2009 NBA Draft Open Discussion
Fear The Sword — ... exciting news of the day around the NBA.  First it was Shaq to Cleveland, then Vinsanity to Orlando.  Can anything that happens tonight even come close to that? Get comfy, because the Cavaliers won't pick until #30, unless of course they make a move to acquire(buy) a pick from a less financially fortunate team.  Talk about the draft here! The picks, as they happen, after the jump   1.  Los Angeles Clippers -- Blake Griffin, PF -- Oklahoma 2.  Memphis Grizzlies -- ...

RECAP: Warriors' 2009 NBA Draft Day - Stephen Curry & Amar'e?
Golden State Of Mind — ... took Jonny Flynn with the 6th pick, there was Curry sitting in the green room and me hoping the Warriors would take him. We got the guy I wanted. Feels good since that hasn't happened in a long time. It was even more satisfying that we screwed over the Knicks. The boos from the Knick fans made the pick that much more sweet. Will he be Rookie of the Year as Dick Vitale suggests? I don't think so. Either Dicky V was factoring in the curse of the Clippers for Blake Griffin or he's out of his mind by picking anyone over BG. I ...

The Myth of Too Many Big Men
Clips Nation — ... It would be great if Blake Griffin is phenomenal and can get up towards 3000 minutes, but it's not going to happen for him as a rookie.  ...

Breaking Down the Roster of the 09-10 Clippers
Clips Nation — ... exercises his option (and frankly, I can't imagine why he wouldn't), the Clippers already have twelve players under contract (that's counting Blake Griffin's impending rookie deal).  That's a roster right there.  MDsr has shown a strong and consistent preference for entering the regular season with no more than 14 players under contract, so there are likely only two open spots at this point - that's barring trades, though of course at least trade is in truth pretty likely.  But ignoring trades, let's see what we've got, from big to small. ...

The Curry Conundrum
Canis Hoopus — ... In defense of the pick, I will say that I admire the fact that the Wolves selected the highest guy on their draft board with each pick.  This is exactly what a 24 win team with 6 picks should do, damn the positions.  If they had the number one pick I would be bitching to all hell had they not taken Blake Griffin.  My beef with the pick is that Curry was the clear BPA.  It is nice to see that the team's processes have begun to change but it is kind of disheartening to see them take...well, perhaps I shouldn't be too hard on ...

My Night At The Draft
CelticsBlog — ... Wandering down front, there's a sea of potential draftees, staff, security, and reporters.  The players are well-dressed -- pink and purple were the colors of choice this year, apparently -- and well-fed (looking at the plates in the green room, it seems like America's newest millionaires are partial to chicken fingers and sliders.  And really, who can blame them?)  While I'm pondering the culinary choices of Blake Griffin, I'm bumped into from behind.  It's crowded, so I can't be too upset, but I still have to see who just threw me a ...

Is Blake Griffin a Sure Thing?
Clips Nation — ... I've been wrong many, many times.  But be warned; even if I don't say it outright, I'm going to imply the hell out of it. Lots of people, including myself, have gone out of their way to point out that some first overall picks have gone on to less than outstanding pro careers.  The name Michael Olowokandi is enough for most Clipper fans, be let's not forget Kwame Brown and Pervis Ellison and Joe Smith.  But with all due respect to those guys, Blake Griffin is different. There are two things you can do to ...

NBA Draft 2009 Aftermath: Now Who Ends Up In The D-League?
Ridiculous Upside — ... I have one important thing to clear up before we get started.  If Scott loves 90's wrestling references, and Jon L loves long, analytical posts, then count me as the D-League Blogger who loves the ridiculous.  (And not just Upside).  Here's the first taste of the types of things I'll be linking to: Uproarious!!! Hit the Jump for my insights into future D-Leaguers 1. Blake Griffin - Los Angeles Clippers - 0% ...

Of Clipper Rosters and Settling Dust
Clips Nation — ... exception to do so.  I don't actually expect Fred to command more than the min in the seller's market this off-season, but we'll see. The current eleven man roster breaks down positionally as follows (I'm counting Griffin, who is technically not yet signed, and Mike Taylor, whose contract is not guaranteed, in the eleven): Centers - Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, DeAndre Jordan Power Forwards - Zach Randolph, Blake Griffin Small Forwards - Al Thornton, Mardy ...

Randolph to the Grizzlies a Reality
Clips Nation — ... Griffin - The Clippers won the lottery in May, and drafted the consensus number one pick a week ago - and that number one pick's natural position happens to be power forward, the same position Zach Randolph plays.  For all of the talk of Griffin being able to play small forward, he's pretty much a prototypical power forward - where that extra quickness he has will create matchup nightmares for opponents.  If ever there was a guy who was ready to contribute right away, it's Blake Griffin - yes, he has to work on his shooting, but I expect him to ...

Clippers Summer League and Fall League
Clips Nation — ... and Blake Griffin are the Clippers two best players NOW - obviously they are the cornerstones of the future of the franchise.  How many teams will have two players that good together in summer league?  None. ...

Q&A With a Sooners Blogger
Clips Nation — ... One of the advantages of belonging to the SBNation network is that I've got an 'in' with an expert in pretty much any sporting subject you can imagine.  If we wanted to get some perspective on whether Blake Griffin should consider a career in mixed martial arts, I could just ask the guys at ...

Phoenix Suns Summer League: The Game Plan
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... happens this year.  Here's some guys I am going to watch for... Chicago - Taj Gibson and James Johnson Denver -  Coby Karl, Sonny Weems and Ty Lawson Detroit - Will Bynum, Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko Golden State - Stephen Curry and Anthony Randolph Houston - James Flight White, Joey Dorsey and Chase Budinger LA Clippers - Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon (this should be a fun tandem!) ...

Clipper Clippings - July 8 - in which Steve tries to catch up a bit
Clips Nation — ... This story ran a few days before the draft.  It's not really news of course, but it will be interesting to see how first overall pick Blake Griffin, playing in major media market LA, does in the endorsement game over the next four years.  In theory, the ...

Site Note, and a Comment Starter: Your Rookie Sleeper
Rufus on Fire — ... Comment Starter: Everyone generally agrees that Blake Griffin was the best pick for the Clips at number one, that ...

