More than seven years after he was dealt -- along with the rights to Tyson Chandler -- to Chicago for Elton Brand, 32-year-old power forward Brian Skinner returns to the Clippers.  In the intervening period, Skinner has played for 26 of the NBA's other 29 franchises. 

Skinner brings absolutely nothing to the floor offensively, but is an indispensable brute who, if called upon, can defend almost any frontcourt player in the league, even at 6' 9".  He'll rebound with a fury and set borderline-illegal screens that free up scorers. 

I'd rather have Powell's upside and athleticism, but Skinner is serviceable as a 12-16 MPG guy.

The Clippers have spent a good part of the past couple weeks shoring up a roster that – less than a month ago – had exactly five players under guarantees contract.  Four weeks later, the Clippers have emerged with measurable depth and a fairly capable nine-man rotation, which will be expanded to ten with the addition of another frontcourt body (either Josh Powell or, if the rumors bear out, Dutch foul machine Francisco Elson).
 

Starting Five
PG        B. Davis
SG        Mobley
SF        Thornton
PF        Camby
C         Kaman 

In the Rotation
PG        Hart
SG        Gordon
SF        R. Davis
F          Thomas
F/C-ish Powell/TBD

Project/Sporadic
PG       Taylor
C         Jordan

Powell was put on the spot during the second half last season, but impressed – though he’s often overmatched against true centers.  Elson, despite his seven-foot stature, doesn’t perform a whole lot better against imposing bigs, though he’s an excellent rebounder (as is Powell).  The Clippers second unit was woeful on the glass last season and it cost them ballgames.   

It’s tempting to suggest that, with Elton and Corey gone, the Clips will be a decidedly more up-tempo team.  Though it’s safe to assume their Possessions/Game number will inch upward, I’m not sure the uptick will be more than marginal.  They’re still fielding two bigs, a couple of big guards who post well, and Thornton, who is sliding over to the 3, where he can utilize his size – something he couldn’t really do at the 4 last season.

Everyone loves watching a run-and-gun squad, but it’s worth examining the possibility that the Clippers’ best recipe for offensive success resides in the halfcourt, but -- and here’s the good news – with more motion-oriented sets. 

UPDATE (Wed, 8:58p):  The Clips have placed Josh Powell on waivers. It's a little disappointing because, ACC apologist that I am, I think Josh Powell is useful as a rotation player.  He really grew last season -- developed a mid-range game, improved defensively on the high/low switch, and did some solid work on the glass (15.2 RR).  In any event, the Clips are still short one big body. 

According to ESPN.com, the deal includes a player opt-out after the first year, which should guarantee at least a patina of effort from Davis, who's still only 28 (which surprised me at first blush).  Davis is a mercurial talent who makes Maggette's defensive instincts seem like those of Shane Battier, but he's a capable catch-and-shoot scorer off the bench.  He can also start on the wing in a pinch and give you 35+ minutes.  Given what was out there, it's not a bad signing -- though Davis is the kind of guy you never want to watch down the stretch if your season turns to dreck.
 

Elton Brand gives USA Today's Chris Colston five reasons he chose Philadelphia:

1. Being closer to family. My wife (Shahara) is from Newark, N.J. and I'm from Peekskill, N.Y. We're expecting our first child soon so it's good to have a family support group reasonably close by.

2. The passion of the Philadelphia fans. That can propel you to winning. We have our own city; we're not sharing it with the Lakers. Los Angeles is definitely a Lakers town, and with all their success they deserve it. But Philly has its own titles and tradition and Dr. J. Being part of all that is really an honor.

3. No paparazzi! Here, we had to call a press conference to get our pictures taken.

4. The Philly cheesesteaks. They're everywhere here, even in the five-star restaurants. But that's a good thing and a bad thing. I have to stay away from them till the off season. Gotta keep my svelte shape.

5. Just being on this team, a great group of guys who really hustle and work hard.

To summarize: In-laws are good babysitters; Julius Erving > Kenny Norman; no trans fat ban in Keystone State; Clipperdom -- all of the paparazzi/none of the glory.  (Hat Tip: TrueHoop)

From the Associated Press:

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kelenna Azubuike will return to the Golden State Warriors after the club matched the Los Angeles Clippers' three-year, $9 million contract offer for the shooting guard on Thursday.

Azubuike averaged 8.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 81 games last season with the Warriors, who signed the former Kentucky guard out of the NBA Developmental League in January 2007. He started 17 games for Golden State, and he should see more playing time next season after Baron Davis' departure for the Clippers, Mickael Pietrus' signing with Orlando and Monta Ellis' expected move to point guard.

"We are pleased to have Kelenna back in the fold," said Chris Mullin, the Warriors' top basketball executive. "He's a young and talented player who has continued to improve during his two seasons with our team. His versatility, athleticism and ability to shoot the 3-pointer certainly fit our style of play."

Mo Evans, anyone?

From Ross Siler at the Salt Lake Tribune:

The Jazz swapped backup point guards Thursday with the Los Angeles Clippers, trading Jason Hart for 11-year veteran Brevin Knight.
   
    Hart finished the 2006-07 season with the Clippers, nearly helping lead the team to the playoffs. He signed with the Jazz as a free agent last summer but lost his job to Ronnie Price 50 games into the season and finished the year out of the rotation.
   
    The Clippers signed Knight last summer after they were unable to sign free agent Steve Francis. Knight, who turns 33 in November, averaged 4.6 points and 4.4 assists in 74 games last season, starting 39.
   
