Los Angeles Clippers get the NBA rumour mill up and running

If the Clippers have not made you a trade offer – in the last 48 hours – you clearly are not a member of the NBA.

Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett (C) slaps hands with teammates as he takes the court before the start of the first half of Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal playoff basketball series agaiShow more

The NBA off-season is some kind of fun, there is no denying. It is when things get crazy. Rumours fly. Trades, draft picks, coaching changes, nicknames. No story is too weird to be dismissed.

This year Crazy Central appears to be in the offices of the Los Angeles Clippers. If the Clippers have not made you a trade offer in the past 48 hours you are not a member of the NBA. This is the eternally hapless club that saw its stock rise the past two seasons with the draft of the forward Blake Griffin and the trade for Chris Paul, the point guard. This season, they won a division title for the first time (in their 43rd try) and then fired their coach, Vinny Del Negro.

A half-dozen qualified coaches have been linked to their next hire, but apparently the one they really want currently coaches Boston Celtics: Doc Rivers.

These days, other team's obstacles are viewed by the Clippers as opportunity. So the hot rumour has the Clippers offering their centre DeAndre Jordan and a first-round draft pick for Rivers and the forward Kevin Garnett. The Celtics, however, apparently also want the point guard Eric Bledsoe.

The Clippers reportedly baulked at that because 1) they cannot let Bledsoe go until they know if the free agent Paul will re-sign and 2) if Paul stays, what they really want to do with Bledsoe is trade him to Indiana Pacers for Danny Granger.

And then there is the rumour of a sign-and-trade with the Lakers for centre Dwight Howard in return for Griffin and Bledsoe. Not realistic, but so much fun.

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