past offseason. Here's how things look: Point Guard Pooh Richardson vs. Mookie Blaylock 12.4 points and 4 assists in the first round is about what people expected from Pooh. On the plus side, he showed his 50.8% shooting in last year's playoffs was no fluke, shooting at 50% this season as well. He also did an excellent job of keeping John Stockton from having monster scoring games in Round 1. For all the flack Blaylock gets for not being a good passer, he still averaged 15.8 points, 6 assists and 1.3 steals along with an unheard of for a guard 7.7 rebounds in the first round. Supremely gifted defender, but shot just 36.9% against the Spurs. He should have an easier time of it here and even if he doesn't, Mookie's magnificent all-around game still trumps Pooh's careful clutch shooting. Advantage: Kings Shooting Guard B.J. Armstrong vs. Mitch Richmond Like Richardson, Armstrong has elevated his play in the postseason, averaging 15.6 points on a sliver above 50% shooting, with 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals. Although nowhere near the level of Rose, he's proven an adequate playoff replacement. Poor B.J. Last round he had Jeff Hornacek's prolific scoring to deal with. Now he has Richmond's 23.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists to contend with. Richmond struggled a bit with his accuracy in Round 1, shooting 38.9%, but he's also an elite defender, even better than Blaylock, and he should do an excellent job of snuffing out Armstrong. Advantage: Kings Small Forward Stacey Augmon vs. Walt Williams On the face of it, Augmon's 12.4 points look remarkably pedestrian, but he proved his defensive prowess by completely shutting down Chris Morris in the first round, a role he'll be expected to play here as well. Williams was fantastic against the Spurs, second on the Kings in scoring with 17.7 points, 2.5 steals and 1.2 blocks. Don't look for him to reprise that scoring success against Augmon, or even the same defensive numbers, as the former Runnin' Rebel is more surehanded. Williams also has discipline problems and with the Plastic Man's ability to draw fouls, this could be a very long series for Walt. A key battle in this series. Advantage: Draw Power Forward Larry Johnson vs. Brian Grant It took a bit for Grandmama to get going in the first round, but he was the biggest reason why the Clippers swept the Jazz on the road and finished the series averaging 19.8 points, 8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals. The Clippers will need him to start producing at home if they hope to win against the fully healthy Kings. Grant has been a double-double machine thus far, averaging 11.5 points, 11 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, numbers analogous to his regular season outing. But he's horrible at handling the ball and shot a shockingly bad 39.4% in the first round after shooting 57.4% in the regular season. An above average defender with 3 inches on LJ, the Kings are counting on him to disrupt Johnson's flow, but it's more likely to be the other way around. Advantage: Clippers Center Dikembe Mutombo vs. Olden Polynice The big man fell just shy of the double-double mark in the first round, averaging 9.8 points and 14 rebounds with a staggering 4.8 blocks a game. Much of his low scoring came from a disturbing 37.1% conversion rate, which, coupled with his 44.1% shooting last year with the Hornets, suggests that he's not nearly as accurate in the playoffs. He needs to raise that number this series. 9.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks mark Polynice as a clear fifth starter and inferior to Mutombo. Very average all-around center, one who at 6'11, 220 lbs, is just asking to get crushed against the behemoth the Clippers feature. Advantage: Clippers Bench For all the talk of the explosiveness of the Clippers' bench, it wasn't really present in the first round. That said, Sarunas Marciulionis averaged 7.8 points and Muggsy Bogues showed that he's still got it, averaging 4.2 assists with a ridiculous 10.5 A/TO ratio. Bo Outlaw averaged 5.8 rebounds in 14.2 minutes a game, Charles Oakley 4 in just under 10. But the real surprise has been rookie Peja Stojakovic, averaging 5.8 points as he's starting to get more comfortable with the NBA game. Unlike the Clippers' depth, the Kings only go two deep on their bench. Undersized post player Michael Smith is averaging a terrific 8 points and 8.3 rebounds and former Clipper Chris Mullin is posting 7.5 points and a steal per game, albeit at 32.1% shooting, continuing the consistency issues from last season. Advantage: Clippers Final Thoughts This is a repeat of Round 1, where it comes down to depth and frontcourt of the Red and White against the stellar backcourt of their opponent. The difference is that the Kings have two shutdown defensive guards who will force Los Angeles to rely on their forwards and big men to do the scoring and even with Larry Johnson, the Clippers just don't have enough points to answer Sacramento's perimeter firepower, even if Augmon neutralizes Williams as expected. Prediction Kings in 6 Game One It's a tough matchup; I'll grant you that. And after our opening game flameout versus the Jazz, this one has me and some of the home fans a little wary. A scrappy, defensive fight ensues, in which Mitch Richmond scores 24, Olden Polynice proves a game battler with 12 points and 18 rebounds and Brian Grant hauls in 12 points and 13 rebounds. And then there's Chris Mullin really getting up for this one, pouring in 19 bench points. We fight back with Larry Johnson's 16 points and 11 rebounds, but what allows us to win this one is better shooting accuracy, a balanced offense that features four bench players with 5+ points and Dikembe Mutombo's monster game of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. We needed every last one of those points, too, to escape with a narrow series-opening win. How close was it? 24 lead changes and 14 ties. Final - Sacramento 90 Clippers 94 Game Two I'm proud of the heart we showed in the first game and hope we can carry it over here. Olden Polynice continues to impress me with 10 points and 18 rebounds, but Dikembe Mutombo squashes him with a near-triple double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 blocks. Aiding Mutombo is Larry Johnson's 19 points and 15 rebounds and 12 and 10 bench points from Sarunas Marciulionis and Bo Outlaw. Surprisingly easy win. Final - Sacramento 77 Clippers 104 Game Three Getting out of L.A. with a 2-0 series lead was critical, because the Kings are going to come out fighting on their home turf. Or at least, that's what I think until Dikembe Mutombo continues his unreal second round with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Larry Johnson gets a crazy double-double of 10 points and 13 assists, just feeding it in to our center. Then there's Sarunas Marciulionis and Muggsy Bogues playing shock troop snipers with 15 and 12 points respectively. Too bad for the Kings, as Brian Grant finally broke through for 24 points and 11 rebounds and Olden Polynice despite being made Mutombo's bitch, continues to fight against our titanic champion with 12 points and 14 rebounds. I'm just in awe of what Dikembe's done. Final - Clippers 109 Sacramento 88 Game Four If you'd told me before this series began that we could sweep the Kings, I'd have called you a crackhead. But we're in just that possible scenario. Brian Grant continues his late series run with 20 points and Mookie Blaylock finally gets on the statistically noteworthy board with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but that's all she wrote as our defense takes over. Dikembe Mutombo finally cooled off with 10 points and 13 rebounds and Sarunas Marciulionis scored 10 bench points. But in the end, it's 44.9% shooting (us) to 34.7% shooting (them) and that's what makes the difference, especially when Mookie Blaylock is 0/11 from downtown. So all told, we once again come out slow before laying down the hammer the rest of the way, only this time, it's a sweet sweep. Final - Clippers 92 Kings 71 We're going back to the West Conference Finals!!! Dikembe Mutombo's 2nd Round Averages 21 PPG 12 RPG 5 BPG - 41/69 - 59.4% shooting Un-freaking-believable! Quite possibly the single greatest series performance I've seen since a certain Hall of Famer with initials MY. We learn our West Conference Finals opponent the game after. Once again, we won't have an easy challenge, facing the #2 seed Phoenix Suns, who downed Seattle in 5. The East Conference semi-finals go to a full seven games, with the Cavaliers finishing off the Heat and the Washington Bullets shocking the defending champion Chicago Bulls. Wow! No injuries to Chi-town either. What happened? This happened. Total frontcourt annihilation by Washington. Should be a hell of a series with Cleveland. So for that matter, should we have with the Suns. On the eve of Game 1 of the conference finals, the team doctor tells me it'll be 18 days before Jalen Rose comes back. 2 back to back 1 day off 2 back to back 1 day off 1 game 1 day off 1 game 1 day off 1 game 1 day off -------------------- 12 days to complete conference finals If we make it to the Finals: 2 back to back 1 day off 2 back to back 1 day off ------------ 6 days, which means Jalen would be back for Game 5. So in order to have him back in our lineup, we need to not only win the West Conference Finals, but avoid getting swept in the NBA Finals. Hope we can do it. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-25-2010, 04:23 AM	#32
