He went further than anyone from his high school thought. Had 2 nice contracts. He can claim to have been an NBA player. I assume he made connections. I hope he saved his $ so he can jump-start the next phase of his life. Good fortune to you, Jason Preston.

On Brogdon, I think he may be a better fit than Harden.

Please get rid of Morris by tomorrow morning.

The Josh Primo thing is just weird. I’m all for giving folks a second chance, but what makes him problematic is that his presence impacts the rights of female employees to have a safe workplace in a way that doesn’t impact men. You can’t tell me that female employees won’t be uncomfortable in his presence. It just seems like an unnecessary HR headache and it’s tone deaf. Yeah, this org really consulted female employees. What were they supposed to say, ‘Well, I have a mortgage payment to meet but screw it, I’m gonna say F.U to my bosses and die on that hill!?’ Gimme a break. Once mgmt signaled their commitment to Primo, every employee had to make their own calculation as to whether it was a fight worth picking. Most would demur and wait for the guy to make a mistake.

This org has already gone to bat for Primo in a way that it hasn’t for guys like Roco (who just want to see some court time over Morris). It’s just bizarre and it’s really not on the fans to put in the effort to understand or accept it. It’s on the organization. Maybe picking up Primo is a favor being done for a GM or agent to help the team get some consideration on a trade or FA down the road. I don’t know, but it’s just a bad look.

Clips made a solid run at Jrue from what I understand, offering 2 unprotected first round picks. We just don’t have enough in a trade package to outbid teams that also value the same player. We’re like a fantasy baseball team with $10 left to spend on a player that everyone is bidding up to $20.

That said, I do think when you look at how Boston and Milwaukee are looking to adjust their teams, the Clippers do have a roster that looks like a title contending team. A lineup of Russ-PG-Kawhi-T-Mann-Zu, with KJ, Norm, Plumlee, Roco and Coffey/Boston Jr/Kobe Brown/ in the deeper rotation is really, really good. The issue is Lue’s ability to coach and to play the optimal lineups. If you play Morris 28 min a game, you displace other players, put more wear and tear on the stars and you get middling results. If you play small ball when you have two 7 footers, including 1 of the best defensive centers in the game, you again distort lineups and put more wear and tear on the stars.

I don’t think the Clips need to break the bank to get Harden. They need to get Morris off the roster and get their coach to see what’s in front of him and coach it appropriately.

My hope is that the presence of Nikola Jokic as the ultimate barrier to a championship will wake Lue and the organization up. Last season, the Clips thought they were elite b/c they didn’t see other teams as really threatening. Denver is different after winning the chip. Jokic is a ‘cheat code’ or this bball generation’s Neo Anderson. He obliterates small ball as a playmaking center, emphasizes stretching the defense with ball movement w/ruthless efficiency, and challenges the wisdom of iso-ball as a primary offensive game plan. He can basically not touch the ball for several possessions and end up with a 30-12-10 game b/c he takes the shots he wants to take and is enough of a baller to win a 1 v 1 matchup with the shot clock running down. IoW, he’s not just the league’s best player at the moment. He’s a paradigm changer in the way that Bird, Magic, MJ, Shaq, Lebron and Curry have been.

You’re not beating that team with small ball or Marcus Morris at the #4/#5.

I think we’re all just waiting for a sign that the organization and Lue are serious about what it takes to win. I see it from many of the players. I’m yet to see it from management and Lue, tbh.