One City, One Team

[blackice]

The mantra coming out of the Clippers is "One City, One Team." The not so subtle jab won't go unnoticed by the other "LA" based team (though the mantra is made in jest) and some might say the goal should be larger given the talent level (team finished 49 - 33 to lead division). GM Blackice has taken over and given his level of attention and habit of trading, pundits are bracing to see which direction the team goes. With 2 starting point guards and little in the way of depth or a starting SF it's anyones guess. Any potential capspace targets have to be "MLE" level or less as two cornerstone pieces are RFA (Faried/Thompson) and will command a considerable chunk of change.

Depth Chart

PG: Chris Paul/Ty Lawson
SG: Klay Thompson/Jamal Crawford/Reggie Bullock
SF: Terrence Jones/Soloman Hill
PF: Kenneth Faried
CC: Anderson Varejao

RFA are underlined.

Roster Overview (Core Pieces)



14.6/4.1/7.6/0.0/1.3
46/40/87 - %

Paul under performed and it could be because he had a relatively high usage SG beside him or it could be he just fell off and his days of #1 PG in the league are over. At age 30 it's safe to assume he'll command a sizeable return if he's moved.

22.7/4.9/6.1/0.0/1.4
44/35/81 - %

Lawson was the engine that drove this team to a division title, he put up great numbers playing SG and his defensive tenacity would be better served at PG given his size. Only 27 on a pretty reasonable deal.

20.8/5.0/2.5/0.5/1.0
47/50/84 - %

If Lawson was the engine that ran the team, Klay was the car. At only 25 it might be a blessing that he's an RFA and thus will avoid GM BI's trade barrage. Truth be told his spacing ability + high volume might prove critical in any run the team makes and his age (25) could make any rebuilding effort more bearable.

5.5/4.5/0.7/0.2/0.7
42/-/67 - %

Under performed given his ratings but his defense + rebounding is valuable and given a bigger role the Brazilian should thrive as a low usage big. He is 32 years old.

17.8/11.0/1.3/1.4/1.3
57/_/69 - %

Faried is undersized and doesn't provide any defensive anchoring but man he's good at what he does. He finished top 10 on the leaderboard least year in FG% and is one of the best rebounding PF's in the league. He's up for a big pay raise and sources say the team will bring him back at all costs. Only 26.

It should be interesting to see what happens. With the new change in leadership one thing is certain; the franchise will be an active one.

[Myles]

You're right, one city one team. The Lakers. Go move to Seattle

[blackice]

You're right, one city one team. The Lakers. Go move to Seattle

I've missed you too Myles

[Marcos_Beck]

From what I've just read, CP3 is the one leaving? That was unexpected.

Your team can contend with the right deals. IMO, Lawson for a SF and a C and then you fill your bench via MLE and minimum deals. Starting with Varejao and Jones off the bench isn't bad btw.

[NanashiWake]

Good read, I really like the core of this team. I agree with Marcos that you seem to be 1 or 2 pieces from constant title contention. Not necessarily stars either, just good role players.

[andrei]

this is a great team as-is and can contend for the title next season. Of course, this team is going to be different by November. Lets see if its for the better or worse

[emplep7]

I know youre going to put your own spin on this team very quickly and I'm interested to see what the final product looks like. Good luck BI!

[goikiri]

Great read. I don't like Lawson&Paul duo for improvement of Klay or Faried.

[WillyJakkz]

I can see you making a trade for DeMar DeRozan. I think he'd fit in will with the Clippers next to Paul or Lawson.

Not sure how to maneuver your assets but I'm sure you'll figure it out w Paul as likely your biggest asset.

[Dennis]

Good to have you back man! And I see it was already a hot start in LA, lol

[orangeparka]

Goddamn BI back for one day and there are all these muthafuckin trades I gotta catch up on.

Great to have ya back man!!