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	The Wright Bargain, Suns To Face Clippers For West Crown Free agent signing C Sharone Wright* has been the biggest steal of the season* The most shocking development of this year's West Conference playoffs hasn't been the Clippers' sweep of the Kings without Jalen Rose. It's been that C Sharone Wright, signed off the free agent scrap heap for $810,000 on a one year deal, is leading the Phoenix Suns in scoring this postseason. Yes, that's right. More than Kevin Johnson and more than Sir Charles Barkley. Wright's eruption was a volcanic event that even the most diehard Suns' faithful couldn't have predicted and NBA insiders are even more stunned. "Here was a guy who got himself run out of Philadelphia because he's the single laziest player in the league", one East scout said, "But then all of a sudden, Phoenix picks him up and he not only wins the starting center job, but he has a quality regular season and tears it up in the playoffs. I don't get it. Paul Westphal deserves a lot of credit for getting Wright to work hard." It's been the talk of the desert all postseason long and it's a development that makes Clippers GM Jestor's deadline deal for Dikembe Mutombo all the more important. The breakdown: Point Guard Pooh Richardson vs. Kevin Johnson Richardson did a fantastic job of containing Mookie Blaylock last round and has played much better defense than anyone expected. 11.9 points, 4 assists and 1.1 steals to date. The question isn't KJ's talent. Not with 15.4 points, 11.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals in the postseason and his proven All-Star track record. The issue is, can one of the league's best all-around point guards stay healthy? If he can't, things get tougher for Phoenix. A lot tougher. Advantage: Suns Shooting Guard B.J. Armstrong vs. Wesley Person Armstrong continues to be solid, but unremarkable, averaging 13.2 points, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals. But like his backcourt partner, he's been better than expected on defense and kept Mitch Richmond under wraps for all but one game last round. Person is averaging 13.6 points and 1.3 steals in the postseason and is an average all-around shooting guard. On the other hand, he's 6'6, 195 lbs and could present a significant challenge to the smaller Armstrong. But he also doesn't have Armstrong's passing talents. Advantage: Draw Small Forward Stacey Augmon vs. Danny Manning Augmon's 10.7 points a game don't impress and a lot of times, you don't notice him when he's playing, but he will get in your face and shut you down as he's done all postseason long. 10.8 points, 1.2 steals, and a block per game make Manning's numbers similar to Augmon's. But he's not the lockdown defender his Clippers counterpart is, even if he's bigger and a much more accurate shooter. Advantage: Draw Power Forward Larry Johnson vs. Charles Barkley LJ is the one of the most versatile fours in the business and he's showing his skills off this playoffs as he's averaging 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals. Picking him up was one of the best trades Jestor's made. Sir Charles is no slouch himself, averaging 20.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the postseason. He's an excellent all-around player and is the exact same height and weight (well, 2 pounds heavier) than Grandmama. On the other hand, Barkley's hampered by a strained hamstring that's going to bother him in Games 1-4 and in as a tightly matched a pair as these two, that's a huge difference. Advantage: Draw Center Dikembe Mutombo vs. Sharone Wright We know all about Dikembe's otherworldly outing against the Kings that raised his playoff averages to 14.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.9 blocks. What remains to be seen is if he can reprise that stellar play in this round. It's possible, because Wright is about the same size as Olden Polynice and, Wright's offensive blossoming in the first two rounds aside, he's going to get shut down by the Mountain of Defense. So look for those 21.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.4 blocks to take a steep drop, particularly given his horrible passing and handling. Advantage: Clippers Bench Sarunas Marciulinis's 9 points and 1.1 steals are the clear leader, but let's not forget Bo Outlaw's 4.8 points and 4 rebounds a game or Muggsy Bogues's 4.7 points and 4.6 assists. The Suns' bench largely lives and dies by Wayman Tisdale's 7.9 points and 1.1 steals, because the rest of the bench is simply bad, with apologies to rookie Derek Fisher. Advantage: Clippers Final Thoughts Tough series to call. Unlike the first two rounds, where it was a clean case of backcourt vs. frontcourt and depth, here, things are a little more even. That said, Barkley's injury and the Clippers' depth should make this a fairly quick series. If goes beyond our projected outcome, Los Angeles is in trouble. Prediction Clippers in 5 Game One Injury to Barkley aside, this still strikes me as a very difficult series, so we need to gain advantage quickly. We do in the opener, allowing just 2 Suns players in double-digit scoring and one of them bench player Jud Buechler with 10 points. With that kind of defense, it's no wonder we win in a blowout. Dikembe Mutombo romps on with 24 points, 16 rebounds and 8 blocks, while all five starters hit 10 points or more and Bo Outlaw scores 10 bench points. Final - Phoenix 80 Clippers 101 Stacey Augmon injures his finger, so Sarunas Marciulionis will start at SF until he's fully healed. Game Two Things are much tighter in the second contest, Kevin Johnson bursting for 22 points and 11 assists, Sharone Wright fighting the defensive Dikembe wall for 15 points and 10 rebounds. But Dikembe Mutombo more than matches Wright with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. Larry Johnson scores 21, B.J. Armstrong adds 20 and Muggsy Bogues speeds off the bench for 12 points as part of the fairly comfortable 10 point win to take the 2-0 lead. Final - Phoenix 92 Clippers 102 Game Three We have to get out of Phoenix with at least a split, because I don't relish a fully healthy Sir Charles. Unfortunately, Pooh Richardson goes 0 for 8 and Larry Johnson's 19 points and 10 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo's 14 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks are easily swept aside by the combined might of Kevin Johnson's 19 points and 16 assists, Wesley Person's 21 points, paired doubles of 14 points, 14 rebounds and 13 points, 13 rebounds from Sharone Wright and Charles Barkley respectively, and Wayman Tisdale's 10 bench points. In a word, we = owned. Final - Clippers 77 Phoenix 95 Game Four Our sweep dreams up in smoke, we try to bear down and keep this from being tied up. Larry Johnson hammers in 25 points and Dikembe Mutombo muscles his way to 16 points and 17 rebounds. The Suns counter with Kevin Johnson's 24 points and 14 assists, Charles Barkley's 24 points and 10 reobunds and Sharone Wright's 14 points and 13 rebounds. But what cost us the game was falling apart in the second half and getting outscored 71-53, losing both quarters. And now it's all tied up. Ugh. Final - Clippers 109 Suns 116 The good news is, the East isn't a sweep. Game Five We can not afford to lose at home. B.J. Armstrong gets the message and has a breakout game with 26 points, while Dikembe Mutombo chips in 16 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks and Larry Johnson is good for 15 points and 12 rebounds. That trio and a huge fourth quarter comeback is enough to overcome Charles Barkley's 21 points, 17 rebounds and 5 steals and Wayman Tisdale's 11 bench points. A teethscraper of a win, but we'll take everything we can get at this point. Final - Phoenix 87 Clippers 93 The Cavaliers win the East conference title by beating the Bullets in five games, so they're just letting us and Phoenix beat up on each other. We also have a long injury list. Jalen Rose - Broken Hand Sarunas Marciulionis - Sprained Toe Stacey Augmon - Sprained Finger Peja Stojakovic - Sore Calf Bo Outlaw - Mild Concussion Dikembe Mutombo - Sore Calf The Suns' only injury? Hot Rod Williams with sprained ankle. Game Six That Game 5 win was huge. It allows me to breathe normally here, rather than break out into sweat because of our Game 2 and 3 letdowns in Phoenix. Given the list of serious and minor injuries on our roster, I think we're done. Stacey Augmon returns to the lineup and Larry Johnson has 17 points and 10 rebounds, but it's little to cheer about when Kevin Johnson goes off for 32 points, 18 assists and 8 rebounds, Wesley Person scores 22 and Charles Barkley scores 20. We get embarassed and now fight for our lives in Game 7. Final - Clippers 89 Suns 112 Game Seven I can't watch. Things are looking brutal as Charles Barkley has 23 points and 14 rebounds, Sharone Wright takes advantage of our injuries for 20 points and 12 rebounds and Kevin Johnson doubles for 16 points and 12 assists. Larry Johnson leads our answer with 26 points and our bench outscores theirs 26-12, which proves to be the exact difference in the game. Best reserve of the night is Charles Oakley, with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals in just 13 minutes, the unsung hero of the game. Final - Phoenix 96 Clippers 110 We're going to the Finals!!!! Clippers win the West Championship for the first time in franchise history!!!! __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-25-2010, 11:42 AM	#33
