2009-2010
Best Move: Drafting Blake Griffin
Coming out of the University of Oklahoma, the consensus no.1 draft pick on everyone’s board was Blake Griffin.
Being freakishly-athletic along with ball-handling and skills of a guard, he looked like the next young star to enter the NBA.
So when the annual NBA draft lottery came around and the Clippers landed the first overall pick, it seemed that now the sun was going to shine and the clouds of darkness that cast over the franchise would soon set away.
The Clippers drafted Griffin, who would end up making a name for himself in the bright lights of L.A with his polarizing dunks and posters.
He got involved with off-court marketing as well, showing his comedic talent in KIA commercials and becoming a Jordan Brand athlete.
Injuries derailed his first season and throughout his NBA tenure. He lost explosiveness after going through multiple knee surgeries but to see Griffin expand his game to the mid-range and outside the perimeter was special.
Though they still might be at odds, the LA Clippers will forever hold Blake to the highest regard.
To see this young teen that entered the NBA grow up into an adult is what I will always remember about Blake’s time with the Clips
Honorable Mention for Best Move
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Trading Al Thornton and Sebastian Telfair for Drew Gooden
This move was all about the team ridding themselves of a former-lottery pick in Thornton that played very inconsistent in his three years with the Clippers.
Thornton would end up getting traded (along with Sebastian Telfair) to the Washington Wizards for veteran big-man Drew Gooden.
Thornton would end up playing only two more years in the NBA. Gooden left the Clippers in the 2010-11 off-season, signing a 5-yr/$32 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Worst Move: Trading Zach Randolph
In the 2009-10 off-season, the LA Clippers traded Zach Randolph to the Memphis Grizzlies for Quentin Richardson.
Many analysts believed this trade happened because Randolph and Blake Griffin played the same position, thus opening the logjam at the 4-spot. Randolph was also prone to getting ejected and causing fights on the floor in his one season with the Clippers.
Richardson would end up getting traded three days later to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Mark Madsen, Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair.
Z-Bo would become a two-time All-Star with the Memphis Grizzlies and form one of the toughest defensive-minded teams in the NBA with the Grizzlies “Grit N’ Grind” approach to playing basketball.
That team, of course, had Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Rudy Gay, Randolph, Marc Gasol, and O.J. Mayo. The Clippers would play Memphis in the Playoffs (in consecutive seasons), that saw the Clippers winning the first series in 2011 in 7 games.
In the next season, the Clippers would fall to the Grizzlies in 6 games. Z-Bo was still hurt about the fact he was traded to free up minutes for Griffin.
The move made sense long-term but it did come back to bite the Clips in the postseason.
Honorable Mention for Worst Move
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Trading away Marcus Camby
Yes, Camby was 34 years of age at the time but he was still producing at the same level that he once was doing with the Denver Nuggets.
Having a notable veteran presence in the locker room and on the floor was vital for the Clips. Camby and Chris Kaman mentored a young DeAndre Jordan when he entered the NBA.
Camby was not at all flashy but one thing the Clippers lacked after the departure of forward Elton Brand was a leader and Marcus provided that.
He was traded to the Portland Trailblazers for Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw. In his two seasons with the Blazers, Camby averaged over 10 rebounds per game (top-10 in rebounds).
Blake and Outlaw would both leave the Clippers in the off-season. Blake signed with the cross-town rival Lakers on a 4-yr/$16 million deal. Outlaw headed East and signed with the New Jersey Nets for 5-yrs/$35 million.