On July 8, Clipper’s fans worst fears were realized, as Brand reached an agreement with Philadelphia. Then Maggette signed with Golden State, and it was clearly the end of an era.  Either Brand (four times) or Maggette (three) had led the team in scoring for seven consecutive seasons, and it was their re-signings in 2003 that had seemed to represent a sea change for the notoriously cheap franchise.  Five years later, they both opted out and signed elsewhere.  

The Clippers aggressively pursued a replacement for their departed power forward.  They found a willing trade partner in Denver,   who agreed to send Marcus Camby to LA in exchange for the rights to swap future second round picks. The Clippers replaced Brand and Maggette with Baron and Camby.  Elton Brand, for all of his workhorse strengths, has never been a go to scorer.  In Baron Davis, the Clippers have a player who can manufacture points on the final possession of a close game. 

Beyond Davis and Camby, the Clippers also signed veterans Ricky Davis and Brian Skinner, and then traded Brevin Knight for Jason Hart.  Ricky Buckets is a proven NBA scorer and figures to be the first wing off Mike Dunleavy's bench.  Skinner and Hart are both former Clippers that can provide solid, if unspectacular backup minutes.

Lottery pick Eric Gordon was highly coveted by the team going into draft day, and they tried to move up a few spots to ensure they could grab him.  Luckily, the proposed trades fell through, but Gordon was still on the board at seven.  DeAndre Jordan was also rated as a lottery talent until about a week before the draft, but somehow fell into the team's lap in the second round, number 35 overall.  They also traded a future second rounder to get Mike Taylor with the 55th pick, another bargain given that they were considering picking Taylor at 35.

Jordan and Taylor impressed the team enough to earn guaranteed contracts, and all three rookies have been impressive in pre-season.  Taylor has had several 20-point games and has played particularly well down the stretch of a couple of pre-season wins.  Gordon has shown an ability to score points in bunches, with a 21-point third quarter, and a 12 point fourth quarter.  Moreover, Jordan's length and athleticism certainly attest to his former status as the most coveted big man in High School not named Love or Beasley. 

Marcus Camby led the league in blocked shots last season, and was second in rebounds per game and first in rebounds per minute.  Meanwhile, Chris Kaman in an injury shortened season, put up averages that ranked him third in each category. In addition, for the first time the Clippers should have strong point guard play - assuming Baron Davis can stay healthy.  In a league full of talented point guards, Davis is in the top five on talent   there is every indication that Baron will have a banner year in his inaugural Clipper campaign.  Its years three, four and five of the contract that might be another story.  Hart can provide steady backup minutes, and Taylor is an exciting prospect who can provide a change of pace as the third stringer, but if either of them is forced to start more than a handful of games, it won't end well.

Cuttino Mobley is a solid defender, but has been in steady decline.  Al Thornton has the tools, but often looked like the rookie he was last season, and needs to show marked improvement as the starter.  Ricky Davis has never been known for his defense, and Eric Gordon is a 19-year-old rookie.  Shutting down high scoring wings may be a big problem for this group, even with Kaman and Camby taking away the lane.

The marquee additions, Baron and Camby, have been injury-prone throughout their careers.    Kaman likewise has had some injury issues, including missing 30 games last season.  Throw in the ages of several players expected to log heavy minutes (Mobley is 33, Thomas 31, Camby 34, Hart 30, Baron and Davis 29) and there is certainly cause for concern.  Injuries can happen to any team - but they seem to happen to the Clippers more often.

With other teams like the Knicks and Nets eyeing 2010 when players like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and others could be free agents, Camby, Mobley, and Thomas become interesting trading chips in the year prior to 2010. 

Predicted Record:    How about 41-41