Blogging About Blogging - Is Blogging a Career?
Clips Nation — ... I had an interesting conversation with a reporter at the Clippers' training facility the day of Blake Griffin's workout.  She was freelancing, covering the story for the AP, having been laid off from her paper months before.  I told her that I was a blogger, that I would like to make a living at it, but that it didn't look very realistic given the landscape.  She was probably feeling more than a little negative, but she insisted that I was much better positioned for the jobs of the future than she was - she seemed to think that an experienced ...

At the Clippers First Summer League Practice
Clips Nation — ... just finished their first summer league practice.  I'm not sure that anyone is going to get a whole lot out of a run like this, but it's useful if only for the opportunity for Blake Griffin, ...

Getting Ready for Summer League
Clips Nation — ... started at power forward for them most of last season, and he and Blake Griffin had some battles in the Big 12 the season before that when Arthur played for Kansas and Griffin for Oklahoma.  They also have seven foot Iranian ...

RECAP: LVSL Game 2- Warriors 98, Kings 95 OT- The Original NorCal Kings of Vegas
Golden State Of Mind — ... of Ricky Rubio, possibly the most traditional point guard in this year's draft.  These two things are important because I'm going to show you that Tyreke Evans is a point guard. Man, they really, really, really seem to like Evans over in Sactown and we really, really, really seem to like Curry over here in the Yay Area. I see the Kings and Warriors fighting for the Pacific Division doormat for years with the Lakers getting all the glory, Blake Griffin surprising folks in Clipdom, and the Suns always ...

Clipper Clippings, July 13, 2009 - Griffin and Camby and Shaun, Oh My
Clips Nation — ... On this the day of Blake Griffin's debut in a Clippers (summer league) uniform, there are a few Clipper stories originating from Vegas. No. 1 pick Griffin rebuffs pressure to save Clippers - Sports - ReviewJournal.com I just love this guy's maturity.  PBN | Coveted Camby Chris Tomasson spoke to Marcus Camby in Vegas yesterday and reports that a lot of teams are showing interest in him, but that he believes he'll be a Clipper this season and he's good with that.  That's consistent with what ...

NBA Summer League Day Four Preview and Live Thread
Pounding The Rock — ... at 7:30 - Today's marquee game and the opener in the Thomas & Mack Center.  It's the Blake Griffin show.  The Clips have a load of talent, and a lot of rotation guys.  Griffin, ...

Vegas Summer League, Game 3: Kings vs Bucks, Open Game Thread
Sactown Royalty — Will Sacramento's third game be the first win? Will anyone care either way? Once again, all eyes on the point guard spot, where Tyreke Evans will line up across from Brandon Jennings. I wonder if Young Money thinks Reke is all hype ... 7:30PM is the start time on the West Coast. Blake Griffin's debut precedes our game. Donté Greene and Joe Alexander should be a fun (quasi) match-up, and hopefully Jason Thompson will come alive. Looking forward to more Omri Casspi as well.

NBA Summer League - Blake Griffin's Pro Debut
Clips Nation — ... rumor has stolen a bit of the Clipper oxygen here, but that will be forgotten in a few minute.  Believe it or not, I have courtside, right at midcourt, for Blake Griffin's first game.  So I guess that's pretty cool.  I'm not sure where the camera positions are, but look for me on the TV feed. ...

Clippers - Lakers Summer League Recap - That Went Well
Clips Nation — ... and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes.  That greedy guy might want fewer than 5 turnovers, better than 4 for 8 from the line.  But this way, the guy has something to work on during practice, right?  More important perhaps than the raw numbers is just WHO this guy is.  After the game, MDsr said basically, "Hey, this is what he's been doing to guys in practice this week, so we're not surprised.  But you never know how a guy is going to react to the stage."  Well, Blake Griffin LOVES the spotlight.  He scored the first three times ...

Pistons Drop Summer League Game, 97-69, to Warriors
Motown String Music — ... .  As he started knocking down his shot in the second half, the Warriors started to really pull away from the Pistons and put their lead into the twenties.  Curry finished with a game-high 23 points. The announcers also said at one point that Curry will carry the Warriors into the playoffs this season.  I think he'll win Rookie of the Year (and yes, I saw the Blake Griffin highlights for the night). ...

A Few Thoughts on Iverson
Clips Nation — ... Monsieur Perrin is probably poolside preparing a post on this, although he might have gotten hung up at the breakfast buffet, and who knows what he might have been up to last night, with his new access to NBA players, coaches, writers etc. and all.  We have nothing but good news from yesterday, and Club Optimism is riding high.  In the morning desert sun the amazing debut of Blake Griffin is being overshadowed by the confirmations of Clipper talks with Allen Iverson.  There's an existing fanpost thread that has some good comments, ...

NBA Summer League Day Five Preview and Live Thread
Pounding The Rock — ... Randolph, Cartier, Atchley Bulls: Taj Gibson, Linton Johnson, Anthony Roberson, DeMarcus Nelson Lakers:  NONE Thunder:  Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, BJ Mullens, Shaun Livingston, DJ White Spurs:  Everybody Nuggets:  Not much.  Coby Karl, Ronald Dupree, Sonny Weems, Kareem Rush Clippers:  Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, and Mike ...

Quick Conversation with Clippers Summer League Coach Kim Hughes
Clips Nation — ... rumors and Blake Griffin's first game, I thought it was a nice time to talk to Kim Hughes about the evident improvement in ...

The Scoop – What The World Is Saying About Oklahoma (Blake Griffin Edition)
Crimson And Cream Machine — ... rebounds in 29 minutes.  That greedy guy might want fewer than 5 turnovers, better than 4 for 8 from the line.  But this way, the guy has something to work on during practice, right?  More important perhaps than the raw numbers is just WHO this guy is.  After the game, MDsr said basically, "Hey, this is what he's been doing to guys in practice this week, so we're not surprised.  But you never know how a guy is going to react to the stage."  Well, Blake Griffin LOVES the spotlight.  He scored ...