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	A Tale Of No Superstars: Cavs/Clippers Finals PG Terrell Brandon is the Cavaliers' version of Larry Johnson - a versatile star not considered a superstar How very much alike these Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers are in some respects. Both were, before the season began, considered good teams, but not championship contenders. Neither one had, and still does not have, a superstar player, although they not are bereft of stars in their own right. Each of them also made a pivotal trade deadline move. For the Clippers, as we all know, it was C Dikembe Mutombo. For the Cavaliers, SF Anthony Mason was the pickup. Mason also signals another similarity between the two teams; that of having an ex-Knicks starter on the roster, as the Clippers have Charles Oakley as a vastly underrated reserve. Cleveland and Los Angeles both play a hard-nosed, stifling defensive game, ranking #2 and #3 respectively in fewest points allowed, as well as #6 and #3 in opponents' field goal % in addition to #5 and #4 in 3 point percentage allowed. Cleveland also is #2 in fewest assists allowed and fewest rebounds allowed, whereas the Clippers, playing the surehanded basketball that has been a calling card under the Jestor regime, allowed the 3rd fewest steals. But that's not all. Los Angeles also ranked #3 in team blocks and #9 in steals, whereas the Cavaliers were #7 in steals. In terms of offense, the Clippers ranked #4 in points scored, largely because of their #2 in assists and #6 in rebounds. And that's not even counting their 2nd-best field goal shooting % or their #1 ranked fewest turnovers surrendered for the second straight year. The Cavaliers, in contrast, were T-6th in field goal %, #7 in steals, and #9 in rebounds. On the face of it, Cleveland has a difficult challenge ahead of them as they seek to bring a title to the long-suffering fans of the Mistake By The Lake. But it's possible, especially with Clippers leading scoring Jalen Rose out until Game 5, if there is one. The position preview: Point Guard Pooh Richardson vs. Terrell Brandon Richardson will try to use his height to contain Brandon, the Cavaliers' closest thing to a superstar. 10.9 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.2 steals are an increasing sign of Pooh's attention to floor generalship in the playoffs, an unexpected boon. Brandon thrives off the underrated role and doesn't think his All-NBA 1st Team selection last season or his two straight All-Star appearances were enough respect. Although he averaged 20.8 points in the regular season, he's focused on more of a hybrid role in the postseason, racking up 18.2 points, 10.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Phenomenal on the defensive end, but doesn't get much credit for his passing skills or how much bigger he plays than his 5'11, 173 frame suggests. Advantage: Cavaliers Shooting Guard B.J. Armstrong vs. Rick Fox 15.3 points, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals are not shabby numbers at all, especially when Armstrong is really best suited to point guard. He'll hold down the fort until Rose is ready to come back, unless there's a sweep one way or the other. For two straight years, the Cavaliers have traded away their first round pick. This year it was for Mason, last year it was for Fox, a respectable all-around 6'7, 230 lb swingman averaging 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals. His major height advantage over Armstrong is somewhat mitigated by the fact that he has yet to shoot 40% for the postseason while in Cleveland. Advantage: Draw Small Forward Stacey Augmon vs. Anthony Mason Augmon's scoring and shooting numbers dropped because he's been bothered by a finger injury picked up last round and it'll be a couple games before it fully heals. Even with his 9.6 points, though, he concentrates on playing suffocating defenses and hauled down 5.1 rebounds. No matter what, he finds ways to contribute. Mason has also altered his game in the postseason relative to the regular season, taking on more of a scoring role to average 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds thus far. Outstanding rebounder, but very weak on the defensive side of the equation. Disciplined and smart, the definition of veteran savvy. His defensive deficiencies won't matter here, because Augmon's not a big part of the points equation for the Clippers. Advantage: Cavaliers Power Forward Larry Johnson vs. Tyrone Hill LJ has been the Clippers' most reliable presence on the court in the playoffs, posting 18.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists. If we had to pick somebody to be MVP if the Clippers win it, Grandmama would be our man. Hill will eat some of those rebounds, as he's averaging 11.1 points and 8.2 boards a game to date. Not the most disciplined player and one that should never be a primary option, but he doesn't get enough credit for his defense and Cleveland's hoping he can use his 6'9 height to slow Johnson down a bit. Advantage: Los Angeles Center Dikembe Mutombo vs. Oliver Miller In his own way, Mutombo has been just as valuable as Johnson, putting up 15.7 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.9 blocks, the sort of dominating all-around post presence that observers expected in rebounding and blocking, but never saw coming in points scored. Simply put, he's on fire, shooting 49% in the playoffs and taking on a greater than expected burden of the scoring load in Rose's absence. Miller may only be 6'9, but he's 280 lbs and has the stockiness to hassle Mutombo a bit. 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in the postseason. Great shotblocker and pretty good ballthief for being such a round man, but otherwise the very definition of mediocrity. Advantage: Los Angeles Bench Sarunas Marciulionis has a sprained toe, which will limit his 9 points per game average. Muggsy Bogues is getting more and more comfortable in the Clippers offense with each game played and is averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 assists. Bo Outlaw and Charles Oakley perform extremely well in their shared limited minutes. Danny Ferry is averaging 9.2 points as the Cavs' main bench option. Chris Mills broke his finger in Game 1 of the East Conference Finals and losing his 8.7 points is a devastating blow to Cleveland's reserve offense, but that'll mean more minutes for Bobby Phils, the Cavs' version of Augmon. Advantage: Los Angeles Final Thoughts Perimeter game for post game and depth is the familiar theme we've seen all throughout the playoffs for their opponents and the Clippers. But that's only going to last through the first four games and then Jalen Rose comes back for Los Angeles. The Clippers have home court advantage and honestly, given all that together, we just can't see the Cavs having much hope here. Prediction: Clippers in 5 Game One I'm not comfortable being such heavy favorites. After all, there's a reason Cleveland got this far, including beating the Bullets in five and they're a dominant post team, too. The opening game was all about defense. B.J. Armstrong was game's high scorer with 20 points and 3 steals and we also got 12 and 12 in points and rebounds from Larry Johnson. Michael Adams was a surprise bonus of 10 bench points. Terrell Brandon got his with 13 points and 10 assists, but he was 5 of 19 to get the scoring. Danny Ferry fared much better with 13 bench points on 4/9 shooting. An easy, gritty sort of win. Final - Cleveland 71 Los Angeles 87 Game Two This is what happens when you get overconfident. Tyrone Hill of all people, busts your ass for 26 points and 10 rebounds, Terrell Brandon sneaks in 12 points and 12 assists and Danny Ferry keeps playing the point matching game with Brandon, scoring 12 bench points. Stacey Augmon brought down 10 points and 10 rebounds, but we shot 41.6% and played like crap to get stunned at home. Final - Cleveland 95 Los Angeles 84 Game Three Can we please score 90 points sometime in this series? Rick Fox pops off 22 points and Terrell Brandon has 20 points and 12 assists. This time Danny Ferry doesn't match up with TB, but he scores 15 bench points. Looking grim, right? But then Stacey Augmon has a playoff high 24 points, Dikembe Mutombo finally shows up 13 points and 15 rebounds and our bench is +8, because Ferry was the only Cavalier reserve to score a single point. It totals up to a 9 point win and a restoration of the series balance. This is exactly the sort of brutal, knock-down Finals you'd expect from two defensively strong teams. Oh, and we break 90 points for the first time in the Finals. Final - Los Angeles 94 Cleveland 85 Game Four Save for Dikembe Mutombo's 10 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks and Michael Adams's 10 bench points, our offense once again goes missing. Terrell Brandon (24 points), Rick Fox (21 points), and Danny Ferry (17 bench points) continue to abuse our bad backcourt and Oliver Miller adds insult to injury with 10 points and 13 rebounds. It's all knotted up at two a piece, but our Knight of the Rose comes back next game. Final - Los Angeles 82 Cleveland 94 Game Five I keep forgetting the Finals are a 2-3-2 scenario, so much to my dismay, we're still in Cleveland. And guess what happens? More defense! So much defense that Oliver Miller is the leading scorer with 18 points. To aid him, Danny Ferry scores 11 bench points. We return fire with 17 points and 11 rebounds from Dikembe Mutombo and a once-again bench saving performance, this time from Sarunas Marciulionis's 15 points and Charles Oakley's 10 points and 8 rebounds as part of a 39-16 Clippers reserve scoring advantage. We've now got the Cavs on the ropes and if we can't close out at home, we don't deserve to win. By the way, Jalen Rose was very rusty, going 3/12 in his return. So much for being our rescuer. Yay for our bench! Final - Cleveland 83 Los Angeles 97 Game Six Will -anybody- break 100 points in these Finals? Cleveland offers 21 points from Rick Fox and Danny Ferry and Eugene Sanders's 12 bench points to try for the feat, but they fail. Our contribution is Larry Johnson's 24 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, Pooh Richardson's 21 points and B.J. Armstrong's 13 bench points. But what really did it was that all five of our starters scored 12 points or better, even Jalen Rose on 4/12 shooting to finally break the 100 point barrier and GIVE THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS THEIR FIRST EVER TITLE!!!!!!!!! Final - Cleveland 89 Los Angeles 106 The home fans are delirious in their celebration and I think Billy Crystal may well have keeled over of a heart attack courtside. It's an enjoyable feeling and I can't help but smile because Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson now have an NBA ring to go with their NCAA championship. Go Fight Win! UNLV Runnin' Rebels Forever!!!!! In all honesty, that's why I traded for both Augmon and LJ. So they could start together, play together, and win a professional title. The fact that it's with the Clippers, heretofore one of the NBA's most derided franchises, makes it all the sweeter. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-25-2010, 01:12 PM	#34
Autumn Head Coach Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Bath, ME	Wow, nice gritty win. You didn't even need Rose, really, to get it done. Quite an unexpected Finals matchup there.

