NBA Draft Preview: No. 7 Los Angeles Clippers
NBA June 18th. 2008, 4:15pm
Each weekday for the next two weeks, we’ll be counting down the NBA Draft lottery teams leading up to the June 26th draft. It would be a fool’s errand to project what each team will do; tryouts vary by day and if anything, that’s an exercise in futility we’ll post at 5 p.m. on draft day. Instead, what you’ll be reading is what we would do if we were running each team.
Who could have possibly guessed that something TMZ did would help us determine what the Clippers would do in the draft? The website caught UCLA’s Kevin Love emerging from a restaurant, and the surprisingly candid power forward blurted out that the Clippers were passing on him and taking a guard. This isn’t a massive surprise because their backcourt is garbage and the Paper Clips were the second worst shooting team in the NBA from the field and from three. Al Thornton and Corey Maggette are nice small forwards, Elton Brand should return to 20-10 form at power forward, and despite Chris Kaman’s hippie look, the guy’s a double-double machine (averaged 15-12).
The backcourt is in disarray: Shaun Livingston has never turned into the stud they thought he’d be when they drafted him out of high school, and Cat Mobley isn’t the shooter he once was, plus, he’ll be 33 in the Fall. The way we see it, all of these guards will go in the top 7: Rose, Mayo, Bayless, Gordon and Westbrook. Which guy will fall to the Clips?
The LA Times notes that DJ Augustin worked out for the Clips, but they’re not taking him. Chad Ford’s latest mock draft guess is Eric Gordon, but we have a feeling another team will become enamored with him in the coming days (because he’s awesome and undervalued), and take him. Based on the way we see the chips falling, we think the pick here is UCLA’s Russell Westbrook. Not a bad thing at all in our eyes – heck, we think the guy’s going to turn into the next Gilbert Arenas.
8. Milwaukee – DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M
9. Charlotte – Kevin Love, UCLA
10. New Jersey – Anthony Randolph, LSU
11. Indiana – Roy Hibbert, Georgetown
12. Sacramento – JaVale McGee, Nevada
13. Portland – Joe Alexander, West Virginia
14. Golden State – Darrell Arthur, Kansas
39 Responses to “NBA Draft Preview: No. 7 Los Angeles Clippers”
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June 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Bring. Back. Odom.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Not a bad thing at all in our eyes – heck, we think the guy’s going to turn into the next Gilbert Arenas.
you make me laugh TBL.
What pick should go with TBLs all world center, Chris Kaman?
Bayless from Arizona sounds about right for the Clippers.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Playing for the Clippers: So easy a Kaman could do it
June 18th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
*nice try though
June 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Instead of drafting the next Arenas, why don’t they just sign the real deal? Plus I think Westbrook’s too raw of a talent
June 18th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Do we think anybody in the 1-7 range will trade down?
June 18th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Why be a Laker fan when you can be a Clipper fan? I would totally be a Clip fan if I lived in L.A. The Lakers are played out and they are Boston’s bitch. Nobody wants to be Boston’s bitch.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
@Magg — because you end up making guys like Donald Sterling richer by exploiting your loyalty
June 18th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Kaman is not from this earth. He’s an Orc.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
To give the Clips credit, Livingston was coming along nicely until his knee… you know… exploded on TV.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Livingston wasn’t progressing enough. He was more about flash anyway
June 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
No, he’s actually from a really small town in Michigan. He fits right in with his own people.
/Fan of anyone who went to central michigan university
June 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
@August
His knee turned into E.T.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
the guy’s a double-double machine (averaged 15-12).
its not like he averaged those stats during the entire year. How many games did he play? 10-20
cmon Benoit Benjamin is better than Chris Kaman
June 18th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
@sportsgal
I aaaaaaaalmost went to Alma, close, real close.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Spain with a goal in the 87th min, goes up 2-1 on Greece. Spain had trailed 1-0 at the break.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Look at Gil’s #’s at Zona. Good, but not great. He was part of a great team. Ditto for Westbrook, who grew tremendously as a player. I expect him to really become a force in the NBA. Kid is real nice
June 18th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
that was a fantastic header by guiza!
June 18th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Jesus christ, TBL. I’m avoiding the Roundup because someone put a spoiler alert in there for the soccer score only to come in here and see you post the score! What the fuck?
June 18th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
@ Irish: he played 56 games last year going for 15-12 avg
June 18th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Kevin Love, emerging from a restaurant? That’s a shocker!
June 18th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
“…we think the guy’s going to turn into the next Gilbert Arenas.”
Westbrook is going to act strange on purpose and journalists will call him quirky? The blogosphere will overlionize him for the act of acting looney? I’m not seeing it, but time will tell.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
damn i thought he missed way more
June 18th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
PLEASE DO NOT POST THE SCORE OF THE SWEDEN/RUSSIA GAME AS I AM TAPING IT AND WOULD LIKE TO WATCH IT WITHOUT KNOWING THE SCORE.
Thank you.
Now, back to basketball…
June 18th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Sportsgal, we already covered this.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
too easy, sportsgal
June 18th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Two things:
1. F you, Hef and Mizerle
2. I don’t have any pets.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
sorry, SG. i wont say anything, but do you really think you can hold out for the next three hours? What’s your team?
June 18th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
That’s what she said?
June 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I’m out of here in about 40 minutes. Spain’s already in and Greece is eliminated so I didn’t tape that one. The winner of Sweden/Russia makes it to the next round.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Or, that’s what he said.
/Michael Scott’d
June 18th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
What team is most likely to trade down?
June 18th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
the heat?
June 18th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Maggette is gone and the Sonics are going to take Bayless at 4. I think Gordon could fall to the Clips, but Westbrook wouldn’t be a bad pick.
Just for the hell of it, here is one of Imig’s best friends
June 18th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Who are you rooting for Sportsgal?
-
June 18th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Sweden, the guys are hotter. But seriously, I’m hoping for a Sweden win because I think they’ll be a more competitive team in the next round than Russia.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I should clarify, Imig’s buddy also made this video
June 18th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
who’s ur team for the tournament, sportsgal? the italians?
June 18th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I don’t really have a team. Was rooting for Greece since I’m Greek (that turned out well). I like the Netherlands, I would love to see them take the whole thing. I like watching Italy because they over react on every missed goal or foul. Plus they have the best national anthem.