Los Angeles Clippers Interivew

[Built Ford Tough]

You know the drill...

[Tim Allen]

Given that you are clearly in rebuilding mode, you're 1-10 and you have two players who are scheduled to take up $24 mil in cap room next season, do you think you can get anything of value back for Kaman and Baron Davis, or are you simply hoping to dump them for expirings at this point?

[Built Ford Tough]

Well, it isn't officil yet, but I just struck up a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder last night and I am just waiting upon league approval. I was able to move Chris to the Thunder and I couldn't be happier with the return of Serge Ibaka and the Thunder's 1st round pick in this upcoming draft.

Kaman is a very good center and an even better person, and it is very sad to see him go as he has been a great member of our team since 2003, but he simply didn't fit into my plans heading forward. I am very pleased with the way that Kaman handled the entire situation as it was no secret that we have been shopping him since the summer and I wish him the best of luck in Oklahoma City. He has a great opportunity to learn under one of the greatest big men in NBA history in Tim Duncan.

I am very pleased with the return that I got for Chris as Ibaka has a very bright future ahead of him and that 1st round pick opens up some doors and gives me some flexibility heading forward.

As far as Baron goes, I am not simply going to dump him on another team as he is a very good point guard. If I don't find a deal to my liking then I am not going to pull the trigger. Baron has been in the league for a while and because of that people tend to forget that he is only 29 years old and still has some very good years ahead of him. I am looking to move him, and Baron is well aware of that, but if I am unable to find a deal for my liking then I won't move him.

[b-roy]

$250 GM Cash. Good length and content

[HyperYellow]

You've assembled a nice balance of youth and experience at every position here. Is there a team in the league you've modelled your roster on, or are you more prepared to let them find their own identity?

Stuart from the Beavercreek news in Ohio

[Built Ford Tough]

I'm more or less just trying to let my young guys find their own identity. I wouldn't say that I have modelled my roster after any particular team in the league per say. I have taken some ideas from other teams and incorperated them into my own philosophy but I am more interested in reacting to how the style that will best fit my roster. I am currently playing around with different rotations and playing styles to see which of my players thrive under particular circumstances. This team is in an obvious rebuild so although I am obviously trying to win basketball games, I am taking a long term approach to the roster and hope that all of my young core are able to gain some valuable experience from the veterans on this team like Baron, Rasual, Brian etc...

I have definitely looked at how some teams have been built and trying to do some similar things, but we can't force our players to play a certain style. We have to put them in positions to maximize their strengths while at the same time minimizing their weaknesses.

[deathriser]

You got a beast in the paint in Griffin and you got a very good young player in Gordon. If you have the chance to get any young player from any other team. Who would it be? Would it be a guard or a bigman?

[Built Ford Tough]

I am actually looking at trying to acquire a small forward, not a guard or a big man. I couldn't be happier with my two big men in Blake [Griffin] and Greg [Oden] and I am willing to give Eric [Gordon] some more time to get out of his struggles.

The sky is the limit for both of these two young, dynamic players. Oden has suffered some set backs to begin his NBA career but he is looking like he was able to put those behind him and has really played well for us this year. He was th #1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft for a reason. As far as Blake is concerned, welll, you guys have seen what he is capable of so far this season. He has come into the organization and has had an immediate impact. He has been as good as advertised for us, and is only going to get better.

As far as out guards go, Eric had a great rookie season last year but he is going through a bit of a sophomore slump right now. He is a much better player than his numbers suggest and I am confident that he will break out of his slump. We are also very high on Jerryd Bayless and we think that he can become an impact player in the NBA. He is currently stuck behind out star player Baron Davis on the depth chart which has made it hard to get him some minutes, but we have figured out a way to get all three of them [Davis, Gordon and Bayless] on the floor together for this upcoming sim.

But to answer your question, I am looking to acquire a small forward before I would go after a guard or a big man. Right now we are starting Eric at small forward, but as you probably all know, this is merely a stop gap solution as Eric simply doesn't have the size to play the 3 over the long term. My ideal situation would be if we were able to move Baron, despite how well he has played for us so far this season, to acquire a small forward with a bright future ahead of him.

[b-roy]

$350 for the two above answers...

[Built Ford Tough]

Bump.

Seeing how the deadline has past and I don't really have much to play for and all, I figured that I would bump this to hopefully give me something to do to pass the time until the draft and hopefully gain some GM cash.

Any more questions? You can direct them towards the owner or players or anything like that.

[Spens1]

to the GM, You have retained literally almost no starters on your team, How has this affected the chemistry between the team

[Built Ford Tough]

to the GM, You have retained literally almost no starters on your team, How has this affected the chemistry between the team

I think that the team chemistry is fine despite the fact that Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby and Martell Webster, all starters at some point over the past 2 seasons, have all been dealt as well as the fact that Ricky Davis and Kyle Korver have battled some injury troubles this season which has forced us to change out starting small forward around quite a bit this season.

The thing about out lineup is that all of our guys are around the same age and have the same amount of experience in the league. Greg [Oden], Blake [Griffin], Serge [Ibaka] and Jerryed [Bayless] are all 20 years old while Eric [Gordon] is 19. All of these guys are at the beginning of their careers so they can really relate with each other on and off of the court.

We also have a very good mix of veterans to help all of the young guys on our team. Jermaine O'Neal, while only 30 years old, has been around for a long time and has been a wonderful mentor for Greg, Blake and Serge by showing them what they need to do on and off of the court to be a successfull big man in the NBA. We also have Ricky [Davis] and Rasual [Butler] who have been around the block and are able to help out Eric and Jerryd out on the perimeter.

Obviously there have been some minor issues but that is to be expected when you have such a young team like we do and the fact that we have been winning much hasn't helped much as everybody on the team are very competitive men, but all in all, I think that we have some great chemistry.