To the surprise of everyone, the Los Angeles Clippers are
again in the Lottery (and I'm sure that it will be for
the last time :-)). Anyway, their net GM is
Curtis Hill
and he selects:
Eric Dampier, C, 6-11, Mississippi State
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Los Angeles Clippers
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1995-1996: Meet the new team, the same as the old team.
Well, maybe that's not entirely true. The Clippers made a questionable
first-round pick and then a questionable trade of that pick to start off
last season.
Things worked out well this season, but with Brian Williams a free agent
and very likely to move on to greener pastures, the trade of McDyess for
Rodney Rogers and Brent Barry doesn't look great. Not terrible, but not great.
Things aren't looking bleak for the Clippers, but they didn't get a marquee
player with their excellent draft position last season. This season's draft
is deeper, so good players are available at the #7 slot, but there are no
immediate superstars and there are many players with, at best, uncertain
prospects.
This is still a team of mostly good players, without a superstar or true
leader to help the team reach the next level (mediocrity).
Quick Positional Summary
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Center - A bright spot for the Clippers with the surprising play of Brian
Williams. It's amazing what the prospects of being a FA after the
season will do for a guy's game. Williams, from what I understand,
doesn't hate the Clips, but there will be several contenders bidding
for his services. Even if Williams stays, the Clips are still a
couple of seasons removed from being a contender. I suspect he will
leave.
This leaves the terrifying (for the Clippers) spectre of Stanley
Roberts, Antonio Harvey, and Keith Tower at center. Tower is a free
agent. A pick here wouldn't hurt, and fortunately for the Clippers,
there will be some good prospects here to choose from. The trick is
that all are "prospects" -- there are no sure things.
Forward - I'm not a big fan of Lamond Murray, but he had a decent year and
can score. If he can learn to play defense, the Clippers will have
a quality small forward.
That's exactly what I said last season. I'm still not high on
Murray and I don't think the Clippers are, either. However, I don't
know if any other NBA team is gullible enough to trade for him (I'd
call Boston). Malik Sealy and Rodney Rogers seem more than capable
of holding down this position.
At power forward, undersized Loy Vaught has turned out to be a very
dependable player, especially over this past season. He's the
closest thing to a star the Clippers have. However, it's still
troubling to have to build around Loy Vaught. Charles Outlaw can
help out here (he's a free agent) as can Antonio Harvey, who is
really a lot more of a power forward than he is a center.
Guards - A morass of mediocrity, or some level slightly above that. The
Clippers have a load of average-to-above average guards. Those with
the potential to be better than that are young.
Pooh is a good NBA point guard who might have better luck on a
better team. He's solid and at least alleviates the need for the
Clippers to get a point guard right now.
Last year I said that Terry Dehere is another Big East guard bust.
Well, he had a pretty good season last year, but is he really a long
term solution as anything other than a backup combination guard?
Brent Barry surprised and will likely get a good, long look at the
two guard spot in the future.
Also, though I see Sealy as more of a swing man, he's being listed
by the Clippers (and even being used) at the big guard position. He
is certainly capable of playing shooting guard, but he won't be a
star (unless we're discussing fashion design).
Eric Piatkowski had another decent season as is a good backup player
at the 2/3 spots.
So, it appears that the Clippers are OK at guard, deep but nothing
but just above-average. I don't think they could pass on a quality
guard, but the good ones will be gone at #7. This situation should
keep the Clippers from having to consider drafting Kobe Bryant, but
then again this is the Clippers we're talking about.
Coach - Bill Fitch did a another good job with a really young Clippers team
this season.
[Same as last season...]
GM - Elgin Baylor, although handicapped with bad ownership, still hasn't shown
that he's a quality NBA GM. New blood is necessary.
Owner - Donald Sterling is possibly the worst owner in the NBA. He should
sell the team or hire a quality basketball man to run the organization.
What do the Clippers need?
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Leadership. On the court, in the front office, in the organization.
I don't think they're going to have much of a shot at getting leadership,
though John Wallace will likely be available and might fit the bill. The
problem with Wallace is that he's very similar to Vaught. Drafting Wallace
really won't help help the breadth of the Clippers talent pool.
Other than that they need great players, elite players, at every position.
Center is the most important position right now, though a superstar at any
position really can't be passed up. Even if Brian Williams stays, the
Clippers really could use more inside help.
What the Clippers must do is draft someone who can play center, or power
forward and center. Fortunately for the Clippers, there will likely be some
quality selections at the #7 spot, but none of the picks are locks.
The pick
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The pick is: Erick Dampier
Erick is a 6'11" player with potential to be a solid-to-very good NBA center.
He's a very smart player with somewhat limited offensive skills (no jump shot).
A good rebounder and shot blocker, Erick also seems to be a very mature player,
which won't hurt the Clippers at all. One downside is that he may never become
as good at power forward as he will at center, but it's hard to find prospects
at center with Dampier's potential.
Others considered
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Lorenzen Wright: a 6'11" forward/center whom I like very much. He's got a lot
of offensive skills, is very athletic, and a good rebounder
and good shot blocker. He's like Rasheed Wallace, whom the
Clippers passed on last season. Wright would give the
Clippers some much needed depth and athleticism at the 4 and
5 spots. He's more of a 4 long-term, but he will be able to
play center. He needs to get stronger, be more consistent on
defense, and expand his set of offensive moves. I think he
has the potential to be a star in the NBA. He is the best
match, in my opinion, if he's available for the Clippers at
this point in the draft.
John Wallace: a 6'8" power forward with some small forward skills. Seems to
be fairly mature and a fierce competitor. Soon to be poster boy
for the NBA "Stay in School" campaign and likely the Schick
rookie game spokesman, following in the footsteps of Grant
Hill and Jerry Stackhouse. The problem is that he's too much
like Loy Vaught (maybe Wallace is a little better outside
shooter, maybe) and not a great match for the Clippers.
Todd Fuller: a 6'11" player with a future at power forward offensively and
center defensively. Todd is a hard working, no nonsense player
who is going to cause no problems off-the-court at all for the
team that drafts him. Todd really needs to play for a team with a
good, athletic set of power forwards who can cover for him on the
defensive end. I'm a big Todd Fuller fan, but he's not the best
match for the Clippers and a bit of a reach at #7.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 7'3" Lithuanian who will benefit from the play of
Sabonis this season. Not a lot of information on this
guy, but if he goes in the top 10 someone will have been
very, very impressed in a private workout. A bit of a
reach for the Clippers, but if Dampier and Wright are
off the board, or if the Clippers really like him,
this may be the pick. And, hey, if he's good, maybe he
won't know enough to leave after he becomes a free agent!
Who will the Clippers take?
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God help the Clippers fans, but the Clippers will probably take Kobe Bryant
in order to get a "star" on the rise. OK, OK, maybe they won't do it,
but if any team can screw up a draft, it's the Clippers.
Even if Kobe turns out to be great in three seasons, he'll most likely
leave the Clippers for a contender and the big bucks. If he flops, it'll
be another wasted draft pick for the Clippers.
They should take one of Lorenzen Wright, Erick Dampier, or Zydrunas Ilgauskas,
depending on which are available at their pick.
What else will the Clippers try to do?
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Perhaps sign a free agent, especially if Williams leaves. However, I don't
think too many representatives of the elite free agents will even return the
Clippers' call. Trying to trade Murray, perhaps packaged with one of their
guards (any of 'em except Barry), would have to be a priority.
Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner