Clipperblog doesn't trust many x-and-ologists more than David Thorpe over at ESPN.com.  Today, Thorpe posts his year-end Rookie Top 10.  Al Thornton comes in at #8.  Thorpe's analysis:

Of all the rookies, Thornton (along with Noah) might have played the hardest. He exhibited his athleticism and skills once the Clippers unleashed him. But it was his effort that saved him from himself; without solid rebounding numbers, his season would have looked like Adam Morrison's last season -- lots of inefficient scoring and few effective passes.

 

He got much better as the season progressed and looks like a legitimate starter going into next season. When his game was on, no rookie put up better performances than Thornton, who often served as his team's No. 1 scoring option from both the wing and the post. However, he did play too fast much of the time -- a fact that will jump out at him if he spends the summer watching film.

I think that's a fair assessment.  Though it's worth pointing out that, after November, Thornton never shot below 41.5% from the field in a given month, whereas Morrison never crossed the 40% threshold, save for his four-game April 2007.  Thornton still has a lot to refine in the post, but that's been one of the nice surprises to his game; he has the real potential to develop on the block, which is not something I anticipated he'd bring with him into the league.

Game 82

Brian Kamenetzky offers up an extensive Q & A with Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. over at Sportshub LA.

Game 80

Game 79

Here’s what I don’t understand:  If you were to design an NBA team – a realistic composition…not Paul-Bryant-James-Howard-Duncan – what would you want?  

Maybe two premier scorers who both demand a double-team?  One, a prolific wing with good size; the other a wicked penetrator with a devastating first step who can also shoot.  Throw in a center who ranks as one of the best shot blockers and help defenders in the league – and also has a nice 17 foot set shot.  For good measure, let’s also include a brawny post defender who does admirable dirty work.  And a capable bench that includes another scorer, a pesky defender who can cover bigger guys, and a big man who can shoot from the outside.  Absent a show-stopping PG, that’s the definition of a quality NBA team.

So why is Denver in danger of missing the postseason?  Don’t say defense, because this team ranks a solid 10th in defensive efficiency.  All you have to do is look at last night’s game:  Elton Brand couldn’t get any kind of position down on the block.  On the rare instances in which he did in one-on-one coverage, there was an immediate swarm of Nuggets from the weak side.  Consequently, EB showed a good deal of hesitation on his shots – even when he had open looks.

Al Thornton is frustrated.  One of the things that’s happened over the past week is opponents are starting to guard him more diligently off the ball, and neither he or the Clipper offense has adjusted.  In large part, that’s because the focus of the offense has been reintegrating EB into the flow.  But Al needs to learn to be as instinctive away from the play as he is with the ball in his hands.

But back to Denver.  I don't have any answers as to why this team isn't a playoff lock.  It's inexplicable. 

Game 78

Game 77

Jonathan Abrams takes a look at Corey Maggette’s future in today’s Los Angeles Times.  It’s no surprise that the lede states, “…the signs are that he will opt out of the final season of his six-year, $42-million contract after this season, to test the free agent market.”   The general gist:

Maggette is expected to be an attractive player if he becomes a free agent this summer. The Clippers can offer him a larger contract than any other team and tack on an additional year. The Miami Heat -- who may also target Elton Brand, if he opts out of his contract -- and the Memphis Grizzlies are among the few teams expected to have enough salary cap space to make a decent bid.

"The [salary] range is already set for him, and no matter what happens to him, that range is going to be pretty good," Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "The only thing he has to worry about, really, is injury."

Abrams collected some good quotes:

The 6-foot-6 Maggette has averaged 20-plus points a game in three seasons, but he's never been an All-Star and various coaches and players say privately that he is not a "max" salary player. One Western Conference coach said of Maggette: "His defense is below average, and he is a 'crash' player on offense -- he just throws his body at the basket and tries to draw a foul."

… A Western Conference scout cited Maggette's quick first step and athleticism as his major strengths, but that teams can play off him because his jump shot isn't steady. "He sees the game through his concerns first," the scout said. "It's fairly common among NBA players, but dangerous if taken too far with your leaders of the team. He's been better this year than in past seasons and this says a lot, since they needed him more with Brand out."

