Only the Clippers could have a bright future on display one minute and have management seriously considering the best way to screw that up the next minute.
The future was top pick Blake Griffin scoring 27 points and adding 12 rebounds in his Summer League debut, surrounded by Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan (8 of 9 from the floor) and Mike Taylor. They looked amazingly comfortable together, shared the ball and gave hints they could grow into something special.
Maybe the only thing that could spoil this smart team building would be adding a selfish, ball-hogging player to the lineup. Say, Allen Iverson.
(Iverson) could end up being part of the Clippers' future. Talks between the Clippers and the free-agent guard have been characterized as "very serious," according a source close to Iverson who was not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations.
The Clippers declined to comment. They have long been intrigued by Iverson, having come close to acquiring him in the past. The process has moved far enough along that they have spoken to Camby about Iverson since they were close as teammates in Denver. Baron Davis is said to be on board with adding Iverson.
No doubt, Iverson will put some butts in the Staples Center seats and make some highlight level plays. He has been a fan favorite everywhere he has played because he is a six-foot guy who can play in with the big trees in the NBA, he plays with an exciting and fearlessness fans love.
But he is a horrible choice for a young, budding team. Iverson is on the downside of his career, takes a lot of shots, and plays a 1990s, isolation-loving style of basketball. The antitheses of what the Clipper kids were doing in Vegas. And Iverson’s minutes are going to come at the expense of the young and promising Gordon and Taylor (remember Baron Davis will get a lot of minutes, too), his shots at the expense of Griffin and Jordan.
Sometimes it’s hard to see what picture the Clippers are trying to paint — they collect talent with no apparent thought on how it all fits together. But now the team’s youth movement is trying to build an exciting identity. So of course, management is talking about adding more mismatched talent.
Only the Clippers.
