When the debate was going on here at ClipsNation as to whether or not the Clips should yield Gordon in the trade for CP3 I was definitely on the side of those who hated to see EJ go but definitely thought it was worth it. Here are a few reasons that I miss EJ but still believe the front office made the right move.

INJURIES: One of the biggest arguments against the trade was that Eric is younger than CP3 and that CP3 has had knee problems. The reason I thought that whole argument was a wash is because of their respective games.

EJ, especially after winning the gold with Team USA, has become much better at attacking the rim - which was awesome! BUT I really worried every time he did drive down the lane because he would get so much contact (Remember this? [VIDEO] Listen to Ralph worried.)

I figured with EJ's higher flying game compared to CP3's earthbound game, how could fans say they are MORE worried about CP3s knees than EJ hurting at least in a few areas? You might remember as I do that EJ seemed to slip a lot on hard cuts and hurt his groin. Or take off for the rim and land on his previously injured wrist.

Unfortunately, at the start of this short, compacted schedule of a season, Gordon is already hurt. [Eric Gordon Sits Again] No one can say for sure that he would have been injured if he was still on the Clips but it is what it is. Update 1/6 : ESPN/AP is now reporting Gordon to be out 2 - 3 weeks.

MAX MONEY$$$$: Eric Gordon is due for a big contract. In recent interviews Neil Olshey has been saying that the Clippers probably would not have offered a or matched a max type extension for Gordon (Rose recently got a $94.8 MILLION, 5 year deal) We don't know what kind of numbers EJ's agent Pelinka was looking for but if it was reasonable you'd think Olshey would have sealed the deal, paving the way for the Clips to follow the Thunder mold of building around young pieces.

I believe if we kept EJ this year the front office would have chosen to follow the DJ route of letting him go to Restricted Free Agency status and then see what EJ would be offered by other teams. THEN if the amount was reasonable, they would match but if it was so high that it would keep them from being able to sign a Superstar Free Agent, they would LET HIM GO.

Can you imagine the trash talking in the media if that happened? It would be once again the "Clippers Are Cheap", "Clippers Let Gordon Walk For Nothing in Return", blah blah blah. They wouldn't even talk about whether or not EJ is really worth whatever outrageous amount some other team would be willing to give him. (Rudy Gay comes to mind)

Is he a great player? Yes. Should a team allocate Superstar type dollars in their overall budget for him? Hmmmm. What if you already have to worry about saving your max money for Griffin? Double Hmmmm.

The Clippers front office avoided a major PR disaster by trading Gordon now and avoiding the whole issue of whether or not EJ is worth a max extension regardless of how it hinders your ability to sign other stars.

CLUTCH PLAY: I have definitely missed seeing EJ's defense at the shooting guard spot in every Clipper game this year. But this last game against Portland gave me a brief moment where I actually DID NOT miss EJ at the 2 spot.

I know many other fans probably recognized the same moment. It was at the end of the game with the Blazers down by 4 when Jamal Crawford (League leader in 4-point plays) was behind the three point arc, ready to bring Portland back to life with a 3 or possibly 4 point play. Chris Paul, 5 inches shorter guarded him like white on rice and forced him into a jump ball. We all KNOW what would have happened if that was EJ guarding him. Crawford would have made the 3 while EJ fouled him, thus giving him a free throw, tying the game up and giving them the momentum.

Why do I say that? Because as far as I can remember, there were at least two times EJ has fouled a three point shooter, yielding a four point play (and that's just in game ending, critical moments). For some reason the refs have been quick to blow the whistle on EJ at the worst possible moments. Maybe it's the rookie thing. Maybe it's because they were tired of EJ making that sour face every time they called a foul on him or every time he didn't get a foul when he was shooting or driving on offense, but it was like clockwork.

Then to top it off, CP3 has to win a jump ball against Crawford to seal the game. EJs height and jumping advantage was not missed again as CP3 just willed himself to the apex of the jump, not really controlling it but getting enough on it to get it to Mo who snatched it away.

For all the positives EJ brought to the Clippers, the play of CP3 is slowly helping me feel okay with the loss of one of the best guards the Clips have had in awhile.

Just some of my thoughts watching the game tonight, not a full recap.

Intros: To start the year off right Fox Prime Ticket decided to air the player introductions. In the dramatic climax, "Your Starting Lineup", the Clipper's announcer introduced Mo as Chauncey Billups. Mo smiled but looked uncomfortable as his eyes grew big in confusion. He almost looked like he was going to turn around and not come out but then the announcer said his name. As if Mo wasn't already feeling disrespected this was a great way to start the home opener. I bet he wasn't happy.

Another note on Mo: Plaschke is reporting that after a missed shot by Mo, Caron yelled out "Pass the Ball!" to him after which they exchanged words. As much as I love Mo as the microwave off the bench, maybe it would be best for Mo AND the Clippers if he started for some other team.

Defense Sucks: I think this is obvious and it seems like some fans think VDNs defensive sets or lack thereof should get him booted right away. Others seem to think we need Pryzbilla or Fesenko immediately to right the ship. I think it's too soon to start criticizing VDN as he never had a training camp or much less a decent preseason to institute anything. Plus they played the Spurs, whose core of Manu, Timmy and Tony have played together for 10 years with at least a year with Blair, Jefferson, and Bonner, and now Chicago, whose main starters and bench have played together for a whole season (RIP being the only new, big piece). So of course their offense is going to make the Clips' D look like swiss cheese as they ran sets they've been practicing and running, fine-tuning for at least a year, if not years. Adding a big man is not going to instantly shore up our defense, because the defense that is lacking is TEAM defense. In the fourth quarter tonight the Bulls made almost every 3 point shot they attempted (I think it was at least 5). That's not something a Pryzbilla or Fesenko or a Reggie Evans is going to fix instantly.

Blake said in the Clippers Live post game interview that they need to do a better job helping to contain Rose and getting out to the 3 point shooters. Easier said than done! Even for a finely tuned defensive team, that is a struggle and a reason why the Bulls and Spurs both won something like 60 games last year.

My point on Defense: Fans need to be patient. What needs to be done in the meantime as the team learns how to play together more effectively? I do believe the Clippers could benefit from another big(of course) AND a taller guard. Why do I say that?

Just for fun, lets compare the Clippers roster to the Dallas Mavs Lineup for the Final Game of the Championship last year, GAME 6. As of today the Clips feature CP3, Chauncey & Mo in the backcourt, who are all short (listed as 6, 6-1, 6-3). But some could argue that last year's Championship Mavericks team often played JJ Barea (6[no way]), Kidd (6-4) and Terry (6-2) big minutes (30, 36, 34 in Game 6 of the Finals) to beat Miami. In the front court they had Dirk, Chandler and Marion. We have Blake, DJ and Caron. But off the bench they played Cardinal, MAHINMI and STEVENSON each about 12 minutes. Cardinal is a veteran stretch/perimeter big (we have our own Brian - Cook).

Now here's the difference & maybe a point of interest. Mahinmi was just basically a big body (6-11, 270) who made 2-3, grabbed 3 boards but banged out 5 fouls. The Clips don't have anyone like that on the roster, thus the rumors of Pryz. We need another 6-11, 7 footer to backup DJ for at least 12 minutes a game.

But what about Stevenson, he was the crazy guy (which Barkley on TNT said something to the point of all good teams need that one crazy guy - to which point Dallas acquired Delonte West this year since DeShawn is gone?) that played tough D.

On the Clips it would seem that Foye should be that defensive stopper. But Foye is at least an inch shorter, maybe a step slower, not nearly crazy Metta Peacey enough, and really more of a shooter and not really very consistent in the clutch. I think we need a very different kind of guard at the 2 coming off the bench. Some old Clips fans have brought up a fan favourite, Quinton Ross (who I actually got to have lunch with as a STH lunch winner! Very nice couple - him and his wife) I think he or more likely a player like him would definitely fit the defensive plan much better than Foye. Taller, longer arms and purely determined to chase and annoy opposing 2s and 3s (he should be able to switch off onto a Melo or Durant for short periods). He doesn't have to be great on offense. Why? Well some could argue that Foye stunk it up on both offense and defense, yet the Clips outshot the Bulls 51% to 50%. So even with Foye pulling the numbers down, the offense was fine.

So again just for fun here is how I see the Clips putting together a Championship caliber roster by comparing it to last season's Finals Game 6 Mavs Roster

Mavs - Clippers

JJ Barea - Eric Bledsoe [I genuinely believe he can have that same speedy, disruptive effect on the game]
Jason Kidd - CP3 [Kidd is taller and can post up better, but CP3 is just as crafty and can get in the lane better]
Jason Terry - Chauncey Billups [Terry may be younger & more mobile but Chauncey is just as deadly from 3 in the clutch]
DeShawn Stevenson - ???
Shawn Marion - Caron Butler [Similar games around 12-8 but the Matrix seems to have a longer reach for better D]
Dirk Nowitzki - Blake Griffin [Vastly different games but both potent on offense while somewhat criticized on defense or lack thereof]
Brian Cardinal - Brian Cook [Both vets and stretch bigs]
Tyson Chandler - Deandre Jordan [DJ is not there yet but some in media are saying CP3 could help him develop into the next Tyson Chandler. People see similarities in their games]
Ian Mahinmi - ???

DNPs
Corey Brewer - Ryan Gomes [I think Corey is definitely a better scorer than Gomes, but he was skinnier than a supermodel and did not play enough to affect games. Gomes should not play much either but he is. Problem]
Brendan Haywood - Reggie Evans [Brendan is taller and bigger and now starting, Evans is shorter and older but maybe what they give you is the same? Minimal minutes of rebounds and fouling opposing bigs]
Peja Stojakovic - Thompkins [Both 6-11, thin and can shoot 3s BUT Peja was deadly without hesitation and a veteran volume scorer at times, Thompkins is younger and more athletic and thus should be better on defense]

So am I basing my opinion of needing a taller, defensive minded (maybe crazy) SG and a 7 foot big man on this fantasy "build your team like last year's winner" comparison? Yes and no.

Yes, because I think it's a proof of concept. No, because I just feel that those two things are missing in watching the last two games. Cook and Thompkins are definitely not bulky or tall enough to deal with Blair, Duncan, Splitter, Asik, Noah or Boozer. Foye has not seemed to be quick enough or tall enough to defend effectively and probably thinks he's going to make his shots, where he should actually just be a decoy and focusing all his effort on defense. Gomes has not seemed to bring enough energy or defense or anything positive in a meaningful way (in 12 minutes he was -18, went 0-2 with 2 rebs and 1 to).