    Knight signed a two-year, $3.2 million contract with the Clippers and will make $1.6 million this season. Hart signed a two-year, $4.8 million contract with the Jazz and will make $2.484 million this season.
   
    The Jazz signed Hart hoping he could help fill the void after Derek Fisher asked to be released from his contract. But Hart struggled with the limited minutes available backing up Deron Williams and shot a career-worst 32.2 percent.
   
    Hart grew up in Los Angeles and questioned his decision not to re-sign with the Clippers as he struggled during his first season in Utah. Hart exercised an option to return to the Jazz but he did look at signing with Denver and the Clippers as buyout possibilities.

Hart is more durable, has superior size and, despite Knight's steal totals, is a far better defender.  Apart from that, I don't know what else it portends, other than a net $800,000 loss for the Clips. 

In other news, Maurice Evans isn't a Warrior yet.  Wire services in the Contra Costa Times report, "Golden State has offered Evans a three-year, $6.4 million deal, but after initially agreeing to the terms, Evans is reportedly holding out for more money from the Warriors." 

 

What does this mean to you, the consumer?

The fact that Golden State would commit 3 years/$6.4M to a 6'5" swingman might be a harbinger of their willingness to let Kelenna Azubuike walk.  

Andrew Kamenetzky has a nice summary, with embedded sound bites, over at SportsHubLA:

Camby expressed numerous times his enthusiasm at the notion of teaming up with Davis, Chris Kaman, Gordon and Al Thorton, whom he described with a laugh as”very aggressive offensively”). There are issues, however, with the deal itself, a blatant salary dump which Camby received warning could be on the horizon. After playing six seasons in Denver, the veteran C/PF believes a little more respect was in order and hasn’t gotten over that sting.

The chuckle over Thornton's game is a funny throwaway. 

Kamenetzky reports, "Camby - seen by his new coach as more of a high post guy offensively - will likely man the power forward spot, the incumbent Kaman remaining at center."  That sounds about right.  I've been surprised by the number of suggestions we've heard that Kamen and Camby are redundant somehow.  Watch both guys play and it's clear they occupy entirely different roles in the halfcourt -- both offensively and defensively. 

Via Maurice Brooks:

"If he was a stock on the market, you could pick him up at a pretty low price right now. I just don't think his future looks bright as a second-round pick because they don't have a lot of incentive to invest time with him. His 11 rebounds look great, but most of them came right to him. I don't think that he has got any rebounds out of area. It doesn't impress me that he jumps straight up in his spot and grabs rebounds. He doesn't play with great energy or intelligence and his emotional IQ is very low. He is a young man and he wouldn't be the first to change his career path. It doesn't happen very often."

Jordan's numbers in five summer league games: 26.4 MPG, 7.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG (2.6/4.6), .667 FG%, .417 FT%, 2.0 BPG, 1.8 TPG. 

From Marc Stein:

The Los Angeles Clippers have identified the latest target in their recovery from the free-agent loss of Elton Brand by agreeing to terms on an offer sheet with restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike of the Golden State Warriors. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the Clippers have extended a multi-year offer using their estimated $3 million in salary-cap space left over after completing a trade Tuesday with the Denver Nuggets to acquire center Marcus Camby as their primary Brand replacement. The Warriors will have seven days to match the offer when the deal is completed, but the Clippers would appear to have a good chance of emerging from that wait with Azubuike.  

If you remember the Clippers' opener from last season, then you have an idea of Azubuike's range, and springs.  Filling in for a suspended Stephen Jackson, Azubuike went 12-17 from the field, 7-7 from the line, 2-3 from the arc, with 8 rebounds and 0 turns.   Last season, he became a much better finisher -- though his 3P% fell off.  I don't have a feel for his defensive game because Don Nelson doesn't really require one, but he's got the length and quickness to defend. Azubuike would likely play off the bench for the Clips. though I can imagine his starting ahead of Mobley in situations that demanded athleticism over precision.  

In Igbo, a language spoken in Nigeria, Azubuike means "the past is your strength" or "your back is your strength."  Let's hope it's the latter.

UPDATE: Three years, $9 million.  

Kelly Dwyer (with supporting testimony from some quality analysis at PickAxe & Roll) challenges the prevailing opinion that Marcus Camby is a defensive standout:

The guy doesn't leave the paint, he doesn't fight through screens, he won't show on a pick and roll, and he can (as it has been since 1996) be bullied in the low post. This fine post from Pickaxe and Roll leads to a series of other fine posts that echo what the proprietor of that site and other Nugget fans have been saying: Marcus gets blocks, and defensive rebounds, but he hurts his team defensively at times. I'm not going to go as far as to say that he hurts the team "nearly" as much defensively as he helps it - defensive boards and blocked shots still count - but Defensive Player of the Year? All-NBA Defense? No way.

Pickaxe noted back in June that Denver's defense was negligibly better with Camby on the floor and that "a truly great defender and shot blocker will alter many more shots than they block.  Camby does not do that." Camby has always been a much better defensive rover than a shut-down post defender.  And both KD and P&R's point is well taken -- the accumulation of defensive stats isn't a substitute for shot denial. 

