the 2nd coming of toni kukoc?
or the ghost of slava medvedenko?
the fakers pick up a perimeter playing big man who can't play D and doesn't like to rebound. but at least they'll now have five players who shoot better than tobe from 3 land.
so what's the starting 5 gonna be?
chris mihm/kwame brown
vladimir radmanovic/ronny turiaf
lamar odom/brian cook
tobe
william parker
the fakers still have a lot of personnel dumping to do... guess they're planning on stretching the D and lighting up the scoreboard this year...
gimmick basketball...
the clippers continue to exhibit their stupidity. they gave up the #8 pick in the 2002 draft for a sloppy sorry ass euro who played a GRAND TOTAL of 42 games in a clippers uniform. on top of that, 12 of those 42 games were playoffs games, in which he averaged slightly under 21 minutes per game.
the clippers had a playoff berth without the euro, and would've advanced to the WCF if they'd had a real big man on the floor with elton brand.
Radmanovic plans on signing with Lakers
/ Associated Press
Posted: 14 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Unrestricted free agent Vladimir Radmanovic of Bonsia-Herzegovina plans to sign a long-term contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent said Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) forward played 4 1/2 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers last February for Chris Wilcox.
The Clippers had said they hoped to re-sign Radmanovic, but it didn't take long for the 25-year-old sharpshooter to make another choice.
"The decision was obviously a tough one for Vlade," agent David Bauman said from Bethesda, Md. "On the one hand, he had strong interest from the Clippers to entice him to remain. (Coach) Mike Dunleavy, (general manager) Elgin Baylor and (executive) Andy Roeser did everything conceivable to make Vladimir feel comfortable and convince him to return.
"At the same time, the Lakers and numerous other teams called just after 12 midnight Eastern time to express to Vladimir their strong interest in getting his services."
Among the callers, according to Bauman, were Lakers star Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson.
"When Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson call your number at 6 o'clock on the morning of free agency, and you've got Vlade Divac, who's one of his idols, and Magic Johnson on standby, you tend to perk up and listen real hard and clear."
Bauman said it was around 9:00 Friday night in California and 6 a.m. Saturday in Belgrade, Serbia, where Radmanovic lives, when the phone rang.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak confirmed the plan, saying: "At the conclusion of the moratorium period, the Lakers intend to enter into a contract with Vladimir Radmanovic."
Kupchak wouldn't comment further.
Teams were allowed to begin speaking with free agents at 12:01 a.m. (EDT) on Saturday, but can't sign them until July 12.
"He's ecstatic," Bauman said of Radmanovic. "He's looking forward to playing with Kobe and helping the Lakers move closer to a championship. He hates to lose, as does Kobe.
"At the end of the day, Vladimir decided that the playing situation and the team makeup of the Lakers was the best fit for him. Vlade knows he's going to vastly improve the Lakers' outside shooting. He's looking forward to working with the Lakers and getting them to the promised land next year."
Bauman said it's unclear what the exact contract terms will be for his client, but the deal will be about $31 million (?24.4 million) over five years.
"It's the full midlevel exception," Bauman said. "He can't sign until July 12. The NBA will tell us at that time what the salary cap is."
Radmanovic averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 77 games last season, playing 25.6 minutes per game. Among other things, he shot 138-of-354 from 3-point range.