So if we took my fantasy comparison as a rule what would it suggest about the Clips roster?

1. Play CP3, Billups and Mo the most minutes. If Bledsoe returns healthy, trade Mo if you can get something of value in return. Some seem concerned that VDN played CP3 too many minutes tonight but I think CP3 is a bit overweight and needs the extra burn to start getting into shape. Plus he needs all the court time he can get with Blake. AND Billups (and Bledsoe) was out - he had to play big minutes.

2. Don't Play/Dump/Trade Foye. Find a taller, quicker, longer defensive minded 2 Guard. Don't worry about his offense, we have plenty of scoring. I know - easier said than done. Suggestions as to who's out there that could fit this bill?

3. Don't Play/Dump/Trade Gomes. Give Thompkins his minutes and live with his rookie mistakes. He needs playing time to develop. Play him at the 3 and 4. If Gomes is untradeable keep him as a backup.

4. Sign a Big Body (6-11, 230 at the very least). In this league, big bodies that can rebound and foul opposing stars is a necessity to keep starting bigs rested and out of foul trouble. Pryzbilla and Fesenko are on the radar and seem passable as Ian Mahinmi type number producers. As an added bonus Pryzbilla seemed to have a little feisty/crazy in him. Barkley might approve of him as "that one crazy guy" for the Clippers to be good.

Any taller, defensive minded SGs out there that the Clips should be looking at acquiring? DNPs, buried on the end of benches of teams with loads of 2 guards?

Welcome All Clipper Fans!

The opening game of the season has officially kicked off a great amount of debating and interaction here and I am excited to address many of the comments and posts I have been reading. I have absolutely no authority or claim to this site but am just a long time fan and old time blogger/poster. So here in my humble opinion, is the state of Clips Nation and more importantly the Clippers themselves!

CLIPS NATION - THE BEGINNING of a NEW ERA

With the arrival of Chris Paul, there seem to be many new Clipper fans. If you are one of them, we welcome you! I suggest you read a great post by Citizen shay outlining some basic info you should know about our community. After reading that some may still wonder why there is a negative under tone in so many posts.

True Clipper Fans Are Conservative

Any longtime Clipper fan will tell you if there is one motto to sum up our feelings for the past 20 years it would be "Don't count your chicks before they hatch". Yes, an old farmers saying maybe but die hard Clips fans have had years of exciting potential fizzle in front of our eyes. Call it a curse or bad management or a combination of both, but the results have always been the same in the end - disappointment.

So new fans, you have to be patient with old fans as we try and change our mindset to a more positive tone. You will see that there are many of us long time fans that have an eternally optimistic attitude (how else could we be fans this long?)

Conversely new fans must know the history of our beloved Clippers and understand that we here at Clips Nation value cautious optimism and most importantly GOOD BASKETBALL. We don't throw all logic out the window when evaluating games and run around shouting, "It doesn't matter how we won, we got CP3 and Blake so BOO-YA suckers!" We refrain from talking trash to Laker fans, respecting the Championship banners and our lack of any. Plus true Clipper fans really don't care about the Lakers.

True Clipper fans care about how well our team is playing basketball.

We care about how well the team played defense. We care about rebounding. We care about ball movement. We care about shot selection. We care about play calling and time management.

What we don't care about is how "cool" our stars are or if we have more/better stars than the other team. The Clippers have never really had superstars so it has always been a team that has attracted fans that love the blue collar, hard working underdogs. True Clipper fans love to see our team built around hard work and smart basketball beating teams built around megastars.

This is exactly why some here in Clips Nation may be so negative about the win last night.

True Clipper fans want to see our team win with smart basketball. That was definitely not the case last night. CP3 bailed out the team at the end of the game. He made "superstar" plays at a critical time and ensured a win for the team. We are definitely not accustomed to winning any games in that way. The closest thing we've had to that in recent memory is Sam Cassell.

So to balance out some of that negativity with some "New Clippers" positivity, here are my thoughts as a long time fan, of last nights win over the Warriors.

Clippers Edge Warriors on Christmas Night Victory

moKi's notes:

Clipper Nation: Be Patient. Yes the offense was ugly. The defense was bad, rebounding horrible. Too much reliance on CP3 going 1 on 1 to get the win. But they are working on it and I believe it will come in time. I expect to see better defense and rebounding by game ~10 and a smooth flowing offense by game ~20. Arnovitz wrote a great article on high expectations after last night's win on ESPN.

Clipper Nation: Be HAPPY!

Caron Butler. Look at Butler's stat line. 11pts, 10reb, 4ast, 3stl. Isn't this GLOOEY?? Stop whining about his knees and how much we paid or how old he'll be in 3 years! Shut up and enjoy it!

Chauncey Billups. He shot too much. More precisely, he missed too much. He didn't pass enough. Like he had a choice??? Everyone else was standing around and the Warriors were sagging on Blake and DJ. You don't think EJ could have just as easily had the same performance or worse? (Admit it, EJ would have forced a few into the lane and turned it over, leading to a few 4 point swings. Remember those???????) Chauncey was a Finals MVP. If anyone has the right to try to shoot himself into a game while the defense sags, it's him. The offense will improve and his performance last night will not be a regular occurrence. Let's forget it and move on.

CP3. He wasn't "engaged" in the first three quarters. Why did he wait so long to "turn it on"? Can't believe some complained about that. It's his very first game of the season on a brand new team and you want him to come out "guns blazing"? If you've watched any of his interviews so far you know Chris is a humble guy. He didn't come to the Clippers to show off. You can tell that in his mind he has nothing to prove to anybody, especially dumb bandwagon fans. CP3 is not a scorer first. He's a team-first kind of guy with the capacity to carry a team when needed. The offense is still a mess, but even when it improves he may choose to try to get others on the team scoring in the first half of games. As the point guard that is his job. He will score when needed. Stop worrying.

BlaKe. He didn't rebound enough. He didn't box out enough. He didn't block any shots. All valid points, but we have to remember that with Kaman gone there is even more pressure on Griffin to avoid getting into foul trouble. Think about it. If he racks up fouls early, who do you throw the ball to down low? DJ is not a consistent post scorer. Cook and Thompkins seem better suited to perimeter play. Most nights CP3 and Billups will not be taller and bigger than their defenders, wanting to take them to the low post. Blake must stay out of foul trouble and that means playing a bit more conservative which equals less rebounds and blocks. If the Clips can win without him racking up double doubles I'm sure he is fine with that. As fans we may have to accept that fact as well. Let's wait and see how things work out with Reggie "The Nutcracker" Evans.

DJ. Free Throws? Yes, he must improve. Could it get worse? Hopefully not. It was a block party last night but you better believe the Spurs will watch that tape and think "Pump-Fake" followed by "Foul on DJ" followed by "Cook into the game for DJ". I hope someone on the coaching staff is getting the Big Eraser ready for Timmy and Herky Jerky Ginobilli or else he's going to foul out by half time. DJ definitely needs to rebound better. He only had 5 last night, which is horrible for a guy with his size and jumping abilities. Sure he was focused on blocking on defense, so where were the offensive boards? 3? Not what you expect for 10 MILLION dollars. Sure 8 blocks sounds great, but it was the Warriors. With all that said, I've heard before that it usually takes years for big men to develop and DJ is still very young. Let's stay positive and look for his rebounding numbers and FT% to increase as the season progresses.

Mo Williams. In recent times the Clippers have always had the worst point guards. Even when we'd get an exciting one like Sam, he was past his prime. Andre Miller? It was amazing when he cared enough to jog up the court or talk to any of his teammates. Baron "Fat Boy" Davis? Shaun Livingston? Kneed I say more? No, we have been used to the Dan Dickaus and Daniel Ewings, Mike Taylors of the league. So now we have Mo Williams coming off the bench scoring with ease and some in Clips Nation want to get rid of him? He doesn't like coming off the bench? He's not happy here so we should trade him? What are we? The Lakers?

You don't trade away a perfect bench player just because he thinks he deserves to be a starter. Every player in the NBA should believe he's a starter or he really has no business being in the league - unless he's old or just used to living off his bigness (See Eddie Curry).

I believe Mo Williams is KEY to the Clippers being successful, especially in this short season of compacted games. Clipper coaches and management should be doing everything they can to make him happy as a 6th man. As of today, Mo is far superior to Foye or Bledsoe and to think the Clips would be OK without him would be a big mistake. He showed up in camp 20 pounds lighter and in top shape, mentally ready to lead the Clippers to the playoffs. As of today, he knows Vinny, the system, Blake, DJ, Bled, Foye and Gomes better than CP3 or Billups. Keep Mo for now. For stability and for wins. He may become expendable later, IF Bledsoe develops and a trade for a quality big demands it. But other than that I say we here at Clips Nation should do as much as possible to show love for Mo and keep him here.

- - - - -

I hope all is well with everyone here at Clips Nation. This season will be the best ever and I am looking forward to enjoying each and every moment! I still live close to Staples (about 10 min away) but I no longer have Season Tickets. If anyone wants to sell/give away tickets at the last minute please keep me in mind (I know, shameless plea).

LET'S GO CLIPPERS!!!!!! LET'S GO!!!!!!!

If you've been following the Fox hit TV show Fringe you know there's another world just like ours but on another plane or dimension where things are slightly different.

Well, a giant Peter machine just blew up today and we have all now been transferred into that Alternate world.

Chris Paul is a Clipper.

As a long time member of Clipper Nation, I am in utter, jubilant disbelief.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN CLIP NATION!

All those years of mostly Laker fans filling Staples Center screaming "MVP" at OUR home games! People laughing at you in disbelief as you wear your Clipper gear. Really? You're a Clipper fan?

How many friends have told you they will never like the Clippers because Sterling is a __________?

So I now present to you proofs that sometime late Wed Dec 14, 2011 the entire world was flipped upside down.

THE EVIDENCE

A. The Lakers so far 1) failed to trade for Paul twice, 2) traded away Lamar Odom for a doughnut, 3) had his backup Derek Caracter blow out his knee in practice, 4) lost Shannon Brown in free agency, 5) featured this on their website: Lakers Sign Josh McRoberts, Lakers Sign Jason Kapono, Lakers Sign Chris Daniels and 6) are at this point still chasing a BIG free agent which could cost them Gasol, Bynum or both!

While...

The Clippers added Caron Butler, then Chauncey Billups, and oh yeah, Chris Paul!!!!

For all this to happen in the same offseason to both teams proves we are in Alternate world.

