CLIPPERS UNLOAD RANDOLPH!

// July 2nd, 2009 // Hott Sports

yippy!... at least someone is satisfied! LOL!

It will now be a lot harder to stuff up with Randolph gone

HOTT SPORTS!

By Daniel Eade

The Los Angeles Clippers have pulled a minor miracle by unloading forward ZACH RANDOLPH off to the Memphis Grizzlies for the expiring contract of swingman Quentin Richardson.

Randolph was acquired by the Clippers in November last year from the New York Knicks along with guard Mardy Collins in exchange for Cutino Mobley and Tim Thomas, as LA’s other team tried to compensate themselves and fill the void left by the shock departure of power forward Elton Brand in the 2008 off-season.

The deal comes less than a week after the Clippers rejected a swap with Memphis for Randolph and Darko Milicic. Instead the Grizzlies shipped Milicic onto New York for Richardson on draft day, before the two franchises evaluated a new deal for Randolph last Tuesday.

After becoming the 19th selection in the 2001 draft, Randolph spent a few seasons with limited opportunities coming off the bench before a promotion into the starting five for the 2003-04 season allowed Randolph to blossom into a 20/10 machine.
The break-out season from Randolph saw the south-paw rewarded with the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award and a 6-year contract extension worth $84 million.

In the off-season of 2007 after again posting 20/10 numbers in the previous season, the second time in four years, Randolph was traded to the Knicks in a move that many believe was done purely to keep Randolph away from the number one pick in the ‘07 draft, Greg Oden.

The word was starting to spread that Randolph wasn’t the best player to have on your team and his selfish nature was more detrimental than any stat-line could compensate.

After one season and 11 games with the Knicks, Randolph was traded to the Clippers but the deal almost fell through when Mobley failed his physical with the Knicks after Doctors discovered a heart problem. The Clippers though didn’t even wink an eye-lash at the Knicks, who basically implied, we don’t care if this guy has a health issue and won’t be able to play for us, we just want to get rid of Randolph. The Clipps accepted the deal and the Knicks popped champagne.

With another $33.3 million still owing to him over the next two seasons, Randolph was seen as close to un-tradeable as they come, with the majority of teams in the league attempting to free up cap space for the summer of 2010 when LeBron James will test the free-agent market for the first time.

Now all of a sudden the Clippers are a potential target for a big name free-agent in 2010 with a young and promising squad developing, led by the 2009 number one pick in the draft, Blake Griffin, shooting guard Eric Gordon and live-wire act Al Thornton, with the experienced heads of Baron Davis and Chris Kaman to man the outside and inside.

After many decades of heart break, the Clippers may be in the best position they have ever been in going forward, if they can turn the potential this team has into on-court success, then they maybe on their way to becoming LA’s favourite team. (And pigs might fly!!)

The foundation has been set and now the question that basketball fans are waiting to see is, “How will the Clippers stuff this one up?”

It will now be a lot harder to stuff up with Randolph gone.