Shaun Livingston?

[pkballr]

Guarded interest

It's not always best to take need over talent in the NBA draft, but with long-term concerns over injured guard Shaun Livingston, it would be a shock if the Clippers didn't take a guard with the seventh pick. Livingston destroyed his left knee after landing awkwardly following a missed layup against Charlotte in February 2007, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament, and the lateral meniscus. The fourth overall pick in 2004 missed last season and it's uncertain when he will play again. An NBA source said the Clippers aren't expected to make Livingston a qualifying offer (the lowest starts at $5.8 million), making him an unrestricted free agent July 1. But with major knee concerns, it's uncertain the Clippers, or any team, will be rushing to sign him. According to the source, Livingston can't work out back-to-back days and needs about 90 minutes of therapy before doing noncontact basketball drills. There is speculation he might not be able to play at the NBA level again. What made Livingston special: he is a point guard with Magic Johnson-like height, at 6 feet 7 inches. But if he returns without his spectacular quickness, he could move to the small forward position.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basket.../2008/06/09/this_wolve_joins_the_pack/?page=2

Would the Kings be willing to take a flyer on Livingston if the Clippers don't want him? He could be an interesting fit on this team. The only thing is he might not be able to ever play at the NBA level again... Plus, in his 2-3 years he did play, he hadn't really shown his true potential, so that's another knock on him.

I'd be willing to make a move though, especially if Beno would want more money than we can offer. It brings some competition in the FA market plus, we could end up with a really solid PG for the future. He's still only 22, turning 23 by the beginning of next season, so he's still got some time to work himself back. Plus, a 6'7 PG is always intriguing.

 

[KingsInBrazil]

I don't think hes worth the risk, his knees will never be the same again... there are some talented Point guards coming out of this year draft. And I'm confident Beno will look to resign with us, we gave him the chance to prove himself and he wont get more than MLE anywhere else...

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Seems like a luxury we can't afford. And the last "second coming of Magic Johnson" to blow out his knee far less disastrously was never the same player again afterwards.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

If the Clippers are not going to tender a qualifying offer to Livingston this year, we might need to be worried about retaining Beno. Brevin Knight will be their only PG under contract. If, on top of not having Livingston, Maggette opts out (and he might, given the troubles he's had with Dunleavy) the Clips will have a lot of cap room and no PG. The most we can offer Beno is the MLE (assuming Ron stays), but the Clips would be able to go a million or two higher with no problem.

Oh, this thread is supposed to be about Livingston, isn't it? It sounds like he might very well be done. I'd be happy to have a healthy Livingston. But my guess is that a team like Dallas is much more likely to open its pockets for a risk like Livingston than we are.

 

[One and Done]

I would be shocked if he came back from that injury. It's really disheartening to hear of his current condition, however...I hope he at least regains enough strength to play b-ball competitively somewhere, if not the NBA.

 

[SacKings7]

If the Clippers are not going to tender a qualifying offer to Livingston this year, we might need to be worried about retaining Beno. Brevin Knight will be their only PG under contract. If, on top of not having Livingston, Maggette opts out (and he might, given the troubles he's had with Dunleavy) the Clips will have a lot of cap room and no PG. The most we can offer Beno is the MLE (assuming Ron stays), but the Clips would be able to go a million or two higher with no problem.

Oh, this thread is supposed to be about Livingston, isn't it? It sounds like he might very well be done. I'd be happy to have a healthy Livingston. But my guess is that a team like Dallas is much more likely to open its pockets for a risk like Livingston than we are.

The only reason the Clippers PG situation scares me is because they pick ahead of us in the draft. I'd be willing to bet they take Westbrook and the Pacers take Augustin.

 

[RunNGun]

I think everything depends on the $$$ factor. If Livingston would be willing to take a 2 year 6 million contract then I see him as a small risk. The contract would come off the same time as our other big contracts for the 2010 off-season. If it pays off then our PG situation improves dramatically, if not then we won't be locked down for any real time.

 

[Gary]

The only reason the Clippers PG situation scares me is because they pick ahead of us in the draft. I'd be willing to bet they take Westbrook and the Pacers take Augustin.

I still think the Clippers take Love is he's available. Baylor loves his game and probably would to keep him in LAif given the chance. It would be a huge PR move for the Clips to have a UCLA guy there. (not that it wouldn't be good to keep Westbrook in UCLA). Love is more of a peoples person though.

If Love isnt there I can see them taking Lopez maybe.. But who knows what the knicks will do. All eyes are pointing to Gordon in NY, or Mayo (if he's available).

 

[Vlade4GM]

I still think the Clippers take Love is he's available. Baylor loves his game and probably would to keep him in LAif given the chance. It would be a huge PR move for the Clips to have a UCLA guy there. (not that it wouldn't be good to keep Westbrook in UCLA). Love is more of a peoples person though.

If Love isnt there I can see them taking Lopez maybe.. But who knows what the knicks will do. All eyes are pointing to Gordon in NY, or Mayo (if he's available).

Um, Elton Brand?

 

[Vlade4GM]

It'd be nice if he could return to form with us, but something tells me is that if he's capable of doing that he won't be available to us.

 

[bajaden]

Um, Elton Brand?

Elton is coming off his own injury, and is in the same position as Ron Ron. He could opt out this year, and, if not, will be an unrestricted free agent next year. Love would be good insurance against his free agency and his injury recovery.

 

[beb0p]

Um, Elton Brand?