B. Baron Davis has a herniated disc and is projected to be out 8-10 weeks. He got amnestied and wouldn't mind playing for his hometown Lakers. I guess he read the LA Times article that said the Lakers were looking to upgrade from Steve Blake and were "curious" to see if Baron would become available. Radmonovic, Powell, and the aforementioned Steve Blake all defected from the Clippers to the Lakers and it's worked out great, right?

How in the world did we ever get rid of Baron's $65MILLION franchise death anchor? We miraculously DUMP Baron and now the Lakers are so desperate for a PG they were actually looking at Boom Fizzle the Bearded One?

Did you see that pig fly by?

C. NONE of the media reports are mentioning how CP3 will now immediately get hurt because it's the Clippers. True it can happen. But no one is writing that as the main headline. Remember when we got Blake? Many media outlets played up how "poor" Blake would have to face the Clipper Curse.

Seems to me most media reports and videos fanshotted and shared seem positive without any mention of "poor" Chris having to face the Clipper Curse. That's different. Very different.

D. No mentions in the media of how horrible the Clippers will be this year (and forever) because of their awful owner, Donald T. Sterling. It seems a professional sports team can be successful in spite of an owner of poor character. Wow, really media?

There you have it. Proofs positive that we are in AlterWorld. A world where up is down, stop means go, and the Clippers are better than the Lakers.

When Chris Kaman is healthy and not the first option, he rocks.

Eric Bledsoe is the most impressive Clipper's rookie point guard I have ever seen (Sorry Shaun!). And he's supposedly a 2 guard, just learning how to run the point. Wow. Not too shabby.

CHRIS KAMAN - A BARGAIN KEEPER

I have been a Kaveman Fan since the early painful days. I always thought he was a perfect fit alongside Brand. In 05-06 you could see flashes of how great he could be alongside a star PF.

As a diehard Clipper fan I have always appreciated, more than winning (obviously - sorry Charlie Sheen), a team that plays hard, has fun, and beats teams the "experts" say they can't.

With that said, for most of my time as a Clips fan, they have been an earthbound, set shot, layup type of team. Dunleavy, at his peak had them playing great defense and I loved watching them shut teams down. Back in the day, the Phoenix Suns were the "exciting" team. Nash throwing lobs to STAT and Joe Johnson or the MATRIX. 3 balls and dunks. 3 balls and dunks.

Fast forward to now and holy cow! - the Clippers have taken over the league! They are by far the most exciting team to watch! Watching other teams on TNT or NBATV are a yawn fest now. One or two dunks a quarter or half? Boo.

Bynum had a dunk tonight and I thought Joel Meyers was gonna poop his pants. It's so sad how he has to scream about a pedestrian lob finish, but that's as exciting as it gets for other teams. A jump straight up, lob catch and put-through on the way down is impressive for fans of other teams. But not us. We get a dunk contest EVERY NIGHT! Twisting, 360, one handed, tomahawk jams at 50 miles an hour from a break-away lob thrown by a guy 50 feet away - that's something to scream about!

Blake and DJ - WOW! But the other guys? Gordon has been inspired to dunk more it seems. Bledsoe can out rebound 7 footers at least twice a night and throw it down on put backs or breakaways. Moe and Aminu CAN dunk. Moon looks like a cartoon, his dunks are ridiculous!

SO WHY AM I HAPPY ABOUT KAMAN?

Because when you play the Wizards, you can dunk 20 times during a game and win easily. But if you play the Spurs or Celtics or any other team that plays defense with any kind of pride you need players that can make jump shots at every position. The best defensive philosophy is to force your opponent to take lower percentage shots and that's what good teams do. They block all lanes to the rim and push the big men out as far away from the rim as possible, usually around 12-15 feet. Or play zone.

You know who has no problem shooting over other bigs from that distance? Dirk Nowitski, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudamire and oh yeah Chris Kaman can do it fairly well also. Pick-and-pop, small and big - when run properly can beat even the most athletic opponents. It's a staple of championship teams that force opponents to choose between the lesser of two evils. DJ is fine in the pick-and-roll but definitely not the pick-and-pop.

Teams can't win with a toolbox full of hammers. You need a variety of tools to be successful.

DJ - definitely a hammer. Blake is a a hammering type of multi-tool, I think. But Chris is definitely not, which I think makes him awesome for this team now.

Some think that somehow Kaman "ruins" Blake's game, but I believe Chris is great for Blake because: A) He typically sets up and is comfortable away from the basket, leaving more room for Blake to operate closer to the rim where he dominates, B) Barring a "bad shooting night", which every player has once in a while, he's pretty good with that fall-away and more importantly he's comfortable shooting it over and over again, easing the double team on Blake and C) Chris is a willing and decent passer. True, he has his "what-in-the-world-was-he-thinking?" moments but tonight's bounce pass to a cutting Bledsoe showed his vision and willingness to not force things anymore. He can just as easily pass to Blake and help him get easier looks.

With all his positives at his reasonable salary I just don't see how you break up the most versatile three man big rotation ever. Clipper Nation please welcome back Chris with open arms. DJ is great, but Kaman adds a third and necessary dimension this team NEEDS.

ERIC BLEDSOE

Let me start off by saying I loved Shaun Livingston. The idea of a 6'7" point guard with Magic-esque no-look passes, incredible lobs and quick, quick, quick was uber exciting! But Shaun's jump shots were shaky and didn't always finish at the rim. But the worst thing was that he seemed to get flustered at important points in games and breakdown mentally.

Eric Bledsoe. Wow. Has he made a jumper when the Clips needed it badly? Check. Has he made clutch free throws? Check. Has he made clutch three pointers? Check. Does he ever look overwhelmed or even fazed by any big moment in a game? I haven't seen it.

Even keel. Steady. Those are not words I thought I would ever use when I saw him play in those Summer League games. OUT OF CONTROL and WAY TOO FAST seemed to be the evaluation of the day.

But now, heading toward the summer of 2011 Bledsoe has been mostly impressive and only occasionally disappointing, and that mostly due to typical rookie mistakes. Remember how Al Thornton used to look totally lost out there? And he was a 24 year old rookie! But not E-Bled. He exudes great confidence and seems to know where he's supposed to be and where everyone else should be too.

But most of all I am impressed with his aggressiveness. He shoots when he's open, drives when there's a lane, dishes when a big's open, and kicks out to guys on the arc. What more can you ask for out of a rookie point guard who played the 2 in college??

So as we ALWAYS say here in Clipperland. Next season's gonna be awesome!

I think I might actually FULLY believe it this time.

These guys are both decent, serviceable, starter quality guys and we can just try them out for now, keep them if they mesh or dump them for cap space at the end of the season! Then we can get LeBron!!!!!!

Oh wait. That was last year.

So this year we got Mo Williams and Jamario Moon! Look Donald, Neil loves you! He bought you the MOON!!!!

So OK the NEW plan is....

These guys are both decent, serviceable, starter quality guys and we can just try them out for now, keep them if they mesh or dump them for cap space at the end of the season! Then we can get LeBron!!!!!! <-Insert 2012 Free Agent Superstar here!!!!!

My reaction last year? - MEH. This year? - EH.

Is this eventually gonna work out to us signing another Foye/Gomes combo? Because I sure don't wanna do that again.

All this trade consequences talk on CN here today is mind boggling - my head hurts!

Do we keep DeAndre? How much will that cost? Will we have cap space for any big names if we re-sign Jordan and Gordan? Who will be available? Can Mo play point? Is Bledsoe ready? How much playing time will Moon take away from Gomes/Aminu? Was it acceptable to give away the draft pick?

As a side note I knew Cleveland would take Baron's "unmoveable" contract the day they beat the Clips. Sources tell me that Olshey begged the Cavs to take on the remainder of Baron's millstone deal. The Cavs management agreed then added a big BUT. Olshey was told that the Clips would have to take a fall that night, ensuring the end of the worst losing streak in NBA history. And so Baron's contract, whom NOBODY thought anyone in their right mind would take, was indeed moved.

OK. Back to reality. What do you think about this trade?

Doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter what you or I or anyone here or anywhere else in this sports loving world thinks about this trade. The only opinion that matters is that of one - Blake Griffin.

Does Blake like this trade? Is he OK with it?

In this day and age where SuperStars are dictating which teams will be good and which will be horrible, the front office must appease the Griffin to ensure he stays, right? It's only a matter of time before Blake's burning desire to win and compete for a championship turns into frustration and he begins entertaining the idea of asking out. Sure it could take years to get to that point, but why even let it get that far?

At what point will the Clippers stop banking on the future and make more than mediocre moves that may only slightly improve the team? When will they make a move that makes a majority of fans and media say "With this trade the Clippers are now contenders for the WC champions"?

The moment has arrived. The Clippers are ONE BIG move away from greatness. Give up an arm for Deron Williams. Sacrifice a leg for Chris Paul. Bite the bullet for Superman. You have to ditch the diapers one day with the risk of messing your new whitey tighties. The Clippers will never satisfy Blake if they aren't willing to jump.

The Jazz are gone. Nuggets - Melo = Yellow. The Rockets are in Post Yao transition. The Suns' Nash may soon give way to Brooks. The Spurs' Duncan is fading gracefully. Heck, even Durant called Kobe "the old guy". Kobe even acknowledged that his career is towards it's end, specifically saying that he knows that this was his last All Star game in LA.

It's all perfect timing for Blake and the Clippers to make a serious run in the next decade.

The Clips front office pulled off a miracle in dumping Baron's contract. Can they pull off another one by opening day of next season and get a bonafide superstar? If they do it truly won't matter what anyone thinks about today's trade - even Blake.

PS: Just so people don't think I'm living in a bubble - yes, OKC looms large, as well as maybe Memphis. Do you get the feeling that they both sense that the balance of power maybe shifting in this next decade? OKC grew up big time today, giving up Green, who they valued so much as a future piece alongside Durant to get Championship experience and presence in Perkins. Memphis got experience in Battier. So I acknowledge that the West will still have powerful teams, but with Amare, Melo and D-Will moving East, Sloan gone, Kobe, Nash and Duncan aging, there's definitely a sense that a door is opening over the next few years for any team making the right moves.

Due to my lack of being able to watch any preseason games (because of the Fox vs. DISH debacle) I had not written any thoughts on this season's Clipper team. I was pretty much horrified watching ESPN Wednesday. After watching tonight's game (thankfully Fox and DISH came to some agreement this afternoon and restored all Fox programming) I thought I might vent a little and see what the rest of CN thinks.

I don't think I've felt this hopeless as a Clipper fan in years. Why?

Continue reading this post »

So as if being a Clipper fan isn't hard enough already, the basketball gods have deemed that I should watch even less LAC games.

Fox has pulled FSW/Prime Ticket from DISH.