04-26-2010, 01:40 AM	#36
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Clippers In Transition? Rumors abound that Donald Sterling* will sell the Clippers.* Mere days after the Los Angeles Clippers hosted a joyous parade celebrating the first trophy in franchise history, cracks are already appearing in the foundation and could make this ring a one and done situation. The team's financial value has never been higher, with two deep playoff runs, including the most just-won championship, a stable roster in terms of contracts and a stable coaching staff, with all but 1st assistant Lamar Lee having just signed three year contract extensions as a reward for the ring. All this points to the idea that team owner Donald Sterling may sell the Clippers and try to buy the St. Louis Rams to move them back to Los Angeles, since the return of NFL football would prove far more lucrative than owning what will always be a second-fiddle team in the Clippers. Even if Sterling can't find a selling price to his liking, there's also the issue of GM Jestor, who reportedly hates living in Los Angeles, even with its proximity to San Diego. His mission, according to unnamed sources, was to bring the woeful Clippers a title and do it with Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson as starters. Having accomplished that, it appears wanderlust has set in and we could see him move on, should the right opportunity open up. But for now, let tiny Clippers Nation enjoy the success of a championship. It's been a long time coming. *End Article* It's something I'm quite torn about, though I have to say, if you'd had told me when I started this job that I would have given Bill Fitch a contract extension, I'd have thought you were certifiable. 1996-97 NBA Lottery 13. Golden State Warriors 12. Orlando Magic 11. Portland Trailblazers 10. Philadelphia 76ers (-1) 9. Boston Celtics (-1) 8. New York Knicks (-3) 7. Denver Nuggets (-3) 6. Atlanta Hawks (-3) 5. Dallas Mavericks (-3) 4. Toronto Raptors (-3) 3. Los Angeles Lakers (+7) 2. Houston Rockets (+4) 1. Milwaukee Bucks (+6) Unbelievable. The Milwaukee Bucks win the lottery for the second year in a row and will now get the right to pair Allen Iverson with Tim Duncan. That's just not fair. NBA Awards MVP David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 25.6 PPG 3.0 APG 13.1 RPG 2.9 BPG 1.5 SPG Defensive Player of the Year David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs - 25.6 PPG 3.0 APG 13.1 RPG 2.9 BPG 1.5 SPG Rookie of the Year Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies - 15.5 PPG 2.0 APG 6.8 RPG 3.2 BPG 1.0 SPG 6th Man of the Year Chris Gatling - Miami Heat - 10.8 PPG 1.7 APG 7.0 RPG 0.7 BPG 0.8 SPG Coach of the Year George Karl - Seattle Supersonics Man, did Bill Fitch ever get robbed. All-NBA 1st Team PG Terrell Brandon - Cleveland Cavaliers SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls SF Tom Gugliotta - Minnesota Timberwolves PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs All-NBA 2nd Team PG John Stockton - Utah Jazz SG Reggie Miller - Indiana Pacers SF Toni Kukoc - Chicago Bulls PF Larry Johnson - Los Angeles Clippers C Hakeem Olajuwon - Houston Rockets All-NBA 3rd Team PG Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks SG Allan Houston - Detroit Pistons SF Glenn Robinson - Milwaukee Bucks PF Charles Barkley - Phoenix Suns C Dikembe Mutombo - Los Angeles Clippers Great to see LJ and Mutombo get the recognition they deserve. All-Defense 1st Team PG Gary Payton - Seattle Supersonics SG Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls SF Scottie Pippen - Chicago Bulls PF Shawn Kemp - Seattle Supersonics C David Robinson - San Antonio Spurs All-Defense 2nd Team PG Tim Hardaway - Golden State Warriors SG Latrell Sprewell - Golden State Warriors SF Derrick McKey - Indiana Pacers PF Kevin Garnett - Minnesota Timberwolves C Dikembe Mutombo - Los Angeles Clippers All-Rookie 1st Team PG Josh Hardy - New York Knicks SG Ray Allen - Denver Nuggets SF Donte Harris - Golden State Warriors PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim - Detroit Pistons C Marcus Camby - Vancouver Grizzlies All-Rookie 2nd Team PG Allen Iverson - Milwaukee Bucks SG Kerry Kittles - Portland Trailblazers SF John Wallace - Orlando Magic PF Antoine Walker - New Jersey Nets C Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Atlanta Hawks AI on the 2nd Team I can understand because of his limited number of games, even though he averaged 22 points to Hardy's 4.6, but Kittles' 13.4 PPG second to Ray Allen's 6.3 makes absolutely no sense to me. Ah well. Donald Sterling doesn't sell the team after all, but I still really have to think when he asks if I want to come back or not. In the end, I decide to return, but only because there's no other vacancies. We agree to the usual playoffs and under the cap though he'll let me go short of $5 million again, thanks to all the money I made him via our title. Earl Carrawell is signed to a 4 year deal as our 1st assistant and he represents a major upgrade in my opinion. Mock Draft It's Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and Chauncey Billups by my lights, even though they're picked to go #1, #4 and #6 in the mock. Duncan to the Bucks is a revolting slam dunk, no matter how you slice it. With the last pick in the first round, we're projected to take PG Ross Jones out of USC. We do need to get younger at point guard. Pooh and B.J. are 31 and 30 next season and Muggsy's 33. Unfortunately, it's also a shallow looking pool. But we'll see how it pans out. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-26-2010, 05:49 AM	#37
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	1997 NBA Draft 1st Round 1. PF Tim Duncan - Milwaukee Bucks 2. SF Keith Van Horn - Houston Rockets Very reasonable pick, as McGrady's raw and Billups is an unneeded PG. 3. SG Tracy McGrady - Los Angeles Lakers I'm not going to relish facing a 6'8 guard multiple times a year when he develops. Especially with Cedric Ceballos still there, too. 4. PF Danny Fortson - Toronto Raptors Remember, Toronto already has Stoudamire and Starbury, so Fortson's the best move here. 5. C Kelvin Cato - Dallas Mavericks ...Can you say stupid reach? 6. PG Chauncey Billups - Atlanta Hawks Things played out perfectly for the Hawks here. They finally have that true point guard they've lacked for so long. 7. PG Brevin Knight - Denver Nuggets 8. PF Maurice Taylor - New York Knicks 9. PG Antonio Daniels - Boston Celtics Stupid pick by the Celtics. Daniels isn't worth a Top 10 pick and furthermore, all the PG prospects are flying off the board, which is bad for us. 10. SF Ron Mercer - Philadelphia 76ers 11. SF Tim Thomas - Portland Trailblazers 12. SF Chris Crawford - Orlando Magic 13. C Tony Battie - Golden State Warriors 14. PG Bobby Jackson - New Jersey Nets 15. SG Derek Anderson - Miami Heat 16. PG Alvin Williams - Detroit Pistons 17. C Adonal Foyle - Minnesota Timberwolves A steal by the T-Wolves at this late stage in the draft if you ask me. 18. SG Stephen Jackson - Utah Jazz 19. C Mark Blount - Washington Bullets 20. SG Tariq Abdul-Wahad - Charlotte Hornets 21. PG Jacque Vaughn - Vancouver Grizzlies 22. PF Austin Croshere - Sacramento Kings 23. C Marc Jackson - San Antonio Spurs 24. SG Ed Gray - New York Knicks 25. C Chris Antsey - Phoenix Suns 26. SF Rob Landram - New York Knicks 27. PG Anthony Johnson - Houston Rockets 28. PF Johnny Taylor - Chicago Bulls Nobody knows what I'll do. J.P. says it's either Ross Jones, Cedric Henderson, or trade. Trade it is. Los Angeles Clippers receive PG Jeff McInnis Miami Heat receive PF Charles Oakley #29 overall pick What this means for the Clippers McInnis is a pass-first 24 year old point guard who played well in the D-League last season. Not a starter worthy player by most scouts, but a good, young reserve floor general for an aging Red and White point guard corps, even with his mediocre defense. What this means for the Heat Oakley is a solid veteran who played a small, but key role in the Clippers' title run last year. He teams with Kurt Thomas and Alonzo Mourning to make the Miami Heat one of the best in the business at rebounding. The pick will be some young scrub. Winner: Draw Both teams got something of value here, but McInnis's inattentive defense and Oakley's age plus the low talent coming back balance it out. The Clippers needed to move Oakley, as he was extremely unhappy about his lack of playing time in Los Angeles. 29. PF John Thomas - Miami Heat After the draft, we pick up Jeff McInnis's third year option and renounce everyone but Bo Outlaw. It stung to renounce Sarunas Marciulionis because of how great he was for us last season, but he's too far into his 30s to bring back and Peja Stojakovic needs more playing time to build on the nice strides he made in his first year. We're under the cap by a hair under $4 million after renouncements are done. Summer League PG Jeff McInnis SG Jalen Rose SF Peja Stojakovic C Amal McCaskill Jalen Rose scores 25 and Eliezer Moliar and Peja Stojakovic score 13 and 10 off the bench, but we lose 106-95 to the Raptors. 95's our number again and this time it's good for a 20 point win over the Lakers, with Lou Roe scoring 22 and Peja Stojakovic adding 13 bench points. Great game in Oakland, where we win 105-102 against the Warriors on Jalen Rose's 32 points, Lou Roe's 22 points and 14 points from Peja Stojakovic, who has really shown improved scoring skills this summer. We fly up to Canada the next night for a 100-94 win, beating the Grizzlies. Lou Roe scores 22, Jalen Rose has 21 points and Peja Stojakovic leads the reserves again with 12 points. Lou Roe continues to create a huge buzz with 23 points and 12 rebounds as we roll up the Magic 95-72. Peja Stojakovic scores a summer-high 18 points as the other much-hyped Clippers summer team player. 