Channing Frye: Happy to be home
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... Kerr must have went straight to the airport after the press conference because he arrived here in Vegas around 830pm. He and Sarver were seen meeting along with David Griffin in the stands of the Thomas and Mack Center while Blake Griffin put on a show during the ...

Nash extension close while Amare needs to prove his health
Bright Side Of The Sun — While I'm up here in Vegas toiling away watching the likes of Anthony Randolph (42 points) and Blake Griffin (16 pts/9 reb / a lot of stud) the real action is back in Phoenix. Go figure. Steve Kerr was back in Phoenix to roll out Channing Frye as the newest Sun fan favorite (this team is going to have a lot of fan favorites next season). In he process he dropped a couple of very important nuggets regarding the team's two main guys, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. He also talked about the 13th roster spot. On Nash... ...

Summer League random thoughts of the day
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... Blake Griffin is that good. He's better. He didn't put the big numbers like he did in his debut but he doesn't need to. The guy is an animal on the floor and a real leader.  ...

Identifying Potential Late Season Pickups
Bullets Forever — ... 's) creates a logjam in the low post where Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan need minutes to develop.  He'll be beneficial at the start of the year as he helps the young guys to understand the league better, but the reality is that the team likely isn't going to go anywhere this season and Griffin & Jordan have to be given the chance to sprout their wings at some point.   ...

NBA Summer League Day Seven Preview and Live Game Thread
Pounding The Rock — ... night.  He's unstoppable with this talent level and the tight way these games are called. Spurs vs Thunder at 7:30 - Spurs.  Nuff said. Mavericks vs Cavaliers at 9:00 - We'll see if Rodrigue Beaubois is healthy.  I'd also like to see Ahmad Nivins dominate this match up with Darnell Jackson. Clippers vs Grizzlies at 9:30 - Lot's of good young guys in this one.  Blake Griffin, Mike Taylor -- who has struggled, DeAndre Jordan ...

Big game tonight: DJordan vs. Thabeet
Clips Nation — ... DJ has been great in summer league, a big part of the good news.  Have to say that Griffin is helping and making him look good, but KA had a nice, quick analysis of DJ's effort as a top summer performer, and no less than David Thorpe, who is probably the Clips newest, bestest buddy for a number of reasons, starting with KA's yeoman work in getting him to notice Eric Gordon last year, but primarily because he's going to spend a lot of time analyzing Blake Griffin this year, tweeted the other day that DJ seems to be easily ...

The Clipper Posts Not Yet Written
Clips Nation — ... Of course the Clippers' advantage was massive on the inside, and in the end it proved to be enough despite the inherent advantages for guards in the summer. Blake Griffin continues to impress, and in surprising ways.  He didn't make any jumpers or turnarounds in game two - but he did have 5 assists to go with his 16 points and 9 rebounds.  It's not news, but his combination of strength and quickness tends to catch me by surprise, even though I know it's coming.  You're just not used to seeing a guy that size, make such quick moves, and then ...

Clippers - Grizzlies Summer League Open Thread
Clips Nation — ... ' front line.  Assuming both teams go with their top guys, Blake Griffin will be matched up with some time NBA starting power forward ...

We Haven't Forgotten About Al Thornton
Clips Nation — ... and Blake Griffin are the obvious cornerstones of the franchise even though Griffin has yet to play an NBA game.  The center position would seem to be fairly well supplied with ...

Open thread: Summer League Game 4 vs. LA Clippers
Bullets Forever — ... This is my last Summer League game in person, since I'm flying out of Vegas tonight.  Just in time to see Blake Griffin demolish our frontcourt.  Can't wait. ...

Clippers vs. Wizards Summer League - Open Thread
Clips Nation — ... Based on his Tweets today, sounds like Blake Griffin is planning on playing.  You never know in Summer League who's going to get the night off. ...

JaVale McGee stars in the Wizards' 74-64 Summer League win over the Clippers
Bullets Forever — ... Everything I've learned in sportswriting boils down to finding a moment that encapsulates a story and describing the hell out of it at the top of the article.  The problem today is that there are too many of those moments to describe JaVale McGee's game.  The two-handed stuff on Mike Taylor at the end of the game.  The throwdown on Blake Griffin late in the game that Javaris Crittenton insisted I note.  The myraid times when he stayed on his feet instead of going for pump fakes.   Indeed, McGee ...

Flynn Named Summer League ROY, Griffin to be MVP
Canis Hoopus — ... Sources also said that Blake Griffin will be named MVP of the 2009 Vegas Summer League. Strange that he didn't get ROY. ...

Blake Griffin Summer League Observations
Clips Nation — ... Now Summer League has ended (and the NBA has basically stolen my $14.99), I wanted to share my observations on Blake Griffin and how his Summer League performance will foreshadow his effect in the NBA. ...

What Did We Learn from the Clippers' Summer League?
Clips Nation — ... Blake Griffin averaged 19.2 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game on his way to MVP honors in Vegas.  He shot 18 for 24 in the two games that Gordon played and 21 for 52 after that.  So I guess that means, as good as he is, he still needs a couple of other players around him.  After the Clippers shut down EJ, there was literally no one else on the Clippers capable of getting a shot.  Some other guys played well (Caner-Medley and ...

Richardson to the Wolves for Smith, Telfair and Madsen
Clips Nation — ... He's an undersized four, and the Clippers are already more than a little crowded in the front court.  Can he play the three?  Well, he's never made a three-pointer in the NBA (in 16 attempts over three seasons), so that tells you a little about his range.  He's certainly not going to be spreading the floor, which is the one thing Q could have provided.  This trade may be an indication that the Clippers coaching staff left Las Vegas more convinced than ever that Blake Griffin can play the three.  But it leaves the Clippers even ...

Smith, Telfair and Madsen - Take Two
Clips Nation — ... and Blake Griffin starting at power forward backed up by Smith.  And if you parlay Kamamby into something good, then everything falls into place.  Which one should be moved?  Well, there are pros and cons of course.  If you move Kaman, you clear 2010 cap space, but leave youself with only DeAndre Jordan when Camby leaves this summer.  If you move Camby, you're chewing up that self same cap space in the deal.  So it depends on if you're playing 2010 FA derby or not. ...