Had Charter. Was more expensive and the picture quality seemed less sharp (All HD providers use different encoding and bandwidth so HD from different sources can vary greatly in quality.) I did like the Moxi DVR but at that time could not program over the net or from my iPhone.

Had AT&T U-Verse. Didn't like how I could NOT record TWO HD shows simultaneously AND was more expensive. Also thought my Internet ran slower while it was recording something in HD. Can't prove it but it just felt like sharing Internet and HD on one line - something has to suffer, right? Plus it was more expensive.

Parents had DirectTV. They paid way more than DISH for less channels PLUS they had to sign a long term contract. I thought DISH's guide and DVR were also way better.

So what do I do? Any other DISH Clip fans out there? What are you doing?

Please leave any suggestions or deals or endorsements below. Thanks!

The Clippers gambled and lost before they even reached the strip.

They pushed all in for LeBron and came away with nothing - so far.

Sure Ryan Gomes is something. Randy Foye too. But Brain Cook? He could be in the best of shape and play well but that name alone evokes a huge sigh from the heart of Clipper Nation. Really? Cookie? From the good old Lakers? - Really?

Mike Miller seemed like a necessary option to shoot for. We need shooters right? Gone. Off to join the new anti-Lakers.

SP had a crush on the Great Fro, Josh Childress - of the "I'm running away to Greece" fame. I think Steve was envisioning him to be the mystical messiah glue guy, that would empower Boom Fizzle, EJ and the great Blake Superior.

We'll never know what could have been if the Fro and Beard joined forces, as he's off to the Suns alongside the Michael Jordan of Turkey (Hedo Turkeyglue, for those not in the know).

Well at least the Clippers drafted well, right? Right?

SUMMER LEAGUE Games 1 and 2: Growing Pains

What were you doing when you were 19 years old? Did you have old dudes staying up late at night writing about how disappointed they are in two games they saw you play in? How unimpressed they were with your performance? How they were wishing for more but are willing to just surrender to the idea that you "just need more time"?

Yeah. It's harsh but when you're drafted top 10, top 20 - there are hopes and expectations no matter how old or young you are.

Aminu has looked lost, intimidated and generally uncomfortable anytime he's forced to put the ball on the floor while Bledsoe has racked up TOs at an alarming rate as he tries to dribble drive way over the speed limit while dishing to ghosts of players past. It does not seem to be a good sign especially since they are expected to perform somewhat well against some of the weak invitees on opposing teams.

Willie Warren seems to be deferring to DJ, Bledsoe and Aminu - in that exact order. He seems to think (or know) that he's the forth option out there and has taken shots when open and tried to facilitate in his role as PG. I don't think he's gotten enough touches yet to be viewed as disappointing, especially since he was drafted deep in the 2nd round.

DeAndre Jordan is still also very, very young. The games so far really show how he might have benefited from a couple more years at Texas. He came out early, got drafted very low and is really having to work himself into an NBA player. He has also built up the hopes of some in Clipper Nation and has arguably underwhelmed in Summer League play thus far as well.

DOOM and GLOOM Ahead?

The draft picks have looked mediocre, DJ hasn't shown improvement, Gomes, Foye and Cook evoke little if any feelings of improvement over Gooden, Smith and Butler - so are the Clippers headed straight for the lottery AGAIN?

Most logical people would say "Of course! IT'S THE CLIPPERS."

Yeah. I'm not a logical person.

moKi: Still a Member of Club Optimism - Why You Should Be Too

Do I have delusions of a Championship? Getting to the finals? Conference finals? Playoffs? Nope.

Am I gonna watch the Clips this season with any expectations at all?

October - December? No.

But from January on? Yes!

(Here I go with my crazy predictions again. Hmmmmm. Maybe I should set an alarm on my calendar to write my "Clippers Set for Big Turnaround" post in January sometime...)

5 Reasons for Optimism

#1. No more Fire Dunleavy guys chanting at games. How depressing was that whole fiasco? Whether you liked Chicken Man or not, it was too much negativity at the games (even EJ said it was becoming a distraction...)

#2. Blake Griffin might actually play this year! Just watching him play a regular season game will be awesome.

#3. Ever see Groundhog Day?

"Something is different."

- "Is that good?"

"Anything different is good"

Seems like every offseason in recent memory has started off fairly well. Clipper Nation hopes have soared to unbelievable heights in the summer, only to come crashing down on opening day.

Well, I think we are far, far away from that right now so THAT's DIFFERENT. According to Bill Murray, that's a good sign! Maybe we will finally get SP's reverse mojo to work in the right direction. How about we finally have a totally disgusting, disappointing offseason and a great regular season? Which explains reason number...

#4 More Disappointment to Come This Offseason!

To make the summer even worse, the Clips will sign TMac or some other washed up, injury prone, bad attitude, crazy, pot smoking, flag burning, or boring guy that some or most of Clipper Nation will hate. Once the last two roster spots are filled with whatever FAs are left, the bad mojo will have run it's course and we will be set to have a "surprisingly good" season "despite" how poor the team looked in the offseason.

#5 Aminu, Bledsoe, Warren - and even DJ Will Look Better in October

Yeah they've looked horrible so far but they've been playing alongside each other as well as some very raw guys who seem to have little or no chance of latching on to any team in the league. I promise you Clipper Nation, Aminu will look much better when he's on the floor with Baron, EJ, Blake and Chris. Bledsoe will also be much better alongside EJ, Gomes, Griffin and Kaman. Ditto for Warren.

How can I promise that?

Have you seen the games? There is absolutely no way they can play any worse and still be on an active roster. Aminu has shown flashes - a hard drive and dunk finish, 3 pt shot made. Bledsoe has penetrated and dished, gotten floaters to the rim as well as making shots from mid - long range. 19 years old. Chances of them improving at this point are still very much in their favor, especially alongside the work ethic of a #1 draft pick in BG.

So Will The Clippers Roll The Dice Before They Leave Vegas?

I sure hope so. I'm hoping the underwhelming play of the SL roster so far pushes the FO into action.

T-Mac, RJ, Josh Howard - whoever they get at this point may seem dubious to most - a total gamble - but I'm ok with that because at least it's a play. You gotta roll the dice if you wanna shot to win something. Anything.

I'm with Steve and a lot of others here in the Nation. No LeBron, No Wade? Why overpay?

I love a good bargain - like how much Season tickets used to be in 2005!

So don't be a Memphis and give Rudy Gay $82M. Max money for a 30 year old Joe Johnson? Fogetaboutit.

I say bring back Shaun Livingston (Still got my jersey, Shaun - you hear me??? Come back!!!) Peoria, Illinois - O me o my It'd be great just to hear Ralphy gushing again about how Shaun is such a nice young man. 6'7" backup point guard for cheap? Yes, please! (And for those worried about his knees, do you remember the Thunder game last season - yeah the last game of the year where he ran the length of the court and dunked on us????)

Hey the Cat is back! Remember him stripping Dirk and Carmelo until they blew their tops in frustration??? Says he's in great shape and ready to play. Cuttino Mobley as a backup veteran bench player for cheap?? Yes, please!

How about Matt Barnes??? Not only would he be reuniting with the team but with Baron too!!!!

Everybody sing!!! Reunited and it feels so good!

-

So does anyone know what's going on with Tracy McGrady??? Can we get him for cheap? If so he might be a great deal as well. I'd take him before Richard Jefferson. RJ might be slow and steady to win the race but T-Mac's potential to score in bunches sounds so much more fun. Could he do it every night? Maybe not anymore but with such a great cast around him, i don't think the Clips need him to be that guy, no?

So, upcoming free agency - LeBron stays in Cleveland, Wade in Miami, Joe Johnson reunites with D'Antoni in New York...should the Clippers go after Bosh if he's available and trade Kaman for some sort of SF upgrade over Butler?

(Note: I don't think Rudy Gay deserves a max contract, do you? Thus he is not mentioned here.)

Or hey maybe Butler is good enough to start if surrounded by BD, EJ, BG and Bosh?

If anyone's still around in here, what say you?

PS: Even Yao Ming might want to come to LA for the huge Chinese community here. (But man his knees/feet are a big gamble...which is why I suggest Bosh - think the Olympics really improved his game)

Our old Clips are the New Wizards bench!

Is this bizarre or what?

Poor Q!

First off I would like to say a big "Thank You" to Mr. Marcus Camby. I appreciated his effort and his great attitude while playing with the Clippers. I truly wish he could have ended his career here.

The Poll: Do You Like the Camby Trade?

I know many of you may feel like the answer to that is "Yes" AND "No" but when push comes to shove, would you have pulled the trigger if you were GM and this was the exact offer?

Details to Think About - IMHO (Short answers, to the best of my knowledge - feel free to correct me)

1. Does this affect the Clippers option of offering big money to a free agent in the coming offseason?

NO. Camby, Blake & Outlaw all have expiring contracts. They are all free agents at the the end of this season. Potential cap space has not been affected for better or worse.

2. Does this affect the Clippers ability of offering big money to a free agent in the coming offseason?

YES. True, we don't know for sure how much money the Clippers got to do this...Steve says $3M while BlazersEdge has Bucher reporting $1.5M. Of course, the Clippers just put out a vague "cash considerations".

BlazersEdge made a good point that Camby has some incentive money coming to him at the end of the season.

"Pritchard told me the Blazers are fully on the hook for the bonus provisions in Camby's contract, which could reach roughly $2 million dollars. Roughly $1.5 million of those provisions are considered "likely" to be achieved according to ShamSports.com. ESPN's Marc Stein is also reporting that the Blazers threw in $1.5 million dollars to complete the deal."

So that may be where Steve got the $3M total from. Either way that's money they can use to chase a big name in the summer.

3. How does this affect the Clippers on the court this season?

Positives

A. Outlaw has the potential to be the starting SF when fully recovered. I think he's better than Butler or Thornton.
B. Blake is a very decent PG off the bench. Just don't ask him to make free throws to clinch a game.
C. DeAndre Jordan gets more game time, hopefully develops into starting caliber center or very good backup.

Negatives

A. Loss of great mentor, hustle player, massive rebounder & shot blocker in Camby.
B. Rasual or Thornton may have to go. One or both may be unhappy about losing minutes to Outlaw.
C. Chemistry. A new coach plus two new players and the loss of a starter doesn't sound like wins to me.

For more in-depth discussions and arguments for and against see comments in Steve's post.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmmm

Why did they waive Ricky Davis? Why didn't they waive Bobby Brown?

From what I've seen so far, Bobby Brown has looked awful. So I can only assume one of two things. 1 - He is actually a decent point guard but we haven't seen it in a game yet. OR 2 - He's a 3rd string point guard being kept on for emergencies. (I guess both could be true, but I doubt #1...)

