Is it me or did the Clippers make a bad trade?

[Lord of Mikawa]

Clippers did great for the first time in 30 odd years.

Whoever owns the Staples center is going to make a killing for the next few years. At least until the Lakers jack CP3 down the line.

[StartOrien]

There is a waiting list for season tickets.

It's a business, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

[bbd24]

Gordon + Minnesota's top 5 pick in a deep draft > Paul

I don't even have to include Kaman, a former all star himself.

Clippers mortgaged the future for a player that could easily walk on them if the right situation arises.

Even with Griffin & Gordon's stellar play last year, the Clippers were still bottom feeders out West. Paul & Billups are changing that ?  

No depth down low, and a bunch of guards sharing minutes = same ol Clipp joint.  Little improved, but still right in the middle of the West.  7th, 8th, or 9th IMO, at best.

[Eric_Suede]

No it's not just you. I'm over here scratching my head as well. I can't see how this helps the clips other than in Ticket sales. (maybe that's all that's important for them right now). You guys may disagree but I feel Chauncey Billups still has plenty of gas in the tank. I'm not sure if I see him being successful at the 2. Plus they have Mo williams, I mean the have a logjam @ point. Personally If it were up to me Once they got Billups, I would've given up on the CP3 thing and pursued Rip Hamilton. I think Reuniting him & chauncey in the backcourt combined with their New strong frontcourt (which still would've included Kaman) would've been better them but hey, we'll have to see what happens. Again the only way I see this working out better for the organization is Ticket sales.

[D Dub]

huh.  gotta say I love this for the Clippers

Not only are Paul/Blake going to dominate in the open floor, this team is chalk full of defenders.

Caron & Paul are two the best perimeter defenders in the game.
Jordan & Griffin, both premier shot blockers.

Say what you want about Cookie Smith and Gomes, but they know their rotations & won't give up easy buckets.
add to that Mr Big Shot for those deep playoff moments, and you've got a solid team here. 

And let's talk for a minute about what they gave up.
Eric Gordan-  great player but not ALL NBA and certainly pretty fragile
Minny Pick-  Ricky Rubio + Kevin Love = mid-teens draft pick.  There's no way they'll be that bad again, take it to the bank
Kaman- aging, unathletic former all star big?  sounds like a bad contract waiting to happen...

Hafta say I think the Clippers killed it.  This is a WCF team

[LB3533]

People bashing the Clippers for this deal...I am LOLing.

I mean you were a bottom feeding team with Eric Gordon, so why not trade him for a HoF player and just continue to keep sucking and continue to give Blake Griffin more reason to leave when the time arrives.

A lot of people underrating Ben Gordon and overrating Eric Gordon...and it has a lot to do with age.

If Ben was given starters minutes and not miss-used like he has been for his whole career (especially in Detroit) he would be putting up even much better #'s than he already has. (Think 20/5/5 with high efficiency).

Eric Gordon's efficiency is going to suffer....massively. He's playing next to no one.

I will really start to feel for the kid early next season, but more and more fans are going to overrate this kid even more when he's scoring 25-28ppg on 41% shooting for a losing team.

[Fafnir]

Eric Gordon's season last year and Ben Gordon's third year (age 23) are pretty similar.

I do think there is an important difference in that Eric Gordon is big enough to play the 2 defensively and did so admirably, Ben Gordon's size and defense eventually became a huge liability.

[FrDrake]

I think folks are overestimating how far star power will get you, even in the NBA, which is a league led by stars.  Quality organizations count too.  A perfect example are the knicks.  They had two stars last year in Amare and 'Melo and they got swept in the first round.  The Heat had three stars and arguably two of the games top five players, and they lost in the finals.  The lakers a few years back had more star power than the milky way when they had Shaq, Kobe, Malone and Payton...and that blew up in their faces too.  Stars players playing together just aren't an easy fix.

A few years ago, people were anointing the clips as a playoff lock when B. Davis signed there to play with Elton Brand.....and well...that didn't work out too well now did it? 