As widely documented over the past 18 hours, plucking Marcus Camby off Denver's salary scrap heap is a sensible choice for the Clippers.  But more than that, it creates some interesting schematic choices for Dunleavy.  Camby is sort of a unique big.  Offensively, he's more comfortable around the elbow as a facilitator than he is as a brute muscling down low.  Camby's pick-and-pop game is solid, and he also knows how to hit a baseline cutter.  A lot of his success as a passer derives from the fact that he likes to hang out in the high post.  What's nice for the Clippers, is that this allows Kaman plenty of space to settle down low.  And because Marcus can hit that crazy, swinging set shot with proficiency, he'll draw opposing bigs off the block for Chris.

Defensively, Camby takes enormous pressure off Chris.  Both bigs are quick and both can block shots with impunity.  Camby's help/team defense is widely praised and that'll be important, because Al Thornton figures to blow defensive rotations on a regular basis until he masters NBA team defense. 

Are the Clippers a certain playoff team?  No.  But if Thornton can learn how to use his length and quickness on opposing 3s, they'll likely become a Top 10 defensive team again.  A big if, but one that's not outside the realm of possibility.  The Clippers could stand to add another dependable wing defender.  They might not have enough left to snag Josh Childress, but it would sure be nice.

UPDATE: Because we're all about empirical truth here, it's worth noting commenter Petey's evidence that Camby's mid-range set shot might not best be described as "proficient" -- borne out by his TS% and other assorted stats, which are quite low for a big man.

CONTRA-UPDATE: Kevin Pelton notes, "I don't think Camby is a bad midrange jumpshooter. Quickly eyeballing this list, 37.3% on outside twos seems about average for a big man; Tim Duncan shot 37.7%.  The problem is that Camby specializes in the most inefficient shot in the game. It's the lack of free throws and absence of threes that really kills his TS%."

Marc Stein over at ESPN.com has it:

Sources told ESPN.com that the Clippers will only have to surrender a future second-round pick to acquire Camby, who is being jettisoned into the Clippers' salary-cap space vacated by Brand to generate payroll relief for the Nuggets.

A trade call with the league to approve the deal has been completed, sources said, clearing the way for the teams to announce the swap later Tuesday.

Camby, 34, is coming off a productive season in which he averaged 9.1 points, 13.1 rebounds and 3.61 blocks for the Nuggets, who won 50 games to claim the final playoff spot in what is regarded as the most competitive conference race in league history.

But the Nuggets have yet to advance out of the first round with their Allen Iverson-Carmelo Anthony-Camby core and, according to sources, opted to shed the remaining two years on Camby's contract (worth nearly $15 million) to create the flexibility that could allow for more changes.

It's a good mid-term solution for the Clips.  Camby can more than compensate for Brand's rebounding and blocks.  He's arguably the most effective help defender in the league.  Not a bad passer, either.  Camby's usage dropped precipitously after Denver acquired Allen Iverson, but he's a reasonably effective scorer and has that dependable set shot from about 15.  He's certainly not capable of contributing at Elton's level -- and he'll never demand a double-team -- but he doesn't have to.  Side note: We posed the question a couple of years back, "is Chris Kaman secretly a power forward?" Now we might have occasion to find out.   

On the salary grid, Camby's contract is favorable: $8M next season; $7.65M in 2009-2010.  The Clippers essentially give up bupkis.  And they still have a little money left over under the cap to do something else -- whether it's now, during the season, or next offseason...or 2010. 

UPDATE: The NBA.com report on the Camby acquisition. 

UPDATE: There's some confusion as to Camby's salary.  Stein reports it as $10M each of the next two seasons. The reliable Hoops Hype grid shows it as $8M next season and $7.65M in 2009-2010. It's possible both are correct insofar as Camby earns $20M, but only the $8M/$7.65M count against the cap.  We'll try to learn more.

From Marc Stein at ESPN.com:

LAS VEGAS -- The Los Angeles Clippers confirmed on Sunday that lottery pick Eric Gordon will miss the remainder of the NBA Summer League on the campus of UNLV with a strained left hamstring.

Gordon, who has shown some nice flashes in two games despite his struggles from perimeter, suffered the strain Saturday in a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. The injury, while not believed to be serious, rules out what looked to be one of the better individual duels in Vegas this summer: Gordon's scheduled showdown Wednesday night with O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies. Drafted No. 7 overall last month out of Indiana, Gordon has missed 19-of-28 shots from the field in two games but has relied on his strength, body control and confidence to get to the free-throw line 21 times (making 16) in just under 60 minutes of court time, enabling him to average 19 points along with 6.5 rebounds. Clippers summer league coach Kim Hughes has been primarily playing Gordon as a shooting guard, a position in which he is likely to be deployed most as a rookie alongside Baron Davis. "I think once [Gordon] figures it out, he'll understand that he doesn't have to take the first available shot," Hughes told NBA.com. "When he uses the picks a little bit more, we'll send the ball to him weak side and he won't have to shoot the ball so quickly. I think he's got a good feel for the game, I think he can break his own guy down one-on-one and I think in transition he can be a monster."

The FTA number is encouraging.  Getting to the line is a skill and instinct I'd much rather see from a 19-year-old in the incipient moments if his career.  The FG% isn't nearly as important as the TS%, which is respectable.  The 11 rebounds in 57 minutes isn't bad either.  

MORE: Good quote from Kim Hughes on Gordon at NBA.com:

"I think once he figures it out, he'll understand that he doesn't have to take the first available shot," Hughes said. "When he uses the picks a little bit more, we'll send the ball to him weak side and he won't have to shoot the ball so quickly. I think he's got a good feel for the game, I think he can break his own guy down one-on-one, and I think in transition he can be a monster."

