OFFICIAL RELEASE: CLIPPERS ACQUIRE ZACH RANDOLPH AND MARDY COLLINS FROM KNICKS

Clippers Send Forward Tim Thomas and Guard Cuttino Mobley To New York

The Los Angeles Clippers acquired forward Zach Randolph and guard Mardy Collins from the New York Knicks today in exchange for forward Tim Thomas and guard Cuttino Mobley Clippers General Manager and head coach Mike Dunleavy announced today.

“In an attempt to make our team more competitive, we are excited about the acquisition of Zach Randolph,” Dunleavy said. “He is a 27-year old highly-skilled scorer and rebounder. Getting a player like Zach cost us two highly skilled veterans in Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, but we feel that the move will help us both now and in the future. We wish nothing but the best of success for Cuttino and Tim with their new team.”

The six-foot-nine Randolph is known as one of the NBA’s most effective young post players, bringing a career 16.4 points per game scoring average and 8.2 rebounds in 467 career games to the Clippers. Randolph is a career 46 percent shooter from the field and averaged 17.6 points, a team-leading 10.3 rebounds in 69 games for the Knicks in 2007-08 while finishing 10th in the NBA with 40 double-doubles. Randolph is averaging 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in the first 11 games of the 2008-09 season.

The Michigan State product was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the first round (19th overall pick) of the 2001 NBA Draft. Randolph, 27, played six seasons in Portland, enjoying a break-out year in 2003-04 when he averaged 20.1 points and 10.5 rebounds for the Trailblazer en route to being named the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year. Randolph joined the Knicks prior to the 2007-08 season in a trade.

In his third pro season, the six-foot-six Collins is averaging 2.2 points and 1.7 assists in nine games this season. A former standout at Temple University, Collins was drafted by New York with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Collins has appeared in 107 career NBA games, with career averages of 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Cuttino Mobley joined the Clippers as a free agent on August 4, 2005 and was a key member of the club’s run to the 2005-06 Western Conference Semifinals, averaging 14.9 points that season and 13.3 points in 12 playoff games. A 10-year NBA veteran, Mobley is the Clippers third-leading scorer this season, averaging 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 2008-09.

Tim Thomas signed with the Clippers as a free agent on July 13, 2006, and the 11-year pro has been a fixture in the frontcourt ever since, averaging 10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 149 games in his time in Los Angeles.

With this transaction, the Clippers roster now stands at a total of 14 players, with three players (Chris Kaman, Al Thornton, Paul Davis) remaining from the team that finished the 2007-08 season.

Clippers Make Trade for Zach Randolph

--LA Sends Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas To NY For Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins--

Mike Dunleavy has coveted Zach Randolph for quite some time, and now it seems as though he is getting him. I heard a little earlier today that the Clippers were making this trade. I assume as I write this post, the legalities of the deal are being finalized right now.

The question now becomes is Dunleavy done dealing or is this move just the beginning? I vote for the latter.

Here's the NY Daily News article on the trade.

Knicks trade Jamal Crawford for Al Harrington, ship Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to Clippers
BY FRANK ISOLA DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Friday, November 21st 2008, 5:04 PM

The Knicks completed a wild day of trading on Friday when they sent Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley. The deal comes less than two hours after Donnie Walsh traded Jamal Crawford to the Warriors for Al Harrington.

Both deals were made to clear salary cap space for the summer of 2010 for when LeBron James becomes a free agent. The contracts of Harrington, Thomas and Mobley all expire in two years which will put the Knicks in position to make a run at James, the most coveted free agent since Shaquille O'Neal left the Orlando Magic to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2008/11/21/2008-11-21_knicks_trade_jamal_crawford_for_al_harri.html

Clippers Media Day

Clippers Media Day seemed to have even more optimism than in most years. Maybe it was because there are so many new players on the team (10 total), that not enough of them have firsthand knowledge of the most recent disappointments.

The first thing that stood out to me today was the team's practice facility. It is simply spectacular. Mike Dunleavy even went as far to tell me that "It's the best in the league." I personally haven't seen every NBA team's practice facility, so I guess I will have to take his word for it. However, on first impression, I think it would be hard to prove Dunleavy wrong.