But shouldn't Telfair be the 3rd string now behind Blake?

Yes. So either Telfair is not recovering well from injury OR Dunleavy has plans to dump his contract, freeing up even more money for a big offer to a free agent this summer. (Again, both could be true technically but who would want a gimpy PG with a contract running into next season?)

Does This Mean Al Thornton's a Bust?

In my book, yes. I was hoping Al Thornton could be as good or better than Maggette but it doesn't look that way at this point. Bringing in Outlaw feels to me like a signal that Dunleavy is dun with Al. Either Outlaw impresses us tremendously this year and earns himself a contract or the Clips go shopping in the summer for a brand new SF.

From Clippers Press Release

Kim Hughes has worked as a Clippers assistant for seven seasons after serving the previous five years with the Denver Nuggets. Hughes started with Denver in 1998 as Director of Scouting before being named Director of Player Personnel and also was a Nuggets assistant coach in 1998-99. Before joining the Nuggets, Hughes spent seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks as a head and regional scout. A member of the 1975-76 ABA All-Rookie First Team with the New York Nets, the former University of Wisconsin star (1970-74) played six years in the NBA and ABA and also played professionally in Italy.

Continue reading this post »

I guess I post one of these every season just to see what Clipper Nation thinks.

If you've been under a rock, here's my brief summary of how things seem to be shaping up around here.

No one thinks Mike Dunleavy is doing well as head coach. So the difference in opinion mainly seems to be between...

A. Fans who don't like the job Dunleavy is doing, BUT think he should stay because

  1. Dunleavy hasn't had Blake Griffin all year and if he did the Clips W-L record would be better thus making it ok to have him as coach.

  2. Fans are afraid of Sterling's/Management's next choice for coach if Dunleavy was fired. In Clipperworld it seems like things can always get worse so the possible instability at GM and Head Coach positions seem too daunting to mess with during the season while hopes for the playoff are still flickering with life.

B. Fans who are fed up and want Dunleavy gone now because

  1. They see teams like Portland, Houston, and Sacramento (you could probably throw in Memphis too) seemingly playing better against higher seeded opponents with what seems to be far less talent. Houston has been without Yao and McGrady, Portland has been without Oden, Pryzbilla, Outlaw, Fernandez; Sacramento without their leading scorers in Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia...

So they see teams with "far less" (it's subjective, I know) talent winning against teams the Clippers have been blown out by. To make matters worse the Clippers have lost to the Pacers' bench, to the Knicks after being up by 20+, and a Portland team with no bigs.

  2. They are tired of Dunleavy's tenure and his play calling, substitutions, offensive schemes, etc. and feel that he has "lost" the team. Some might even argue the players play worse when he is coaching just to spite him.

So what do you think?

An NBA General Manager may sometimes want a certain player to get more time on the court for reasons other than improving the teams chances of winning.

Sometimes GMs want a player to get enough minutes to prove his value, thus validating the GMs decision to acquire him.

In other cases, GMs may want a player to get minutes to showcase his skills or "improve his stock" so that he may be more attractive to potential trade partners.

This type of strategy from a GM may sometimes conflict with the desires of the coach, whose ultimate desire is to win games and keep his job. Thus a coach may resist or fight against a GM who demands that a certain player get significant minutes if that player is hurting his team.

So in the case of the Clippers, if this situation were to arise, who wins? GM Dunleavy or Coach Dunleavy?

Well, I would argue that GM Dunleavy wins every time. Why?

Coach Dunleavy has significantly less pressure to win (than any non dual role coach) because he knows the GM version of himself won't fire the Coach no matter how terribly he underperforms. Plus GM Dunleavy completely understands that all the losing isn't the Coach's fault.

So let's say GM Dunleavy says "I know I made the right decision in picking up Rasual. Coach, keep playing him big minutes and he'll find his shot."

Theoretically, Coach Dunleavy should fire back and say "I've reveiwed moKi's analysis of Mardy Collins contributions when given significant minutes early and I'm going with him first off the bench because he gives me the best chance of winning. Rasual has had his chances but his shots are missing at critical times in each game, giving away momentum and sucking the life out of our fans. Sorry GM but I have to do what I can to win now because I don't wanna get fired!"

But as we have seen in games since Mardy had a significant factor in the Denver & Wolves wins (he played 21:13 and 15:15 respectively) Coach then proceeded to play Mardy 4:58, 0:14, 0:00, 0:00, 10:55(Indiana Win), 02:23, & 04:59.

I get why fans aren't crazy about Mardy but if I'm a coach I review the tape and I see how Mardy helps stabilize the team early. I would insert him early in games before opponents break open a 25 point lead. At least I would have given him a shot to keep proving his value by giving him significant minutes to see if it keeps correlating with wins.

So what does Coach Dunleavy have against Mardy?

Or is he coddling Rasual? Is he afraid of bruising Butler's ego? Or is Dunleavy trying to prove himself right, in acquiring him as a 3 point threat?

Milph have been commenting on how Rasual can't buy one, that he's only made 1 bingo in his last 16 tries. You can hear it in their voices that they expect Butler to miss EVERY TIME. Sadly their voices express surprise if he actually makes a shot.

I believe that many other coaches, after reviewing tape on Mardy on Nov 23rd would have tried to keep his minutes and insertions into the game consistent with that one, to see if he could repeatedly have a positive affect on the team and help lead to more victories. Why wouldn't you try to keep going with something that's working?

So what's up with a horrible Rasual continuing to get significantly more important minutes than Mardy?

Is GM Dunleavy behind this? Does Coach Dunleavy have some kind of grudge against Mardy?

For now it remains a mystery that frustrates Clipper fans who believe Mardy deserved the chance to overtake Butler in the rotation weeks ago.

I hate Clipper day games.

For as long as I can remember, every day game I watched was usually a terrible loss. The Clips usually start the game half asleep and then wake up in the third or fourth quarter only to put in too little, too late.

So I debated watching this one, choosing to watch it later, mashing on the forward skip button to bypass all the frustrating sleeping Clipper parts.

Sure enough, the Clippers look like zombie versions of themselves and let the Griz shoot over 60% in the first half and trail by 15 at the half. God, why do I even put myself through this?

Third Quarter? More of the same. Lazy D. Sloppy O. Griz up by 20 at one point.

Then something happened. In the last 5:30 minutes of the fourth quarter the Clips went from being down 88-76, to winning by ten, 98-88. Simply put, the Clips turned up the defensive intensity, deflecting and bothering, blocking and denying - and the Grizzlies played not to lose and lost all aggression.

Incredible AFTERNOON win!

After it sank in, that the Clips actually won, I thought I might go back and try to analyze who or what sparked this improbable outcome.

Continue reading this post »

Am I the only Clipper fan who believes in their heart that the Clippers would have won tonight's game if they had a better coach?

I believe tonight's game was an excellent example of why Dunleavy's "just give me healthy players and I'll win" statements are NOT TRUE.

Logic: Arguably, tonight the Clippers had MORE and "BETTER" healthy players than the Pacers. Dunleavy's own son did not play. Granger did not play. MDSr would be stupid to argue that the Pacers had more healthy players than the Clippers...so the Clippers should have won. That is Dunleavy's argument, isn't it?

So what flaws did tonight's game highlight in Dunleavy's coaching?

1. His Worst Fatal Flaw - Overconfidence and Arrogance

Clipper players find out the other team will have no stars on the floor and come out soft (except for Baron maybe). The effort is decent but not enough to put away the Pacers, just enough to stay slightly ahead.

As a coach Dunleavy should have thought this at about 3 minutes into the 2nd quarter...
"Man my guys can't make a shot! Chris, Al and Rasual can't seem to buy one! We should be up by much more. If we let them hang around like this, these Pacer bench guys might beat us, especially since we're on their court. I've got to mix things up a little and try some other guys and see if any of them can get hot."

Sure, it's possible you could lose the lead if your bench guys can't produce but your starters are dead cold anyway so it's not a huge risk. You manage it as it goes. Plus isn't that the whole point of having 15 players? You need to give guys a chance to come in with energy and mix things up. TAKE A CHANCE. Make your bench guys believe that they are better than the Pacers 2nd unit. Get them to play HARDER.

But no. Dunleavy probably thought...
"Our bench guys don't match up well against what the Pacers have out there. We'll get killed. Chris and Al will get hot. We just need to keep getting them the ball and eventually their shots will start falling."

Instead of being humble during the game and recognizing that this game was in danger, in enough danger to try and mix things up - Dunleavy was overconfident. He figured his guys were in a little slump and that they would click into gear and eventually pull away. He must have been thinking that. Why else would any coach leave in so many players who were CLEARLY having a bad night?

Dunleavy is arrogant. In competitive sports It may be an asset sometimes, but he displays it far too often for my liking. It's one thing to be Phil Jackson and arrogant, it's another to be Dunleavy. That kind of arrogance needs to be earned and backed up by some big guns. I don't think MDSrs earned anything yet and he doesn't have guns on the level of Kobe or MJ.

2. Failure to Recognize and React to Flow/Momentum

I don't know how many times I've heard Phil Jackson say "Momentum is a fickle girl. I thought the play where... got them the momentum so we have to try and get it back..." PJ is a master of recognizing and reacting to shifts in the game - whether it's the way the calls are going or the level of his teams energy.

Far too often, I feel Dunleavy calls timeouts too late. He doesn't seem to sense the need to change things BEFORE the other team starts taking away momentum. By the time he makes changes it's too late.

In tonight's game, Dunleavy for reasons unknown does not give Mardy a chance to stabilize the team early. He waits until the Pacers have overcome an 11 point deficit to take the lead in the 4th quarter. Clips have lost all momentum, on the road, with 6:25 left in the game trailing 74-70. Dunleavy bringing in Mardy at this point is a clear sign of desparation. He's grasping for straws now (he didn't even try Novak until the begining of the 4th and that wasn't working either).

The other team can sense when you're backpedaling. They sense desperation and at home, that gives them a great chance to win, especially if they have a lead. A good opponent will smell it and crush you. A bad team, at home will just find some way to beat you.

At halftime Dunleavy told Blanton "We're playing good defense, we're holding them to 30%..." or something like that. I laughed. The Clips were playing OK defense but the Pacers were just missing badly. In my book, I'm thinking "they're not gonna miss those looks the whole game!" Anyone who knows O'Brien's style of coaching knows that he tells his players to keep shooting it and it'll go in. He's all about letting players feel free to jack it up.

