Vinny really screwed up by taking Bledsoe out and leaving Mo in down the stretch. I'm sure free throws had something to do with it, but you don't have to worry about that when you are up by 10. Bledsoe makes things happen on defense.

Sure the Clips had problems of their own on the offensive end during that stretch, but it wouldn't have mattered had they made stops. Mo is a great, valuable player, but he is not a good defender, and should not be in down the stretch. Foye has done an admirable job on Gay and provides a shooting threat, so I can understand him being in the game late. Frankly, I'm not sure why Caron is always on the bench late in games. Vinny's subbing patterns are curious to say the least.

That being said, the Clippers got the job done. They showed guts. Despite being out-rebounded by 11 (and giving up 19 offensive rebounds - yikes!), they managed to do just enough to win.

This game was HORRIBLY officiated. Both teams were the victim of bad calls, though the Clips really got the short end of that. I really wish the NBA would figure out a way to get a handle on the bad refereeing. I'm never one to blame a loss on refs. Bad calls are part of the game. If you allow the game to be close, you allow the refs to be a factor. Play well and you don't have to worry about it. But their ineptitude does for a less enjoyable viewing experience.

Memphis is a tough, gritty team. I respect them. The only reason they haven't swept the Clippers is because they don't have a superstar to take over late in games, and we do. The NBA is a superstars league, and Chris Paul is a super-duper star.

Last night, I told my wife that the Clippers still have an outside chance to win the Pacific Division.

Her reply was, "Wow, then we'll finally be able to put up a banner of our own."

I hadn't considered that. I know that some teams hang their division banners, but I don't recall whether there are currently any flying in Staples Center. I explained to her that it would be embarrassing for us to hang our one measly division banner next to the Lakers 15 Championship banners. She said it was just my ego, and that we should celebrate the accomplishment.

I told her that a division banner would be worse than having no banner at all, and that this was a strike-shortened season anyway. She said that all the teams played the same number of games, and that hanging a banner would be a nice F-U to the Lakers fans.

So I will put it to The Nation. If the Clippers are able to pass the Lakers in the standings and secure the Pacific Division title, should they hang a banner in the rafters as a celebration and an indication of our arrival, or should we not celebrate moral victories and realize that LA only respects championships?

Blake's dunks over Pau were EPIC!!! The Lakers fans are whining that they were offensive fouls. I don't know who's softer, Gasol or Lakers fans.

Anyway, after awhile, nobody will remember who won this regular season game. But Gasol getting abused repeatedly will live on YouTube forever. Couldn't happen to a bigger crybaby.

Watching basketball is about being entertained. I get nothing if the Clippers win or lose. But watching Blake amaze me every night is invaluable.

So cheer up Clips fans. The Lakers beat a shorthanded Clippers squad, but Gasol got what he deserved. It would have been nice if the Clippers had won the game, but it really makes no difference in either the short term or the long term.

I need all Clippers fans to commit to NEVER serenading a free throw shooting Clipper with the absurdly pathetic and insufferably ass-kissing chant of M-V-P. I'm not sure who invented this atrocity, but it has spread thru the NBA like a plague over the years.

As with everything, Lakers fans do it most annoyingly. Kobe worship is disturbing for many reasons, most notably Colorado. But the Kobe/M-V-P chant is patently incomprehensible. On it's face, it fails the logic test. Kobe is nowhere close to being the MVP of the NBA, and hasn't been for years. This should be obvious. Even if he were MVP material, the chant is tired and corny. Nobody over the age of 9 should participate in such frivolity. I don't expect Lakers fans, with their lethal combination of myopia and limited basketball knowledge, to understand this. But I do expect more of Clippers fans.

So please, PLEASE, unless your name is ClipperDarrell, or you are a child under the age of 12, restrain yourselves from participating in this ridiculous schoolyard chanting, even you think that Blake Griffin or Chris Paul are actually deserving of being recognized NBA MVP. We're not in nursery school.

Thank you.

The halfway decent Max & Macellus and the absurd Lakers apologists Mason & Ireland were discussing Dwight Howard rumors (as is their wont), and in particular, this newest rumor of Howard being "intrigued" by the Clippers.

Someone suggested that the Clippers trade Blake Griffin to the Magic for Howard, and slide DJ to PF.

It's typical of what passes for Lakers talk radio, but I thought I would put it out their to the Nation so that you can all weigh in.

Me first:

HELL NO!!!!!

I wouldn't trade Blake for Howard. Griffin is a dynamic talent who will only get better. Howard, while a defensive monster, has a limited offensive game, and may be close to reaching his peak.

What say you?

Just wondering if any Clippers fans who were displeased with the Chris Paul trade have different feelings after two preseason games.

The intent here is not to antagonize or rekindle a debate. Just want to gauge reaction now that we have had a chance to see the new Clippers in action.

Anyone still wish we had EJ and Kaman, rather than CP3?

