Here goes the Clipper and Smith talk via ESPN

[DawsonsCreek]

The Clippers, sources said, expected to respond to the departures of Brand and Maggette by making a hard run at Atlanta Hawks restricted free agent Josh Smith, who was Philadelphia's No. 2 target behind Brand. If the Clippers elect to sign Smith to an offer sheet, Atlanta would have seven days to match.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3479117

[Chris18]

Is Ric Beucher reporting this.

[AHF]

How much cap room does LA have exactly? And why does no one want Okafor, Deng, etc.?

[DawsonsCreek]

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Is Ric Beucher reporting this.

Stein

[Eddielives]

That would be two Atlanta Hawk stars that wound up with the Clippers(NIque), if he indeed winds up there.

[exodus]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly? And why does no one want Okafor, Deng, etc.?

I was wondering why there are no rumors about other RFAs.

Looks like the Clipps are the only team left with the capspace to make Smith a big offer. With Maggette and Brand gone i think they have only $28 million in salaries committed for next season.

I just can't see Smith being interested in going there.

[PureGreatness]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly? And why does no one want Okafor, Deng, etc.?

1. smith is better than deng, okafur, gordan and iggy(you can argue)

2. some of those teams got sf already and probably dont want a unde sized sg for whatever reason.

3. the hawks organization is known for not keeping good players and being cheap. thus making him more easier to get than the others.

[jhay610]

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I just can't see Smith being interested in going there.

True. He would be heading backwards from a wins/losses standpoint, although at this moment he is likely more worried about $$.

On the upside, if the ish hits the fan and we have to work a SnT, the Clips have some nice pieces that would be much more attractive than the 6ers have. I'm not sure what it would look like capwise though.

[sturt]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly?

Storytellers has them @ about 33.6 mil.

http://www.storytellerscontracts.info/reso...-09salaries.htm

[AHF]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly?

Storytellers has them @ about 33.6 mil.

http://www.storytellerscontracts.info/reso...-09salaries.htm

Why didn't they offer more to Brand if they have the cap room to do so? It seems strange that they would be significantly underbid.

[jhay610]

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3. the hawks organization is known for not keeping good players and being cheap. thus making him more easier to get than the others.

The ASG isn't known for anything except an ownership squabble right now. They spent a ton of money to get JJ here. This is the first litmus test for this group as to their willingness to "keep good players," lest they come off looking "cheap."

You have already tried them before they have even committed a crime. Let's see how they respond to this situation before we start assigning labels.

[sturt]

...cause, he's there right now "on business," according to Sekou...

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.... He was in Los Angeles Tuesday on "business," according to his agent Bryan Dyke, who declined further comment about the specifics of the trip.

[exodus]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly?

Storytellers has them @ about 33.6 mil.

http://www.storytellerscontracts.info/reso...-09salaries.htm

Why didn't they offer more to Brand if they have the cap room to do so? It seems strange that they would be significantly underbid.

Maybe it is just because......

they are the Clippers. Now we have the cage match of the century, Donald Sterling vs the ASG.

[Plainview1981]

Why are the LA Clippers still allowed to even exist? What purpose do they really serve?

[AnakinJoe]

Don't forget Baron's $13M contract that is about to be added. They could renounce some of their free agents to clear more room, but I don't think Smith is a better fit than Okafor. Too many offensive weapons with Baron, Kaman, Thornton and Eric Gordon. They need someone who is content with doing the dirty work.

[thescout5]

I would imagine the Clips will go overboard on signing Smith and the Hawk's will have a decision on what Smith brings to the Hawk's. The other issue is will Smith perform up to his new contract standards? If you let Smith go to the Clippers you absoultely must get comp back and not lose him for nothing.

I wonder if the Hawk's would be interested in Livingston since he is always injured or would some other players be targeted?

If Smith wants the limelight LA would be a great market for him even though its the Clippers. Some players want to maximize their image so will see if Smith is one of those players.

If there is no SNT the Hawk's may has well forget about competing in the future. The only thing Hawk's fans will have to look forward to is next year's lottery.

[mrhonline]

I think the Clippers will have about $13M to offer Smith starting salary.

That's about $75M over the life of a five-year deal.

[AtLaS]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly? And why does no one want Okafor, Deng, etc.?

Because Deng has basically met his potential. There is no reason to throw a huge offer at Deng, because he isn't worth that money, nor does he have the potential to be, and Chicago will obviously match any other deal.

Okafor has back problems and serious injury concerns, and TURNED down 67 million last season. He also doesn't have very much potential.

Biedrins just isn't that good.

Smith is 22 without injury concerns and is already putting up nice stats on offense AND defense, while also having one of the highest ceilings in the NBA. It's worth the risk to overpay for him, because it could easily pay off. He is much more appealing. This is why I was shouting all season last year for us to resign him THEN. I knew he'd be a primary target but it seemed noone else felt the same way. Almost everyone was content with not resigning him at that time, letting him become RFA and testing the market. It was obviously a bad move.

[josh_pwns_newbs]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly? And why does no one want Okafor, Deng, etc.?

Because Deng has basically met his potential. There is no reason to throw a huge offer at Deng, because he isn't worth that money, nor does he have the potential to be, and Chicago will obviously match any other deal.

Okafor has back problems and serious injury concerns, and TURNED down 67 million last season. He also doesn't have very much potential.

Biedrins just isn't that good.

Biedrins isn't good? We have no 5 and Biedrins has been in the top 2 of FG % the past couple years and averaged around a double double.

With the Hawks *ahem* questionable shot selection and lack of a big; i think he'd be very valuable to us.

[AtLaS]

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How much cap room does LA have exactly? And why does no one want Okafor, Deng, etc.?

Because Deng has basically met his potential. There is no reason to throw a huge offer at Deng, because he isn't worth that money, nor does he have the potential to be, and Chicago will obviously match any other deal.

Okafor has back problems and serious injury concerns, and TURNED down 67 million last season. He also doesn't have very much potential.

Biedrins just isn't that good.

Biedrins isn't good? We have no 5 and Biedrins has been in the top 2 of FG % the past couple years and averaged around a double double.

With the Hawks *ahem* questionable shot selection and lack of a big; i think he'd be very valuable to us.

FG% doesn't mean he is a good offensive player. He sucks at offense, and he's not that good at defense. Very overrated. Has potential, but in the eyes of other teams, definitely isn't worth pursuing over Josh Smith.