Los Angeles Clippers 2018-19 Preseason Presser

[trillotto]

Happy Media Day, and thank goodness for another day in which the Clippers are the best home team at Staples Center

We've had a hell of an off-season, and not just because someone googled "Fournier." But we're excited by the possibility of a new group in charge. We're beginning to build some continuity with a handful of our young guys, and we're committed to keeping our draft picks going forward while still making a priority to stay competitive during the prime of our future Hall of Fame superstar. That's the NBA equivalent of threading the needle, but we like the flexibility, and we've let Kevin know that it's his team to take somewhere special.

Speaking of which, and here's the part you can all tweet out, so I'll enunciate it very carefully:

We

Are

Not

Trading

Kevin

Freaking

Durant

There are headstones by the careers of many a GM who thought they, yes they, would be the one to trade a superduperstar and get back more than fair value. But the truth of the matter is, even if we were anything but thrilled to have Kevin leading our team - and that's a full stop right there, because we are 100% thrilled to have Kevin leading our team - superstars are paramount to championships. And that's what we're about, championships. It's been seven years since we've put one on in the rafters, but KD looks all our young guys in the eyes, and he carries the gravitas of a champion, and you can just see it light up guys like Jay and Pierre.

And the major move of our offseason, getting a young stud like Rodney Hood, we think that bridges the gap between championship-quality guys and a youth movement. Rodney's got that Pistons' title shine on him, and he's seen the work that goes into putting shine on your finger. We think he's going to set an example for the aforementioned young guys, and be a part of our next championship core.

I know better than to throw out a specific number of wins, because I'll just get quote-retweeted into the headlines, but we expect to contend in the West, and get ourselves on a discrete championship timeline. Our goal as a franchise remains putting in place the pieces so that Kevin Durant can retire not only as the greatest Clipper of all-time, but as a multiple time NBA champion.

Let's get to those questions, because I *know* someone is dying to ask me whether we signed Evan Fournier just so Pierre has a French buddy.

[garbageman]

As a new GM taking the reins in the most hectic time of the PBSL year, what do you see as your biggest challenges going forward, and what's your general impression of the league so far?

[WigNosy]

What kind of pieces do you anticipate you will need around KD? Will you be looking for established veterans or try to build with under-utilized talent?

[digiskunk]

You've really reshaped this team since taking over. What sort of starting lineup should we anticipate seeing come opening day?

[NOLa.]

KD is entering into the time of his career where after this season, his best years may start to be behind him. With such a short window and Durant eating a lot of the teams available salary space, what plans are there to put pieces around the star?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trillotto]

As a new GM taking the reins in the most hectic time of the PBSL year, what do you see as your biggest challenges going forward, and what's your general impression of the league so far?

Biggest challenge was/is learning curve. The metaphor is something like jumping into a road race with everyone already going 100 MPH on a winding road, and you're just learning how to drive a car. That said, I speak fluent salary cap so now that I've figured out (most of) the basic mechanics, it's mostly just figuring out the landscape of the league: sorting teams out into relative tiers of contender, playoffs, fringe, tankers, and figuring out how to get the Clips into that top tier during KD's prime, while not pulling a total Prokhorov on the future.

The league is super competitive, and so there's likely to be small advantages to be gained in figuring out inefficiencies. The obvious ones are cap space and superstars, but the Clips and I are excited to figure out others. And, obviously, it's hugely beneficial to step into a market/team with a HoF'er on the roster so that's a pretty great gateway into PBSL.

(Stepping off-camera for a moment, shout out to the multiple people who've gone out of their way to be welcoming and helpful)

[trillotto]

What kind of pieces do you anticipate you will need around KD? Will you be looking for established veterans or try to build with under-utilized talent?

Million-dollar question right here.

Good news: KD's elite talent across the board means there are a lot of directions to go with complementary pieces. Rodney Hood is one example of what the eventual supporting cast for the next great Clips team looks like. And ownership, management, and the fanbase can all row in the same direction on getting another title.

