LOS ANGELES - It's a different vibe around the Clippers facility in Playa Vista.
The long-time lottery dwellers, for the second year in a row, were without a first-round pick.
As teams throughout the NBA were selecting what they hope will be their stars of the future, it was pretty ho-hum around the facility as the Clippers waited for their turn holding on to the 53rd pick.
And with that 53rd overall selection of the 2012 NBA Draft, the Clippers selected 6-10, 230-pound forward Furkan Aldemir from Turkey.
"He's long. He's a young kid. He's good around the basket," said Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro. "He's got some upside to him so you want to pick the best guy possible at that position (and) that was the position we were in at that time.
"At that stage you just want the best available talent out there. Obviously, if it fits one of your needs (it's great) but you want the guy that, obviously, has a big upside."
The scouting report on Aldemir, 20, is that he's an outstanding rebounder who plays with great energy and intensity. He's also considered to be a very physical player.
The five-year Turkish League vet averaged 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds last season for Galatasaray Medical Park - his first with the team. He was selected to the Turkish All-Star Game in 2010.
It is believed Aldemir will remain in Turkey for at least one more season, however Del Negro would not confirm.
"There's a lot of possibilities going on right now," Del Negro said. "A lot of things that we're working on (and) we'll see how it all comes together here in the next week or so."
With former general manager Neil Oshey now in Portland, the Clippers War Room on Draft Night was run by Del Negro, along with team president Andy Roeser and director of player personnel Gary Sacks.
It will be the same three-headed monster that will handle all things dealing with the upcoming free agency period, with owner Donald Sterling having the final say.
"It's been a collaborative effort and we bounce things off of each other and we work on certain things and we'll see how it all comes together," Del Negro said.
