But with all the attention in Denver on Carmelo Anthony and the positive impact Chauncey Billups has had since arriving via Detroit, Nene’s under-the-radar performance through 19 games can no longer go unrecognized.

Now in his seventh season with the Nuggets, the 6-11 power forward has benefitted from the Marcus Camby trade by taking advantage of the extra minutes in ways few anticipated. Amongst eligible players, Nene leads the league in field-goal percentage at 62.8% on about 9 shot attempts/per–that’s a full 3 percentage points above the next closest players (Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, who mostly just dunk). He’s averaging career-bests of 14.9 points, 7.2 boards, 1.6 blocks, and 77% FT/per, and has played in every game thus far; the 33:17 minutes per are also the most of his professional career.

Nene’s effort in Tuesday night’s 132-93 thrashing of the Toronto Raptors was indicative of the efficiency and control he’s played with all season long: 19 points (8-9 FG, 3-3 FT), 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and a +21 rating. Those kinds of numbers are fantasy gold for those out there who spent a low-round pick on him this year, but more importantly are helping ease the burden on Anthony and Billups and the reliance on Kenyon Martin’s erratic-at-best offense.

It’s hard not to root for this likeable guy. He’s suffered one health setback after another over the years, some more serious than others, but keeps coming back and giving it his all. His ability to bang on the blocks, rebound, and score from inside or just-outside the paint have never been much of a question mark, and so far this season he’s proving it. Much like the rest of the Nuggets, Nene has also, to be sure, flourished since the arrival of Billups, a true PG whose calming demeanor and talent to consistently set his teammates up for open shots is in stark contrast to Allen Iverson’s more frenetic pacing.

I’ll stop, though–wouldn’t want to jinx him.

The Mavericks have the second-largest payroll in the league at $92.3 million this season, but it’s being wasted on a roster of fading and mismatched talent. Marshalling the bad-contract parade is Jason Kidd, the fourth-highest paid player in the league. His $21.4 million will mercifully come off the books after this season – and the Mavs should be happy to let him walk. They’re not going anywhere with this group, it’s time to think of the future. Dirk Nowitzki is the face of the franchise, but at 30 years of age and with the ability to opt out after next season he presents a dilemma. Do they want to pay him, even if he chooses to stay?

If Dirk had a younger running mate or two in the prime of their careers it might make sense for him to stick around, but they don’t. The closest thing this team has to youth and potential is 22-year-old Gerald Green, a guy who couldn’t stick in youth-oriented Minnesota or athletically-starved Houston last season. On top of that they traded away their first-round draft picks for this year and next in the Jason Kidd gaffe last season, so reinforcements are not on the way. Dallas is in dire need of a young playmaker on the perimeter who can play both ways, take the ball to the basket, put pressure on defenses and run the floor.

They need someone like Devin Harris, the guy they unceremoniously shipped out of town last season (along with those two first-round picks) for the bloated contract of Jason Kidd. The 25-year-old is enjoying an incredible breakout season and gets my early vote for the Most Improved Player award. After blowing up in back-to-back games on November 29th and 30th Harris is averaging 25 points, 6.5 assists, and nearly 4 rebounds with remarkable efficiency of 49% FGs and 82% FTs. In those two games alone he exploded for 81 points on 27-of-42 shooting, and he’s reached the 30-point plateau in 6 of his 13 games this season.

I’m a big Devin Harris fan, but I didn’t expect this kind of offensive production so soon. What I did expect was the solid defense. Harris has exceptional lateral quickness, fast hands, and good size for the position. He’s already an elite defender, and adding in the efficient and prolific offensive production has made him one of the best young players in basketball even if few are taking notice. With a salary of just $7.8 million this season he’s one of the league’s best bargains as well.

Last season the Mavs suffered an embarrassing first-round loss to the New Orleans Hornets in which they looked as old and creaky as they have since the emergence of Dirk Nowitzki. They looked tired then, and this season hasn’t been any better. As Ryan Schwan of Hornets 24/7 points out, the efficiency of the Dallas offense is, “tied for the worst decline in the league with the Baron Davis-less Warriors. Go Jason Kidd.” The Kidd experiment has proven an unquestionable mistake and it might be time to blow this team up. While Dirk eyes free agency more keenly with each loss, Mavs fans have to wonder what could have been if they’d only held on to Devin Harris. Oh, and those two first-round picks would be nice, too.