Dunleavy on the other hand is a control freak. There's a big difference in letting players feel free to shoot, giving them 20 FGAs and calling the same play over and over, force feeding a player 20 FGAs just because he's supposed to have the advantage.

3. Failure to Impose His Lineups

Of course I didn't have a chance to ask him, but there's a good chance that he didn't go to Mardy, Ricky or Novak earlier in the game because of his first 2 flaws, but also because Dunleavy seems to always insist on matching up to the other team.

He avoids gambling on the fact that maybe a different Clipper lineup would be more successful at any given time and FORCE THE OTHER COACH TO REACT.

In tonight's game, it was very clear that he thought Chris and Al should be winners in his matchup game. Whether at his instructions or not Al got 15 looks and Chris got 19. They made 5 shots between the both of them.

A good coach needs to realize that just because your guy wins on paper doesn't mean that you keep going to him over and over again if it's NOT WORKING. At a certain point, ESPECIALLY ON THE ROAD, you have to cut your losses, bench your horse and tell him "Sorry, it's not your night. I have to try something else."

Chris should not have played 39 minutes tonight. What about the matchup? It;s called trying Skinner or Craig Smith. Force the Pacers to adjust to them.

At one point in the second quarter, Ralph noted how O'Brien had swapped everyone out on the Pacer team because basically his entire first unit was not getting it done. The Pacers' coach took a chance and it worked.

How many times as Clipper fans do we see MDSr take a chance at the right time? How often does he make drastic substitutions when the team needs it the most, before the other guys swipe away the momentum for good. Not often enough.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Sure the blame for tonight's loss must ultimately fall on the players. Coaches can scream all they want but if Chris and Al are throwing up clunkers - that's on them.

However, I do believe that a good coach recognizes shifts early and takes calculated risks in matchups in favor of better energy and defense and Dunleavy has consistently shown that he will not do that.

Bottom line?

Dunleavy is overly arrogant and stubborn. His in-game decisions seem to be based more on stats and paper matchups, when he should be more sensitive to the flow of the game and the shifts in momentum. His failure to do so has cost the Clippers many close games, and it will inevitably contribute to future losses against teams they should beat.

I firmly believe that the Clippers would have won tonight's game with a better coach. The Clippers had more talent and had a day's rest. The Pacers were wounded and short handed. They shot badly and gave the Clips every opportunity to kill any hope of victory in the first quarter.

Unless the players playing tonight had some unknown ailments or injuries, I believe this one's on the Chicken Man.

Seems like some here don't see what all the fuss is about Mardy Collins, so I thought I'd break down what I saw in last night's game. Maybe I can make more people Mardy fans or at least get him a little more respect among CN readers.

On the surface, Mardy looks slow and offensively sucky. For fans looking for "exciting" basketball, Mardy's a dud.

I agree.

But I believe that it's not always to a team's advantage to put all your shooters or offensively skilled players out there at the same time. At certain points in a game, you need someone out there who is not thinking shoot first. You need a steady player to play defense, get stops, control tempo and get the ball to the right guy in the right spot. On the Clippers, that guy is first and foremost ERIC GORDON.

Why not Baron? Because Baron takes bad shots and sometimes he dribbles too much, wasting clock. Baron can quickly initiate a 4 point swing in the wrong direction and four points can mean the difference between winning and losing. If he does that two possessions in a row, a good opponent will blow them out after that.

So obviously, with EJ being injured, all of a sudden Mardy is important. He's not anywhere near as good as EJ but he gives the Clippers something that none of the other players like to do. Be invisible. Play good defense and not care at all about filling the stat sheet.

Why I Like Mardy's Play So Far This Season

1. Two Games of 12+ Minutes - Two Wins (Overly simplistic, but a fact)

2. He doesn't need to shoot, plays solid defense

3. He likes to handle the ball, lets the PG play off the ball and rest a little

4. He's a solid passer

5. He hustles (you just don't notice it because he looks so slow!)

[Know your bball? Skip this.]

(I'm going to mention a 4 point swing quite a bit. What is it? Why is it important? Very simply a four point swing is when you don't score on your posession while your opponent then proceeds to score on their possession. Not only did you miss out on your two points, but they scored two so it's a total of four points in that way. It is always bad, but even more so if you're losing and/or there's not much time left in the game.

If you're on the other side of it, it's basically "getting a stop" and scoring on your ensuing possession - a scenario which is also called closing out a game, if accomplished towards the end.)

Monday vs. The TWolves

1st Quarter - on the bench

+ 2nd Quarter 7:55 - Mardy, showing great fundamentals, leans down and throws a perfect bounce pass to Kaman. He throws it, not too hard, not in a lazy way, but in a way where Chris can easily catch, turn and shoot in his sweet spot.

What's so great about that? If you've been watching the Clippers at all this season, you know that every opponent knows Dunleavy wants to go to Chris. I don't know how many times Baron, Bassy, Gordon, Rasual, Thornton and even Camby have tried to FORCE an entry pass into Chris only to have it knocked away or stolen.

NBA defenses are built around denial and preventing passes to preferred scorers. Being able to get the ball to whom you want, when you want is extremely valuable.

+ 2nd Quarter 7:45 - Back on D, 10 seconds later he cuts off a pass and takes it all the way for a layup but misses. Dunleavy and I are pissed. Not at Mardy, but because none of his teammates trailed the play for the putback. I GUARANTEE you that if Blake was in the game, he would have been right behind Mardy for a follow SLAM!

So are you mad at Mardy for missing? Sure, but REMEMBER he stole the ball. He just took one posession away from the opponents. So in theory he still might have saved you another two point differential. Again, a positive even though he missed!

+ 2nd Quarter 6:23 - Mardy takes a fall away jumper (if you can even call it jumping, haha) with 2 seconds left on the shot clock. He makes it! Lucky? Maybe, but again it saves a possible 4 point swing (shot clock violation).

Again, what's the big deal? Have you not seen how many times other guys have not been aware of the clock and looked utterly embarrassed as the clock goes off? Yeah it's happened quite a bit this season.

+ 2nd Quarter 6:00 - On the Wolves very next possession, Mardy is guarding a Wolve on the perimeter (looks like Brewer). He sees the ball going into Jefferson and he helps Chris by doubling. He floats back out toward Brewer but then sees that Jefferson wants to take Chris one on one (he blew by Camby twice for layups at the beginning of the game). Jefferson gives Chris a good head fake and is about to go around him, but Mardy has been tracking him, going under Kaman and pops out right in front of Jefferson (all the way baseline side) and forces a tough shot. Jefferson misses.

- 2nd Quarter 5:50 - Mardy makes a great cut to the basket and blows a gimme. The Wolves rebound and run back and score before the Clips can setup their D. Mardy was under the basket on his end so was trailing the play, unable to be involved defensively. Bad. 4 point swing for the Wolves.

2nd Quarter 5:23 - Mardy Out

+ 3rd Quarter 0:04 - Dunleavy inserts Mardy with just 4 seconds left in the 3rd. He guards Wilkens as he brings the ball up. Wilkens is whistled for a carry over and the Wolves don't get a last shot to end the quarter. Did Mardy force the turnover? Maybe not. But he did what he was supposed to. He guarded without fouling. Simple but good.

+ 4th Quarter 11:21 - Mardy establishes good position under the basket and fights Ryan Gomes (listed at an inch taller and 20 pounds heavier) for the rebound. Gomes is called for an over the back violation. Mardy does not get credit for a rebound but basically he got one and kept another possession and possible score from the Wolves.

+ 4th Quarter 11:05 - Mardy runs the point! This is an important part of the game. They have not led by more than one point in the entire game and they finally now lead 74-73.

Mardy passes with his left hand directly off the dribble to Novak first, but Steve quickly gets doubled beyond the arc. Mardy wisely tracks sideline so Steve can safely pass out of the double team. He quickly centers and spots Bassy open on the right wing (and Bassy was hot all night. Bassy dribbles around a screen and nails a jumper. So technically - no assist for Mardy.  But again, nothing spectacular but solid execution.

+ 4th Quarter  09:11 - Mardy again plays the top of the arc and facilitates swinging the ball from one side to the other. He catches and passes in one smooth motion. Al nails it, Mardy gets an assist.

+ 4th Quarter  08:00 - Mardy keeps his body between the ball and the basket. Brewer is bringing the ball up. Mardy gets up on him. Brewer passes to Flynn. Mardy gets up on him. Flynn passes to Hollins. Mardy gets up on him!

What's so special about that? Some guys would lay off the 7 foot Hollins - especially way out there. It would be easy to think he's not a threat from that distance and play off a little. But Mardy gets just close enough to Hollins to force him into trying to do something he's not comfortable doing and he travels. Did Mardy cause it? Maybe not. But again he played solid defense.

+ 4th Quarter  07:39 - Mardy's best play of the night. The score is 79-77 Clips. The Clips offense had stalled the last two possessions. Bassy ran the point and the last time they had the ball, Kaman was called for a three second violation - turnover. The possession before that, Bassy got it to Craig Smith who proceeded to try a standing jumpshot that Al Jefferson completely snuffed out and pushed out front to Flynn for a layup.

So now Mardy is at point and brings the ball up. They need a bucket badly to keep the Wolves from tying it up and regaining momentum.

At 6'6" he can probably see what's going on a bit better than Bassy from the top of the arc. He gives a slight pass fake to the right and turns it into the world's slowest crossover move.

He actually fakes out his defender and drives into the lane. He sucks in Craig Smith's defender, stops and reaches down low with his left hand and passes it around TWO defenders to Smith for a slam dunk!

The lead goes up to four (the biggest Clipper lead of the night), and the crowd is back into it - energized by the emphatic jam by Craig.

Mike Smith then comments on Mardy, "You don't expect him to do much but he makes those plays in critical moments. That was a perfect delivery."

+ 4th Quarter  07:18 - The very next play, the Wolves go to their star Jefferson and Mardy comes to help Chris. Mardy gets in there trying to swat the ball away. Jefferson stumbles and Mardy tries even harder until they fall to the ground. Mardy reaches CAREFULLY to get his hands on the ball and not foul Jefferson. Jump ball!

Ralph "They'll jump it up at the Minnesota foul line and the first seeds of doubt are sown here for the Minnesota Timberwolves."

Mardy obviously does not win the jump, but Al steals it, runs and gets fouled on the layup. Two made free throws. Who made it all happen? I say Mardy.

Clippers get another stop, they get a fastbreak and Baron goes to Al for a slam dunk. The Wolves call a time out after the Clips have put together a 16-4 run.

