There's no official word on Sam Cassell yet, but despite Henry Abbott's warnings, this thing has a feeling of enevitability.
So here's a primer on what we should be expecting. ClipperBlog remembers him fondly.
Sam Cassell might be one of the few guys in the NBA who wakes up every morning and says, "I get to go play ball today and, $%^&, they’re actually gonna pay me millions to do it!" If Sam didn’t play professional ball, you just know he’d be the self-appointed mayor of the pickup game down at the Y. After the gym closes, he’d be the guy who spends the next hour in the parking lot breaking down exactly what happened on the court. It’s that great cliché of sport: Sam Cassell would do it for free. Though it was a fleeting moment in the larger history of this franchise, the Clippers were beneficiaries of Sam's infatuation with the game. That's worth something.
Also, J.A. Adande believes Sam might bring a fresh breath of air to the team.
Cassell went to the All-Star Game in 2004, his first season with the Timberwolves, when he and Latrell Sprewell arrived in Minnesota and elicited an MVP season from Garnett. Cassell has been known to have that kind of impact. His rookie year in Houston 14 years ago, the Rockets won the NBA championship and Hakeem Olajuwon won the Most Valuable Player award. When Cassell came to the Clippers in 2005, the team came within a game of the conference finals and Elton Brand had a career year. But Cassell is a little bit like Shaq in that he's at his best when he's fresh on the scene with something to prove.
I know that Sam has his downfalls. He doesn't play defense, he's a shoot first point guard, and his ego and mouth are bound to get him into trouble sooner or later. But I'm still a fan of his and I do think that he'd be a nice addition to this team.
The key will be for Doc to use him in the right way. If he can handle being Rondo's backup, he'd be a nice addition to the second unit. I don't see him taking too many minutes away from anyone. I see him allowing Doc to use House and Tony Allen at their more natural shooting guard positions. And if that means giving Ray Allen more rest, even better.
If it works out, I think he'd give this team a nice boost for the second half and into the playoffs.