Related Reading:
- Jason Kidd, the Newest Dallas Maverick?
- The Day the Dallas Mavericks Died
- The Dallas Mavericks Quietly Abscond with Former Dunk Champ Gerald Green
- DeSagana Diop was One Tall Maverick

Devin Harris Photo Credit: Icon SMI

There’s been very little movement at the top; the rest of the league is another story.

Every week a group of NBA writers, including the dons here at ETB, take some time to take a look around the NBA and rank its teams 1-30, best to worst, winners to losers, champs to chumps, so that you can get an easy-to-dissiminate update on the current state of the league. As you’ll see below, last year’s NBA Finals participants are off to a combined record of 30-3 and remain the top two teams in the league; the league’s worst two, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers, are a combined 5-29.

These rankings are an aggregate of each writer’s individual ranks; comments are included to further shed light into the mind of our voters. Make sure you check out the list of links at the very bottom for more NBA thoughts from this week’s participants, and to contrast and compare with the Week 4 ranks, head on over to Bright Side of the Sun; 3 Shades of Blue are next week’s hosts.

Without further ado, it’s Week 5 of the NBA Blogger Power Rankings.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (14-1)

- 3 Shades of Blue: “I’m bored with their brilliance already.”
- Bright Side of the Sun: “Only the injury bug will stop this team. Is it bad to hope for injury?”
- RaptorsHQ.com: “Odom off the bench. Is that even fair?”

2. Boston Celtics (16-2)

- Celtics Blog: “Closing out a brutal month for the champs that included six back-to-back slates with a 16-2 record should strike fear in the rest of the league.”
- RaptorsHQ.com: “Better than last year? Sure looks like it.”
- LakersNation: “Dominating? No. Winning? Yes.”

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (14-3)

- Queen City Hoops: “LeBron may be messing with Cleveland about leaving - but it has caused management to put together a competitive team around him. Won’t a title be worth the anxiety?”
- RaptorsHQ.com: “Is it too early to talk about James 2016 because 2010 is being talked about more than the economy these days.”
- Lakers Nation: “Mo Williams doesn’t get enough credit for making Big Z relevant again.”
- Bright Side of the Sun: “I still don’t believe this team is that good.”

4. Orlando Magic (13-4)

- 3 Shades of Blue: “Injuries have plagued the Magic recently, but they manage to keep rolling along. Monday night’s game against Boston is must-see TV.”
- Celtics Blog: “We’ll see how good the Magic are when they play the Celtics this week.”
- RaptorsHQ.com: “9-1 in their last ten with Anthony Johnson starting.”
- Empty the Bench: “The loss of starting shooting guard Mikael Pietrus for 3 - 5 weeks could hurt them for awhile–God knows when you try out J.J. Redick in the starting lineup that SG depth is still a problem for this team.”

5. Portland Trail Blazers (12-6)

- A Stern Warning: “Yep, it’s been said a whole bunch of times, this team has had the toughest schedule out there — and they’re still winning games.”
- Bright Side of the Sun: “Young guns are playing well but still missing some pieces. Will they trade potential for wins?”
- Queen City Hoops: “My numbers are getting messed up by their blowouts. But who is really surprised to see them start to turn it on?”

6. Houston Rockets (11-7)

- With Malice: “The Rockets started the season with a lot of hype, and quickly dismissed it with some less-than-expected performances as just that: hype. But of recent times are actually doing very well - this time without the noise of expectation.”
- Empty the Bench: “And now we may get to see if this latest version of the Rockets is better without Tracy McGrady in the lineup for an extended period of time. He’ll visit Dr. James Andrews this week for a look at that fragile knee of his.”
- 3 Shades of Blue: “They served notice as to why they lead the Southwest Division by trouncing the suddenly resurgent Spurs on Saturday night.”
- Lakers Nation: “Aaron Brooks has been a revelation for this team; he’s cooled off over the last few games though.”