Certainly Griffin and Paul are upgrades over Davis and Brand but if I were a betting man, I would put my money on the Clips never winning a ring together with this pairing. 

[bbd24]

huh.  gotta say I love this for the Clippers

Not only are Paul/Blake going to dominate in the open floor, this team is chalk full of defenders.

Caron & Paul are two the best perimeter defenders in the game.
Jordan & Griffin, both premier shot blockers.

Say what you want about Cookie Smith and Gomes, but they know their rotations & won't give up easy buckets.
add to that Mr Big Shot for those deep playoff moments, and you've got a solid team here. 

And let's talk for a minute about what they gave up.
Eric Gordan-  great player but not ALL NBA and certainly pretty fragile
Minny Pick-  Ricky Rubio + Kevin Love = mid-teens draft pick.  There's no way they'll be that bad again, take it to the bank
Kaman- aging, unathletic former all star big?  sounds like a bad contract waiting to happen...

Hafta say I think the Clippers killed it.  This is a WCF team

This view of what they gave up is extremely sub par.

Gordon is a great player who is young & only gets better, & better, & better.  At 23, I can't count him out of being ALL anything.  He's [dang] good.

Rubio & Love are suppose to carry Minnesota outside of the top 10 ?  Please explain this a tad bit more.  Nobody is buying this.

You're knocking Kaman yet praising Cookie Smith & Gomes ?  How does that work ?

[bbd24]

People bashing the Clippers for this deal...I am LOLing.

I mean you were a bottom feeding team with Eric Gordon, so why not trade him for a HoF player and just continue to keep sucking and continue to give Blake Griffin more reason to leave when the time arrives.

A lot of people underrating Ben Gordon and overrating Eric Gordon...and it has a lot to do with age.

If Ben was given starters minutes and not miss-used like he has been for his whole career (especially in Detroit) he would be putting up even much better #'s than he already has. (Think 20/5/5 with high efficiency).

Eric Gordon's efficiency is going to suffer....massively. He's playing next to no one.

I will really start to feel for the kid early next season, but more and more fans are going to overrate this kid even more when he's scoring 25-28ppg on 41% shooting for a losing team.

Why were they a bottom feeder ?  Was it because of Eric Gordon ?  Griffin ?

Did depth play a roll in it at all ?

So you add an all star PG while giving up the farm.  At best, how many more wins are you getting ?

You can LOL all you want, but we've heard this story with the Clippers time and time again.

[manl_lui]

not really

CP3, Blake, DeAndre Jordan, Caron Butler is a pretty good lineup. Bledsoe might be moved to start as well

Not sure what theyre gonna do with Mo and Billups though.

[indeedproceed]

People bashing the Clippers for this deal...I am LOLing.

I mean you were a bottom feeding team with Eric Gordon, so why not trade him for a HoF player and just continue to keep sucking and continue to give Blake Griffin more reason to leave when the time arrives.

A lot of people underrating Ben Gordon and overrating Eric Gordon...and it has a lot to do with age.

If Ben was given starters minutes and not miss-used like he has been for his whole career (especially in Detroit) he would be putting up even much better #'s than he already has. (Think 20/5/5 with high efficiency).

Eric Gordon's efficiency is going to suffer....massively. He's playing next to no one.

I will really start to feel for the kid early next season, but more and more fans are going to overrate this kid even more when he's scoring 25-28ppg on 41% shooting for a losing team.

Why were they a bottom feeder ?  Was it because of Eric Gordon ?  Griffin ?

Did depth play a roll in it at all ?

So you add an all star PG while giving up the farm.  At best, how many more wins are you getting ?

You can LOL all you want, but we've heard this story with the Clippers time and time again.

Eric Gordon was a good scorer for the Clippers. He'll probably be a good scorer for the Hornets as well, for like...a decade.

Chris Paul will, barring further injury (which of course is always a possibility), be the best point guard in the NBA next season, and for the foreseeable future after that. He'll be a top 5 player, in the league. Eric Gordon might someday be a top 5 player for his position.