96-68 win over the Cavaliers, led by Lou Roe's 19 points and 11 rebounds and the following reserves: Moochie Norris with 18 points and Peja Stojakovic and Eliezer Moliar's matching 10 points. Roe, 25, has potential to be a fantastic post scorer, but he doesn't have much rebounding ability. It'll be interesting seeing where he goes. Free Agency We have $6.4 million and change in space after the salary cap is raised is to $26.9 million. Not a stellar crop this year. Sam Cassell is the biggest under 30 option, although I could see some high potential guys who just need a chance like Lou Roe being a steal. Even with the raised cap, we still can't get anyone to take Pooh Richardson, so instead I pull off a blockbuster. Los Angeles Clippers receive PG Stephon Marbury Toronto Raptors receive PG B.J. Armstrong Los Angeles Clippers 1998 1st round pick Los Angeles Lakers 1998 2nd round pick New York Knicks 1999 2nd round pick Los Angeles Clippers 2000 2nd round pick What this means for the Clippers The Clippers weren't satisfied with Jeff McInnis's summer league performance and although Armstrong performed admirably all throughout the playoffs as Jalen Rose's replacement, he's 30 years old and with an expiring contract. Starbury, 21, gives them an excellent young combo guard who will fight with Pooh Richardson for the starting PG spot and replace him as soon as Richardson's gone. What this means for the Raptors Toronto limited Starbury to just 10.1 minutes a game his rookie season despite making him the 6th overall pick. This did not sit well with the young former Yellow Jacket star and he's been demanding a trade for months. He finally gets his wish and the Raptors get a probable late 1st, a handful of 2nd round picks and a proven, solid all-around veteran in Armstrong. Advantage: Draw On the face of it, the Clippers win, but it's somewhat mitigated by the fact that the Raptors restore their team chemistry by moving Starbury and by the fact that the rookie shot just 39.6% in his limited minutes, whereas Armstrong is a proven, accurate shooter not only in the regular season, but the playoffs. It's a real gamble on GM Jestor's part. I get their point, but if I want to make a dynasty out of this, I need to get younger and better. Besides which, I still hold the Lakers 1998 1st and two 1999 1sts. I'm a little sad to see B.J. go, but the fact of the matter is, I had to. Otherwise I would have been faced with the dilemma next free agency over whether to sign him to a multi-year deal while he was still forced to sit behind Pooh. I chose not to do that and to give B.J. the best possible chance to start. We definitely lucked out with Toronto's shocking mishandling of Starbury, because if he isn't throwing a hissy fit about wanting a trade, that deal doesn't happen. We find the perfect solution to our bench rebounding depth issue by signing C Matt Geiger, who only wanted a 3 year minimum salary deal. That's a price we were more than willing to pay as we continue collecting ex-Charlotte Hornets. PF Bo Outlaw re-signs for a 6 year, $12 million contract a week later. It's probably overpaying relative to his actual market value, but you can't beat a $2 million a year flat-rate contract for one of the best young defensive bigs in the game. We miss out on C Hakeem Olajuwon, who takes a little less money to go to the Pistons, as he's wary of my trading reputation. It's the second loss the Rockets suffer the same day, as Sam Cassell goes to division rival Utah for a cool 5 years, $13.3 million. PF Ashraf Amaya, a personal favorite, signs a 2 year min-sal deal, but SF Detlef Schrempf takes far less money to stay with Seattle on the same day that the following changes occur: Sharone Wright to Philadelphia - 2 years, $1.55 mil as the 76ers bring him back after seeing what he did in playoffs for Phoenix Bobby Phils to Kings - 2 years, $1.87 mil. - one of the best defensive SGs in the game Chris Morris to Kings - 2 years, $2.15 mil. Clyde Drexler to Sonics - 1 year, $2.66 mil. And the biggest shocker of them all. C Patrick Ewing goes to the Chicago Bulls on a 5 year, $15.84 million deal. After that, I decide our ample cap room is best saved for a later date, which thrills Donald Sterling. We considered Tracy Murray for a moment, but let him go for $1.41 million and a year to the Knicks. In other free agency news of note, Miami makes a good deal in snapping up Doug Christie and Chris Dudley, which will help their weak bench. Chris Mullin goes to the Nets and Sarunas Marciulionis is un-signed, so I keep his number prominently by my phone. Training Camp All of our young guys showed modest improvement, but the big story was Stephon Marbury showing more upside than we originally thought. We're picked to finish 6th in the West, 2nd in the Pacific to the Kings. Minnesota, Dallas, and Portland are the 3 favorites in the conference, with Detroit, Chicago and Washington the picks in the East. Check out the following starting fives of the three East favorites Detroit Pistons PG Avery Johnson SG Allan Houston SF Grant Hill PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim C Hakeem Olajuwon Chicago Bulls PG Toni Kukoc SG Michael Jordan SF Scottie Pippen PF Dennis Rodman C Patrick Ewing Washington Bullets PG Brent Price SG George McCloud SF Juwan Howard PF Chris Webber C Gheorghe Muresan Okay so the Bullets aren't that impressive, but the frontcourts of these three contenders is just ouch! And the Bucks are on crack because they've got Tim Duncan as the 6th man, Rodney Rogers as the starting center. Did they not learn from us? Speaking of which: 1997-98 Los Angeles Clippers Opening Night Lineup PG Pooh Richardson SG Jalen Rose SF Stacey Augmon PF Larry Johnson C Dikembe Mutombo 6th Ashraf Amaya (SF/PF/C) 7th Stephon Marbury (PG/SG) 8th Bo Outlaw (PF/C) 9th Matt Geiger (C) 10th Muggsy Bogues (PG/SG) 11th Jeff McInnis (PG) 12th Peja Stojakovic (SG/SF/PF) D-League Amal McCaskill - 7th man I'm not happy about Peja as the 12th man, but it's Bill Fitch's call. I still feel like we're one of the deepest teams in the league, which is definitely a good thing. Just have to see how Starbury turns out as a bench scorer. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-28-2010, 03:24 AM	#38
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	It's tough to get a read on how good or bad this team is. But we'll see how it turns out. If our 116-87 blistering of the Suns on Opening Night is any indication, pretty damned good. Larry Johnson scores 22, Jalen Rose 20. Dikembe Mutombo gets 12 points and 16 rebounds and Stephon Marbury has a filthy Clippers debut of 16 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds off the bench. Stephon Marbury gets the start at point guard next game and has 14 points and 11 assists in our 99-94 win over the Kings, fending off a late Sacramento rally. 17 points off the bench from Ashraf Amaya, 14 from Bo Outlaw. A third quarter meltdown translates into our first loss of the year 113-105 to the Sonics. Stephon Marbury has an ugly triple-double of 12 points, 10 assists and 13 turnovers. Nice way to ruin Larry Johnson's 21 points and 10 rebounds, Jalen Rose's 21 points and Bo Outlaw's 16 bench points. But we go back to our dominant ways with a 112-80 route of the Hawks the night after, propelled by Jalen Rose's 32 points and Stephon Marbury's 18 points and 11 assists. Jalen Rose scores 28 and Dikembe Mutombo has 22 points and 12 rebounds as we overcome the Grizzlies 107-94. Bryant Reeves played SF and had a ridiculous 28 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks, but like they say, you can't teach size. Denver's got a nice looking young backcourt in Ray Allen and Brevin Knight, but we bash them 109-79. A cheap double-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds from Dikembe Mutombo and Pooh Richardson's 10 bench points are the weak statistical highlights. We keep on going, 103-72 over the Warriors. Dikembe Mutombo is amazing down low for 16 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks, while Larry Johnson triple-doubles for 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Jalen Rose scores 20. The bench is led by Bo Outlaw's 10 points. Unlike the first back-to-back, which was a split, we sweep our next doubleheader, and in convincing fashion. Jalen Rose and Larry Johnson provide the points with 27 and 25 respectively and Pooh Richardson hands out 11 bench assists in our 106-85 romp over the Grizzlies. The Mavericks forget how to play defense, bowing down 122-97, as Jalen Rose tees off for 30 points, Stephon Marbury scores 22 and three bench players break double-digits: Pooh Richardson with 12 points and Ashraf Amaya and Bo Outlaw with 10. We beat the Lakers 97-90 next game on Larry Johnson's 21 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 14 points, 13 rebound and 8 blocks and Pooh Richardson's 10 bench points. But we shoot awful the night after, a season-low 40.2%, and fall 96-84 to Portland, irregardless of Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points and 14 boards. New Jersey's annihilated 110-75 thanks to Stephon Marbury's 20 points and Bo Outlaw's 19 bench points. Dikembe Mutombo holds David Robinson to 3/22 shooting and we beat the Spurs 109-80. Mutombo, who had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks, is one of three Clippers with a double-double. The other two are Larry Johnson (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Stephon Marbury (13 points, 11 assists). Jalen Rose leads all scorers with 26 points. A two-day Texas road trip nets another pair of wins. Larry Johnson's 24 points and Dikembe Mutombo's solid all-around 10 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 blocks are enough to beat the Rockets 96-86. The revenge-minded Spurs just miss out, dropping 96-93. despite David Robinson's insane triple-double of 34 points, 19 rebounds, 11 blocks and 4 assists. Balance edges out the Spurs, best signified by Bo Outlaw's 14 bench points. We also outscored them 43-32 in the fourth quarter to complete the rally. I'm not surprised that we lose to the Bulls a few days after that dramatic win. However, I'm disturbed that we lose 92-72 at home with nothing to show for it. Patrick Ewing is off to his most efficient start in years and Da Bulls will be tough to beat as a result. Then again, they're 11-4 and the Hakeem Olajuwon and Grant Hill and Allan Houston having Pistons are 13-2, the league's top team. On the other hand, we're 13-3, tops in the West and a game and a half in front of the Suns. We may lack the star power of other teams, but we make up for it with depth and balance. Clippers Leaders Scoring Jalen Rose - 20.3 Larry Johnson - 16.3 Stephon Marbury - 14.2 Assists Stephon Marbury - 6.8 Larry Johnson - 4.6 Jalen Rose - 4.1 Rebounds Dikembe Mutombo - 10.6 Larry Johnson - 7.9 Bo Outlaw - 4.7 Ashraf Amaya - 4.7 Blocks Dikembe Mutombo - 4.4 Bo Outlaw - 1.6 Jalen Rose - 0.8 Steals Stacey Augmon - 1.8 Stephon Marbury - 1.3 Bo Outlaw - 0.9 You think that Starbury deal's working out for us? We were lucky if Pooh even broke 5 assists the last two seasons, which he didn't (closest was 4.9) and now Starbury's knocking on the door of 7. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-29-2010, 04:22 AM	#39