I realize Gordon wasn't the first choice of most Clips fans, but he has a game you can root for.  Let's hope he returns healthy and ready for training camp.

AUSTIN TX -- Clipperblog is through examining the tea leaves.  I’m willing to ascribe Brand’s decision to sign with Philadelphia as a confluence of factors – all of which are now in plain view.  Maybe it’s incuriosity or boredom – or the fact that Clipperblog is on vacation away from the hermetically sealed Los Angeles media chamber --  but divvying up blame in its appropriate servings seems silly.  

Whether Brand’s decision was something the Clippers could control is debatable.  But they fully control how they’ll address Brand’s departure.  The Clippers have a sizable chunk of cap space and how they use it will very much foretell the team’s health going forward.  

Trading for Zach Randolph and the three years and $48M remaining on his contract seems absurd. If the Clippers could unload Tim Thomas in the exchange, then the deal goes from absurd to merely problematic.  When you’re of the opinion that “winning” and “chemistry” are overrated attributes in producing victories, it’s always difficult dismissing a player on the basis of those deficiencies.  But having watched Randolph’s formidable offensive game in the post, I feel confident in suggesting that Zach Randolph, while a sick talent, would be detrimental to the organization’s near and long-term future.  Imagine Brand’s most glaring weakness [passing out of the double-team], and throw an exponent on it.  But that flaw in Randolph’s game can even begin to describe his apathy on the defensive end.  Some players can’t play defense – though for no lack of effort (Sam Cassell).  Some players merely can’t be bothered (Stephon Marbury).  Randolph seems to wed a lack of skill and effort.  

A much more interesting course – one reported by Marc Stein in his weekend chatter roundup – is the Clippers acquiring Rasheed Wallace (1 year, $13.68M remaining).  It wouldn’t be a long-term fix, but that’s precisely the point.  It would address the Clippers’ hole at PF and would do it without hampering their cap flexibility. Wallace is a smart inside-out player who provides stellar help defense.  A Davis/Wallace S/R could be potent – provided Wallace wanted to be the Clippers.  

I have a column over at ESPN.com. The takeaway: 

For Clippers fans, each scenario is awful for a different reason. The possibility that Brand never harbored any love for Clippers fans -- that his outward displays of loyalty were intended solely to bolster his "good guy" image -- is gut-wrenching. But what's equally terrifying is the idea that the Clippers can't even get it together to retain a player who actually wants to be there, all things being equal. That would mean recent flashes of know-how by the organization are merely aberrations in a terminal course of failure.

Clippers fans, by their nature, can stomach a great deal of indignity. But either circumstance -- cold-blooded betrayal or woeful neglect -- is something not even Clippers fans are truly equipped to deal with.

Full piece is here. 

What's emerging from the press corps are wildly different scenarios as to what transpired in the negotiations between the Clippers and Elton Brand.

• Mark Heisler's headline reads, "Donald Sterling can't be blamed for Elton Brand's departure."  Heisler maintains, "Whether that was Falk's influence or that Brand was impressed by the 76ers, he now seemed to be looking for a way to leave rather than a way to stay. Brand was slow in returning calls to Clippers officials. Whenever they made an offer, Falk would take it back to the 76ers."  This isn't necessarily to say that the Clipper front office managed the negotiations with aplomb, but a credible veteran reporter.
  
  
• The Associated Press tells a different story: "Forced by an ultimatum Brand would not accept, the would-be movie mogul and two-time NBA All-Star instead opted to take his production east and see his name roll on the credits of Philadelphia's roster.  The AP report claims, "The deal was nearly $20 million less than what Brand signed for in Philadelphia."  This would mean the Clippers put only $60M on the table, a number that contradicts virtually every other account of the negotiations. 
  
  
• In an on-air interview with ESPN, Brand says, "My intentions were totally to stay in L.A...But in the negotiations with my agent, David Falk, we asked for some things.  And it fell through."  Those things could include anything from a sixth year to a no-trade clause.  If the AP is to believed, it may also have included additional millions. 
  
  
• Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo! Sports supports the AP claim that the Clippers bungled the negotiations.  "Once Mike Dunleavy pushed past David Falk and reached out to Elton Brand, appealed to his star’s sensibilities and sentimentality for his Clippers’ home, the belief was that the most cunning and cutthroat agent of them all decided to treat this end-around as an act of treason."  But Wojnarowski also reports that the Clippers were willing to come correct, and that Falk's vindictiveness drove the proceedings.  "Owner Donald Sterling was willing to renounce several players to nearly match the Sixers’ $82 million offer, but the Clips could never be sure that Falk ever presented Brand with the information."
  
  
• J.J. Adande takes a facile approach and ascribes the outcome to the stitching on the front of the uniform and the fact that "They're the Clippers," though he also allows for the fact that "[Brand] got selfish."
  
  
• Marty Burns at SI takes an even approach.  He writes, " Ultimately, Brand made the decision himself. He is a grown man. He knows what he is doing."  But Burns also offers this defense of Brand: "Brand never said he would definitely re-sign with the Clippers. He merely said it was his intention to do so. Maybe he was being slightly disingenuous. It certainly appears now as if he wanted to get out of L.A. all along."  Whatever Brand's intentions, though, Burns concludes, "the bottom line is that the Clippers didn't get it done. Brand gave seven long years of sweat and blood to the Clippers. It's hard to blame him for wanting to play for an up-and-coming team closer to home, especially when that team made it clear how much it wanted him."