+ 4th Quarter  06:10 - The Wolves come back with a new plan and go to their second option as Jefferson has not played well against the Clips double team. They go to Flynn who is super quick and pretty talented. Mardy is all over him with and without the ball. Mardy goes under a screen but pops out in time to get in his grill and effectively contest his shot. He has his hand right near the ball but DOES NOT FOUL. Flynn misses.

- 4th Quarter  03:35 - Mardy gets the ball with 6 seconds left in the shot clock. He airballs a 3 pt attempt from the weakside sideline corner. Disappointing BUT (1) he was open and (2) he knew the clock was winding down and (3) he could probably see that Kaman had good position under the rim for a rebound. In fact Kaman catches Mardy's "pass" but fails to make a jumpshot himself.  So Mardy airballed a bailout, but Kaman missed one he usually makes too.

- 4th Quarter  02:35 - This time Mardy gets the ball with 7 seconds left but he is way out, almost at half court. With the clock ticking down to 6 and 5 seconds he works his way towards Chris. No one guards him tight so he takes a fairly uncontested shot. It hits the rim but bounces off for a Wolves rebound. Good shot? Maybe not. But by the time he got the ball - there really was only about 5.5 seconds to try to work it into Kaman (who was working hard to get it). But let's face it - Chris is a shot clock violation waiting to happen so I'm ok with at least getting a shot up (Plus it almost went in).

+ 4th Quarter  02:24 - Mardy is pretty much in zone defense mode and collapses when it looks like Flynn is going to penetrate. Flynn kicks it out to Brewer behind the arc. Mardy recovers and runs out to the three point line and puts a hand in his face BUT DOES NOT FOUL. Brewer misses. Did Mardy make him miss? Maybe not. But once again Mardy hustled to get out there and at least contest it. As seemingly unimportant as that may seem to most people, it could have been the difference in the game. At the very least, another solid defensive effort.

- 4th Quarter  02:05 - Mardy is called for a travel because he is actually taking a step as he catches the ball. When he pivots on the second foot that came down as he was catching the ball, they blow the whistle. Ticky tack, if you ask me - and all of a sudden fans are frustrated with Mardy.

At this point, the only things Mardy detractors remember is the airball 3, a missed jumper and now this turnover at a crucial point in the game. Why is he even in the game??

- 4th Quarter  02:05 - Mardy taken out of game

Final Evaluation Total: 13 (+)Good Plays to 4 (-)Not Good Plays

I can see how fans might casually think Mardy sucks but what they fail to realize is that he invisibly does much more good than harm. Without him in the game, they might not have even been close at the end of the game.

In the five HORRIBLE losses to the Hornets(twice), OKC, Memphis, & Toronto - Mardy only played for 15 minutes TOTAL - most of those were garbage because the Clips were getting blown out. The defense was awful, post entry was horrible and Baron and Bassy were the only ones bringing up the ball.

So in this game, for all the good Mardy did, were his 4 mistakes bad enough to put him behind Ricky Davis on the depth chart next game?

NO WAY.

He missed two layups and two jumpshots. Like that doesn't happen to anyone else? And you can't give him a break since this was basically his second game of the year with any kind of meaningful minutes? Doesn't he get some games to round into form?

Plus he probably wouldn't have even taken those jumpshots if they got him the ball earlier in the shot clock.

And the travel? I doubt any refs would have called that same play on Kobe, Bron or any other player the refs recognize. I know I have seen DWade do the same exact catch and turn around and pivot move plenty of times. Clips fans should be mad at the refs and not Mardy on that one.

Whew!

So there it is. My one game analysis of Mardy Collins and why I like him playing in games for around 12 minutes or more. I think when EJ comes back, Dunleavy should use Mardy when Eric takes breathers. That'll probably mean less minutes but I say he should still come in the game ahead of Ricky.

Mo' Mardy Monday?

How awesome was Mardy in tonight's game? I don't know what his stat line was but I still believe the Clips are better with Mardy playing around 15-25 minutes a game.

People blasted me last year when I thought Mardy should start or get more pt so I am glad a win tonight coincided with him getting some meaningful minutes on the court.

Mardy is not flashy. He is not impressive or entertaining to watch. But what he provides is so important. He's a small forward with point guard ball handling skills. Not as talented as a SJax or anywhere near Bron, but he can give opposing teams a different look as he brings the ball up the court and sets up the half court offense from above the key.

It didn't work well tonight against Denver but it may have just been different enough to keep the Nuggets out of sync.

When Mardy is sharp you'll see him make solid post entry passes. This can allow Baron to post up smaller guards. Baron's paint area play has improved drastically from last season and this may be more of an option as the season goes on.

So hopefully Dunleavy has seen the light and will use Gordon, Butler and Thornton in the wing position, but use Mardy to back them up first, before Ricky D. As Rasual and Al start heating up, Mardy can become more and more valuable as a facilitator and stabilizer.

Al Thornton Rounding Into Form

For the most part, I have not liked Al Thornton's game. Until now, whether out of necessity or lack of experience playing organized bball, Al has been inconsistently spectacular and dreadful - sometimes both in the span of seconds.

His reputation of being a black hole and clock drainer has pretty much been the only thing consistent about him - until now.

Within the last two weeks I have seen Al adjust his game and even moreso his decision making in a very positive way.

The old Al would jab step for 10 seconds and then throw up a low percentage shot or make some horrible pass that would get picked off. Even if he got it to someone like poor Fred Jones, there would only be a couple of seconds left on the clock for sucker teammate to throw up a prayer.

The old Al would go up for layups, softer than a twinkie, and get everything blocked. I remember thinking I'd never seen such an athletic guy, 6'8" tall get so many of his shots blocked. He was a horrible finisher around the rim. So frustrating. I would constantly scream at him and Kaman to just dunk it. How many of their shots rolled off the rim last year? Yikes.

Al supposedly came in to camp overweight and out of shape. They might sound like one problem, but they are indeed two things that needed to be improved. At the start of the season, Al looked earthbound, slow and LOST. It was obvious that his mind was writing checks his body could not cash. He didn't seem to have strength to hold his position and he was too heavy for his frame to jump anywhere near where he needed to be competitive.

BUT NOW, are we seeing AT 2.0?

He looks a bit trimmer, but the real difference is not that he is scoring again, but in the way that he is scoring.

Previously in his career, his points mostly came from jump shots.

AT version 2.0 is now finishing at the rim more consistently, attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. Tonight, he actually slashed to the basket and jumped up for a dunk before anyone could block or foul him. Awesome.

When he first joined the Clips, I was hoping he could be a better version of Corey. It finally seems like it might happen.

Attributes of My Favorite Clipper Team

Elton Brand - Solid Rebounder, Shot Blocker, Unstoppable Consistent Midrange Jumper
Chris Kaman - Low Post Back to the Basket Player, Ambidextrous Hook Shots, Rebounder, Shot Blocker
Corey Magette - Score First, Drive to the Basket, Put Opponents in Foul Trouble, Score at the Line
Cuttino Mobley - Timely 3 Point Threat, Excellent Defender, Beautiful Mid Range Shot, Quick
Sam Cassell - Trash Talking, 4th Quarter Dagger Shooter, Pump Faking Foul Drawing Veteran

Can this year's team become more like them?

Blake Griffin - Has the potential to be better than Brand, albeit in a different way
Chris Kaman - Has now added the fairly consistent short range shot that Brand had to his game. Awesome.
Al Thornton - Got to the line 8 times tonight, (tied with Kaman for most FTAs) Is starting to attack the basket and finish
Eric Gordon - I think his play has been on par with Cuttino's and he has much more potential because of his youth
Baron Davis - This is where I find a drop off from Cassell. BD is definitely more athletic and explosive. But I would rather have that trash talkin, swagger generator.

Every good team needs some swagger. They need a good amount of pride to kick in that extra effort that's needed when your top guns are having a bad night or the other team is on fire.

This was one of the main reasons I was ok with the idea of the Clips trading for SJax. I know he's been problematic but even the Lakers took a chance on Artest. I thought SJax might help bring that toughness and swagger the Warriors had in their playoff run vs.Dallas & Utah.

But if this roster is set for the season, I hope Baron keeps asserting himself more and more (as he has been) and turns into that Sam Cassell-ish swagger maker. He's not going to morph into a talker but I am starting to see some attitude in the fourth when he makes needed shots - great for team morale.

in fact I'm glad he's been taking the bailout shots in the 4th quarter, even though he's been airballing quite a few. All it takes is one timely three to make all those misses go away.

In crunch time from here on out it should be pick and roll with Baron and Kaman. They are the veterans and should rightfully take the blame or glory closing out games. Pick and roll between them, and if double teamed - pitch out to a wide open Gordon or Butler. That's how games should end.

My prediction for Monday? If Mardy plays 12+ minutes, they will win!

Go Mardy! Go Clippers!

I guess DTS figured that Aldridge, being black himself (and a journalist?), would know the answer to why so many black women have children out of wedlock.

How does a person, who openly asks that kind of question to a journalist be allowed to own a team made up of mostly black men who may or may not have been born to unwed black women?

I don't pretend to have a relationship with Sterling. I have spoken to him on a handful of occasions, but one has always given me pause. When the Clippers, briefly, resembled an actual NBA team and made the playoffs in 2006, I was at Staples Center and saw Sterling in the press room. We exchanged pleasantries. Soon after, he asked me, out of the blue, in a way reflecting strong conviction and wild ignorance, why I thought so many black women had children out of wedlock.

Well, at least he asked.

The full story is in the section titled "Nobody Asked Me, But ..." on NBA.com (It's about halfway down a really long page. Keep scrolling down)

David Aldridge makes the point that the NBA should suspend or somehow penalize DTS for his alleged racially discriminatory actions and speech.

People keep complaining but will the NBA ever do anything about DTS?

If the Clippers had a "better" owner, would the team be more successful?

Why is this a fanpost and not a fanshot?

Well because it's pretty darn important to me and I'm sure it is to true Clipper fans with Dish here in LA.

The last preseason game was supposed to be in HD but it didn't show up that way on my Dish guide. I figured it must be because it's preseason.

But as I looked to tomorrow night's game, I see that once again it's not on the HD channel. Anyone else seeing this too?

Didn't Ralph say that all Clips games would be in beautiful HD on Fox Sports??????

Anyone have the game tomorrow night in HD? What do you have? Comcast? Charter? U-Verse? DirectTV?

If you're on Dish and you got the last preseason game in HD AND you're getting the Phoenix home opener in HD please let me know so I can complain to DIsh to see if I can get that feed.

If DIsh is only gonna show Clips games in SD I might have to think about switching to someone else, even though I like their DVR the best...

