On October 20, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Clippers sent 3 messages, let's take a look.
一笔签约出炉
Today, the Clippers have converted the training camp contract of the team's interior Ky Jones into a two-way contract that will keep him on the Clippers roster at the start of the new season, according to Shams of The Athletic. In this year's preseason, Kay Jones played eye-catching, playing in 5 games, averaging 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocks in 24.2 minutes per game, shooting 66.7% from the field. Among them, Kai Jones' blocks (first), rebounds (second), and steals (third) all ranked at the top of the team. Compared with all kinds of aerial work and eating cakes on the offensive end, Kai Jones' aggression on the defensive end is more shocking, he single-handedly supports the Clippers' restricted area defense, not only can exert a lot of pressure on the opponent's pass, but also can send a variety of exaggerated volleyball caps with his explosive physical fitness.
For the Clippers, the transfer of Kai Jones' contract is not only an affirmation of his excellent performance in the preseason, but also a response to the team's current lack of interior rotation. Of course, the intensity of the preseason is not high, and the teams are symbolic, which does not prove that CayJones is a qualified rotation. Today, Kayones still has some problems that need to be improved, such as the offensive means are too simple, and the movement is not flexible enough. He still needs to come on the pitch with a humble and aggressive mindset to do the dirty work while staying focused and making fewer mistakes. Predictably, once CayJones can continue his good form in the preseason, he is not far from getting a formal guaranteed contract.
Tucker decided to stay
Today, according to Clippers reporter Law Murray, sources revealed that with the signing of a two-way contract by Kai Jones, the Clippers' 15-man roster has also been finalized, and PJ Tucker will remain on the lineup. At the beginning of the regular season last year, Tucker was sent to the Clippers by the 76ers in a trade involving Harden, but due to his age and declining competitive form, Tucker fell out of the rotation after playing more than a dozen games. Subsequently, the high-spirited Tucker was quite dissatisfied with his treatment in the Clippers and repeatedly expressed his feelings to the management to leave the team, but for various reasons, he gave up. In the offseason, Tucker was unwilling to give up his annual salary of tens of millions, chose to exercise the $1,154w player option for next season, and issued a joint statement with the Clippers in early October saying that he would leave the team indefinitely in pursuit of a future.
So why do the Clippers keep such a player who can't play and can easily disrupt the unity and stability of the locker room? The author believes that it is most likely because the Clippers have tried to take over Tucker in the trade market, and no team is willing to take over Tucker, and the Clippers are unwilling to take multiple draft picks as compensation and do not want to cut Tucker through extended payment, so they have no choice but to continue to keep Tucker. It is true that it is understandable that the player is self-motivated, but it is also necessary to recognize his own strength, Tucker's current level is really not worthy of playing rotation in the Clippers, and Tucker still has a contract in his body, which is too unprofessional. I have to say that Tucker's various actions in the past two seasons have really lost all his favor, and I hope he can reconcile with him as soon as possible, and serving as the leader of the Clippers locker room is a better choice for him and the Clippers.
悍将复出推迟
Recently, during the Clippers' training camp, the team's center Bamba experienced swelling and discomfort in his knee, and then he missed all of the Clippers' preseason games. A few days ago, Bamba said in an interview that his knee injury was getting better and that he hoped to return before the start of the regular season. The 26-year-old Bamba is 2.13m tall and has a terrifying 2.39m arm span, making him one of the most talented players in the league, but he has played 6 seasons in the NBA, but he has never played a performance that matches his talent, playing in 332 regular season games, averaging only 7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. This offseason, the Clippers signed Bamba on a base-salary contract.
Just when the outside world was expecting Bamba to make his Clippers debut, a basin of cold water was poured on him. Today, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue revealed Bamba's latest situation in an interview, Lu said: "Although Bamba's recovery is improving and there are more and more things he can do, he is not yet at the point where he can play, and the specific comeback schedule is not known." It is not difficult to hear from Tyronn Lue's words that Bamba's comeback is delayed, and there is a high probability that he will miss some games in the early part of the season like Leonard. In any case, I wish Bamba an early comeback, usher in a new life with the Clippers, and try to catch up with the self who was expected to be at the beginning.