The time to extend Brand was last offseason, though it's entirely possible that Brand had every intention on testing free agency.  The bottom line is that few people will ever have a full chronicle of Brand's negotiations with the Clippers over the years, though I tend to agree with Burns' conclusion that the onus ultimately rests with the team's executives.  I won't fully excoriate them because I'm not furnished with the whole story.  But coffee is for closers. 

UPDATE: Lots of stuff in this analysis from Abrams at the LAT and this one from Ramona Shelburne at the Daily News. The backs-and-forth are starting to get ugly.

Dunleavy
"After I supposedly gave him a take-it-or-leave-it offer, we raised the offer to $75 million and $81 million. They can spin this thing any way they want to try and spin it. The bottom line is, anything Elton ever wanted I did it for him. They stopped having communication with us more than a week ago." 

"I can show text messages to Falk and all those things, (that we) made a verbal deal. You don't have to keep a verbal deal. It's not binding. You can say, 'You know what? I changed my mind I want to go to the East Coast because my wife's family is there. Or it's easier to make the playoffs. Or I can be an All-Star in the East as opposed to the West.' But just say it: We had a verbal deal and I just changed my mind."

Brand
Brand reiterated that he felt the Clippers' first offer was a take-it-or-leave it demand: "That's exactly what it was. Or that's what they said it was. And then, they came back and matched. But it's like, 'OK, do that the first time.' "

"That could have been a good team and a real special team. But sometimes, enough is enough...I wish them well. They're not bad people and this isn't like a get-out-of-jail card."

Falk
"In free agency, everything is compressed...You don't have time to play ping-pong. When they said $70 [million], I took it for face value. It was too much of a sacrifice, that's all."
Falk said that he found out, belatedly, that the Clippers had been negotiating with Brand without his agent. "I didn't know it then, I know it now...I know it after the fact. It's probably the reason that the deal fell apart."

"What you want when you're a franchise player you want to feel that you're wanted," Falk said. "And I think it was very disturbing to feel that ... it was basically accept it or don't accept it.

"That's a very difficult position to accept when you're a player of Elton's stature and you've done as much for the franchise as Elton has over the past seven years. I think that set in motion a chain of events that led us here today."

The story also includes these impressions: "Others in the Clippers organization, including some of Brand's former teammates, believed a deal had been locked in place with him, especially after a verbal agreement was reached with free-agent point guard Baron Davis. Brand had text messaged teammates that he was excited about the prospects of the team, according to NBA sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about player movements."

Clipperblog over the weekend:

My most cynical sense is that Brand's initial posture -- "Show me you're serious about winning, and I'll stay" -- was based on his belief that the Clippers would never be able to attract the talent to demonstrate their seriousness, which, in turn, would give him cover to walk.  But when the Clips landed Baron Davis, it left Brand in the awkward position of having to either live by his word -- and forfeit $20M -- or leave and break his tacit commitment.

Guess I was wrong about the $20M. 

The reason this is so hard for Clipper fans is that Elton Brand came to fill an important function.  Enough has been written about the subject, so I won't overstate how the Clippers occupy a unique place on the sports landscape. There are a few other tribes in fanhood who can appreciate the trial that accompanies the loyalty to a franchise like the Clippers.  For a lot of people in the Naçion, Brand changed that.  With Elton in his prime playing in a Clipper uniform, the psychic cost of being a Clipper fan became a lot more manageable.   

I don't know how fair it is to judge Elton.   Only a small collection of people know for certain what was said and not said in the confines of meetings, emails, formal and informal negotiations.  Should a group of strangers' potential grief dictate a decision as important as where a person should live and whom he has to work for? That's asking a lot.  Was Elton deceptive and insincere, or was his decision based on an honest desire to be close to family and work in an environment most to his liking?  My guess is the truth -- as it usually does -- lies somewhere in between.  But that doesn't make it any easier to take.

UPDATE: Terrific piece of sportswriting by Mark Heisler at the Los Angeles Times that sheds some light.  The Nut:

The Clippers had a bigger problem than Brand's agent. It was Brand.

Once he opted out of his Clippers contract, everything changed. Whether that was Falk's influence or that Brand was impressed by the 76ers, he now seemed to be looking for a way to leave rather than a way to stay. Brand was slow in returning calls to Clippers officials. Whenever they made an offer, Falk would take it back to the 76ers.

For those who know Brand, questioning his sincerity is like refusing to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Nevertheless, there is another Brand who surfaces occasionally, the wily one who tells you what you want to hear. Clippers officials who revered him noted that if Brand wanted to be here, he was making them work awfully hard to make it happen.

Look at it from Brand's standpoint.

If his opt-out had come up two seasons ago, the year the Clippers reached the second round of the playoffs, there's no way he would have left.

If his opt-out had come last summer after they fell from 47-35 to 40-42, who knows what would have happened?

Brand's opt-out came up this summer after a season that was all but canceled by his injury and that of Shaun Livingston. Worse, with Coach Mike Dunleavy in Sterling's doghouse, their front office was paralyzed.

The Clippers will move quickly on Josh Smith, though Atlanta has the right to match any offer.  Apart from Smith -- and his post game still has a way to go -- there aren't a lot of options down low on the free agent market.

Abrams' report:

Elton Brand has reached a verbal agreement to sign a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to an NBA source who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on player movements.