7. Denver Nuggets (12-6)

- Lakers Nation: “Carmelo Anthony has only had one good shooting game this season and is only shooting 40% on the season - that will change.”
- RaptorsHQ.com: “Adding Chauncey Billups makes this team legit, much like the Bibby trade last season for the Hawks.”
- With Malice: “Billups is the injection of maturity and leadership that Iverson never was. Denver just have to hope that this influence continues off the court for their young, somewhat errant star Carmelo Anthony.”

8. Utah Jazz (11-7)

- 3 Shades of Blue: “Despite a string of injuries to key contributors, Jerry Sloan’s steady hand has kept Utah at the top of the West. Predictable and boring, but you cannot argue with success.”
- A Stern Warning: “5-5 in their last 10, but don’t misunderestimate how good this squad will be with a full serving of Jazzsters.”
- Lakers Nation: “Deron Williams is back, and he is passing up the rock like it’s a Ron Artest album.”

9. Phoenix Suns (11-7)

- RaptorsHQ.com: “Think I could convince my boss to work every other day? Shaq’s got a dream gig.”
- With Malice: “Troubled times for the Suns, who still seem like a team with an identity crisis.”
- Empty the Bench: “Terry Porter as head coach of Phoenix feels like a square peg being squeezed in vain into a round hole. That, and Steve Nash still makes us laugh on the defensive end of the floor.”

10. New Orleans Hornets (9-6)

- 3 Shades of Blue: “This team is missing something, but I can’t quite put my finger on what.”
- Celtics Blog: “Still inconsistent; very puzzling and starting to become troubling.”
- Empty the Bench: “So what’s the problem here? Hard to pin down, but Tyson Chandler 2008 doesn’t look much like Tyson Chandler 2007, and as a whole the team just seems sort of flat. Byron Scott wearing out his welcome? Just a guess, who knows.”

The rest of this week’s NBA Blogger Power Rankings after the break…

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Happy Thanksgiving weekend, dearest ETB readers. Remember to set your lineup for the trio of Turkey Day games, but much more importantly, please keep those affected by these tragic terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, in your thoughts and prayers.

Fantasy Week 13 - Top 20 Quarterbacks

1. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys vs. SEA
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints @ TB
3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts @ CLE
4. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers vs. ATL
5. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals @ PHI
6. Brett Favre, New York Jets vs. DEN
7. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. CAR
8. Matt Cassel, New England Patriots vs. PIT
9. Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos @ NYJ
10. Chad Pennington, New York Jets @ STL
11. Eli Manning, New York Giants @ WSH
12. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons @ SD
13. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles vs. ARZ
14. Kerry Collins, Tennessee Titans @ DET
15. Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City Chiefs @ OAK
16. David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars @ HOU
17. Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills vs. SF
18. Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Bucs vs. NO
19. Kyle Orton, Chicago Bears @ MIN
20. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers @ NE

Rest of the Week 13 fantasy football ranks after the break…

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It’s rare that we see deals with name-brand players mid-season in the NBA. This isn’t an elaborate series of one-on-one machinations like baseball. It’s basketball, a dynamic, fluid team game won or lost more often than not because of an intricate chemistry among players who have logged hundreds of hours on the court together. In basketball new teammates need time to gel, to learn a complex series of defensive rotations and offensive sets, to adapt to and memorize their teammates’ tendencies, skills and weaknesses on both ends.

But as Knicks fans know all too well, basketball isn’t just won or lost on the court either.

Also unlike baseball, the presence of a salary cap makes every transaction high on risk and strategy. That combination of factors is why the trade deadline usually comes and goes without incident, let alone the early season. It creates a general atmosphere of reluctance. That’s what made Count Donnie Walsh’s pair of trades this weekend shocking and fascinating. But we shouldn’t be surprised at Walsh shipping Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph out of town - he had no choice. As for why the Clippers and Warriors were willing participants? That’s slightly more confusing.

Now that the dust has settled (for now), ETB examines and grades the transactions from all three angles.

Find out how the Clippers, Warriors and Knicks fared after the jump…

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Tim Thomas’ star has diminished to nothing more than a fading twinkle in the NBA solar system. Because of that, he not only escaped our top-10 and dishonorable mentions lists, but also the ever-watchful eyes and minds of our readers. He’s been a forgotten man in the forgotten destination known as Clipper Land, but after being involved in last week’s trade that sent him and teammate Cuttino Mobley packing for New York in exchange for Zach Randolph, Thomas is again in the headlines, albeit temporarily.