Not even a comparison.  

[LB3533]

Eric Gordon's season last year and Ben Gordon's third year (age 23) are pretty similar.

I do think there is an important difference in that Eric Gordon is big enough to play the 2 defensively and did so admirably, Ben Gordon's size and defense eventually became a huge liability.

I agree with Ben's lack of size being a problem, but I don't know much about Eric's defensive capabilities despite his bigger size.

Ben's been in the league longer, has shown he can perform in the playoffs, under pressure etc.

Also, Ben's per 36 are better than Eric's.

Eric's not a bad player, but he's not a franchise guy if he can't outproduce a "bench player/6th man" in Ben Gordon.

Just saying.....

[LB3533]

People bashing the Clippers for this deal...I am LOLing.

I mean you were a bottom feeding team with Eric Gordon, so why not trade him for a HoF player and just continue to keep sucking and continue to give Blake Griffin more reason to leave when the time arrives.

A lot of people underrating Ben Gordon and overrating Eric Gordon...and it has a lot to do with age.

If Ben was given starters minutes and not miss-used like he has been for his whole career (especially in Detroit) he would be putting up even much better #'s than he already has. (Think 20/5/5 with high efficiency).

Eric Gordon's efficiency is going to suffer....massively. He's playing next to no one.

I will really start to feel for the kid early next season, but more and more fans are going to overrate this kid even more when he's scoring 25-28ppg on 41% shooting for a losing team.

Why were they a bottom feeder ?  Was it because of Eric Gordon ?  Griffin ?

Did depth play a roll in it at all ?

So you add an all star PG while giving up the farm.  At best, how many more wins are you getting ?

You can LOL all you want, but we've heard this story with the Clippers time and time again.

"Time and time again" the Clippers have never added a special HoF PG to their team.

When the Clippers did upgrade their PG position with Sam Cassell, they went to the playoffs.

You give up a nice young scoring guard and add a HoF PG who basically makes B. Griffin and Andre Jordon much better because Paul is a passer and not a scorer....this team is going places if they remain healthy.

It wouldn't surprise me if they go to the WCF and quite possibly beat the Mavs or Thunder.

I am very well aware that it isn't just one player that makes a team great or crappy. The biggest reason why the Clippers struggled last year was because they played without a leader and they played without a leader out WEST.

[bbd24]

People bashing the Clippers for this deal...I am LOLing.

I mean you were a bottom feeding team with Eric Gordon, so why not trade him for a HoF player and just continue to keep sucking and continue to give Blake Griffin more reason to leave when the time arrives.

A lot of people underrating Ben Gordon and overrating Eric Gordon...and it has a lot to do with age.

If Ben was given starters minutes and not miss-used like he has been for his whole career (especially in Detroit) he would be putting up even much better #'s than he already has. (Think 20/5/5 with high efficiency).

Eric Gordon's efficiency is going to suffer....massively. He's playing next to no one.

I will really start to feel for the kid early next season, but more and more fans are going to overrate this kid even more when he's scoring 25-28ppg on 41% shooting for a losing team.

Why were they a bottom feeder ?  Was it because of Eric Gordon ?  Griffin ?

Did depth play a roll in it at all ?

So you add an all star PG while giving up the farm.  At best, how many more wins are you getting ?

You can LOL all you want, but we've heard this story with the Clippers time and time again.

Eric Gordon was a good scorer for the Clippers. He'll probably be a good scorer for the Hornets as well, for like...a decade.

Chris Paul will, barring further injury (which of course is always a possibility), be the best point guard in the NBA next season, and for the foreseeable future after that. He'll be a top 5 player, in the league. Eric Gordon might someday be a top 5 player for his position.

Not even a comparison.  

Not sure anyone would compare Paul to Gordon.  Two completely different player types.  Paul is a stud, while Gordon is solid at 23.

Now, add in that Minnesota unprotected pick and I'll take the 3 for 1 anyday.