Can the clipps clip the fat?

I know it's not particularly clever title. I'm tired. Let it slide.

A new year means new hope for a Clipper turnaround that most likely won't pan out. Nevertheless, we will continue to hope.

The team has options this year. Ideally, they will trade Randolph, but unfortunately there are few teams crazy enough to give up much for him. Randolph is certainly tradeable, just not for a good price. Clippers would likely have to take back an equally overpaid, overrated player.

That said, Richard Jefferson is a name that's been thrown out there. If the Bucks were up for it, this could be a worthwhile trade for the Clipps. Al Thornton blows. I'm sorry. He consistently makes awful decisions at both ends of the court and is not particularly talented. He's a moderately athletic slasher with a bad jumpshot who does not understand basic defensive concepts. Add to that the fact that he was a really old rookie when he came into the league and his ability to contribute on the court will be nonexistent after maybe 3 more seasons.

Getting Jefferson would bring in a more legitamite inside/outside offensive talent at the SF spot and, more importantly, allow Blake Griffin to get consistent playing time to grow and develop.

The Clippers could and should also trade either Camby or Kaman. I personally don't think Kaman's contract is nearly as bad as the various experts do. His 2009 salary is $9.5 million, which is not that bad given the ridiculous premiums teams are willing to pay for big men. Just a year ago, Kaman put up 16 points and 13 boards with almost 3 blocks a game.

Given that Kaman is perceived as less tradeable, the Clippers probably wouldn't be able to extract as much value by trading him. Camby, on the other had, offers a much desired expiring contract as well as short-term help on the defensive end for aspiring championship contenders. I'm not exactly sure who they would want to grab in Camby's price range... maybe push for Luol Deng since his stock seems to have dropped?

I think the Clippers will probably keep Camby and let his contract expire. Sterling is generally a cheap owner and is probably more inclined to wait for signs of a turnaround before he makes any more long-term salary commitments. I think Randolph will probably get traded and the Clippers will keep both Kaman and Camby, but we'll see what happens.