The deal is believed to be in the $80-million range and expected to span five years.

Brand opted out of the final season of his Clippers contract last week to become a free agent. He was due $16.4 million had he stayed in the contract.

The deal cannot be finalized until the league's moratorium period ends at midnight EDT on Tuesday.

The 76ers were the latest team to join the bidding frenzy for Brand, joining the Clippers and Golden State Warriors, who have already made five-year offers for Brand, according to the sources.

The 76ers cleared salary cap space Tuesday when they traded forwards Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth and a future No. 1 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal that has yet to be officially announced but was first reported by Yahoo.com.

Brand has not been reached for comment since he opted out of the final season of his Clippers contract last week. He flew to Washington, D.C., to meet with Falk last week and had a medical checkup with Dr. Craig Morgan in Wilmington, Del., the sources said.

Brand missed all but eight games last season with the Clippers because of a ruptured Achilles tendon.

"If somebody asked me whether he'd be healthy or had any ongoing fears, I would say no," it's not a problem, Morgan said Tuesday.

When Brand opted out of the final year of his Clippers' contract, he said Philadelphia would be one of the desirable alternatives. The move would put him back on the East Coast, where he grew up and went to college, with a team that has a strong nucleus of young players.

The Clippers' verbal contract agreement with free-agent point guard Baron Davis is not expected to be altered by Brand's decision, according to the sources.

The Clippers initially offered Brand, 29, a five-year, $70-million contract, which was expected to be the highest they could go while still signing Davis, according to NBA sources who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about player movements.

The Clippers then boosted their offer to Brand to five years and $80 million by renouncing the rights to other players, but it wasn't enough to re-sign him. The Warriors had tendered Brand a five-year, $90-million offer.

It's worth noting that, if the Times' report is accurate, both Philadelphia and the Clippers offered Brand identical deals of five years/$80M.  Brand will join a lineup that includes Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Thad Young, and Samuel Dalembert. 

Elton Brand's departure is a visceral kick in the stomach to a fan base that found, in Brand, the only true icon in franchise history.  More immediately, it places the Clippers behind only Golden State and Memphis in the Cap Space Sweepstakes.  The organization must quickly decide if it wants to pursue Corey Maggette, which would be a wrongheaded act of desperation, woo Josh Smith -- an intriguing, more youthful alternative at the PF, or stand pat for the 2009 free agent class. 

UPDATE: Stein has Maggette going to Oakland, and the Clips "making a hard run at Atlanta Hawks restricted free agent Josh Smith."  Stein also has the competing five-year contract offers for Elton at Philly $82M, Clippers $75M. 

Marc Stein's latest:

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Monday night that the Philadelphia 76ers are again "actively involved" in the Brand hunt after initially fearing that they couldn't compete financially with the Clippers and Golden State Warriors.

Although the leaguewide consensus remains that Brand will return to Hollywood to form a new partnership with Clipper-to-be Baron Davis, sources reveal that the Sixers are growing increasingly confident in their ability to create additional salary-cap space by finding a new home via trade for swingman Rodney Carney and then make a sufficiently rich offer to Brand...

...separate sources suggested Monday that Brand -- if he's ultimately drawn away from his Face of the Franchise status with the Clippers -- would be more inclined to jump to Philadelphia than Golden State, given the Sixers' residence in a conference with far fewer contenders than the West and the opportunity to join a young Philly nucleus (Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala and considerable wingspan of center Samuel Dalembert) that won many admirers as last season progressed.

Not sure if this property ever moved.

Some speculation from Sean Deveney at the Sporting News:

The motivation for his decision to opt out was that he could put pressure on the Clippers to improve the roster, to make the team better by spending a little money. They did just that. So Brand should have fallen in and re-joined the Clippers. But five days have passed and Brand still hasn't signed.

It's worth asking: Why not?

"It makes sense for Elton to wait till the salary-cap numbers come out, because then he knows exactly what teams can offer and what his options are," says one league source. "He wants the max. He can put the Clippers in a situation that they have to give it to him."

One general manager agreed. "I don't think Elton really wants to leave the Clippers, but he wants them to pay him, too," he said...

If L.A. wants to keep Brand, the only way to ensure it happens is to up the offer. Otherwise, by the end of this week, we could have our second shocker of the free-agent period.

There's some irony here. By opting out, Brand clearly put pressure on the Clippers to spend more money on other free agents. What isn't clear is whether he can put enough pressure to get the Clippers to spend more money on himself.

My most cynical sense is that Brand's initial posture -- "Show me you're serious about winning, and I'll stay" -- was based on his belief that the Clippers would never be able to attract the talent to demonstrate their seriousness, which, in turn, would give him cover to walk.  But when the Clips landed Baron Davis, it left Brand in the awkward position of having to either live by his word -- and forfeit $20M -- or leave and break his tacit commitment. 

Again, this is the least generous read on the situation.  The more hopeful one is...hopefully...more likely.  And the best case scenario is here.

UPDATE: Marc Stein gets into the numbers:

...Even if Brand is not interested in the extra sixth year that only the Clippers are allowed to offer him and insists on a five-year deal -- as my tireless colleague Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports -- L.A. can still assemble a five-year deal worth $80-85 million and give Davis his estimated $65 million over five years.

Upping their reported five-year, $70 million offer to Brand depends on how many of the following free agents that the Clippers are willing to renounce in addition to possibly waiving Josh Powell: Corey Maggette, Shaun Livingston, Quinton Ross, Nick Fazekas, Marcus Williams, Paul Davis, Dan Dickau, Boniface N'Dong, James Singleton and the immortal Smush Parker.

