| This Just In… The L.A. Clippers Just Don't Get It Authored by Sandeep Patel - July 15, 2005 - 1:18 am
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With the loss of this past year’s most pleasant surprise, Bobby Simmons, Clippers’ fan(s) should be, once again, disappointed. This is just one more poor choice in years of frugal decision making.
For only five million dollars cheaper (over five years), the Clippers landed a comparable replacement in Cuttino Mobley. Although Mobley gives the team a sharp-shooter from downtown (which it direly needed), I’m sure Los Angeles’ best basketball team will miss the NBA’s Most Improved player for a multitude of reasons.
The most glaring issue is that the Clippers must now permanently designate Corey Maggette to the small forward position. Coach Mike Dunleavy liked to vary the positions of both swingmen to create match up advantages. Because both players were able to play either position, they often mimicked Don Nelson’s cross defense schemes (where you don’t guard the player who guards you). One of the major successes that stemmed from that was the match up problems for opponents. Cuttino at this point in his career is a combo-guard, at best. Simmons, once deemed too slow to be a 2-guard and too short to a forward, was able to prove his critics wrong this past season. With a muscular 6’6” frame, he was able to handle small forwards who thrived in the post, and even developed a small post game himself.
When playing shooting guard, Simmons became one of the better shooters in the league. What added to his resume was his perimeter defense. Simmons is by no means a Ron Artest or Bruce Bowen type, but because of his size and physique, can easily become as good as quality perimeter D-Man David Wesley. Therefore, he clearly has more upside and potential to develop. This also identifies the fact that Simmons is 5 years younger than Mobley, and is already just as good, if not better in most statistical categories.
Lastly, the size of the emotional baggage Mobley is carrying in with him is undetermined. After feeling betrayed by the Rockets for shipping him out of his long-time home, Mobley now deals with the separation anxiety from best friend and fellow cry-baby Steve Francis. It doesn’t appear that Francis has moved on, either.
I know we are talking about the Clippers here, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that they want to be winners (I mean, they did offer Abdur-Rahim a contract), but Mobley isn’t the kind of player you want to throw 42 million at, especially when there are better options out there.
Shareef would clearly have been a better choice, although it appears as though he has had his heart set on New Jersey since day one, and seems to be headed there. But with dynamic forwards, such as Donyell Marshall and Antoine Walker on the market and able to play either of the forward positions and shoot from long-range extremely well, taking a low-risk, high-reward gamble on either of them would have probably been wiser.
To be fair though, the Clippers still may have a season. It is very well possible that Mobley meshes into this system very nicely. The one thing the team didn’t address, however, is a need for a veteran center, backup or starter. With starter Chris Kaman and reserve Chris Wilcox, still not fully developed, a veteran center would really add to the incomplete puzzle. With Brand and now Maggette to accompany the C in the front court, Mobley, free-agent Marko Jaric, and the 6’7” stud point guard Shaun Livingston manning the backcourt, the Clippers are one Dikembe Mutumbo or Alonzo Mourning away from having a superb 9-man rotation. |
