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Report: Clippers show interest in Glen Davis, Ryan Hollins, Chris Singleton

Trisity Miller|

Yesterday was quite ‘busy’ for the Clippers rumor mill in regards to suspected free agent interests, all big men.

According to numerous reports, the Clippers front office has been in contact with the representatives of Glen Davis, a member of the Clippers organization for the last 1 1/2 season, Ryan Hollins, former Clippers backup center, and former first-round pick Chris Singleton.

Since the recent release of Jordan Hamilton, it was expected by many the Clippers add an established fifth big to the roster, so we’ll attack these one by one to assess the rumors and potential fit for each player.

Glen Davis

It makes sense why the Clippers would keep tabs on Davis, who has spoken briefly about his free agent options during a brief media run over at ESPN, hoping to stick with a contending team this season; the Clippers fit that profile, and given Davis’ history with the team, how the players respect him in the locker room, and his ability to step into a bigger role if needed (as seen last season), bringing him back wouldn’t be the worst thing this franchise has ever done.

Ryan Hollins

Hollins is another familiar face, having played for the Clippers since from 2012 to 2014, spending one season under Doc Rivers where he played backup center for majority of the season (after Byron Mullens flamed out as we all expected him to do). After LA, Hollins moved further north to join the Sacramento Kings for the 2014-15 season where he averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 46 games; he’s now an unrestricted free agent.

Like Davis, Hollins bring another veteran presence to the team and adds depth to the front court, but after briefly scanning over the list of free agent centers available, there are better fits to fill the same role Hollins would step into, which is behind DeAndre Jordan and Cole Aldrich on the depth chart: Jeff Withey, a young center who showed some promise despite being inconsistent in New Orleans, just signed a minimum deal in Utah, fourth year center Greg Smith, formerly of the Dallas Mavericks, remains on the market, and some older one-dimensional guys like Reggie Evans, Chuck Hayes, and Joel Freeland could provide better than what Hollins has shown to be capable of in the past three years.

All-in-all, picking up Hollins won’t hurt the ceiling of this Clippers team if signed; only injury (or Aldrich being God-awful) would pave the way for him to be a rotation player.

Chris Singleton

Mar 3, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards small forward Chris Singleton (31) drives past Memphis Grizzlies point guard

Mike Conley

(11) during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

So who is Chris Singleton you ask?

Drafted 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in 2011, the big man saw a declining role in each of his three seasons with the franchise: in Year One, Singleton averaged 21.7 minutes per game; in Year Two, 16.2 minutes; in Year Three, 10 minutes. After failing to reach a deal with Washington to continue his time with the team, Singleton would sign with the Indiana Pacers in September of 2014, eventually being waived a month later. From there, he’d play out his 2014-15 season as a member of Jiangsu Nangang Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, where he’d average 22.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3 steals in 17 games (15 starts).

I can’t sit here and pretend to know a gang about Singleton, especially in comparison to what I know about Big Baby and Ryan Hollins. A former ACC Defensive Player of the Year, it’s safe to assume that’s where his strengths lie though FanSided blog Wizard of Awes says that didn’t exactly translate during his time with Washington. Offensively, Singleton has failed to shoot above 40% from the field in any NBA season, a task quite hard for a power forward, albeit an undersized one.

Those skills, abilities in combination with his NBA production isn’t a recipe for success in the NBA, and if the Clippers decide to go the PF route here, Davis would be a better get; even rookie forward Branden Dawson may be a better get.

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