Less good news: We'll be figuring out this season on the fly, having missed out on some of our FA targets who we can't mention for fear of tampering but let's say Sled Mavis and/or Breg Zoden. We love Rodney as an offensive option, but we don't want to burden him with the entire offense when KD goes out. So we're looking for the best help available with our 9 mil of cap space, but the healthiest thing for the franchise long term is getting out of the repeater tax so we can contend, without interruption, for the rest of KD's prime. Trying to have our cake and eat it too, but a talent like KD allows us to be a little greedy that way.

[trillotto]

You've really reshaped this team since taking over. What sort of starting lineup should we anticipate seeing come opening day?

No surprise that the best player in the league is starting at the 3, and our prize free agent signing, Rodney Hood, is starting at the 2. We really like Pierre Sory, and I expect him, our opening night point guard, to make a big leap. We like the spacing that Kelly Olynyk gives us at the 5, and think that he opens up the floor for our drivers to get to the bucket, so we'll start with Kelly in the middle, next to Jay Adkins at the 4. Jay's ready to contribute to winning and we're putting him in a position to succeed with plenty of minutes to prove himself as everything he was touted as during the draft process.

[trillotto]

KD is entering into the time of his career where after this season, his best years may start to be behind him. With such a short window and Durant eating a lot of the teams available salary space, what plans are there to put pieces around the star?

While we think it's the right thing to do to plan for long-term success, we also think that part of what makes Kevin special will allow him to keep performing at an all-star level for the duration of his current contract. It's imperative to a) not waste the prime of our franchise's greatest player of all-time b) set in place a viable road to a core that contends going forward.

We'll look, this season and going forward, to entice other top players with our cap space [Evan Fournier and Patty Mills both do Jim Halpert smirks into the camera] and keep our own draft picks unless there is a viable star to be had who matches up with the team's timeline. But we'd be foolish to say no if that star becomes available this year.

[Wombataholic]

You said that Rodney Hood is going to set an example for the younger players, since he's fresh off of a title team. Would you say that he has become the locker room leader? Or is this still Kevin Durant's team?

[JNR]

GWR: Rumor has it that you're having a hard time adjusting to life in LA after spending most of your time in the Northeast. Any truth to that?

[IamQuailman]

You were already behind the 8-ball jumping into team ownership hours before the UFA Round 1 deadline. If you could have come in sooner, how would you have approached the offseason? Would you have targeted anything differently?

[trillotto]

You said that Rodney Hood is going to set an example for the younger players, since he's fresh off of a title team. Would you say that he has become the locker room leader? Or is this still Kevin Durant's team?

The last question first: it's Kevin's team. He's the best Clipper of all-time, and our path to a title goes through him.

That said, Rodney is a bit of a bridge from our incredibly young contributors - Abel Basile, Roger Conlin, and Pierre Sory - to Kevin. We like the idea that our team has multiple mini-generations on the roster, and that Rodney can speak to both our youth movement, and our vets. The progress Rodney made in training camp is a great indicator that he's trending even further upward, and he's only 25. If I'm Pierre or Abel, I'm watching Rodney every day to see what this guy does to keep getting better when he's already a champion, and already a hell of an player.

[trillotto]

GWR: Rumor has it that you're having a hard time adjusting to life in LA after spending most of your time in the Northeast. Any truth to that?

Something something traffic something something La Brea something something Burbank.

I only took this job with the understanding that my #BeatLA chest tattoo could stay, and that my coworkers and loved ones understand it refers only to the Lakers.

I root for the Celtics every night except for the twice a year, when they play the greatest franchise in sports. Until we play Boston in a finals, I'll be able to have my cake and eat it too.

[trillotto]

You were already behind the 8-ball jumping into team ownership hours before the UFA Round 1 deadline. If you could have come in sooner, how would you have approached the offseason? Would you have targeted anything differently?

A fine question, and one I probably won't know the true, blue answer to until midseason.

But my best guess? A couple hair-on-fire-what-am-I-doing-what-do-the-colors-mean signings wouldn't have happened, and I'd have signed more one-year big-ish money vets to give us something in the mold of the 2006 (real-life) Mavs around Dirk. I would've had (and this is a preview of next offseason) the ability to go in a couple different directions because of KD's talent and versatility. The main thrust, getting ourselves out of the repeater tax, wouldn't have changed, and we think that's necessary in order to build the best possible contender around Kevin for the next 2-3 years.