2014 FIBA World Cup: 10 major takeaways

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Apr 12, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Miroslav Raduljica (9) possesses the ball as Washington Wizards power forward Drew Gooden (90) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

6. The Clippers definitely could have used Miroslav Raduljica

In a recent trade, the Clippers sent Jared Dudley and a 2017 first-round draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for Miroslav Raduljica and Carlos Delfino. Three days later, the Clippers waived both Raduljica and Delfino to make room on the roster for Ekpe Udoh and Chris Douglas-Roberts. While Udoh and Douglas-Roberts fill needs for the Clippers, the Clippers could have used Raduljica next season.

In the tournament, Raduljica averaged 13.0 points per game on 55 percent shooting against solid competition, like the Gasol Bros. of Spain, Gobert and Diaw of France, and Varejao and Splitter of Brazil. More importantly, Raduljica showed how physical and tough he can be in post defense. Granted, Raduljica, even at 7-feet tall, isn’t a rim protector and only recorded one block in the entire tournament. If the Clippers want a rim protector, Udoh is probably the better way to go, but through his four years in the NBA, Udoh only averages 1.3 blocks per game.

Ekpe Udoh Career Stats

Season	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2010-11	58	17.8	1.7	3.8	.437	3.1	0.7	0.4	1.5	4.1
2011-12	61	21.1	2.1	4.8	.431	4.2	0.9	0.7	1.7	5.6
2012-13	76	17.3	1.5	3.5	.435	3.3	0.6	0.5	1.1	4.3
2013-14	42	19.1	1.4	3.4	.399	3.5	0.7	0.4	1.0	3.4
Career	237	18.7	1.7	3.9	.428	3.5	0.7	0.5	1.3	4.4

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 9/15/2014.

It’s a smaller sample size, but Raduljica posted similar numbers to Udoh in his only year with the Bucks.

Miroslav Raduljica Career Stats

Season	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2013-14	48	9.7	1.4	2.6	.540	2.3	0.5	0.1	0.3	3.8
Career	48	9.7	1.4	2.6	.540	2.3	0.5	0.1	0.3	3.8

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 9/15/2014.

Ultimately, it’s probably a wash; Udoh and Raduljica would have been the same player for the Clippers. Personally, I think there’s much more potential with Raduljica, though. He’s bigger than Udoh, stronger than Udoh, and he plays with more fire than Udoh. I want the guy who’s willing to throw a punch when Blake Griffin gets taken out going in for dunk. Raduljica is that guy; Udoh is not.

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