GM Doc is at it again

[Beat LA]

Report: Clippers interested in Lakers’ Wesley Johnson
Dan Feldman May 18, 2015, 1:09 PM EDT

Doc Rivers must upgrade the Clippers’ bench.

Where might he look?

Across the hall.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:

The Clippers have interest in Lakers swingman Wes Johnson, according to sources.

Wesley Johnson is exactly the type of player the Clippers should pursue. They have a strong core in Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and – they hope – DeAndre Jordan. They need more solid role players, and Johnson fits the bill.

He’s a 3-and-D combo forward – solid at both skills, though spectacular at neither.  The Clippers need more help at small forward, but a stretch four would give them helpful versatility.

Johnson had a solid season for the Lakers in 2013-14, and that earned him just a minimum contract. He produced at a similar level this season, though proving his consistency could increase his value.

If the Clippers can get him at the minimum, they should do it. If Johnson costs more, they should evaluate other free-agent options. They’ll be over the cap and without the bi-annual exception (given last year to Jordan Farmar). Johnson would help, but not so much that the Clippers should necessarily use a portion of their mid-level exception on him.

I'm not sure which is hilariously worse - Doc going after Wesley Johnson, or the author of this article citing said player as a '3 and d player.' Wow - this just keeps getting better and better, lol .

[Ogaju]

there should be a sweepstake on how long it will take the Celtics to figure out they have been juked by Doc. LOL !!!

Too bad it wasn't the Lakers he juked.

[Endless Paradise]

... what?

I'm all for roasting GM Doc for his past mistakes, but what exactly is he supposed to do here? They absolutely need wing depth, preferably a younger, athletic guy rather than someone like Paul Pierce (so that they aren't running an absolutely ancient small forward rotation of Pierce-Barnes), but they have no assets to trade nor cap space to sign anyone other than guys like Wesley Johnson.

Is he supposed to just NOT go after a bargain bin player?

[PhoSita]

Yeah, Wes Johnson could actually be a decent fit for the Clips.

The Clippers need replacement-level NBA players.  Too often Doc has a tendency to go after guys who are well past their 30th birthday when he tries to add replacement level guys.

[SCeltic34]

"Wesley Johnson is playing his way out of the NBA"

Wesley Johnson looks like he should be one of the best basketball players in the NBA. With a mammoth wingspan and still-freakish athleticism, the swingman simply looks like he was put on this Earth for one reason: to play basketball, and to do it very, very well. Two seasons into his Los Angeles Lakers career, it's evident that if you judged this book by its cover, you'd expect Henry David Thoreau, only to find that the text was by E.L James.

Wesley Johnson is not the star some -- but by no means all -- thought he would be. He has not utilized his physical gifts to their effective peaks, nor has his athleticism taken him places his basketball intellect could not. There's no need to look into the numbers--no one, not even Wes himself, would describe him as a star-caliber player. This statement has long since been a surprise to no one.

However, an effective role player? That was the hope that most Lakers fans had when Johnson signed up with the team two summers ago for the veteran's minimum. With his length, strength and speed, many felt that given the opportunity, Wes could morph into a defensive stopper, finisher on the break and spot-up shooter. The minutes would be there and on a squad with almost no expectations, the pressure was minimal. Was Corey Brewer too lofty of a career goal?

Two seasons in, even a target like Corey Brewer seems like a pipe dream.

With 155 games under his belt as a member of the two worst Los Angeles Lakers teams of all time, there's almost no doubt that Johnson is not fit to be a playoff rotation player, or maybe even a NBA player in general.

Wes has had essentially zero competition for minutes the past two years, battling the likes of Xavier Henry, Nick Young, Manny Harris and Shawne Williams for court time. He's been in the middle of a run and gun Mike D'Antoni offense and took the most three point shots on Byron Scott's squad. Johnson has shifted all over the court, playing shooting guard and both forward spots, as well as being given the chance to guard players all over the depth chart. If there's been a basketball situation the past two years, Wes has likely been in the middle of it.

The result? On the surface, nothing too terrible. This past season, he averaged 9.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg on .414/.351/.804 shooting. Not spectacular, but those numbers are certainly far from horrible. However, looking deeper, all that production was done in nearly 30 minutes per game for an 11.1 PER. I'm not the biggest proponent of PER out there, but from an offensive efficiency standpoint, it can be very telling of a player's performance. In Wes's case? Pretty accurate.

Essentially, the problem is that when Johnson is on the floor, he's just a body. As a 6'7" guy, he can finish dunks, move the ball around the perimeter, grab rebounds that are within his area and sometimes stay in front of his opponent. However, aside from catch and shoot possessions and fast breaks, Johnson hasn't given the Lakers any production that would separate him from the most average guys in the league. As I've written many times, Wes is the very essence of a replacement-level player. He's not actively hurting the team in any discernible way, but at the same time, he's certainly not helping beyond being an active, able body.

What's worse is that between the two seasons, Johnson hasn't improved at all--and in some ways, he may have gotten worse. As I wrote earlier this year, the key problem is that, given any time to make a conscious basketball decision, Wes's performance suffers greatly. On catch and shoot? Put backs? Fast break dunks? No problem, as the former Orangeman can finish. However, if it's off the dribble? Or in a double team? Forget about it.