2009 Phoenix Suns Summer League Wrap Up
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... and Blake Griffin all come to mind.  Aside from his second game, when Clark posted a double-double, he didn't do much to distinguish himself.  To be honest, I don't read too much into this.  Unlike Blair and Jennings, he didn't come into Vegas with a chip on his shoulder and unlike Griffin, he wasn't expected to save the franchise.  He did however demonstrate why the Suns took him in the first round.  He's capable of: hitting from outside, driving to the basket, bringing the ball up, getting his fair share of rebounds, defending ...

Clippers in the Lead for Sessions - So Now What?
Clips Nation — ... auditioned for the part in Summer League, and he wasn't right for it.  But Ramon Sessions (23), Eric Gordon (20), Al Thornton (25), Blake Griffin (20) and DeAndre Jordan (21)?  Sweet Sassy Mollassey!  That's a lineup to get truly geeked about.  Signing Sessions to any contract of four years or more means that Baron will be shopped. ...

Eric Gordon - No Team USA This Year
Clips Nation — ... It's a characteristic that is at once admirable and problematic.  He doesn't force things on the basketball court - but there were many times during the season last year, particularly during the stretches when so many other players were hurt, that he NEEDED to take over.  In the most brightest vision of a bright Clipper's future, as good as Blake Griffin is going to be, it's nonetheless Gordon who will lead the team in scoring and will be asked to come up with the big plays in close games.  He's still only 20, and I think he thinks of himself ...

Team evaluations: Better, same or worse?
Pounding The Rock — ... :  They drafted a stud.  I think they're genius for getting Zack Randolph as far away from Blake Griffin as possible.  The last thing their savior needs is to be bumping around with Z-bo and his posse.  ...

Bill Simmons and the Clippers
Clips Nation — ... But he clearly had a 300 game stretch below 40%.  In fact, his record for his first four seasons in Cleveland (that's 328 games) was 99-229 - barely above 30%.  So as of now, Simmons is applying a different set of rules to MDsr than he's applying to Fitch - he uses Fitch's career winning percentage with Cleveland to keep him off the list, but MDsr's career winning percentage with the Clippers is unknown, since he's still the coach.  With a current mark of .394 and Blake Griffin, he's got a pretty good chance to get himself off the list the ...

This Week In San Antonio Spurs Basketball: Monday Edition
Pounding The Rock — ... of random games from the late 60s The lack of a 3-point line blew my mind. So All Access: All-Star Weekend Mandatory Silver Stars video. So all access. Becky Hammon at the Silver Stars Golf Scramble Mandatory Becky video. I love this woman. Blake Griffin shows us his Juggling Skills Or lack thereof. He ...

2009-2010 Golden State Warriors Schedule + 82 "Unstoppable Baby!" Predictions
Golden State Of Mind — ... NOVEMBER #3: Wed Nov 4 Memphis 7:30 PM My tipster told me the Warriors will be using this marketing strategy for this game: "Come to the Roaracle and watch OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay drop 70 points on the Dubs!" Blog Buddy: Straight Outta Vancouver   #4: Fri Nov 6 L.A. Clippers 7:30 PM Here's our first look at the 2009-20010 Most Improved Team. Baron Davis, Blake Griffin, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, ...

Phoenix Suns 2009-10 Schedule Analysis: US Airways Center Mostly Vacant Until Mid-December
Bright Side Of The Sun — ...  - While The Blake Show makes it's official debut the night before against The Lake Show, the Suns will get their first regular season look at #1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin who will terrorize the Pacific Division for years to come.  Amar'e Stoudemire might want to pay attention or he could easily end up on Griffin's first official NBA poster.  If you haven't yet seen Griffin play, this is a must-watch game.  Also, it's opening day, so I'm going to have to question your fanhood if you're not circling this date on your calendar ...

Clippers Pre-Season Schedule Announced
Clips Nation — ... Mark your calendars for October 9th.  That will be the first LA appearance of Blake Griffin in a Clippers' uniform, against the Trailblazers. ...

Offseason Boredom: Top 20 edition
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... these eleven though, I get pretty lost.  I mean, there's a number of candidates but that's why it's so hard to choose. They're not really that distinct. So I guess my question is if you had to choose the 10 most valuable players excluding the above eleven players, which players would you pick? Warning: it's much harder than picking the top 11. My list looks like (once again in no particular order): Danny Granger Tony Parker Blake Griffin Manu Ginobili Amare Pau ...

Create Your Own Franchise
Canis Hoopus — ... Haywood (3) Brad Miller (3) Marc Gasol (3) Martin Gortat (3) Chris Anderson (3) Joel Przbilla (2) Javal Mcgee (2) Roy Hibbert (2) Josh Boone (2) Zaza Pachualla (2) Robin Lopez (2) Rasho Nestervitch (2) Ryan Hollins (2) DeAndre Jordan (2) Rookies: Blake Griffin (5) James Harden (4) ...

Where Will Iverson Wind Up? (Not With the Clippers - I Hope)
Clips Nation — ... and Blake Griffin, it will be a relief when he has actually signed with someone else.  So where might he land? ...

IC Cold Links: Easy To See Why NBA Players Would Use PEDs
Indy Cornrows — ... some reporters will try to dig into the NBA workout culture for more answers. I just wonder if PED-numb fans will even care. Here are a few other links of interest today: Pacers among The Dreamers David Aldridge put up an offseason ranking of all NBA teams this past weekend and included the Pacers in The Dreamers category. Griffin, Hansbrough resting summer injuries Brian Mahoney reporrts from the NBA's rookie photo shoot about Blake Griffin and Tyler Hansbrough resting injuries in preparation ...

Nets Take a Page From Clippers' Marketing Playbook
Clips Nation — ... A couple of asides to this story.  Blake Griffin is already putting the Clippers on the map.  The ten games the Nets are including in this promotion include all the ones you'd expect - Kobe/Lakers, LeBron/Cavs, Wade/ ...

Miscellaneous Clipper Non-News
Clips Nation — ... Blake Griffin has now been out for three weeks after being diagnosed with a strained shoulder that would require three to four weeks of rest.  I was the one telling everyone to ...