I talked to Dunleavy for several minutes as he signed what appeared to be about 300+ brand new balls for sponsors and season ticket holders. The first thing I asked him pertained to his expectations for the season. With so many new players, I would think he would need about 15-20 games just to see what he really has. However, Dunleavy believes this team should be an even better defensive team than the one that a couple of years ago was among the tops in the league.

He wouldn't say for sure that he had a playoff team on his hands, but he did say he would be very surprised if they were not in playoff contention all the way through April.

You can also expect this team to get up and down the floor a lot more than in season's past. Dunleavy tried to implement that strategy last season, but he said he didn't really have the personnel to carry it throughout the season. This season, however, is different because that style of play not only suits Baron Davis, but the Clippers have more finishers in transition in Cuttino Mobley, Al Thornton, and Ricky Davis.

Speaking of Baron Davis, he was the life of the party today. And believe me when I say, if there's one thing a media day needs, it's some life. Basically, the guys are paraded from station to station taking pictures and reciting lines into cameras. Davis was bouncing around like it was the first day of school. One other observation: he's in GREAT shape. He told me that he spent all summer working out in Las Vegas to get ready for the season. And considering how much the Clippers season is relying on his health, that was a great idea.

Marcus Camby told me that he is officially over the shock of getting traded from the Nuggets to the Clippers, and he's looking forward to starting a new chapter in his NBA career--one that includes 4 different teams. Camby was also very optimistic about the team's chances, but still wanted to hold off on making any proclamations until the team at least went through a full training camp.

And believe it or not, despite the loss of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette and the addition of 10 new players on the roster, one Clipper official told me that the team will actually be more competitive than if the team had retained Brand and Maggette and paired them with Davis. The thought being that not only will the team have more scoring options, especially from the perimeter, but that the locker room will be better as well.

For as great a player and person EB is, he is simply not very vocal in the locker room. Those in the organization believe that if Brand had spoken up at different times in the past, the team would have had greater success. Now, I don't feel as if the Clippers blame Brand for their recent disappointments, but the idea is that the team's best and highest paid player should be as much of a leader in the locker room as he is on the court.

For those of you wondering what happened to Shaun Livingston, here's the deal. The Clippers actually offered him a guaranteed 2-year contract, with a player option for the second year. However, Livingston and his agent thought they could get more money from another team (Portland had been the rumored destination). But as we enter NBA training camp, Livingston is faced with having to earn a roster spot.

And another issue for Livingston will be the loss of his Larry Bird Rights. The simplest explanation is this: If Livingston had signed with the Clippers this season and they traded him, they would have traded his Bird rights as well. But without those Bird Rights, the most Livingston could sign for would be $5 million a year as opposed to $11 million if he had retained his Bird Rights. And to remind you of how valuable a player's Bird Rights are, think back to when Devean George would not give up his Bird Rights when the Mavericks were trying to make the trade for Jason Kidd.

Quinton Ross also turned down a guaranteed deal because he and his agent believed they could secure more money. When that money did not surface, Q was forced to take a non-guaranteed deal with the Grizzlies and go to camp playing for a roster spot yet again.

The Clippers open the season Wednesday, October 29th against the Lakers.

Azubuike Almost A Lock To Be A Clipper

In the wake of what possibly could have turned into the worst off-season in the history of the team, the Clippers seem to be responding quite well. First, they basically robbed Denver for Marcus Camby, and now it appears that Kelenna Azubuike will wear red, white and blue next season.

My friend Brad Turner of the Riverside Press-Enterprise is reporting that two NBA sources believe the Warriors will not match the 3-year, $9.3 million dollar offer sheet Azubuike signed with the Clippers. It seems as though the price is too high now that Golden State has signed Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf and Maurice Evans, not to mention the trade for Marcus Williams from the Nets.

So with a potential starting lineup of Baron Davis, Cuttino Mobley, Al Thornton, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman and a bench consisting of Tim Thomas, Brevin Knight, Eric Gordon and Azubuike, the Clippers might not be as bad as first believed.