Please share your HD experiences in the comments below.

Thanks!

Clippers got within a point of taking the lead at the end of the 3rd, but lost 99-92.

That was pretty much the highlight of the night for the Clippers.

The Lakers defense was incredible tonight, stifling the Clippers who were sunk by the hobbled Baron. As many here have stated based on seeing Baron's energetic play in preseason - as Baron goes, so will the Clippers.

He still dished out 8 assists, got 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block but he was definitely NOT the Baron we saw in preseason. There was no explosiveness, there was no slashing, and his shots were off, WAY off. Airballs and awkward toss ups had him shooting 10% by the end of the night.

I think the loss of BLake right before the game, drained some mental fortitude from the team. That plus the ring show before the game seemed to have punched a "we're overmatched" mindset that translated into overanxious jitters and a rash of turnovers which turned into easy points for the Lake show.

Against a defending champ, you just can't make mistakes - and the Clippers made too many to overcome. The only reason it was a game was because Phil rested the entire 1st unit and the Rhino kicked into effect.

BTW it was ring night AND the Lakers won and most of the lower bowl was empty by the time the game was over. It's really sad how their true fans can't even afford to be there, appreciating their team on opening night. I guess they only care about playoff games and championships. The regular season must be such a bore for them. Incredible.

Is it only in L.A. where fans leave early whether the home team is up by ten or down by twenty?

I guess getting out of the parking lot is more important than giving your team a round of applause as they head into the tunnel.

Anyhow, I think the Clippers looked unprepared for the intensity of the Lakers long armed, trapping defense. Coach Chicken Man better have his team more prepared the next time they face a good defensive team so they can take advantage of the open man when the ball gets trapped.

Since tomorrow night is Phoenix (not known as a defensive juggernaut) I think the Clippers should be much more fun to watch with hopefully a better outcome!

Go Clips!

Everything Kaman isn't - DJ is.

Kaman - slow, goofy looking, gravity hindered

DJ - Quick, Graceful, Instantly Airborne

DeAndre Jordan, Sir Dunk-A-Lot, slammed in 10 points in just the 1st quarter and finished with 9 rebounds against some pretty tall guys in limited minutes - yeah, he was awesome. Clips hang on to win, 91-88.

(Hornets had no CP3 and pretty much looked awful so...enough about the game!)

What an amazing collection of bigs this team has. Griffin and DJ together - you can see that they're friends away from the game in their chemistry on the court. Kaman was awful tonight but Milph kept saying he's been looking good - so I guess he just had one of those "mind was not in it" kind of nights.

This Clipper frontcourt has it all. Inside (DJ, BG, Kaman), Outside (Kaman, Camby, AT), Rebounding (Camby, BG, Kaman), Blocking (Camby, DJ, BG), Runners (DJ, BG, AT), Bangers (Rhino, BG, Kaman),Passers (All seem above average) and Drivers/Cutters (Rhino, AT, BG)

And that's not even taking into account Rasual Butler or Steve Novak who can really spread the floor at the BINGO! line.

I like the fact that the Clippers are holding on to Kareem Rush as EJ seems to take a lot of contact and if he were to get hurt again for any amount of time...they need Rush. Also liked seeing Butler at the two tonight as well.

Although Bassy looked a little lost tonight (rusty from not playing hopefully) it still feels much better seeing him on the floor than MTaylor or JHart or DDickOuch or any other 2nd or 3rd string PGs the Clips have had in A LONG TIME.

I think he's the best bench guard the Clips have had since Shaun. (Still miss that guy...)

Baron looked so much better than Bassy tonight but I sense that he may come on as the season goes on. I think he will have a lot of meaningful minutes that could make or break the Clips this year. He may be more important to this team than most realize. Other than Baron he's it as far as a true PG goes.

As stacked as the Clips are in the frontcourt, the PG spot could be their downfall if Baron gets hurt for any extended amount of time and loses his conditioning. EJ at point could work for stretches, Mardy in a pinch - but if there's any chink in the armor of the Clippers 6-2 mighty preseason shield, it's at the point.

Makes me really think they shouldn't have signed Skinner and left that spot open for a third string PG. Who? I don't know - Bobby Jackson?, White Chocolate?, some undrafted potential guy?

Odd guys out at this point - Skinner, RDavis, Novak (just because all the other bigs are so darn good - Craig Smith - Who knew?), MCollins.

I think because of the thinness at guard, Kareem has jumped ahead of them all in potential minutes.

Anyhow my first ramble as I prepare for the real ones.

PRESEASON IS OVER PEOPLE. GET ON YOUR FEET AND SCREAM!

BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

Hmmmmmm. Kind of weird since we're LA too... How about a nice loud...

(cue Clipper Darrell)

LET'S GO CLIPPERS, LET'S GO!

Props to HVYDRT007 for posting this in his comments. Just thought I'd give it a post. I think you have to register on myclippernation to be able to read it so if the link isn't working for you...

Clippers Q&A

Ask Eric Pincus - October 15, 2009

I asked Blake about "Blake Superior" and he's too humble to take that on. Besides it's a lake in Minnesota - it'd only work if he were drafted by the Timberwolves.

Griffin said they do call him "B.G.," "Rook," and "B. Geezy". One teammate calls Blake "A.G" but Griffin is convinced it's because that teammate doesn't know his first name.

I am starting to think that just as Allen Iverson is simply AI, Terrel Owens is simply TO, could it possibly be that everyone should just be satisfied with BG? I mean it's easy to say, the B and G both have the "e" sound - maybe everyone is overthinking it?

Anyhow, I don't know if Steve is still dead set on using Blake Superior in all his posts but I have to say it is starting to become distracting reading any of his posts. Not only do I sigh every time I see it because it just reminds me of how much I don't like it, but it just feels like the comments are going to get sidetracked with those who still do not like it as well.

I've been trying to be a "good" citizen and refrain from complaining about it in every post he makes but I see that there are others that seem to be just as annoyed as I am that are filling up the comment section with "not liking the Superior"  comments.

I don't know why it's so important for Steve to keep forcing this on CN, but it just seems like he is on a mission. I don't get it, I've given up fighting against it - Steve it's your blog - do your thing.

Go Steve.

(sigh)

It's way too early in the season to tell.

But what the heck - I'm bored. Let's debate!

Who should start at SF? Who should be first off the bench?

Easy right? AT just got picked up for another season so he's the starter right? He reminds some of Dominique? How could he not be the #1 SF?

Whoa, hold on says Mr. Rasual Butler! He's 30, in his prime - dropping threes like Novak, defending like QRoss - sure looks like his preseason play is saying "I should be starting!".

So let's go with those two choices and some crazies, just for fun.

For a recap, see Sir Steve's main pager. This is just my take aways.

#1. Rasual Butler was impressive.

Were you like me? Everytime I saw him drain a three, I thought "I dunno if Al woulda made that shot." When he came down the lane, trailing Baron for a perfect fast break dunk I thought "Al might have tried to finger roll that. Al probably wouldn't have gotten enough elevation for a dunk. He might have botched that."

I am not an AT hater. He seems like a nice guy - but what do I know? I've never met him or hung out with him.

Overly simplified, the offense seemed to stink like last years Clippers in the first half with AT on the floor. The offense looked awesome in the second half with Rasual out there. Yeah, I know, Baron picked it up in the third but I'm just sayin...

Clips should start Butler and bring AT off the bench so we don't end up down 20 at half time.

#2. As Baron Goes, So Do The Clippers

1st half Baron bad, Clippers bad. 2nd half Baron good, Clippers good. Sure there were lots of other factors such as better team energy and defense (and less AT in the second half) but I think even Steve wrote that Baron will be very important in the team's success this year. I have to agree completely.

A happy (though scowling on the court), healthy Baron will mean the Clippers have a chance to win every game this year. He showed up in the third quarter of this game and it was magic. If he can bring that energy to every game? Wow.

#3. Kaman was OK, but I wanna see more DJ!

Yeah, yeah Kaman looked OK - but did he look dominant against a smaller Dub team? No.

But DJ sure did, rolling down the lane for the alley-oop SMASH! Sure, Kaman may be fine against more traditional centers, but when he's playing against a bunch of little guys trying to swipe the ball, he seems to shrink away instead of bully through.

I wish we got to see more DJ. More DJ, More FUN!

Kaman could start looking very klunky in this new 120 point sports car Clipper team.

#4. Shake n Blake = AWESOME

EG and Might Griff are spectacularly SOLID players PERIOD. Instead of mostly rookie play with flashes of greatness, they display mostly greatness with flashes of rookie-ness!

I AM STILL CRAZY. I still think Eric Gordon could be a point guard in the Deron Williams range IF he wanted to be and IF he were used in that capacity. Last night he showed signs of that while Baron was off the floor (Telfair was hurt and did not play - but gave a nice in-game interview with Milph).

He has all the tools - the ability and willingness to pass, the quickness and burst of speed to get by defenders and cover opposing PGs, the size and strength to play and defend other big PGs in the post. The most unseen aspect of his PG skills so far to me is court vision. Maybe he has it, maybe not.

Either way, I can see EG ending up an awesome combo PG/SG ala D. Wade. He doesn't show as much aggression, yet but you can definitely see similarities in that quiet determination to kill you. I forgot which teammate was asked that question in an interview last year, but they said the scariest Clipper when mad was EG because if he got riled up he would absolutely try to kill you on the court.

ALSO CRAZY. I still think Blake has enough skills and quickness to play the three. Although I was a proponent of that happening when appropriate, mostly due to the fact that the Clips still had Randolph at the time, last night's game had Mighty Griff matched up against Uh Oh Maggette-o and he did not in anyway look overmatched or out of place. Sure the Wacky Warriors had Mag at the 4, but come on, Corey in all reality is a SF.

The LAKERS, is primarily where I could see BGriff at the 3 vs. Odom. Camby vs. Gasol. Kaman or DJ on Bynum. BIG BIG BIG. Odom might have a quickness advantage, but BGriff might have a physical bang down low advantage. Blake could also be used at the 3 when opposing teams have a slower or non-offensive threat at that spot.

Overall I don't care where he plays because he's straight up solid and only looking to improve. I only bring up the 3 thing because so many citizens seemed to think there was no way in hell he could play the SF.

#5. Matt Kemp May Be Convertable?

During his interview, Matty said he was a Laker fan all his life, but that he is a Mighty Griff fan. Prime showed footage of them hanging out in the Dodger dug out, fooling around.

Well, I know last year when he was interviewed he said his main boy was ARIZA, who is now gone. So with some winning ways and maybe even a win or two against the Lake Inferiors, maybe he will come over to the real side?