JPManahan continues to fill-in for the lost at sea, GITC…

I knew today was the Lottery. I knew that this time every year, people who missed the playoffs have the chance to get themselves better right from the get go. I also know that this is where the Clippers have botched their draft selection process. Let me count the ways (according to basketball-reference.com):

1985: Benoit Benjamin (Creighton)

1986: no pick

1987: Reggie Williams (Georgetown)

1988: Danny Manning (Kansas); Hershey Hawkins (Bradley)

1989: Danny Ferry (Duke)

1990: Bo Kimble (Loyola Marymount); Loy Vaught (Michigan)

1991: LeRon Ellis (Syracuse)

1992: Randy Woods (La Salle), Elmore Spencer (UNLV)

1993: Terry Dehere (Seton Hall)

1994: Lamond Murray (Cal), Greg Minor (Louisville)

1995: Antonio McDyess (Alabama)

1996: Lorenzen Wright (Memphis)

1997: Maurice Taylor (Michigan)

1998: Michael Olowokandi (Pacific); Brian Skinner (Baylor)

1999: Lamar Odom (Rhode Island)

2000: Darius Miles (HS), Keyon Dooling (Mizzou), Quentin Richardson (DePaul)

2001: Tyson Chandler (HS)

2002: Chris Wilcox (Maryland), Melvin Ely (Fresno State)

2003: Chris Kaman (Central Michigan)

2004: Shaun Livingston (HS)

2005: Yaroslav Korolev (Russia)

2006: no pick

2007: Al Thornton (Florida State)

2008: Eric Gordon (Indiana)

2009: ???

I mean we can all blame this on Elgin Baylor, right? It defies no logic, but Fate has not exactly been with the Clippers ever. I mean what if, Shaun Livingston did not suffer that horrific injury that I cannot bear to watch. Ditto with Danny Manning. How about Danny Ferry not acting like a wimp? and it goes on and on…

Which now brings us to where we are today. This is the third time the Clippers get the top overall selection. This year, unlike the past few years, has been called a one-man draft. All eyes are on a guy named Blake Griffin, the Consensus All-America and College Basketball’s National Player of the Year from Oklahoma. What can he bring to the table?

This is from NBADraft.net:

NBA Comparison: Karl Malone/Antonio McDyess

Strengths: Freak of nature, off the charts athletic specimen type … The perfect storm of strength, athleticism and work ethic. It’s rare to find elite level talent that also possesses the character and drive to outwork everyone … Griffin has immense potential due to his superior athletic ability and his willingness to put the work in to improve … Never takes a play off. Knows only one speed and gives his all on every possession… A dominant rebounder who will be one of the top rebounders in the league for years to come … An incredibly strong and athletic body. His strength at his age is incredible and he will surely get stronger as his body continues to fill out (between the ages of 20-24) … Plays the game with amazing toughness, he’s a wrecking ball who loves contact in the paint… Runs the floor well. Excellent speed and agility in the open floor … His explosiveness puts him in rare company … Has the ability to face the basket and use the dribble to get to the rim … Very comfortable handling the ball for a post player who can dribble the ball up the floor, in order to break the press and get through traffic … An excellent passer who has good vision and spots double teams quickly finding the unguarded teammate for openshots … Has great hands (big and soft) allowing him to palm the ball with ease and control the ball on dunks and rebounds … His post skills are showing nice development with an effective drop step as well as a jump hook … His mid-range shot has shown excellent improvement between his freshman and sophomore seasons … He has begun to perfect the Tim Duncan mid-range shot high off the glass … Defensively he gives a high effort level and does a solid job of staying out of foul trouble (fouled out of 1 game as a sophomore) … Has good length and size at 6-9 ½ to 6-10 with a good wingspan … He’s the type of dynamic athlete and talent that if he happened to only be 6-7 to 6-8 (with shoes on) as some people erroneously think, he could actually develop into a top level small forward at the NBA level … High character guy. Humble. Not interested in the superstar limelight or partying, he is extremely focused …

Weaknesses: Still not a great shooter. Must become more comfortable shooting the ball by putting time in with practice/repetition … He’s improved to the point where his shot is good, but he still needs to put a lot of work in to become a great shooter and scorer (don’t bet against him – Karl Malone came into the league as a 50% ft shooter and ended up a 75-80% shooter) … Needs to improve from the free throw line (59%) … Due to the fact that he plays such a physical game, he goes to the line a lot, so improving his FT % to 75% will be a huge boost … Must continue to develop his offensive repertoire in the post. He has great strength and using that to his advantage in sealing his opponents will make him even more effective … His willingness to sacrifice his body (as witnessed when he flew over the scorers table the first game back after missing a week due to concussion) could lead to injuries if he doesn’t use good judgment (there are times to put it all on the line and times to hold back to some degree with an 82 game season) … Still needs work on the defensive end. With his tremendous explosiveness, he should be a better shot blocker (1.2 bpg). He just needs to learn better timing and anticipation … Should look to become a more vocal leader …

Yep, he is good, but there is one problem. Three big men hog minutes. Chris Kaman, Zach Randolph and Marcus Camby. In all likelihood, (at least) one will be traded. Chris has the most potential and Marcus is the most tradeable asset. Forget Zach. Expect trade offers to come flying by for the Clippers given the situation. I would have preferred to go secure a swingman like a James Harden, but Blake Griffin is the best player in this draft bar none and there is no other option.

Now what about the other lottery teams:

Memphis: Probably Rubio. Maybe Thabeet.

Oklahoma City: Rubio to pair with Westbrook and Watson. Thabeet to be the anchor in the post. This team is Portland circa 2008. They are scary now. They will make the playoffs in 2010 with the right veteran pieces.

Sacramento: Time may be running out for Sac-town. Looks prime for a move to Vegas, perhaps? But they need a third big or a PG.

Washington: Looks ready for a resurgence. A complementary piece like Jordan Hill would go well with a healthy Agent Zero. Also a swing like James Harden

Minnesota: Needs talent. Maybe DeRozan since there is a problem with the swing spot (other than Mike Miller)

Golden State: with Don Nelson, anybody. Maybe another big guard to run alongside Monta. Maybe another big. Don Nelson loves putting out unconventional lineups. He might be like Al Davis.

New York: Stephen Curry. Stephen Curry.

Toronto:

Milwaukee: best player available. Two key free agents might dictate draft need. One is our fave tweeter. the other is the fantasy tease. Also might look at a shooter in case Michael Redd gets hurt again.

New Jersey: a swingman that might succeed VC. Budinger?

Charlotte: A two-guard who can be the offensive foil to Raja Bell. Ellington or Henderson might be a good fit.

Indiana: another complementary piece to an efficient roster. Maybe a PG if Jarrett Jack departs.

Phoenix: anybody who can fit in the SSOL. they might need to groom someone to succeed Steve Nash. this year’s PG crop is deep.

And so I pray, Please do not screw this up.

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