Clippers Welcome Rasual Butler to LA
Clips Nation — ... There's a certain pride discernible in GMMDsr's approach to the team right now.  You can tell that he feels pretty good about where the roster is at this point.  He's not taking credit for the blind luck of winning the lottery - but he's made some systematic moves in the wake of drafting Blake Griffin that have been really logical.  It remains to be seen how the team will play when the season starts - but the word that keeps coming to mind about the moves this off-season is 'coherent'.  ...

A Little Summer Forecast Analysis: The LA Laughingstocks
Clips Nation — ... Blake Griffin got 43 out of 54 votes for Rookie of the Year, in the opening poll.  The shot in this case was a link to the Laughingstocks--can the Clips just change their name?  Can't they be the LA Laughingstocks?--"well-catalogued legacy of disaster," the June 24 "Run Now Blake Griffin!" piece by Bill Simmons, written back when ZBo was still untradeable.  Thabeet got a vote for RoY, whatever that means. ...

When Does Clippers Training Camp Start?
Clips Nation — ... Of course, who would have thought it possible that the Clippers would get Blake Griffin?  And who would have thought it possible that they'd be able to parlay ...

Possible in-season trade targets to improve the Wizards' frontcourt
Bullets Forever — ... The issue with Camby is mostly how he fits in with the Wizards' style of play.  Unlike Miller, I'm not concerned about his availability -- if Blake Griffin impresses, ...

Western Predictions - Where do the Clippers Fit?
Clips Nation — ... teams with playoff potential. Roster of Talent The Clippers do indeed look talented on paper.  You don't even have to pad to make these guys' resumes look good: Two time All Star Baron Davis at point guard 2008 second team All Rookie selection Eric Gordon at shooting guard 2007 first team All Rookie selection Al Thornton at small forward 2009 first overall pick and presumptive Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin at power forward 2007 NBA Defensive Player of the ...

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors South No More
Golden State Of Mind — The Clippers had an absolutely amazing offseason and they barely had to think. This offseason will probably wind up making Mike Dunleavy as GM look good even though this was an offseason even Elgin Baylor couldn't mess up. Offseason Additions VIA DRAFT Blake Griffin (No. 1) VIA TRADE Rasual Butler and cash (from New Orleans for 2nd rounder in 2016) Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, and Mark Madsen (from Minnesota) Zach Randolph (to Minnesota - addition by ...

The Far End of the Bench - Why the Clippers Could be Good this Season
Clips Nation — ... is clearly a talent upgrade at the shooting guard, but Cat Mobley was no slouch, and was probably a more complete player than EJ is at this point in his career.  And obviously Blake Griffin has as much physical ability as anyone to enter the league in years, and is a natural power forward as compared to ...

My Day at the Clippers Training Facility...
Clips Nation — ... We then got a Q&A session in the film room hosted by Michael Eaves with Coach Dunleavy and Blake Griffin.  They talked about the upcoming season, changes in the Clipper coaching staff and changes in the Clippers roster.  Coach loves the depth he has this season, the best ever he said.  They talked about the advantage of having the training facility to call home.  I asked Coach how close, if at all, were the Clips to getting Allan Iverson.  He was very candid, saying that they inquired, thought he would be a great spark to come ...

LA Clipper Optimists - Betting Baron Bounces Back
Clips Nation — ... This summer has been different.  It's been downright easy to be optimistic about the Clippers.  From the moment the team won the lottery, a lot of things have gone right.  Obviously the biggest single factor in this newly rosy outlook is Blake Griffin - he was the consensus number one pick, he has the physical talent to be a superstar, and more importantly he has the work ethic to excel as well. ...

The Knicks' Strategy
Clips Nation — ... one more big contract (read Chris Kaman or Baron Davis) in order to play this particular reindeer game.  Let's for the moment assume they trade Kaman for expiring deals (not impossible, and in fact much easier than several of the Herculean feats Walsh accomplished within the last year). At that point, the Clippers and the Knicks could both offer LeBron his maximum free agent deal, something north of $17M. The Clippers could offer as teammates Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Baron Davis, DeAndre Jordan, ...

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Sacramento Kings: It's all up from here
Golden State Of Mind — ... Despite the league's worst record, the Kings lottery numbers were not called and they slipped to 4th in the draft, denying them a shot at Blake Griffin. When the #4 pick arrived, SAC selected Tyreke Evans, a 6'5" guard fresh off his lone season with the U of Memphis Tigers. Evans has demonstrated athletic skills that should allow the Kings to try him at either guard position and the strength to match up defensively against forwards. Evans is an intriguing selection; his game had not yet caught up with his talent. His assists indicate a ...

Clippers' Media Day
Clips Nation — ... Is this season going to be different than the last three?  Well, with Blake Griffin around, almost certainly different, but we'll have to wait and see about 'better' (or how much better).  The Clippers have never responded particularly well to expectations, the handful of times that they've had them.  But surely, after 19 wins last season, the expectations for this team remain more of the 'trendy sleeper pick' variety, as opposed to those of 2006 or 2002 when the other LA team was considered a virtual lock for the playoffs but failed to ...

Media Day Schmedia Day
Clips Nation — ... I have the scoop on the starters:  Baron, Gordon, Thornton, Camby and Kaman are DEFINITELY going to be the starters - tomorrow on the first day of training camp.  After that, who knows?  Of course it's all well and good for MDsr to say that a month before the season starts, but I guarantee you that Blake Griffin will be the starting power forward for the first game. ...

More From Clippers Media Day
Clips Nation — ... At any rate, many members of the team have been in and out of the training center all summer.  It's got to be a huge boost to team chemistry, especially as opposed to last season.  There are ten returning players from last season, and the four new guys have been in and around the training center for months now, led by workaholic Blake Griffin.  And as of now, knock on wood, everyone is healthy.  Even Ricky Davis has been playing 5-on-5, and by several accounts seems to be 100% for the first time in years. ...

A Quick Clarification on Kaman
Clips Nation — ... No one said that a starting job was waiting for Blake Griffin, but no one has to say that.  We know it's going to happen, and hopefully sooner rather than later. ...