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Only one trade last month but it was a shocker. Indiana Pacers receive PG Damon Stoudamire Toronto Raptors receive Indiana Pacers 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Pacers Mighty Mouse Stoudamire is one of the best young point guards in the game and he replaces Mark Jackson as the starting PG right away, in addition to giving the Pacers a building block for when the Reggie Miller era is over. Not the greatest defender, but a fantastic stealer and terrific all-around player. What this means for the Raptors Puzzling trade for the Raptors. They trade away Stephon Marbury in the offseason and now deal Stoudamire for a probable late first round pick that isn't going to net them a player of Mighty Mouse's caliber. Starbury, Stoudamire, and rookie Danny Fortson would have been a good young trio to build around, but they're throwing away all their foundation pieces. Winner: Indiana Toronto needs a new GM, pronto. 22 points and 11 rebounds from Larry Johnson and 16 bench points from Bo Outlaw ignite us to a 104-75 whipping of the Magic to start December. The Bucks got smart and started Tim Duncan after that first game and he scores 24 points to lead Milwaukee to a 98-80 upset, in which Stephon Marbury just misses a bad triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and 9 turnovers. We beat Minnesota 92-78 the next night in an ugly, scummy game. It's been hard to find minutes for Peja Stojakovic and Jeff McInnis. Matt Geiger is also furious about his lack of playing time, so we may have to investigate some trade options. We lose 103-94 to the Pacers, wasting Jalen Rose's 24 points and 12 and 10 bench points from Ashraf Amaya and Bo Outlaw. Dikembe Mutombo's been erratic this year, but he comes up with a monster 16 point, 15 point, 13 block outing as we cleave the Cavs 108-76. He's aided by Stephon Marbury's 20 points and Ashraf Amaya's 10 bench points. We finally get to go home, but fall apart in the fourth quarter and lose 106-96 to the Heat, Larry Johnson's 25 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 16 points and 14 rebounds and Pooh Richardson's 13 bench points notwithstanding. Our inconsistency drives me crazy, but I'll take the 123-68 swarming of the Hornets. Stephon Marbury and Jalen Rose almost beat Charlotte by themselves with 29 and 21 points respectively and Muggsy Bogues adds 11 bench points. 101-77 win over Washington comes via Jalen Rose's 21 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 20 points and Bo Outlaw's 13 bench points. I stay my hand of execution for now as we finally win three in a row again, crushing the Kings 99-77. Dikembe Mutombo plays awesome with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 8 blocks and 5 assists and Bo Outlaw tips in 14 bench points. Our 116-107 footrace win in Denver is anchored by Jalen Rose (25 points), Stephon Marbury (24 points) and Larry Johnson (21 points, 10 rebounds). It's the annual Christmas road doubleheader and happy holidays as we win both. Dikembe Mutombo's 18 points and 14 rebounds, Stephon Marbury's 14 points and 13 assists and [b[Muggsy Bogues[/b]'s 11 bench points stuff the Hawks 94-79. Christmas Eve has Larry Johnson with 25 points and 13 rebounds, Jalen Rose with 24 points and Stephon Marbury with 13 points and 10 assists in our jolly 104-92 win in Charlotte. I try to do some Christmas shopping, but it's a little difficult going. Nobody wants Matt Geiger's contract. Luckily, we're able to strike a deal after some hunting around. Los Angeles Clippers receive SF Michael Finley Phoenix Suns receive SF Peja Stojakovic C Amal McCaskill What this means for the Clippers Although Stojakovic was a Jestor favorite, he was too raw to get minutes in the Clippers' stacked rotation. Finley is a much more developed player and extremely versatile. He's a four-position type who can play everywhere but C and has a wide range of skills. He'll step in as the Clippers' starting small forward and give them more scoring punch. What this means for the Suns This is the best thing that could have happened to Peja's career as he moves to Phoenix where he'll be the 6th man and give the Suns a potential future scoring superstar. McCaskill's a project who's likely done after this season. Winner: Draw On talent, the Clippers win, but they might miss Stacey Augmon's superb defense and ability to draw fouls at the starting small forward spot and that could hurt their hopes for a repeat. Early returns are positive as we sweep a Florida road trip. 113-92 win over the Magic thanks to Jalen Rose's 32 points, Larry Johnson's 16 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points. We get revenge on the Heat, barely clawing out an 82-78 win the next night. Dikembe Mutombo picks up 11 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks and Jalen Rose scores 21. But once again we end a month with a loss to the East, 82-71 to the Pacers, a game so irritating, I don't want to get into it. 24-7 record after our frustrating December, a mere game ahead of the Suns and Sonics. Minnesota leads the Midwest by 2 games over San Antonio at 17-11. In the East, 26-4 Detroit is up by 1.5 games over the Bulls and Pacers and 17-12 Washington is a mere half-game up on Miami. Clippers Leaders Scoring Jalen Rose - 19.7 Larry Johnson - 16 Stephon Marbury - 14.6* - Finley is actually third with 15.2, but not counting him since he just joined. Assists* Stephon Marbury - 6.6 Larry Johnson - 4.8 Jalen Rose - 3.9* Rebounds Dikembe Mutombo - 10.5 Larry Johnson - 8.1 Bo Outlaw - 4.4* Blocks Dikembe Mutombo - 4.5 Bo Outlaw - 1.7 Stacey Augmon - 0.7 Jalen Rose - 0.7 Steals Stacey Augmon - 1.6 Larry Johnson - 1* Bo Outlaw - 0.9* Stephon Marbury - 0.9* 18 and 14 minutes for Peja in his first two games with the Suns, which is astronomically better than the scant minutes and legions of DNPs he was getting with us this year. Hated to see him go, but it's a move we had to make. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

04-30-2010, 04:25 AM	#40
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	A small trade besides ours in December. Houston Rockets receive SG Todd Day Cleveland Cavaliers receive Houston Rockets 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Rockets Day's a terrible shooter with some scoring pop and yet for some unknown reason, Houston's starting him at the point guard spot, even though he has no point guard skills of any kind. What this means for the Cavaliers Day's a scrub, so getting a high 2nd is great news for him. Winner: Cleveland It's moves like this that will make the Rockets lucky to break 10 wins on the year. 1998 calendar year opens with a 100-66 pummeling of Phoenix. Michael Finley is fired up to play his old team and scores 21. Dikembe Mutombo snatches 11 points and 13 rebounds and Pooh Richardson and Stacey Augmon headline the second team with 13 and 11 points respectively. Peja Stojakovic was 0/8. Vancouver is showing last year was no fluke as they knock us off 92-81. Larry Johnson's cheap double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, Bo Outlaw's same numbers off the bench and Stephon Marbury's 22 points go to waste. I'm just glad they're currently not likely to make the playoffs, because the Grizzlies play extremely well against us. Kind of like how we match up great against the Suns, squashing them 100-70 for the second time in a week. Michael Finley again turns it on, with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Larry Johnson gets 14 points and 11 rebounds and Stacey Augmon doubles off the bench for 14 points and 12 rebounds, joined in the reserves assault by Bo Outlaw's 12 points and Pooh Richardson's 10 points. Michael Finley sprained his toe vs Phoenix, so it's Stacey Augmon starting at SF as the defensive spearhead of our 86-77 win against the Timberwolves. But it's our backcourt of Stephon Marbury and Jalen Rose with 22 and 20 points, 6 blocks that leads us to victory. Hapless Houston is hung 120-77 as Michael Finley erupts for 25 points, Larry Johnson nets 21 points and 11 rebounds and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson score 10 each off the bench. Michael Finley continues his torrid run with 20 points and Ashraf Amaya just misses the bench double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds in our 87-70 win over the Knicks. I'm pissed when the Lakers upset us 82-69 in the first game of a back-to-back, not least because we own their damn pick this year. Stephon Marbury went 1 for 20 and that's all you need to know. Then we have to fight an OT war before winning 118-113 versus Utah the next night. Jalen Rose scores 35, Stephon Marbury makes slight amends with 23 points and Dikembe Mutombo (12 points, 16 rebounds) and Larry Johnson (11 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) clear double-doubles to save us. We're starting to develop a really annoying habit of losing to lottery teams, the Nuggets beating us 81-77, with only Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points and 12 rebounds to show for it. Then we go out and whip the Sonics 120-100 on Stephon Marbury's best game as a pro, with 30 points and 11 assists. Jalen Rose adds 23 points, Larry Johnson hauls in 19 points and 10 rebounds and Ashraf Amaya scores 10 bench points. It's like we play to the level of our competition, which could be dangerous if we draw a bad team in the playoffs. Jason Kidd triple-doubles for 22 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, but we come out on top 105-98 over the Mavericks via Michael Finley's 21 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 16 points and 14 rebounds and Bo Outlaw's 18 bench points. The night after in San Antonio is much easier, a 110-82 rout of the Spurs keyed by Jalen Rose's 24 points, Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks, and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson's 14 and 10 bench points. 