Shai finds a void to fill in L.A.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Clippers introduced their firstround draft picks, guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, to the media in Los Angeles, and it didn’t take long for the conversation to shift to what’s next.
The Clippers were asked about their free-agency plans and where things stand with centre DeAndre Jordan, who has until Friday to decide whether to exercise a $24.1-million option for next season.
Also, the Clippers have reached out to San Antonio to express interest in trading for Kawhi Leonard, according to NBA officials not authorized to speak publicly. The conversation was brief, the officials said, and the Clippers came away feeling as if the Spurs were not in a rush to make a deal for Leonard — with them or any other team.
The Clippers boosted their guard depth during last week’s draft by picking up Hamilton’s Gilgeous-Alexander, the 11th overall pick, in a trade with Charlotte and choosing Robinson with the 13th pick.
With two highly regarded rookies, Clippers coach Doc Rivers was asked about the perception that he doesn’t like to rely on first-year players.
“People forget I won a world championship (in Boston) with Rajon Rondo as a second-year guard and he played a bunch his first year, along with Kendrick Perkins,” Rivers said. “I’m going to play the best players; guys who deserve it. But I will never give a rookie minutes because he’s a rookie. I think that deteriorates your culture. I think everyone has to earn minutes on the floor.
“And,” he added, smiling as he looked at the rookies next to him, “I expect that to happen, right?”
Gilgeous-Alexander, a 6-6 point guard who played one season at Kentucky, is well aware the Clippers have just one point guard among their eight guards.
“I had a couple of spots that I wanted to go to and I thought I could fill that void ,” Gil geo us Alexander said .“And this was the main spot.”
Robinson, a 6-5 shooting guard who played three seasons at Boston College, is prepared to be an understudy.
“Being a sponge and being able to learn right away from these guys,” Robinson said. “It’s a winning program that I’m going into. They want to win right now.”