And what a sad, sad thing it is that he’s again been jettisoned, this time as nothing more than expiring-contract meat, bound to toil away on a team with no real desire to do anything more this year than to improve its chances of landing a high lottery pick next summer and to bide its time to pounce on LeBron James.

The seventh-overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft, Thomas will be making his second (and surely short-lived) stint with the Knickerbockers. As a Knick from 2003-05, he actually enjoyed one of the more offensively productive stretches of his underwhelming 12-year career, averaging 13.9 points in 95 games over 1 1/2 seasons. With NYC’s roster a little depleted, Thomas will get minutes and every opportunity to post a sub-40% field-goal percentage. Don’t be surprised if he’s chucking 4 - 6 triple tries a night, playing time allowing.

Thomas deserves credit for hanging around this long, and he’s certainly had his moments over the years, but there’s no getting around how depressing the guy has slowly but surely become. Early in his career, it was always flashes of great potential, followed by prolonged bouts of listlessness and one-dimensional contributions. He’s never offered much in the way of peripheral stats–career averages of 4.2 boards, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks (at 6-10), and 36% for threes–and his career scoring of 11.8 isn’t so hot either. Over 12 seasons he’s never been healthy enough to play in all 82-regular season games, and is now on his fourth team since leaving the Milwaukee Bucks in the summer of ‘04.

All of this from a guy Ray Allen once said “could be the best player in the league.” That, dear friends, is downright depressing.

Related Reading:
- The NBA’s Most Depressing Players of 2008

Tim Thomas Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Keeping James content in his hometown state has by all accounts been an uphill battle: the Cavaliers haven’t exactly been considered a model franchise that’s a desirable location for premier NBA talent in a long, long time. And if that ping-pong ball with their logo hadn’t magically dropped into the King’s coronation slot back in ‘03, there’s little to believe they’d still be nothing more than an Eastern Conference also-ran.

But James changed that, he took them to a NBA Finals appearance, and has them poised for a possible return this season, backed by what looks like his strongest overall supporting cast yet. So here we are.

There’s been some missteps and strike outs along the way, but credit Ferry for retooling the backcourt around Mo Williams and Delonte “ETB Favorite” West and for at least giving head coach Mike Brown some decent frontcourt options to plug in around James and Big Z.

Having finally surrounded James with more proven talent, Ferry’s next challenge, as you may have heard about by now, is convincing him to stay in Cleveland come 2010. Nobody really knows where James’ mind is at, but he’ll clearly have the opportunity to make a move if he’s so inclined. The endless scuttlebutt, of course, has him logically moving into the biggest market in the US and perhaps the world, The Big Apple, to join the New York Knicks.

It makes total sense, right? The world’s most marketable athlete in the world’s biggest marketing city. The big Madison Square Garden stage, the bright lights, yada yada yada.

As we saw this evening, however, as James’ Cavs whipped the Knicks 119-101, New York might promise the opportunity for more endorsement deals and a brighter star, but the franchise itself remains in disarray and for the most part resembles one of those Cleveland teams James was dragged down by in his first few seasons.

More on LeBron James and the NY Knicks after the jump…

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Given the debacle that continues to unfold with the struggling Charlotte Bobcats franchise, there’s no way of knowing if Michael Jordan will ever be offered another front-office position should the day come that he and his current organization part ways. Four words of caution, however, should another franchise ever consult Jordan about making a high lottery pick:

Kwame Brown. Adam Morrison.

“Coffee with No Cream” Brown was, of course, the first-overall pick in the 2001 draft by the Washington Wizards and the first selection by the front-office version of Jordan. Needless to say that one worked out incredibly well for all parties involved.

Jordan’s second “first pick,” this time as Manager of Basketball Operations for the Bobcats, is shaping up to be another winner: Adam Morrison, who was taken third overall back in ‘06 ahead of guys like Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, and Randy Foye. That class hasn’t yet shaped up to be an incredibly strong one just yet, but even then many wondered whether the gangly, mustachioed, 70s porn-star wannabe that was Morrison would be able to replicate the prolific offensive success he enjoyed during his college days in Gonzaga after graduating to the NBA.

The early results indicate that no, he most certainly cannot.