27 lead changes and 13 ties and we lose 99-96 to the Jazz in Utah on the front end of a doubleheader. So much for Jalen Rose's 21 points and Stacey Augmon's 13 bench points. I'm only somewhat mollified by our month ending 106-80 tripping of Toronto. Michael Finley scores 27, Pooh Richardson and Stacey Augmon add 11 and 10 bench points and Ashraf Amaya gathers 10 bench boards. Another uneven month and we're 34-11. The good news is, we've staked out a 4 game lead over the Sonics. The Lakers won 8 games this month to suddenly jump up to 20-24 . 28-16 Minnesota is 4.5 games up on the Spurs. In the East, Indiana has come from out of nowhere to get a 2 game lead on the Pistons at 36-9, while 26-17 Washington is fending off the Heat by a mere half-game. Clippers Leaders Scoring Jalen Rose - 18.8 Michael Finley - 15.9 Larry Johnson - 15 Assists Stephon Marbury - 6.4 Larry Johnson - 4.8 Jalen Rose - 4.2 Rebounds Dikembe Mutombo - 10 Larry Johnson - 8.1 Michael Finley - 6.1 Blocks Dikembe Mutombo - 4 Bo Outlaw - 1.5 Jalen Rose - 1.1 Steals Stacey Augmon - 1.6 Michael Finley - 1.3 Larry Johnson - 1 Stephon Marbury - 1 __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

05-02-2010, 04:02 PM	#41
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	We've had trade movement! Atlanta Hawks receive C Chris Dudley Miami Heat receive Atlanta Hawks 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Hawks Zydrunas Ilgauskas tore his Achilles in early December, so getting Dudley, a rebounding/defense/shotblocking monster to shore up the frontcourt depth makes sense, but only so far. He's 32 and the Hawks have won just 5 games through January 1st. What this means for the Heat Bit of a puzzling move for Miami's playoff aspirations, but they're apparently trusting in Charles Oakley to step in case of injury to Alonzo Mourning. And at least it's a high 2nd. Winner: Miami Even with the hit to their depth, the Heat make out much better long-term than the Hawks. New Jersey Nets receive SF Jamal Mashburn Dallas Mavericks receive New Jersey Nets 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Nets The Nets saw what the Clippers did with Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson, so they're hoping to do the same with Antoine Walker and Monster Mash by pairing two Kentucky alums in their forward spots. Mashburn's a prolific scorer and rebounder, but his shot selection is bad and his health is always a concern. That said, he gives the lottery-bound New Jersey and its fans an impact player to be excited about. What this means for the Mavericks Project Kobe Bryant is extremely unhappy about playing time, so this trade is designed to get him more minutes, which he's struggled to find so far in his Mavericks career. Dallas is sticking with Dennis Scott as the new starting SF, even though the Mavericks are yet again one of the league's worst teams. Two lottery picks in a deep draft will be nothing to sneeze at. Winner: Draw Good value trade and one that makes sense for both teams. Dallas Mavericks receive SF Dennis Scott Portland Trailblazers receive Dallas Mavericks 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Mavericks Scott is an average all-around SF but acquiring him is a mistake because of what he does to Bryant's playing time as noted above. What this means for the Trailblazers High 2nd for an average player is always worthwhile. Winner: Portland Stupid trade by Dallas. We're now free to trade the guys we signed in the offseason, so I do some hunting around. And that's when insanity takes over. Or, at least it would have, had not Jerry Reisendorf suddenly come to his senses and realized he was about to trade The One, even with a broken toe. But that still doesn't stop a blockbuster. Los Angeles Clippers receive PG Allen Iverson Milwaukee Bucks receive PG Stephon Marbury What this means for the Clippers Iverson is one of GM Jestor's favorite players of all time, so the chance to get him was too great to pass up. AI was unhappy with the way the Bucks made him spend a month in the D-League rehabbing from his torn MCL and with all the attention Tim Duncan was getting as Milwaukee's savior. The Answer is instantly the Clippers' brightest star for the future and the starting PG. What this means for the Bucks AI's fury was becoming a distraction for the Bucks, who were looking to get bigger and a more developed point guard anyway. Starbury can be that guy, who has shown more floor generalship abilities than the scoring AI. Winner: Clippers Jestor's love of AI alone makes this a huge, huge Clippers win. I got him! I got him! ...and he promptly goes 3/18 in his debut a leading contributor to our 92-70 loss to the Warriors. Larry Johnson's 17 points and 10 rebounds and Dikembe Mutombo's 11 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks mean nothing as we shoot a season low 32.7%. That's the price to pay for having young guys like AI, Rose and Finley in the lineup. We recover our equilibrium by sweeping a doubleheader. 111-89 final over the Rockets, Jalen Rose going off for 32 points, Allen Iverson with 28. Larry Johnson repeated his 17 points and 10 rebounds and Ashraf Amaya scored 12 bench points. Our 91-67 win in Denver came via Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points and 11 rebounds and Ashraf Amaya's 16 bench points. Allen Iverson scores 25 in a 110-73 dethroning of the Celtics. Larry Johnson throws in 22 points and Stacey Augmon and Pooh Richardson carry the bench with 10 points each, Augmon with 9 rebounds besides. It's Allen Iverson and Larry Johnson again with 20 points each in the 100-69 pre-All Star snuffing out of the Blazers. Jalen Rose doubles for 15 points and 12 rebounds. Second teamers Stacey Augmon and Ashraf Amaya each hit 10 points and we're on a roll now. All-Star Weekend Allen Iverson is snubbed by the Rookies/Sophs game, which the second years win anyway, 101-87. The man who took his place? Yep, Stephon Marbury. More incentive for AI. Kerry Kittles earns game MVP with a breathtaking 27 points. No Clippers representation at the All-Star game itself, which doesn't surprise me. The East wins big, 113-81, Glen Rice coming off the bench for 21 points and the MVP award. Oh and we topped the Lakers both games on All-Star Weekend. 106-97 in Game 1, with Michael Finley's 22 points and 10 rebounds, Dikembe Mutombo's 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks and Ashraf Amaya's 16 bench points in 11 minutes. Game 2 went 117-83 and it was all about the balance, headlined by Larry Johnson's 22 points and Bo Outlaw's 12 bench points. After the All-Star festivities, I decide I want to make one last change, a small move. Los Angeles Clippers receive PG Avery Johnson PF Lou Roe Detroit Pistons 1998 2nd round pick Detroit Pistons 1999 2nd round pick Detroit Pistons 2000 2nd round pick Detroit Pistons receive PG Jeff McInnis What this means for the Clippers The Clippers needed depth as they only had 12 players on their roster. Now they go to 13 with the pickups of Johnson, an undersized 32 year old guard who plays smart, disciplined, turnover-free defense and stealing basketball and Roe, the 25 year old star of the Clippers summer league team. Avery takes over as the top backup point guard from Pooh Richardson, while Roe will fight for minutes. The plethora of 2nd round picks are trade chips as per Jestor policy. What this means for the Pistons Roe was unhappy about his minutes and Detroit's best days are ahead of them. The 24 year old McInnis has possible future fifth starter potential ahead of him, but he wasn't going to develop with the Clippers, where he'd appeared in just 10 games, averaging a scant 2.2 minutes per appearance. In Motown, he'll be a top backup to Allan Houston and get much needed PT, a la Peja Stojakovic in Phoenix. Winner: Draw Both teams get what they need out of this deal. The Pistons weren't going to contend with Johnson and they get rid of a locker room cancer, whereas the Clippers get deeper and trade bait. Remember that Golden State embarrassment in AI's first game? Well that's gone now as we whip the Warriors 105-79 on the front end of a doubleheader. Michael Finley is lights out with a 20 point, 13 rebound, 7 assist performance and he's aided by Larry Johnson (17 points, 15 rebounds), Dikembe Mutombo (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Bo Outlaw's 14 bench points. I should also mention all five starters scored at least 12. A comeback netted us a 101-97 win versus the Sonics the night after. Dikembe Mutombo found his old scoring touch with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks and Jalen Rose was right behind him with 24 points. It was an insane trading deadline, although most of the biggest