Rumor has it that the Lakers and Nuggets are in trade talks involving Carmelo Anthony and Andrew Bynum.   They are also in seperate talks with Charlotte involving Ron Artest for either Stephen Jackson or Gerald Wallace.

I find it hard to believe that the Clippers could not put together a more attractive package to either team.  Both Wallace and SJax would be helpful additions.  A package involving Kaman should be able to net one of them. 

Denver is a bit more complicated due to Carmelo's veto power.  I'm sure Melo would sign off on the Lakers.   Not certain about the Clippers.

But it would be very disappointing if the Lakers were able to land Gerald Wallace for Artest while the Clippers dither. 

The defending champs are trying to get better.  Will the Clippers do the same?

Brad Childress is as good as gone in Minnesota, and unlike the Cowboys, they have a legitimate "coach in waiting" in Leslie Frazier. Assuming there is a 2011 NFL season, the Cowboys will certainly be in the market for a new head coach, and Frazier is at the top of most team's lists. The names most likely to be floated for the top job in Dallas will be Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden and Brian Billick. Other possibilities are Marty Schottenheimer and John Fox (Lord no). A name I would love to see mentioned is Stanford Coach John Harbaugh. I love what he has done with that program. He seems to have the right demeanor; hard-nosed and no-nonsense. (Plus, the Cowboys may just have the top pick, which they could use on Andrew Luck).

Griffin scores 20 in his NBA debut, but even more impressive are the 9 offensive rebounds (14 total).  ORebs are about hustle, and that's all this guy does. 

Ryan Gomes...yikes.  28 incredibly forgettable minutes.   I see a lot of SF minutes in Sool's future.

Kaman 1.5 showed up tonight.  Good rebounding, bad shooting. 

The Clippers had no clue how to handle Portland's zone defense in the 4th. 

Baron Davis was 3-11.  So he's in mid-season form.

Griffin and Gordon have to stay healthy for this team to have ANY chance.

The forward is struggling in his role as a role player.

Continue reading this post »

Al Thornton had a promising rookie season.  He was the second leading scorer among rookies behind Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, and boasted scoring outbursts of 33 and 39 points after becoming a starter.  Many nights he was the Clippers go to scorer down the stretch, and was the only Clipper with the ability to effectively create his own shot.  Because he spent a lot of time playing out of position, his rebound rate was below average, and it was no secret that AT's defense needed work.  But for a rookie who slipped to #14, Al played well overall.

Perhaps the sophomore jinx is real, because Al Thornton clearly regressed in his second season.  On the surface, his numbers improved.  He averaged almost 17ppg and shot slightly better from the field.  A deeper look, however, puts Al into a whole new light.

Using the incresingly popular Wins Produced metric, Al Thornton was last season's least productive player.  Here's the list of the least:

Rank	Player	Team	Games Played	Games Started	Minutes Played	Wins Produced	WP48
1	Al Thornton	LA Clippers	71	67	2,654	-2.88	-0.052
2	Antoine Wright	Dallas	65	53	1,552	-2.70	-0.083
3	Bobby Brown	Minnesota-Sacramento	68	2	931	-2.48	-0.128
4	Donte Greene	Sacramento	55	4	725	-2.43	-0.161
5	Andrea Bargnani	Toronto	78	59	2,453	-2.31	-0.045
6	Jason Kapono	Toronto	80	12	1,831	-2.24	-0.059
7	Ricky Davis	LA Clippers	36	9	785	-2.09	-0.128
8	Al Harrington	Golden State-New York	73	56	2,546	-2.01	-0.038
9	Glen Davis	Boston	76	16	1,637	-1.98	-0.058
10	Nick Young	Washington	82	5	1,837	-1.94	-0.051

 
Other Clippers and former Clippers (Maggette) made the bottom 10%, but Al Thornton held the top, er, bottom spot. This metric is hardly and outlier.  Al also managed to have the worst plus/minus of anyone in the NBA.  The worst 5::

 1. Al Thornton -575.

2. Kevin Durant -502.

3. Spencer Hawes -490.

4. Antawn Jamison -472.

5. Eric Gordon -462. (way to support your teammate, EJ)

Hence all the talk around here of going a different direction at the 3.  (Sorry, Al).  The point of this is not to pick on Thornton.  He is hardly the only one to blame for the Clippers struggles last year (hello, Baron Davis).   The point is to maybe convince AT to, well, just, try to be more productive out there. 

For those interested in Wins Produced, here is a list of the league leaders by position.  Marcus Camby was 13th overall in the NBA, while Zach Randolph was the 13th ranked Power Forward, and 110th ranked player overall.  (Note:  this metric does tend to skew in favor of centers and point guards.  Power Forwards seem to have the most difficult time satisfying the parameters.)

Also, here is the Wins Produced by the Clippers thru 74 games last season.  Baron Davis had the most signifigant drop off, but, as a unit, this roster was not poised to win many games anyhow.

Lots of work yet to be done