So...

We might eventually be looking at a difference of only $10 million or so between the two contracts, as opposed to the widespread assumption that the Warriors are offering some $20 million more than their Pacific Division co-tenants ... as long as Clippers owner Donald Sterling is willing to go to the five-year max.

No matter how jittery Clippers officials might be about Golden State's rich offer -- as we also keep hearing -- Sterling shouldn't have much to fret about if he's willing to nudge Brand's new deal past the $80 million plateau. I struggle to see a shortfall of $10 million or $12 million or anything in that ballpark convincing Brand to walk away from L.A. to join a Golden State team that suddenly has a major hole at point guard as well as a younger core than the team he'd be leaving.

It's especially hard to picture that scenario when you factor in Brand's well-chronicled love of Hollywood, his one-of-a-kind pride in being a Clipper and the fact that Brand, as ESPN.com reported last week, specifically told Clippers management during negotiations on a contract extension in June that Davis was the player he hoped they'd pursue if Davis became available in free agency.

 Why Elton might not be interested in year 6.  

• Marcus Thompson II in the Contra Costa Times reports, "It appears the Warriors aren't going to be able to snatch power forward Elton Brand from the Los Angeles Clippers. The buzz among NBA insiders is that Brand — by all accounts a class act — will honor his word and remain with the Clippers." [Hat Tip: Petey Pablo]
  
  "Buzz" and "by all accounts" doesn't exactly translate into "dry ink," or even "verbally committed," but it might be about as concrete as it gets for a holiday weekend.
  
  Thompson -- this time in the Merc -- reports that the Warriors will now turn their attention to Corey Maggette.
  
  
• Chris Kaman: Carrying forward the Uwe Blab legacy for the Deutschlanders.
   
• Your 2008 Clippers Summer Team.  Keep an eye out for Pasadena Polytechnic High grad, former Penn Quaker standout, and Academic All-Ivy forward Koko Archibong.  The Nigerian baller got a shot with the Lakers a few years back, and was last spotted bumping around the BBL in Germany.  Archibong probably won't make the Clippers' 08-09 roster, but he's a Clipperblog favorite.
  
  
• From John Hollinger at ESPN.com: "On paper, few pairings seem more flammable than Mike Dunleavy and Baron Davis. Dunleavy is a control guy at the offensive end who likes to call set post-up plays over and over, while Davis has bristled under every coach who didn't give him free rein to launch contested 3s off the dribble with 21 on the shot clock. Don't get me wrong, Davis is a fantastic player. But I wonder how it's going to work when Dunleavy calls 4-down six plays in a row and whether Davis' disdain for structure ultimately will cause him to underachieve the same way he did for Tim Floyd, Byron Scott and Mike Montgomery."
  
  I don't think it's an unfair point.  The portfolio of post players Davis has teamed with includes the likes of P.J. Brown, Jamaal Magloire, and Andris Biedrins.  So running point for a post team that's inclined to start things down low will probably require an adjustment on Davis' part. 
  
  

From Jonathan Abrams at the Los Angeles Times:

...the Golden State Warriors have offered free-agent Elton Brand a more lucrative, multiyear deal than the Clippers have proposed, according to NBA sources who requested anonymity because they are not allowed to speak about other free-agent dealings. On Tuesday, the Clippers reached a verbal agreement to sign Warriors free-agent Baron Davis and were nearing a new deal with Brand.

Now, the Warriors have more salary cap space than the Clippers and have offered Brand a maximum contract, according to the sources.

Brand could not be reached for comment this morning.

The subtext of the Clippers' poaching of Davis has been that he and Elton have [unofficially] coordinated their decisions.  That's the hope, at least. 

UPDATE: From Chad Ford's live chat on ESPN.com: "I think [Elton Brand] opted out specifically so that the Clippers would have room to sign Baron. He'll be back in LA for sure ..."

The Clippers surprised a lot of people when they matched big offer sheets on both Elton Brand and Corey Maggette in the summer of 2003 when the consensus was that the two budding stars would follow historical precedent and bolt the Clippers for better money and a chance to win elsewhere.  In the summer of 2005, free agent Cuttino Mobley signed a contract worth 5 years and $42M with the Clippers.  It was the kind of mid-range deal that goes off without much fanfare during the league's summer slumber.  Sure, Mobley was a 17 ppg guy and a reputable defender, but he was a rung below the elite shooting guards of that free agent class, which included Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, and Michael Redd.  For the Clippers, though, it was a huge acquisition. Mobley was the first free agent of any stature who willfully chose the Clippers as his destination.  And it's likely that Mobley was one of the first free agents of any stature whom the Clippers didn't lowball or outright ignore.  Whatever you thought of Mobley’s game or the length and size of his contract, signing him was another milestone.  It proved that the Clippers were a franchise that a solid NBA starter in the prime of his career might, you know, want to play for.  

But Baron Davis exists in an entirely different orbit.  He's a premier, image-conscious athlete who is militantly protective of his brand, which makes his choice of the Clippers all the more remarkable.   I don't think Davis-Mobley-Thornton-Brand-Kaman with a thin bench puts the Clippers on par with the very best teams of the West, but it makes them competitive almost every night, a playoff team [if they stay healthy], and infinitely more fun to watch.  Mechanically, Davis fits Dunleavy's preference for big guards.  It does something the Clippers have never been able to do for Elton Brand -- even with Sam Cassell -- which is legitimately spread the floor.  Davis at the point will also allow the Clips to nurse Gordon and Thornton on the wings.  

