Magic Going All In For Chris Paul's Backup?

[Tom Ford 9]

Very true. His natural gifts are off the charts.

 

And not going to lie but to learn behind Jameer would be a blessing for Bledsoe because Jameer knows he is not a starting player but loves the Magic organization so much he is willing to stay around come off the bench and teach a young guy the ropes Seems like a perfect situation for Bledsoe to come in learn get some minutes then take over the starting gig and Meer can come off the bench!!!

 

 

Hennigan FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rim Reaper 4]

And not going to lie but to learn behind Jameer would be a blessing for Bledsoe because Jameer knows he is not a starting player but loves the Magic organization so much he is willing to stay around come off the bench and teach a young guy the ropes Seems like a perfect situation for Bledsoe to come in learn get some minutes then take over the starting gig and Meer can come off the bench!!!

 

 

Hennigan FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Agree Nelson is a very vet savvy, classy player who he can learn from. Mainly because both are short, extremely strong and muscular PG's who play bully ball. Bledsoe already made huge leaps under CP3, now he goes to Nelson who he can also learn quite a bit from. He's a very hard worker and willing learning. His athleticism, work ethic and intangibles like his heart and motor are what makes him extremely unique. No PG in the game gives you the same things Bledsoe does. Go watch some of his highlights and mixes on Youtube and you'll understand.

[magicblue 315]

Yup. Ideally you guys want to be subpar one more year to get a top 5 pick in next year's loaded draft. Bledsoe needs time to develop and as you said you guys can afford it. Long term many analysts feel he has top 10-15 PG in the league potential which.. when you consider how strong the PG crop is, that's very good. People constantly throw out "well he's unproven" but probably didn't watch his magnificent defense and 22 PER playoff run last year how he completely changed the Memphis series. Nor do they know that he AVERAGED 14.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 5 apg, 2.5 spg, 1.5 bpg in the 12 games CP3 was out. That's well above average starting PG numbers and what's more is they came in our toughest stretch and longest road trip of the season. Those are Kyle Lowry type numbers with more defense.

 

Yes the Clippers absolutely could use Afflalo and as a 3rd option for us instead of a 1st for you guys he will thrive but the proposed trade of Bledsoe and Butler for Afflalo and Nicholson seems very fair for both parties and mutually beneficial. We can argue about if an extremely protected future 1st is fair or not but quite honestly I think your team is going to explode in 2-3 years so it won't matter really.

 

Great points. As you mentioned Bledsoe is already a very good defender, with the potential to be all-defensive team worthy, so while he's cutting his teeth learning to run an offense, he can be out front wreaking havoc on defense and getting us into transition. I agree with you, it's really a win-win for both teams. Afflalo will be better off carving out his comfortable role as the 3rd/4th option and will be a great addition to your team during this window of contention you're currently in. Out of curiousity, what are you feeling the odds are on this deal going down? I'll say 65%

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,033]

I'm starting to get excited. Almost aroused

[the notorious S.A.C. 89]

Clippers fan here to give some clarity on Bledsoe because I can tell you guys are split on this. I'll give some pros, cons and numbers.

 

Pros

 

Elite defender: When I say elite I mean best defensive PG in the NBA last year. He surpassed Bradley, Paul and Rondo in that regard. Extremely difficult to score on 1 on 1, even for players bigger than him due to his great wingspan for his height (6'1 tall but 6'8 wingspan). He's the NBA's best shot blocking guard, 2nd best in steals rates of any player in the NBA.

 

Elite rebounder: Eric Bledsoe's offensive rebound rate led all NBA guards and his defensive rebound rate is fantastic for his size as well. As a starter for 12 games when CP3 went down he averaged 6 rebounds a game.

 

Upside: His athleticism is on par with Rose and Westbrook at the PG spot so the tools will always be there. More important though is if you look at his progression he's improved really well in every which way since he's been in the league. Shooting, defense, playmaking, turnover rate, efficiency all up. Prior to his hip injury the last two months of the season his stats were insane. In fact his PER 36 number combinations haven't been matched since young Michael Jordan. Think about that for a second.

 

 

Cons

 

 

Shooting: His shooting has improved across the board to where he's at which was at 45/39/83 a very good set of shooting numbers. That being said he's a very streaky shooter who's awful in the midrange game. He's a respectable spot up shooter now but pretty much has zero ability to create shots for himself. He either slashes to the rim or catches and shoots.

 

Turnovers: Although his turnover rates continue to improve a lot, he's still very reckless and prone to turnovers at times. Much like Westbrook he inexplicably drives into 2-3 defenders in the paint getting stripped or losing it out of bounds.

 

 

 

I hope this info helps and all I will say is trust me Bledsoe has huge upside and is an incredible fit for the Magic. You guys will LOVE his game. His motor and heart are amazing and he NEVER gives up on plays. He's constantly making huge momentum changing and game busting plays that blow your mind such as chasedown blocks, tip dunks over centers. Things that swing momentum quickly. You guys probably remember his 27 point, 6 rebound, 6 steal, 3 block, 3 assist game vs the Magic?

 

Some of the things you say about Bledsoe are very intriguing to me. We havent had athleticism at PG since Penny. I welcome someone on our team with some physical skill at pg. Hopefully our coaches will develop him to be a great player.

 

That being said with Nicholson you are getting essentially Magic. Not Magic Johnson but a guy who moves like a sloth and looks like he just rolled out of bed 30 seconds before he went on the court. Why is he Magic? Well some how along the way of moving like a lava lamp he manages to get the ball in the hoop and post some decent numbers at the end of the game. I dont know how he does it but it isnt pretty...ever. His upside looks limited to me unless you own some Vivarin or amphetamines. He is a smart dude and seems like he would be a great teammate and solid role player. I just cant see him replacing Blake Griffin in the slam dunk contest.

[magicblue 315]

Very true. His natural gifts are off the charts.

 

I'm feeling like some people are not completely understanding how ridiculously athletic Bledsoe is. I mean he's an absolute elite athlete...easily in the top 10 league wide pound-for-pound in terms of athleticism and that's being conservative.

[magicblue 315]

I'm starting to get excited. Almost aroused

 

About time homie

[Tom Ford 9]

I'm feeling like some people are not completely understanding how ridiculously athletic Bledsoe is. I mean he's an absolute elite athlete...easily in the top 10 league wide pound-for-pound in terms of athleticism and that's being conservative.

 

Here is just some highlights, I could soooo see this in Orlando!!!!

Eric Bledsoe Tearing it up

[Bauncey Chillups 288]

that was about as impressive as a Gerald Green highlight tape

[Stu Bronsilino 313]

i like a deal for bledsoe and butler for afflalo, the way I enjoy a nice cold coca-cola from, say, a vending machine. reasonable and convenient. But when we talk about future firsts, nicholson etc, it starts to feel like buying a coke at disney world.

[magicblue 315]

i like a deal for bledsoe and butler for afflalo, the way I enjoy a nice cold coca-cola from, say, a vending machine. reasonable and convenient. But when we talk about future firsts, nicholson etc, it starts to feel like buying a coke at disney world.

 

Good analogy, but don't believe the hype. It will likely be a heavily protected first or Nicholson, not both. What was it Boston wanted for Doc again? Yeah, what you want and what you end up settling for are two totally different things...just ask my wife, lol

[Rim Reaper 4]

D.J. Foster ‏@fosterdj 23 Jun

So Bledsoe's Per36 PTS (14.9), REB (5.2), AST (5.4), STL (2.5) and BLK (1.3) has only been actually reached once. Michael Jordan in 87-88.