Day One of Clippers Training Camp
Clips Nation — ... By the way, indeed Blake Griffin is being held out of this session.  He's day-to-day, after banging knees a few days ago, but it's nothing serious. ...

Day One of Training Camp - Post Game Report
Clips Nation — ... When they opened up practice, they were running a three-team, five-on-five, winner's outs sort of thing.  If your team scored, you took the ball back the other way at the third team - if you got scored on, you waited on the defensive end until a team came back at you.  So you had to get a stop to get the ball, and as long as you kept scoring, you kept playing.  Fun. With Blake Griffin resting his 'sore patellar tendon' the first unit consisted of Baron, EJ, Thornton, Camby and Kaman; the second unit ...

Day Two of Clippers Training Camp - Credit Where Credit is Due
Clips Nation — ... Blake Griffin sat out once again, although he'd rather be out there.  In yesterday's afternoon session, coach caught Blake Superior doing some things he wasn't supposed to be doing (like 'jumping five feet in the air') and had to tell him to cut it out.  As we suspected, Blake thinks he's fine and is chomping at the bit to bang some, and the coaching and training staff are being extra cautious.  Which is exactly what you want from each of them in late September. ...

Morning Shootaround: 2009-2010 Forecast, Instilling a Defense-First Mindset, NBA's Twitter Guidelines, Replacement Refs Grumblings from a Former Piston, and Pistons Tickets
Motown String Music — ... 10. Pistons guard Ben Gordon will square off against his former Chicago Bulls team twice, including a New Year’s Eve matinee tilt on December 31. Antonio McDyess and the San Antonio Spurs visit The Palace on February 21, while a late-March homestand includes games against Chicago (March 28), Miami (March 31) and Steve Nash, former Piston Grant Hill and the Phoenix Suns (April 2). The No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, Blake Griffin, will bring his Los Angeles Clippers team to The ...

Training Camp Invites - Miami Heat
Ridiculous Upside — ... Alade Aminu - Aminu played for Washington's Summer League team, though saying he "played" is a bit generous since he never saw more than 12 minutes on the court.  He's fairly athletic and handles the ball pretty well for his size (he's 6'10", 225).  He's also really, really raw.  Bullets Forever's Mike Prada observed that Aminu defended Blake Griffin pretty well and showed a decent touch, but that he's ...

Day Three of Clippers Training Camp - Bassy Rolls his Ankle
Clips Nation — ... morning practice session was a little shorter than usual today.  It wasn't just a matter of coach MDsr giving the guys some time off for working hard so far.  It also had to do with the simple math of having fewer players practicing.  Blake Griffin continues to rest his bruised knee, and ...

Competition Discussion: Los Angeles Clippers
Bullets Forever — ... Clippers.  Jump to the comments to discuss the Clippers and make a prediction on their record.         Last year's record: 19-63 (Pythagorean Record: 18-64) Playoffs: None Offensive Rating: 102.3 30th) Defensive Rating: 111.7 (27th) Pace: 92.1 possessions/game (13th) In: Blake Griffin, Rasual Butler, Craig Smith, Sebastian ...

Followup on Clippers' Training Camp
Clips Nation — ... was wearing his practice jersey backwards two practices in a row - when I saw it on Thursday, I thought it was some sort of mistake, but, no, he wore it that way again on Friday.  He may have some bad chemistry in his brain.)  Working the chemistry analogy a little too hard, one hopes that Blake Griffin is the catalyst that gets this experiment going - but we'll have to wait and see them play. ...

GAME THREAD: Preseason Game #1- Golden State Warriors vs. LA Clippers- Meaningless Sunday Fun
Golden State Of Mind — ... 222 6-3 Indiana Taj Gray 33 F 3.14.84 238 6-9 Oklahoma Blake Griffin 32 F 3.16.89 251 6-10 Oklahoma ...

Clippers 101 - Golden State 108 - Preseason
Clips Nation — ... .  CMDsr and also Ralph have been raving about how good he's looked in camp - and I saw it myself at practice on Friday, if only for a brief glimpse.  I was also in Vegas, and frankly if Blake Griffin hadn't been the story, everyone would have been raving about Jordan's improvement.  (Even so, David Thorpe called him the most improved player in Vegas.)  Tonight in Oakland he was 8 for 8 for 22 points, with 5 dunks, and also grabbed 10 rebounds.  The five dunks are what you expect from DJ - what you don't expect is the jump hook, ...

2009 NBA GM Survey and Predictions
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... 2. Orlando - 17.3% Also receiving votes: Cleveland, Toronto, Washington Last year: Philadelphia - 51.9% Which team will be most improved in 2009-10? 1. Washington - 48.3% 2. L.A. Clippers - 17.2% 3. Oklahoma City - 13.8% 4. Toronto - 6.9% Also receiving votes: Boston, Memphis, Minnesota, San Antonio Last year: Miami, Portland - 25.9% Who will win the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year? 1. Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers - 79.3% 2. Jonny Flynn, Minnesota - ...

Wolves Bits 10/6
Canis Hoopus — ... (behind Blake Griffin) and got votes for most athletic and class sleeper. Both Flynn and Rubio got votes for being the best of this year's rookies in five years. ...

The Great Nickname Debate
Clips Nation — ... with myself over the whole Blake Superior thing.  I really think it's a terrific nickname, and I plan to keep using it.  I'm surprised that some of you citizens don't like it, but that's your prerogative.  Of course it won't keep my from using Blake Superior - probably a lot - and if you want to use some other name for him, you're welcome to do that as well.  In fact, go start your own blog and call him what you want.  But the official Clips Nation moniker for Blake Griffin is 'Blake Superior'.  What makes it official?  ...

Thoughts From Tonight's Game vs. Clippers
Blazersedge — ... Juwan Howard - A surprisingly effective post defender.  Even though he doesn't have the athleticism to keep up with guys like Blake Griffin, you could see him using lots of veteran tricks to win better post position and keep Blake off the block.  I think he'll serve us well in spot minutes on the defensive end.  ...