The 6-8 swingman played in 78 regular-season games during his rookie season, averaging almost 30 minutes a night and wrapping up the season with pers of 11.8 points, 3 boards, 2.1 assists, 37% FG, and 33% from behind the arc. As far as defensive stats and impact goes, well, I’d rather not rub that aspect of his game in. Those aren’t the kind of stats one expects from a guy with such lofty draft status, but hey, chalk it up to being a rookie.

Unfortunately for Morrison and the Bobcats, a torn ACL in the preseason brought his sophomore campaign to an early close, and the rawwrr in Charlotte turned more into a kitty-cat meow than it already was.

Now 24 years old, slightly more clean-shaven, and fresh off a long-overdue haircut, Morrison is slowly working his way back into the offensively challenged Bobcats rotation; his minutes and effectiveness have wildly fluctuated on this Larry Brown-led team. (Go figure.)

Somewhat to my surprise, Morrison has seen action in all 13 of his team’s games thus far (I’m not trying to jinx you, Adam… really), averaging 7.6 points, 2.1 boards, 1.4 assists, and 41% FG–underwhelming numbers, sure, but actually an improvement on his shooting percentages from his rookie season. Of course, that probably has something to do with less shot attempts. He did enjoy a fairly decent three-game stretch about 2 weeks or so ago in which he totaled 7 triples in tallying 45 points on 52% shooting. And in the Bobcats’ 93-84 win on Monday against the 76ers, he logged almost 23 minutes and finished with 10 points (on 50% FG), 2 triples, 5 boards, 2 assists, and a steal. It’s not much, but the ‘Cats will take what they can get for now.

Including this season, Morrison will make over $16 million during the final 3 years of his rookie contract: will he ever develop into the kind of player Jordan and the Bobcats envisioned when they drafted him? It’s hard to imagine him as anything more than a role player off the bench or a spot-starter, but there is value in guys who can step onto the floor and provide some instant offense. Morrison will never be much of a defensive player, but he probably won’t be asked to do much more on that end of the floor besides to try and not embarass himself.

No–if this kid is to make any sort of mark at this level, it’ll be in the scoring column; for that to happen, he’s going to have to do something about that field-goal percentage. We’re seeing it right now in the Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng: a dire need to counter-adjust to the adjustments the rest of the league has made to his game. Time will tell if he’s capable of doing it.

Related Reading:
- ETB’s Scribes of the NBA Interview Series - Brett Hainline of Queen City Hoops
- Toothless: Why the Charlotte Bobcats Aren’t Making Progress and What Needs to be Done

- Bright Side of the Sun - Another week of the Blogger Power Rankings are up for debate.
- MLive - Antonio McDyess is set to rejoin the Detroit Pistons on December 3.
- Canis Hoopus - Speaking of Detroit, that buyout plan didn’t work out as advertised.
- Knickerblogger - The split personalities of Stephon Marbury, a real American hero.
- Hoops Addict - Chris Bosh has been killing it–his Raptor teammates, not so much.
- Blaze of Love - A list of some pretty ugly, often poorly-tattooed NBA players.
- HoopsHype - The Dallas Mavericks are going nowhere and might be out of moves, too.
- Mr. Irrelevant - So, who’s buying one of those sharp Chicago Zephyrs throwback jerseys?
- JBomb - Attn Charlotte Bobcats: a dummy’s guide to playing offensive basketball.
- The Dreamshake - Yao Ming > Dwight Howard, according to this Houston Rockets writer.
- ESPN - Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale headline this year’s list of Basketball HoF inductees.
- Sports Illustrated - An early look at the star-studded NBA free agent class of 2010.
- Fast Break - Don Nelson’s isolation-oriented offense: a good thing or a bad thing?
- Basketball Prospectus - Judge Scott Brooks by Kevin Durant’s development.
- Behind the Blazers Beat - Shaq being Shaq (read: total asshole).

Happy Friday everybody, enjoy.