The piece points out that, as is true most offseasons, few teams will have the cap room to back up the money truck in free agency.  Miami and Memphis will have the most cash to spend. 

Given Al Thornton’s development and the max extension the Clips will have to offer Brand, it seems improbable that the Clippers would offer Maggette market value.  On the other hand, Donald Tokowitz’s preference for Maggette is widely known. 

Whether you like Maggette or not, there are a few external factors that need to be considered.  The most important one is that, under the NBA salary cap, every team needs to have a couple of productive contributors playing at below market value.  So here’s the question the Clippers have to answer: 

Given Kaman’s contract, a pending max offer to Brand, Mobley with two years/$18.9M remaining, etc., which do you prefer at the starting small forward?

A. Corey Maggette at 4-6 years/$35M-????
B. Al Thornton at 3 years/$6.5M total

In the context of the NBA's financial realities, there's a correct answer to this question, irrespective of how you feel about Corey Maggette.

Game 76

Pretty sneaky – slipping Elton Brand into the game midway through the first quarter  a day before his scheduled return. 

EB's first bucket of the season comes on an awkward high S/R with Smush Parker.  It’s not the side job we’re used to seeing from Brand, but a drag toward the hole, where Parker finds him before Francisco Elson can. Elton hits a clunky layup falling away – but it’s the most beautiful finish of the season.   The second hoop – with only two seconds remaining in the 1st period – is decidedly more Eltonian:  He finds a soft spot in the Seattle zone at the FT line, flashes up from the block, and hits the jumper. 

Brand was slated to play only about five minutes, but he goes 26 minutes: 19 points, 7-15 FG, 5-5 FT, 5 rebounds, and a block.  

How great is it to see Brand at 5:58 in the 4th quarter, setting up at his favorite spot at the left elbow where he shoots his face-up J over Nick Collison to stretch the Clipper lead to 11?  Or how about a few minutes before that, when he works the high S/R with Parker: He's able to elude Collison on the roll, receive the ball in stride down the lane, then glide for the layup and draw the foul?  And do you remember what life is like when you have an actual power forward defending an opposing post player on a pick-and-roll?

Elton is clearly rusty.  And it’ll probably be a while before he’s able to get the kind of separation and space we’re accustomed to seeing when he bounces off a screen.  And he’s not yet getting full elevation on his turnaround jumper, though he finally nailed it over Collison on his third attempt from the same spot off the mid-left post [4th, 3:17]. 

Overall, though, any fears that the injury would be irreparable to his game have been quelled. 

UPDATE: Good to see that the LA Times employed "Staff and Wire Reports" to cover Brand's long-awaited return last night. 

When it comes to the demise [self-immolation?] of the daily sports page in America, sometimes you don't know whether to laugh or cry.  

Game 75

From ESPN.com: 

Elton Brand is expected to make his long-awaited return to the Los Angeles Clippers this week.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said that Brand, who has missed the entire season with an Achilles tendon injury, definitely will play Sunday against the Rockets, but the forward might return as soon as Thursday against the Kings. "I love to hoop," Brand said, according to The Los Angeles Times. "I'm excited to go out there and really give it a test." Brand, who averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds last season, tore his left Achilles tendon Aug. 3 during a workout. Without Brand, the Clippers are 22-52. Last season with Brand, the Clippers were 40-42 and missed out on qualifying for the playoffs by two games.

The first instinct here is "why would you risk a reaggravaton of the injury?"  But, let's be honest:  The guy is no more likely to re-injure himself in a league game than in a full contact practice or an intense summer workout.  Then there's the matter of the lottery.  My uninformed sense is that Dunleavy will keep Brand's minutes to a minimum over the next couple of weeks.  But I think there's real value in seeing how Thornton and Brand operate together at the 3 and 4 respectively -- if not for the team's overall development, than for my personal edification, dammit.