Clippers 97 - Blazers 85 (Preseason) - An Auspicious Debut
Clips Nation — ... Blake Griffin entered his first pre-season game with 1:45 left in the first period.  MDsr has been talking about the flexibility that he has with Griffin to play him at multiple positions, and it was immediately evident.  He came into the game next to DJ, playing power forward.  But 11 seconds later, Jordan picked up his third foul and was replaced by ...

Game Report: Blazers vs. Clippers
Blazersedge — ... Clipper fans were most excited for Blake Griffin, of course, and he gave them a few reasons to cheer. He, too, showed his rookieness though, and only scored on transition dunks. If the Clippers get out and run more, he’ll score a lot this way— he is good at running up and down the court and finishing. He took a few clanky jumpers (one time it was just him and ol’ man Juwan, and instead of taking it at him he took a long jumper… he will learn to recognize that mismatch in time), had a bad turnover on a almost-fastbreak trying to be ...

Random Clipper Thoughts on a Sunday Night
Clips Nation — ... The Warriors are a terrible pre-season opponent.  You go into pre-season wanting to work on your sets, and work on a bunch of 'normal' game scenarios, and here come the Warriors, throwing normal right out the window. Happily Blake Griffin may be the perfect big to throw at GSW.  He's strong enough to push ...

Clippers 124 - Warriors 117 (Pre-season) - A Tale of Two Halves
Clips Nation — ... and Blake Griffin this season (the three of them had nine each tonight), but on the other hand his shooting percentage and assists should be much better with so many other options on the floor. ...

Preseason Game Preview #4: Los Angeles Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs
Pounding The Rock — ... Savvy   Post Haircut   DeJuan Blair   Bench Blake Griffin Griffin against Golden State: 15 points and 9 ...

PtR Quick Cap: Los Angeles Clippers knock off Spurs 93-90: Pop Ians
Pounding The Rock — In a battle of the two best players from this year's draft, the Blake Griffin led Clippers beat the DeJuan Blair led San Antonio Spurs 93-90.  Both power forwards had big games, but so did a pair of veteran small forwards from each team and I bet the coaches liked what they saw of them. Box Score   ...

Clippers 93 - San Antonio 90 (Pre-Season) - Blake Superior leads the way
Clips Nation — ... The one thing it can do is allow individuals to step up and assume a bigger role than they would if the regulars were playing.  And in that sense, count this game was a major success.  The Clippers starting front court tonight consisted of two guys who were in High School 30 months ago, Blake Griffin and ...

Thoughts in Advance of the Weekend Games
Clips Nation — ... and Blake Griffin are probably the two players who benefit most from the pre-season reps.  The weekend is further complicated by the back-to-back, not to mention the crazy mini-tournament format.  Since the team doesn't yet know who they're playing Sunday, they haven't done any prep on that team.  So they'll just have a walk through about Sunday's opponent Sunday morning, and that will have to do. ...

Clippers 108 - Maccabi 96 (Pre-Season)
Clips Nation — ... I don't think there's a whole lot to over analyze here.  The Clippers beat a team they were supposed to beat (unlike when they lost to CSKA in Moscow three pre-seasons ago).  Blake Superior had one of those lines that we're already getting used to: 13 points on 6 for 7 shooting, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover.  The way he's playing right now, he could lead the team in assist-to-turnover ratio from the power forward spot.  His six baskets came on three dunks (two of them alley oops, and one of them off an inbounds pass), two tip ins ...

A Good Problem to Have - Who Starts for the Clippers? Part 1
Clips Nation — ... going to get complacent. CMDsr took the safe (and prudent and reasonable) approach of establishing his training camp starting lineup by default - the starters at the end of last season (recognizing that in fact one guy in the mix, Zach Randolph, was already gone) would remain the starters until further notice.  Meaning that Al Thornton, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman would join Gordon and Davis in the first unit.  But from the moment Blake Griffin was drafted and the team traded for Rasual Butler, ...

Friday's Clippers Shootaround - Time for the Dress Rehearsal
Clips Nation — ... I asked him about the efficiency of Blake Griffin in the last few games and he couldn't say enough positive things about his prize rookie.  As we've noted here, Blake is getting everything he gets right now within the flow of the game, just by being active and athletic and basketball smart.  In MDsr's words, they're not 'force-feeding' him.  It's much easier to work him into actual NBA games (one that count in the standings) knowing that he can be effective and efficient without having to have plays called for him.  It's a bit of a ...

Clippers 91 - New Orleans 88 (Pre-season) - Glad That's Over With
Clips Nation — ... In the first quarter of this one, it seemed like maybe it was going to be big fun.  By my count, half of the Clippers first ten buckets were dunks, and it just felt like that was how it was going to go, with Sebastian Telfair throwing the ball up at the rim and Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan fighting over who got to throw it down.  But when the second quarter rolled around, it was a different affair.  A tedious affair.  A man-I-can't-wait-for-the-regular-season-to-start affair. In the end, the Clippers ...

Clipper Injuries - Blake's Balky Knee
Clips Nation — ... and Danny Manning.  But the simple fact is, Manning was the absolutely correct pick - he just happened to blow out his ACL early in his rookie season.  So while everyone knew that Blake Griffin would never ever be a Kandi-style bust, one can never be sure about injuries, and certainly less so when you're dealing with the Clippers, so a Manning-like catastrophe hangs over the head of Clips Nation like the sword of Damacles. ...

A Good Problem to Have - Who Starts for the Clippers? Part 2
Clips Nation — ... As I mentioned last Thursday in Part 1 of this effort, other than the backcourt of Baron Davis and Eric Gordon, there are no givens in the starting lineup for the Clippers this season.  The de facto starters going into training camp were Davis and Gordon, with Al Thornton, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman up front.  But two new-comers to the team, first overall pick Blake Griffin and former Hornet starter Rasual Butler, deserve serious consideration in the first unit. Thursday we ...

Award Time
Canis Hoopus — ... at the beginning of the year, guess on them, and then see how everybody does at the end of the season. I'll put my guesses up top and you can put your picks in the comments.  The winner gets 1.3 million Hoopus Points, which can be used on the good feeling of your choice. MVP: Dwight Howard 6th Man: Manu Ginobili Most Improved: Chris Douglas-Roberts Defensive POY: Dwight Howard ROY: Blake Griffin WC Finalist: Dallas EC ...