deals happened in the first 10 days of the month, including our AI for Starbury swap that grabbed so many headlines. In chronological order: February 3rd Cleveland Cavaliers receive PG Jason Kidd Dallas Mavericks receive Cleveland Cavaliers 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Cavaliers Kidd is a triple-double threat every single game and he's the present and the future at point guard, so much so that All-Star Terrell Brandon now gets less than 10 minutes a game. The money may say that Brandon leaves for elsewhere after this season, if they don't trade him by the deadline. What this means for the Mavericks We're trying to figure out on what planet this deal makes sense. The Cavs are, at most, a #13 pick for the best point guard in the league right now, never mind in the future. We can't think of any reason why this would pass muster. Winner: Cleveland The Mavericks continue to blow up their franchise, trading off their best players for mid-late first round picks in the upcoming draft. February 9th Minnesota Timberwolves receive SG Bryant Stith Denver Nuggets receive PF Sam Mitchell Minnesota Timberwolves 1998 1st What this means for the Timberwolves One of Minnesota's biggest needs, besides a true point guard, is a good backup guard and Stith fills that need. Not a flashy player, but the kind of quality, solid all-around 6th man type with scoring pop that a division leader and playoff hopeful like the Timberwolves need. What this means for the Nuggets Mitchell's here for salary purposes only, but at least he's an expiring contract. The first is going to be a late one, but Denver's committed to trying to build around Brevin Knight, Ray Allen and Antonio McDyess. Evidently they feel they can get a comparable piece to Stith who will also be much younger than the 27 year old, with the pick. Winner: Minnesota It's a fair trade, but Stith helps the Timberwolves much more than the late first is likely to help the Nuggets, unless Denver drafts a big man for the eternally injured McDyess, now out with a broken finger. Portland Trailblazers receive PF Dino Radja Boston Celtics receive Portland Trailblazers 1998 1st What this means for the Trailblazers Radja's injury-prone, just coming off an ACL in fact, and on a long contract, but the Blazers really want to make a playoff push and when Dino's healthy, he's a terrific glue guy to team with the rest of the starting five: Arvydas Sabonis, Rod Strickland, Kerry Kittles, and Clifford Robinson. He does a lot of things well and should fit in great here where he doesn't feel the pressure to be the man. What this means for the Celtics Best thing about this trade for the rebuilding C's is Roy Rogers now guaranteed the starting spot, rather than Radja's injury fill-in. Between him and Jermaine O'Neal, Boston's finally getting the pieces together, even though they appear to be not so in love with Antonio Daniels anymore. The pick projects to be a mid-1st currently, just outside the lottery. Winner: Draw Both teams benefit here, but both take risks. If the Blazers get hot and move even further up the playoff seeding, the 1st round pick drops. If Radja has another season-ending injury, Portland wasted the pick for this year. February 15th Miami Heat receive SG John Starks New York Knicks receive Miami Heat 1998 2nd round pick What this means for the Heat Master stroke by Miami, who gets the first player in a long time that can legitimately run the offense in Starks. He takes over as the starting PG and ends the silly David Wesley experiment, making the Heat that much stronger a team as they push for the Atlantic crown. What this means for the Knicks New York's trying to get younger, but they have no good players on their roster. Brian Shaw is 31 and has has been a poor-shooting bust in spite of his defense and passing ability since coming in free agency after the 1995 season, Tracy Murray could be good, but can't seem to keep a starting spot, and it says something when your best player is Maurice Taylor, the #8 overall pick described as most scouts as "an okay fourth or fifth starter, but not someone you'd want to carry a franchise and his work ethic is literally non-existant." Taylor's line so far: 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals. Winner: Miami A scorching triumph by the Heat, although I don't know if it was the Heat 98 2nd or the Hawks 98 2nd, as I'm past the deadline now. Deadline Deals Miami Heat receive C Jayson Williams New Jersey Nets receive Miami Heat 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Heat Nice pickup by the Heat to grab a quality rebounding center with some scoring and blocking pop to give added depth behind 'Zo and Charles Oakley. On the other hand, Williams is an expiring contract, so he may be a half-season rental. What this means for the Nets New Jersey knows it's not going anywhere this year and by trading Williams, they ensure that Armon Gilliam doesn't throw their two Kentucky Wildcats out of the starting lineup. The first is going to be a late one, but Williams is frankly a touch overrated anyway. Winner: New Jersey Williams, while solid, isn't worth a half-season rental for a first round pick, even a late one, in a semi-decent class. Indiana Pacers receive SG Jim Jackson Dallas Mavericks receive PG Travis Best What this means for the Pacers Jackson, 27, is a terrific rebounder for a guard and has some good scoring ability. He slots in as the 6th man and is an expiring $4.6 million contract if Indiana doesn't keep him. That'd get the Pacers back under the cap nicely, where a lot of the league's teams are currently situated. Nice reserve to get for the end-season and playoffs. What this means for the Mavericks And so the last J of the Triple J goes. Funny how they all went in one season, just like Cap Ologist's Dallas dynasty. Best is a guy who, according to scouts, should be a starting point guard someday, but he's so lazy, he might not achieve it. He's the 6th man, stuck behind Robert Pack right now, so he probably won't be a starter any time soon. The best part of this deal is Kobe Bryant finally moves to the starting role at SG. With this move, Dalls is clearly signaling they're building their future around the 20 year old. Now if they can just keep him from leaving in free agency... Winner: Draw Both teams made much-needed plays here, although with the Mavericks, it was a domino effect more than a direct consequence. Dallas is going to be interesting to watch the next few seasons. Sacramento Kings receive SF LaPhonso Ellis Denver Nuggets receive PG Bobby Hurley Sacramento Kings 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Kings For all the crap Ellis gets about his durability and inconsistency, he's shooting a career-high 43.1% this year, which is pretty respectable. More than respectable is his 20.8 points per game, also a career high. He's an underrated defender and rebounder as well, and between him, Mitch Richmond, Chris Morris, and Mookie Blaylock, the Kings have 4 players scoring 17.2 points or more. Morris's numbers will go down as Ellis takes over the starting SF spot, but damn, that's a hell of a lot of scoring. What this means for the Nuggets Late first and Hurley's overpaid contract for Ellis. Not all that fair a trade, even given Ellis's drawback. The good news is, Denver's only on the hook for this season and next for the former Duke star that I, who will IRL become a Runnin' Rebel this fall, loved as a kid along with Christian Laettner. Winner: Sacramento Best player goes to the Kings, but the question now becomes, can all these scorers be kept happy? It's worth noting that Ellis went off for 32 points in his Sacramento debut, a 100-80 road win... in Seattle. Great indicator, if you ask me. Seattle Sonics receive SG Derek Anderson Miami Heat receive Seattle Sonics 1998 1st round pick What this means for the Sonics Anderson, taken 15th overall, is a sweet-shooting swingman who has been impressive in limited minutes his rookie season and has upside to become an excellent 6th man. The heir apparent to Clyde Drexler What this means for the Heat Evidently Miami couldn't stand to stay out of the draft. 1998 is a stronger class than 1997's, but I'm not so sure they'll get a player of Anderson's quality with the late 1st. Winner: Seattle Much-needed youth for the Sonics, who are fighting to still be considered a legitimate title contender. And that's a wrap. Like I said, crazy month. Hell of a game by David Robinson, with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 8 blocks. Unfortunately for him, he's the only Spur to reach double-digit scoring and San Antonio loses 89-73. Allen Iverson's 20 points and Jalen Rose's 14 points and 10 rebounds helped counter The Admiral. Allen Iverson just misses his first career triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists in our 100-79 win over the Kings. Michael Finley rattles off 24 points and Larry Johnson hits the post for 17 points and 10 rebounds. Finally we end the month with a win over an East conference team. Allen Iverson bombs the Pistons for 34 points, Dikembe Mutombo bouncing in for 14 points and 11 rebounds and we're 92-82 victors. 45-12 now, 5 games in front of Seattle, the only other 40 win team in the West. Minnesota matches our 5 game advantage on the other S.S. team, the Spurs. 46-11 gives Indiana the 6.5 game lead on the Bulls and Miami's magnificent moves have propelled them to a 36-22 mark, 2.5 games in front of the Bullets in the Atlantic. We've gone 11-1 since the AI/Starbury swap, with our only loss the first game. The Bucks, in contrast, have been 7-6. What's interesting about this is that 5 of the 6 losses came on the road, making the Bucks 0-5 on the road and 6-1 at home in February and with Starbury. If Milwaukee could get its road troubles sorted out, they'd be a damn good team. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

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