Clippers’ Randy Foye figures he’ll be busy
All of the attention has been paid to Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups as the newest members of the Clippers’ backcourt, and about Mo Williams’ going from the starting point guard to a reserve role.
The forgotten man in all of this has been guard Randy Foye.
Or not — at least not in his eyes.
“No, I don’t feel that way at all,” Foye said. “I know Coach [Vinny Del Negro] knows what I bring to the table.”
Foye is in the final season of a contract that pays him $4.25 million for 2011-12, but he’s not worried about this being a contract year.
He feels he has a lot to offer the Clippers after playing in 63 games for them last season, 24 as a starter in which he averaged 16.1 points and shot 41.4% from the field.
Foye missed 18 games last season with a strained left hamstring, but said he worked out twice a day during the summer to be prepared for this season.
Though he knows it can be difficult to squeeze in playing time for four guards, Foye figures that because he’s the biggest of the group, at 6 feet 4, he’ll get plenty of action.
“I want the other team to forget about me when we walk in the arena,” Foye said. “That’s when I come out and some nights I’ll have 20 [points] and some nights I’ll have four, or whatever. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter as long as we get the ‘W.’”
Billups a point guard?
When the Clippers host the Lakers on Wednesday night in an exhibition game at Staples Center, Billups will be back at his new position at shooting guard and Paul will be at the point.
Billups said he’ll “always be a point guard,” even if he’s in another spot in the lineup.
“In my head and in talking with Vinny, we’re just playing two point guards,” Billups said of being on court with Paul. “The mind-set is totally different to be a shooting guard. I’ve haven’t had that mind-set in about 10 years as my game has evolved. But I’m going to go out there and I’m going to be aggressive at all times and try to play for the win, play for the team.”
The Clippers’ exhibition victory over the Lakers on Monday night was nice, and another victory over their Staples neighbors Wednesday would be a good thing as well.
But there is a more significant goal for the Clippers.
“What’s more important is … working through a lot of game-type situations out there, working on our offense, working on our defensive schemes and working on becoming cohesive out there,” Billups said. “That’s the key for us.”
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