The Five Worst Teams in the Western Conference:
5) The Memphis Grizzlies
4) The Minnesota Timberwolves
3) The Sacramento Kings
2) The Oklahoma City Thunder
1) The Los Angeles Clippers

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the worst team in the Western Conference: the Los Angeles Clippers. The term “worst” is going to be highly subjective, especially where fandom is concerned. Does it mean the team that will have the fewest wins this season? Given the NBA is entertainment, does it indicate how entertaining they are? Is it just which team would be most painful to be a fan of? Is it which team you would expect to lose to all others if they played tomorrow? Is it merely which team is the furthest from being a legitimate title contender? Is it which team has sustained their gross ineptitude the longest? How much should youth, potential, and financial flexibility factor in? There are a lot of things to weigh, and “worst” is going to mean something slightly different to everybody. To us it means the Clippers.

There’s some debate between the Thunder and the Clippers in this spot, especially after the Clips walloped OKC in their first meeting this season, but nobody should be shocked at the ranking. LAC has been synonymous with futility for a very, very long time. Even including their Buffalo years you could count the franchise’s stars on one hand: Elton Brand, Bob McAdoo, Randy Smith, Danny Manning… am I missing anybody? World B. Free maybe? The team moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and since then they have made only four playoff appearances – meeting expedient elimination in the first round thrice. After a rough summer that saw Elton Brand and Corey Maggette replaced by Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, that doesn’t figure to change this season. With Donald Sterling in the director’s chair there’s little hope it will any time soon.

The Los Angeles Clippers

2007-08 Record: 23-59, 12th in the West
2008-09 Salary: $58,302,552

The Good:

The Clippers will only go as far as Baron Davis will take them, but the man Los Angeles fans should be watching closely is Al Thornton. A 6-8 forward, he’s the closest thing this team has to a promising young player. The second-year forward is extremely athletic and has the ability to be a big-time scorer. He’s an intense player who also has strong defensive skills and decent rebounding ability with great quicks and ups. In the early going Thornton has shown an ability to put up points at the NBA level, but at 24 years of age is still wildly inconsistent. On offense Thornton is blessed with a great first step for a man his size, though his passing and ball-handling leave something to be desired. As a four-year college athlete he lacks some of the dramatic upside of other top draft picks, but it’s not hard to imagine Al averaging 20+ points a game with nice peripherals in the very near future.

The only other significant part of the LAC youth movement is Eric Gordon, a 19-year-old guard out of Indiana. At 6-3 he could theoretically play shooting guard alongside Baron, but he really has the frame of a point. It remains to be seen if he can man up at the defensive end on NBA point-guards or shooting guards, while his passing skills and leadership may not be ideal for a true point. In limited minutes we haven’t seen much from the kid at the NBA level, but we do know that Gordon is a shooter with decent athleticism and a scorer’s mentality. Eventually he should have a solid inside/outside offensive game.

The Baron Davis signing would have made a lot more sense had the Clippers been able to retain Elton Brand, but he’s still a marquee player and a legitimate franchise leader. A former All-Star point guard, Davis was the first significant free-agent signing from outside the organization since Bill Walton in the late 1970s. He’s a competitor and an entertainer who can put people in the stands and keep them entertained when they get there. While his efficiency and health are causes for concern, B Diddy is the rare point who can do it all on offense. He’s just as comfortable sticking jumpers as he is dropping dimes, and he has a flare for the dramatic in both. He’s also a major physical presence at the point - in the post capable of backing down smaller guards with ease and an absolute bull when he takes it to the rack. Baron is also a class act on and off the court, and the UCLA product is a hometown hero who relishes the chance to be a team leader and make the players around him better… as well as to dabble in Hollywood.

Things are looking up off the court as well. In the last few years the Clippers have opened a state-of-the-art practice facility in Playa Vista, they’ve brokered new television deals with local stations, they’ve appeared on national television more than ever before, and they’ve gone out and given big money to free agent Baron Davis and brought in high-profile, big-money PF Elton Brand (which was a good sign even if he left).

Hey, maybe team owner Donald Sterling is finally loosening his legendarily tight purse strings. That’s a good thing, because LA doesn’t have a lot of big contracts to worry about. Baron Davis and Chris Kaman will be getting big money through 2011-12, but outside of that pair the Clippers have no guaranteed contracts past next season. If they can go out and wisely spend some money on the talent-rich free agent classes of the next few summers and fit other vets with Baron, Thornton, Gordon, and Kaman they might just be able to turn things around. Maybe.

Breaking down the bad in LA after the jump…

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