More than anything, the Davis signing would reverse the downward trajectory the franchise has been charting the past 18 months, and would guarantee that Elton Brand plays another five years for a franchise in need of some totems.

 

 

From Jonathan Abrams at the Los Angeles Times:

Baron Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar, told The Times that they have a verbal agreement to sign with the Clippers.

Davis is expected to sign a contract in the five-year, $50-million range.

"From a basketball standpoint it's always been about winning for Baron," Ramasar said. "This presented a good opportunity to do that to pair him with Chris Kaman and Elton Brand is expected back."

The Clippers can't announce any deals until July 9 when next year's salary cap is determined.

The $10M/per number corresponds almost identically to the amount the Clippers clear by parting ways with Corey Maggette.  Given the discount it represents under Davis' market value, it also suggests that we should be hearing word of Elton fairly soon.

¡Viva la Naçion!

UPDATE: ESPN reports: "Sources told ESPN.com that Davis, 29, will receive a five-year deal worth an estimated $65 million."

UPDATE: The 2008-2009 NBA cap number projects to be about $58.1M.  If you pencil in Davis for $13.5M, that brings the Clippers to about $42M.  Also keep in mind that the Clippers have exactly five guys under contract, plus Gordon and Jordan.

Clipper fan, Michael Whang, offers this acoustic appeal to Baron Davis...

;

There are two central questions to the Brand and Davis opt-outs:

First, how real are the rumors that both Brand and Davis will sign with the Clippers?

Second – if that happens, how good are the Clippers with the following eight players under contract?

PG       Davis/Knight
SG       Mobley/Gordon
SF        Thornton/Thomas
PF        Brand
C         Kaman

Kelly Dwyer looks at both the speculation and a potential Clipper team with Brand and Davis.  Nobody does better truth-squadding than KD, and his post is essential reading.   

The Clippers do have cap space…Corey took the plunge, which leaves Los Angeles with about 29.6 million dollars in salary in place for next year, with the NBA's salary cap expected to be a shade over 58 million dollars in 2008-09.

Does all of that get earmarked for Brand and Davis? I'm not going to give you one of those "they're the Clippers" speeches, because even if you don't agree with the team's personnel moves, you can't call this outfit cheap anymore, not since it matched contract offers for Brand and Maggette back in 2003 and the flurry of signings/extensions in the years following. That said, filling out the rest of the cap with these two leaves Los Angeles with eight players under contract, and nothing more than a pretty solid team.

Even if Brand and Davis evenly split that nearly 30 million starting next year, both players will be playing for less money than they were due to make originally. Creating a sign and trade with Golden State doesn't make sense because there is nobody on that roster that the Warriors would want to give Baron Davis-sized money to, and that would leave Brand with the short end of the stick starting salary-wise.

Someone, if not both Davis and Brand, will be getting the stick in this situation. And for what? The Clippers would have those two; center Chris Kaman, emerging forward Al Thornton, rookie Eric Gordon, with veteran shooters Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley hanging around. That's a good team, even if Davis misses some time, but not an overwhelming team. The Clippers will have more cap space coming down the pike years later when Mobley and Thomas' contracts expire, but not a ton.

There are few in the Naçion who wouldn’t endorse a Davis signing, but it’s worth examining whether adding Davis truly elevates the Clippers to an upper-echelon team. 

The Clippers won 47 games in 2005-2006 with the Brand-Cassell screen/roll as its offensive lynchpin.  Even though Cassell had a resurgent effort that season, there’s little doubt that a healthy Baron Davis would represent a profound upgrade, particularly at the defensive end where Davis is strong and smart.  With Maggette’s departure, Al Thornton would have to fill the vacuum on the wing.  Though most Clippers fans have been itchy to consign the shooting guard slot to someone other than Cuttino Mobley, the Clips would  need Cat’s presence on the perimeter to contain opposing scorers.  Eric Gordon is scouted as a solid defensive player, but would you entrust him in his rookie season to guard Kobe Bryant in quarters one and four?  Davis would slide over on occasion to cover shooting guards, but by and large that role will be left to Cat – particularly against small forwards because Al Thornton has proved to be nothing more than a mediocre defender. 

That leaves as the unquantifiable variables in the equation – as usual – the development of Christopher Zane Kaman, as well as the health of the big scorers.  Davis played in every Warriors’ game last season, but in the prior three seasons he missed 83 games.  Elton’s Achilles tendon seems to be healing nicely, but whether EB can reach the heights of his 2006 game remain to be seen.

It’s obvious that the organization will extend healthy offers to both Brand and Davis.  What’s unclear is what happens if either or both balk.  As Dwyer points out, one of these two guys will be “getting the stick in this situation.” Will the prospect of kinda-sorta contending for a Top 4 seed might pale next to getting the max elsewhere?  Is so, where do the Clippers go from there?

Could a Clippers team with both Elton Brand and Baron Davis chase the Lakers into the ides of March?  Could sinking half of the team’s payroll into dual contracts for a couple of guys who will turn 30 this spring be ruinous going forward?   All good questions, but ones whose worst-case scenarios shouldn’t preclude the Clippers from rolling the dice.  Having tasted 47 wins, the Naçion will happily settle for pretty solid.