The Clippers just replaced Elton Brand. Well, sort of.
The Nuggets basically just gave the defensive ace to the Clips. The only thing Denver received in return is the option to swap second round picks in 2010. This was a cut and dry salary dump from the Nuggets, who have 5 other players at 10 million or more for next season. The problem will be the team's defense. The only thing that kept the Nuggets from being great was a lack of defensive play. Camby was just about the only player committed to defense every night. Who will stop teams from dropping 120 on the Nuggets now?
Not only will the Nuggets have lower salaries for next season, but the 2009 offseason should be a good one in Denver. With A.I. and Chucky Atkins' salaries expiring after this season, the team could be far under the cap (especially if they can find someone to pay Steven Hunter. They would still have good pieces to build around: Nene, Melo, JR Smith, and Linas Kleiza are all under the age of 26, and would be a good building block for the future.
On the more receiving end of this deal, all Camby really will be is a defensive replacement for Brand. With Kaman and Camby playing in tandem up front, the Clips will be able to smother the boards and play solid defense. They will be relying on Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton and Cuttino Mobley to step up and score and keep the team in games.
What to expect:
Look for the Nuggets to be at around .500, if that. With even less defense then last year (who thought that was possible?), they will be a fun team to watch, but not necessarily a winner. No playoffs in store for Denver.
The Clippers should have an above .500 team. They desperately need their guards to score, but will be good on the defensive end and make teams worry about playing them each and every night. Playoffs could still be within reach, but things need to fall into place for them to make it (such as Golden State struggling, and Portland not improving with Oden).
Keywords: Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Marcus Camby
