Los Angeles Clippers: Would Yao Ming Have Been a Better Option Than Mo Williams?
At this year's National basketball Association Trade Deadline, the Los Angeles Clippers made a particularly interesting trade.
In a blockbuster trade, overshadowed by Carmelo Anthony's move to the New York Knicks, the Clippers sent All-Star point guard Baron Davis and a first round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, they received point guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon.
Thus far, the trade has worked out on both ends. After wearing out his welcome in Los Angeles, Davis has found a new home in Cleveland where he has averaged 18 points a game (compared to 13 in LA) in a mere three games!
The same can be said for Williams, who is averaging just over 17 points a game in six games with the Clippers. Keep in mind, he only averaged 13 points a game in Cleveland.
Yet, some new information has come to light in the past few days. In a tweet by Bill Simmons, known in sports circles as "The Sports Guy," it was reported that the Clippers could have made the same trade with the Houston Rockets. In return, they would have received center Yao Ming's expiring and insured contract.
After learning of this, I could only say one thing—WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!
I'm sorry, but if you have the opportunity to unload one bad contract and take on another that's insured and won't count against the salary cap, you take that opportunity! Let's analyze both trades—the one that happened and the one that could have been, starting with the former.
The Clippers received Mo Williams, a journeyman point guard whose career has included stops in Utah, Milwaukee, Cleveland and now Los Angeles. Throughout his career, he has established himself as a decent shooting point guard as well as a decent passer. Still, Williams is notorious for taking numerous bad shots a game and his field goal percentage shows it.
This season, Williams is shooting a less-than-average 38 percent from the field and only 29 percent from three point range. He is averaging seven assists, but a good point guard should be a consistent threat on offense as well.
Jamario Moon was essentially a throw-in to this deal for salary reasons, so there's no need to go into too much detail with him.
Now, let's take a look at the trade that could have been. In this scenario, the Clippers would have sent Davis and a first round pick to the Houston Rockets for Yao Ming's expiring and insured contract.
Overall, this would have been a much better move for both teams. Both teams would have unloaded bad contracts and the Rockets would have acquired a point guard who could have been a leader for Rick Adelman's young offense.
On top of that, it would have given Eric Bledsoe a chance to shine as the new starting point guard for the Clippers. Over the past week, the former Kentucky Wildcat has averaged 12.6 points per game and has proven that he can be a factor as his team has won four of their last five games. Just imagine the numbers he could be putting up as a starter!
Now, let's look at how the Yao situation would play out. He is already recovering from a stress fracture in his ankle, so he would not have played a game for the Clippers this season. Still, he could have been a realistic free agent option for the Clippers this coming offseason.
The Clippers' current situation at center is simple. Third year player DeAndre Jordan is the starter and oft-injured veteran, Chris Kaman, splits time with him. Jordan only averages seven points and seven rebounds a game, but his shot blocking ability gives him the edge over Kaman, who is more of an offensive force.
Given this situation, here's how it could have played out were Yao traded to the team. Kaman's contract is one that the Clippers have been trying to unload all season. Had they acquired Yao, they could have negotiated a trade with another team in the days preceding the NBA draft, or even draft day itself and sent Kaman to another team.
At that point, they could have negotiated a one year contract with Yao. He would, of course, be Jordan's backup, but could also be a dangerous threat in the middle were he to stay healthy. Keep in mind, Yao has averaged 19 points and nine rebounds for his career, not to mention a career field goal percentage of 52. Pair him with power forward Blake Griffin and you have two men on the floor capable of averaging 20 and 10 a game.
So, should the Clippers have made this trade instead of acquiring Mo Williams? Honestly, yes they should have. The numbers speak for themselves. The Clippers wouldn't have made an immediate return on their investment, but they could have used the offseason to gamble on that.
Instead, they traded for Mo Williams, an underachieving point guard due $17 million over the next two seasons. To add insult to injury, they lost the leadership capabilities of Baron Davis. Along with that, a talented young guard in Eric Bledsoe is now stuck in a reserve role for two years.
Only time will tell if this was the right move for the Los Angeles Clippers. Yet, even if this move does pay off, it will leave the fans and experts wondering what could have been.