The biggest problem with Wes Johnson is that at this point, he's purely making his bones off freak athleticism and a perfect basketball body. He has no real skill that would distinguish him anywhere on the court and any semblance of upside he had, even for being a mere role player, has been doused...heavily. Johnson suffered for years from the stigma of his draft position as well as being blessed by looking like an absolute premiere athlete. However, as the latter begins to fade with Wes approaching age 30, it's no longer a question of whether or not he'll be a star or a valuable role player, but rather, if he will even be an NBA professional.

These past two years with the Lakers were the greatest gift Johnson's ever had in his career: a chance to shine with zero pressure. However, with those two years in the books, no real improvement in his play and no NBA skill to market, it seems like what was once Johnson's best showcase for his talents may have actually doomed his NBA future.

Look, he works hard, trains hard and is, by all accounts, a stand up guy in the locker room. For another year or so, that may get him a training camp invite or perhaps even a guaranteed deal as a 12th man on the bench. But all things considered, no one should be surprised if this last, horrid season in Lakers history was the last on Wesley Johnson's stat sheet.

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/5/13/8590297/la-lakers-wesley-johnson-free-agency-season-review

The Clips could do better than Wes Johnson.  Doubt he moves the needle much if at all.  First order of business should be addressing their backup C and PF issues.

[D Dub]

Wes Johnson is absolutely a 3D player.   He just doesn't look like one in Byron Scott's 3-pointerless offense.   

The season prior, only two players in the league averaged at least 1 three, 1 block, & 1 steal per game:

Paul Milsap
Wes Johnson

Considering how few true swingmem there are around the league, guys that can switch 1-4 defensively, Wes actually would be a nice addition for any team.   Hoping we get him, honestly.

[Endless Paradise]

The Clips could do better than Wes Johnson.  Doubt he moves the needle much if at all.  First order of business should be addressing their backup C and PF issues.

1) With what cap space and assets can they do better than Wes Johnson? DeMarre Carroll's not signing there for the vet min. Jae Crowder isn't, either. They're not getting quality, young players at a discount.

2) Spencer Hawes. Doc using this offseason to sign yet another big would be a colossal mistake. First and foremost is getting some athleticism and youth in their wing positions.

[SCeltic34]

The Clips could do better than Wes Johnson.  Doubt he moves the needle much if at all.  First order of business should be addressing their backup C and PF issues.

1) With what cap space and assets can they do better than Wes Johnson? DeMarre Carroll's not signing there for the vet min. Jae Crowder isn't, either. They're not getting quality, young players at a discount.

2) Spencer Hawes. Doc using this offseason to sign yet another big would be a colossal mistake. First and foremost is getting some athleticism and youth in their wing positions.

1) Yeah they don't have the greatest amount of options in the world.  Could split the MLE across players if needed.  I can actually see why Wes Johnson may be an intriguing cheap option, but he's not going to help much.

2) Hawes wasn't of use in the playoffs, even with the hack-a-DJ strategy.  You're right - they desperately need a SF.  But they need something better than Hawes and Big Baby as well.  That pair of backup bigs isn't getting you anywhere.

[Endless Paradise]

They signed Hawes to a four-year deal. He had a bad first year. His trade value is tanked due to poor performance and his contract length. The best option they have is to hope that Hawes has a bounce back year and progresses to the mean, since he hasn't been as bad in his career as he was this past year. The last thing they should/can afford to do is another Jared Dudley-type move where they waste yet another draft pick to dump Hawes' contract... only to watch him likely have a resurgence with his new team, a la Dudley.

[D Dub]

"Wesley Johnson is playing his way out of the NBA"


http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/5/13/8590297/la-lakers-wesley-johnson-free-agency-season-review

The Clips could do better than Wes Johnson.  Doubt he moves the needle much if at all.  First order of business should be addressing their backup C and PF issues.

just went back and read that article, and I pretty much disagree with the entirety of it. 
terrible analysis, but what should I expect from the faker blog?  need to go disinfect my computer now.

[Who]

Wesley Johnson is a poor man's Jamario Moon. I think he is better off as a big two guard than a three. He lacks physical toughness at SF and gets pushed around too easily.

A below average bench player.

[D.o.s.]

Wesley Johnson is a poor man's Jamario Moon.

[Beat LA]

"Wesley Johnson is playing his way out of the NBA"


http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/5/13/8590297/la-lakers-wesley-johnson-free-agency-season-review

The Clips could do better than Wes Johnson.  Doubt he moves the needle much if at all.  First order of business should be addressing their backup C and PF issues.

just went back and read that article, and I pretty much disagree with the entirety of it. 
terrible analysis, but what should I expect from the faker blog?  need to go disinfect my computer now.

Lol , TP.

[GreenFaith1819]

Wesley Johnson may be a decent fit under Doc. Perhaps a change of scenery and winning culture would help him.

Wondering why they did not go after Truth, though.

[Kane3387]

I'd move Blake for KD. Cp3 for melo. Retain Jordan. Sign rondo.

Rondo
Reddick
Durant
Melo
Jordan

If KD won't commit to okc then it could happen. Blake is from okc, went to OU. And locked up. Rondo and doc can work. Doc can probably get him on discount. Rondo can distribute touches evenly between durant and melo.

Lol!