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Los Angeles Clippers: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith at press conference at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Signing Josh Smith

Since it’s hard to refer to Cole Aldrich as any sort of “home run” and keep a straight face, we can comfortably say that signing Josh Smith to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum ($1.5 million) was absolutely a grand slam.

It wasn’t long ago that Smoove was still a member of the Detroit Pistons and viewed as a hopeless waste of his full potential. He was the guy who spent far too much time chucking up ill-advised three-point shots and not enough time in the paint, where he was at his most efficient.

But then his career got the resurgence it needed in Houston, particularly in the playoffs when Smith suddenly started knocking down threes and all his best attributes — defense, athleticism and his connection with Dwight Howard — came to the forefront again. If the Clippers are getting THAT Josh Smith at the veteran’s minimum, that’s a monumental pickup.

Smoove won’t be perfect. He’s still going to brick ill-advised threes every now and then, and on a team with so many…uh…vibrant personalities, there’s a chance for some clashes between CP3, Born Ready, Jordan and Smoove.

But winning cures all ills, and Josh Smith joining the Clippers because he wanted to win — by leaving the team that beat the Clips in the playoffs — is a definite winning move for a contender whose biggest weakness last season was depth.

Grade: A-

Next: From L.A.L. To L.A.C.

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