If Brand had his way, he'd be wearing a Heat uniform. I think the chance of Brand leaving Clipperland is very high next summer.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Seriously guys, don't underestimate Brand's loyalty to the clippers. The clips are absolutely in love with him and they'll pay him. Whether he wants to leave for the heat in a year, I don't know, but I know the clips are going to do whatever it takes to try to keep him. They seriously need some guard help, they'd had for quite some time.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

He'd be an interesting choice if in the rare chance he decides to leave the Clippers, because of all the potential and hype that surrounded him as a high schooler entering the draft. All those comparisons to Magic Johnson due to his 6'7" PG skills...but so far, Livingston hasn't even tapped into his potential yet in the league. At this stage, I think he's a point guard not by default, but by necessity; he doesn't have the jumpshot or the offensive prowess in the league to justify himself as a shooting guard, and as a point guard, he shows flashes of stellar court vision but has yet to compile those high end assist games with the Clippers; I don't see too many Clipper games, but he doesn't seem to get too many assists per game, suggesting that his lack of a jumpshot and lack of great slashing skills (at least Rajon Rondo can boast that) is really hindering his ability to playmake for others. He's really unselfish but his lack of offense is limiting his ability to create, so he's a point guard in nature as of now, but not exactly a point guard in skills. Of course he's got great defensive potential; pretty good lateral quickness and speed, very long, and a good shotblocker, but he's foul prone, intensity wavers and he seems to lack defensive fundamentals. If he do somehow get him, he'll probably start for us due to his innate talents alone, but we have to account for the fact that he's a raw prospect and he's severely being hampered offensively by his jumpshot, which hasn't allowed him to tap into his true talents of passing. I think the light bulb will eventually turn on, probably with the Clippers who still want to invest in him, but at this point he's high risk high reward, especially with his injuries.

 

[hrdboild]

It's very hard for any player to come back from an injury that severe. Livingston's game was never based on explosive athleticism, but even an average athlete is going to lose a step on a reconstructed knee. Think Penny Hardaway after knee surgery. I wouldn't throw any money at him until at least seeing him in a game setting again. Not to mention I thought he was overrated from the beginning. He was a phenomenal ball handler for a 6'7" player, but other than that I don't see where the predictions of super-stardom came from. He never looked like an exceptional passer to me and he wasn't much of a scorer either, even at his best.

 

[AriesMar27]

thats super high risk high reward... we might as well go after darius miles too... i love livingston but i just dont know if hed be worth it unless it was a super cheap contract. we really dont need to have him sitting with thomas and reef for 2 years doing nothing wasting roster spots.... what about telfair instead? he averaged 3 fewer points but almost 2 more assists than beno and would cost infinitely less money.....

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

thats super high risk high reward... we might as well go after darius miles too... i love livingston but i just dont know if hed be worth it unless it was a super cheap contract. we really dont need to have him sitting with thomas and reef for 2 years doing nothing wasting roster spots.... what about telfair instead? he averaged 3 fewer points but almost 2 more assists than beno and would cost infinitely less money.....

Well, at least with Miles, his true potential really shined in the league before he went down in flames...I even advocated trading for him when we supposedly could've offered the productive Corliss Williamson for him, in the past. Yes, he became a headcase later in his career, but his days with the Clippers were laden with transition highlight reels, great defensive tenacity (over 1 steal, 1 block per game off the bench) and marvelous ballhandling skills for someone his size. He looked like what Travis Outlaw is today, without the jumpshot but with better defensive ability. But ever since teams like Cleveland and Portland wanted to convert him into a point guard and make him shoot jumpers, he started turning the ball over and shooting the ball at the low 40s, clearly deferring away from his strengths. That seems to have affected his psyche, and he flamed out with his injuries, head case issues, etc.--but hey, a lot of the GMing process involves remembering what that player did earlier in his career, and quite frankly, he's only 26ish, still relatively young with a lot of mileage in the league, and when he's thriving, he possesses a unique set of skills (ballhandling, passing, explosiveness, dunks, etc) for a guy his size that few others can match. And he's established that, unlike Livingston.

I've said before, Livingston is still project/prospect, and not player at this stage; living off his instincts being thrust into the fire of starting with the Clippers, and he's not exactly blowing anyone away with his assists, and his offensive game (both slashing and shooting) are weak. He needs to firm up that portion of his game before he really gains any legitimate interest.

 

[beb0p]

Forget about it, Livingston still isn't fit to play basketball more than a year post surgery. At this point it isn't even clear his knee can hold up playing in one game, let alone 82 games. And even if he comes back, he is not going to be as quick or explosive as he once was, making him essentially a Francisco Garcia without the jumpshot. Why bother?

 

[Big Cuz 15]

I think everything depends on the $$$ factor. If Livingston would be willing to take a 2 year 6 million contract then I see him as a small risk. The contract would come off the same time as our other big contracts for the 2010 off-season. If it pays off then our PG situation improves dramatically, if not then we won't be locked down for any real time.

uh, do we really need to throw that much money at a guy who needs therapy before playing non contact basketball? he'll get the minimum if he's lucky

 

[SacKings7]

I think everything depends on the $$$ factor. If Livingston would be willing to take a 2 year 6 million contract then I see him as a small risk. The contract would come off the same time as our other big contracts for the 2010 off-season. If it pays off then our PG situation improves dramatically, if not then we won't be locked down for any real time.

Are you willing to pay $6 million to him? Because I don't think the Maloofs would be. If money weren't an issue then sure, why not? Difficult situation because if he stays with the Clippers and has a successful comeback, then $6 million for ONE season may not even be enough. The other side of it is he will most likely never be himself again (if he can still play)