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Al-Farouq Aminu News & Rumors

Clippers acquire Chris Paul, send Eric Gordon to New Orleans
December 15
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Clippers have agreed to acquire All-Star point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets in a blockbuster deal that includes sending Eric Gordon to the Hornets, two people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak on the matter said Wednesday. The Clippers will send the Hornets Chris Kaman and his expiring $12.7-million expiring contract, second-year forward Al-Farouq Aminu and the unprotected No. 1 draft pick the Clippers got from the Minnesota Timberwolves, both people said. The Clippers will get Paul and two future second-round draft picks from the Hornets."
Sources: Officials push to renew Paul talks
December 13
ESPN.com
 
"There is renewed momentum to push through a trade that would send Chris Paul from the league-owned New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Clippers, according to sources close to the process. After a seemingly imminent trade routing Paul to the Clippers collapsed earlier Monday, sources told ESPN.com that the league officials negotiating on the Hornets' behalf had aggressively re-engaged the Clippers in talks in hopes of completing a deal as soon as Tuesday. One source close to the process also told ESPN that league officials also definitely did not see talks with the Clippers as "over," since they rank as the Hornets' most natural trade partner given L.A.'s trade assets and how it ranks as"
Clippers back off Chris Paul trade, win rights to Chauncey Billups
December 13
Los Angeles Times
 
"The first big news the Clippers made Monday was when they pulled out of a proposed deal to acquire All-Star point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets. Then in the afternoon the Clippers won the waiver auction to get veteran point guard Chauncey Billups, and re-signed center DeAndre Jordan by matching the Golden State Warriors' four-year, $43.2-million contract offer. "I don't know if there's anybody on the planet that doesn't think they would need Chris Paul if they had an opportunity to acquire him," said Neil Olshey, the Clippers' vice president of basketball operations, who, along with Coach Vinny Del Negro and team President Andy Roeser, had been working on all three deals"
Sources: Clippers' deal for Chris Paul off
December 12
ESPN.com
 
"A seemingly imminent Chris Paul trade has collapsed for the second time in five days. Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that the league-owned New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers could not complete their proposed Paul trade because the Clippers ultimately decided the NBA's asking price for the All-Star guard was too high. On Thursday, NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed a three-team trade agreement struck by the Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets to send Paul to the Lakers. At the NBA's direction, sources said, New Orleans was insisting upon the inclusion of both shooting guard Eric Gordon and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round draft choice in"
Source: Clippers seek Chris Paul deal
December 12
ESPN.com
 
"The New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers submitted a multiplayer blockbuster deal to the NBA on Sunday that would send All-Star point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles, a source with knowledge of the discussions said Monday. But the trade as submitted has one hitch: The league, which owns the Hornets, wanted Eric Bledsoe, while the Clippers want to keep their point guard, the source said. The deal would be done if the league hadn't asked for Bledsoe, according to the source. The trade as submitted would cost the Clippers guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman and forward Al-Farouq Aminu. It would also include Minnesota's first-round draft pick in 2012."
Pistons' Ben Gordon will keep getting paid during lockout
July 24
Detroit News
 
"Pistons guard Ben Gordon is one of four players who will continue to get paid if the NBA lockout stretches into the upcoming season. All are clients of agent Raymond Brothers , who spread their 2010-11 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months in case the lockout forces the cancellation of games. The others are Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (Michigan State), Mavericks forward Caron Butler and Clippers forward Al-Farouq Aminu."
Clippers exercise option on Griffin; Extend offer to Jordan
June 15
ESPN.com
 
"The Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday formally extended a $1,091,100 qualifying offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan and picked up the fourth-year option on power forward Blake Griffin and third-year options on guard Eric Bledsoe and forward Al-Farouq Aminu. While all of these moves were expected and somewhat perfunctory, extending the qualifying offer to Jordan formally begins what could be an intriguing and revealing process for the Clippers, who now have the right to match any offer sheet the athletic big man signs with another team. Clippers general manager Neil Olshey stopped short of guaranteeing the team would match any offer for Jordan, but sounded confident in the"
Clippers betting that Al-Farouq Aminu can play
September 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"Little wonder the kid was looking weary in Las Vegas during summer league. After all, leaving the hotel late at night and getting back after 1 a.m. can take its toll. Only small forward Al-Farouq Aminu, the Clippers' first-round draft choice in June, was shooting a thousand or so jumpers with veteran Pistons guard Ben Gordon at the gym, not posting up around blackjack tables. "I wasn't happy with his energy at times during summer league," said Neil Olshey, the Clippers' vice president of basketball operations. "Never even thought to ask [Aminu] why…. He never told anybody because he didn't want to brag about his work ethic. "Then he's going to practice the next day and trying to play a"
Clippers introduce first-round draft picks
June 29
Los Angeles Times
 
"On Monday, the Clippers introduced their latest lottery pick (Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu), along with another draftee (Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe). They wore suits, were upbeat about getting picked and smiled for photo-ops. But beyond them hovered enormous question marks, the largest of which: Who will coach this team? The (likely) answer: current Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey or former Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro. Casey interviewed with the Clippers on Monday not long before the first-round picks -- Aminu, an athletic 6-foot-9 forward, and Bledsoe, a bullish 6-1 guard -- were presented to the media at the team's headquarters in Playa Vista. Del Negro's interview is scheduled for"
Clippers take Al-Farouq Aminu with first-round draft pick
June 25
Los Angeles Times
 
"Rebounding, presumably, will not be an issue for the Clippers next season. Al-Farouq Aminu, the 6-foot-9 forward from Wake Forest blessed with a 7-3 wingspan, will join Blake Griffin in the Clippers' frontcourt, giving them a formidable one-two punch. Not only could the Clippers have two first-round selections debuting in the starting lineup, but there could be three first-rounders from the last two drafts on the court next season. That intriguing scenario became possible not long after they, as expected, took Aminu with the No. 8 pick in the first round in the NBA Draft on Thursday. They later traded a future first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for point guard Eric"
Clippers get their man Aminu in draft
June 25
L.A. Daily News
 
"The smiles on the faces of the Clippers president and general manager served to second the message that NBA commissioner David Stern delivered in New York City some 10 minutes earlier Thursday evening. They'd pulled the prize they wanted out of the 2010 draft pool. The 6-foot-9 Al-Farouq Aminu, who has three months remaining as a teenager, was available when the Clippers' No. 8 slot in the first round was up. The franchise's decision-makers didn't need the allotted five minutes to pass their selection along to the commissioner. Once the former Wake Forest standout worked out in the Clippers' facilities in front of the team's president (Andy Roeser), general manager (Neil Olshey) and"