Gerald Green
Now onto the wings.
As mentioned by Tom West in his article about potential wings, two popular targets among Clippers fans are Alan Anderson and Gerald Green. My main problem with Anderson is that his injury history is a massive cause for concern.
While Green is offensively inconsistent with many hasty shots, there is less of a risk in that, whether he gets hot or takes ill-advised shots, he’ll be an option on the bench rather than the treatment room.
The 30-year-old shooting guard-small forward is very well travelled, playing for eight NBA sides, three trips to the D-League, two stints in Russia and less than three months in China.
For a player who gives a side instant, streaky offense off the bench, it is surprising as to why he can’t sustain a spot on a team for longer than two seasons. He has played a total of 10 NBA seasons and his success record has been patchy. The top spots of his career have been a two-year stint in Phoenix and his sophomore year with the Celtics under current Clippers head coach Doc Rivers.
Last season he averaged 8.9 points in 22.6 minutes per game for the Miami Heat with 39.2 percent shooting (32.2), which would have slotted him in as the joint 7th scorer in the Clippers’ offensive rotation with Austin Rivers.
The 2007 Slam Dunk Contest winner is athletic, quick, can spread the floor, and can help run the fast break. He would be a perfect fit.
In West’s article, he mentioned Green’s sketchy defense, but in the past season with the Heat his defense was improved. He was 15th in defended field goal percentage among players who played at least 60 games (on a side note, the Clippers already have three players in the top 15 in Luc Mbah a Moute, J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers which is very encouraging, per NBA.com).
Green was ahead of defenders like Paul George, Tony Allen and Nicolas Batum with an opponent field goal percentage of just 40.4, and while it doesn’t make him a superior defender, it’s promising nonetheless.
Green should likely be available at a minimum salary, too. I, for one, would welcome it, as despite his streaky shooting, I think he would be ideal for the Clippers and well worth revisiting the interest they showed prior to signing Pierce. He would be my first choice to fill out the roster.
Plus, he played a vital part in helping me win the Clippers an NBA championship on NBA 2K16!
Next: Nostalgic help