Notes from Playa Vista - Last Full Clippers Practice Before the Season
Clips Nation — ... Well, if you were hoping to hear that all 15 Clippers practiced today, you're going to be disappointed.  Neither Blake Griffin nor Baron Davis participated, although everyone else did including Marcus Camby. Starting with Camby, coach isn't saying for sure whether or not he'll play tomorrow night - that will depend on how his ankle responds to today's practice.  But as of now, I expect that Marcus will play, though perhaps on limited minutes. Blake and Baron are both being called game time decisions.  ...

The Los Angeles Clippers - Season Preview
Clips Nation — ... when I found out that Blake Griffin was out for six weeks.  I went back and sprinkled some references to it around, but if this feels like a generally optimistic preview with occasional thoughts of suicide, there's a reason for that. Team Name:  Los Angeles Clippers Last Year’s Record: 19-63 Key Losses: Zach Randolph Key Additions: Blake Griffin, Rasual Butler, Sebastian Telfair, Craig ...

Blake Griffin Has Stress Fracture - Out Six Weeks
Clips Nation — ... ’ rookie forward Blake Griffin may miss up to six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella suffered during the Clippers’ last preseason game vs. the ...

IC Cold Links: NBA Opening Night Is Here; Pacers Health Improves
Indy Cornrows — ... Clippers rookie Blake Griffin has a broken kneecap and could miss six weeks. Of course he does. Clippers catch yet another bad break. ...

Clippers at Lakers - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... at the power forward and DeAndre Jordan at the center.  So even though Blake Griffin won't be playing, we can safely say that the Clippers aren't in as bad a shape for this game as they were then, when Kaman, Camby, Randolph and Baron were all out. ...

Clippers Club Optimism Special Report
Clips Nation — ... The President of Club Optimism, Citizen Zhiv left an extensive comment on the Blake Griffin injury post.  He chose not to put it on the Front Page in order to avoid bumping things like game and season previews down.  He was wrong.  This is much more important than that other crap.  So I'm cutting and pasting it onto the Front Page.  Steve  Fired up? Ready to go? Time for the Nation to begin its journey to the Promised Land! It might seem like the Fates are toying with us in their ...

Playa Vista, Clippers October 27 - Griffin and Dunleavy talk about the Injury
Clips Nation — ... I just left a press availability with MDsr and Blake Griffin a few moments ago.  Or as I quipped with the ClipperWidow as I left the house, a 'depress availability.'  But it turned out not to be quite as depressing as I thought. ...

Lakers 99 - Clippers 92
Clips Nation — ... The roster is indeed deeper this time around.  Even without the injured Blake Griffin, the Clippers bench outplayed the defending champs' reserves by a wide margin.  Now, it must be noted that ...

Clippers vs. Phoenix - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... .  That was to be expected.  Tonight they're home against the team widely believed to be the 8th best team in the Western Conference.  In other words, if the Clippers hope to be a playoff contender, despite the early season absence of Blake Griffin, this is the kind of game they need to win.   ...

Opening Day Game Thread: Suns @ Clippers (!!)
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... 215 6-3 U-C-L-A Eric Gordon 10 G 12.25.88 222 6-3 Indiana Blake Griffin 32 F 3.16.89 251 6-10 Oklahoma ...

Suns vs Clippers Preview Mash-up
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... Definitely foreign territory for Suns fans – but it made me at least look into why this Clippers team is so hyped. The hype is not without substance, this year this Clippers squad has more weapons than previous Clippers teams – aside from the Blake Griffin pick (btw… I should have taken the Clipper curse into consideration before I drafted that fool…dumb knee-cap) I think some of the most significant developments of this Clipper team that our Suns will be challenged with defensively tonight without Blake Griffin are: ...

Amare Stoudemire's Rocky Road to Recovery
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... The best thing for Amare might have been that Blake Griffin wasn't on the floor to provide a visible reminder of the power and fury of the Stoudemire of years gone by. That contrast would have been painful to watch. ...

Clippers - Suns, the Morning After, With the Aid of Digital Technology
Clips Nation — ... Marcus Camby was simply terrific - although let's not expect him to shoot 10 for 15 every night.  Nonetheless, it's great to know, especially with Blake Griffin out for awhile, that he's still capable of playing this well (23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals). ...

Clippers @ Utah - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... The Clippers have opened the season 0-2 after leading most of the second half against Phoenix Wednesday night only to lose in the final seconds.  In a game as dependent on emotion as basketball, the risk is that the team will get into a tailspin if the season starts poorly, especially considering the ill-timed injury news on Blake Griffin the day before the season started.  And with Utah and Dallas in back-to-backs, the Clippers could easily have 4 losses before November, which would pretty much have to be an NBA record for worst October record of ...

Competition Discussion: Rest of the League
Bullets Forever — ... Rook6980 bwoodsxyz MVP Dwight Howard Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin Coach of the ...

Clips Nation Viewing Party in One Week
Clips Nation — ... , Long Beach is actually a pretty central location for the people who responded: on the edge of Orange County, obviously good for the South Bay folks, not too bad for those on the west side.  Also, the specific location is really convenient - a short drive from where the 405, 22 and 605 freeways meet.  Besides, I live in Long Beach, and it's my blog and I get to decide.  I hereby decree that Blake Superior is the official Blake Griffin nickname of Clips Nation, and The Beach Club is the official Viewing Party location of Clips Nation (unless ...

Sacramento Kings Previews
CelticsBlog — ... win Rookie of the Year? Yes. He can and he will. Tyreke Evans has the best chance at winning the award because he has the best chance of leading all rookies in scoring this year. He can get to the basket whenever he wants, plays nice defense, and will shoot a ton of free throws. Throw in Blake Griffin already missing six weeks due to injury and you’ve got yourself a new favorite for winning the ROY hardware. ...

Clippers vs. Mavericks - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... , Mavs was a tough first four games.  After all, all four of those teams won at least 45 games last season, and they're all favorites to make the playoffs again this season.  But the reality of an 0-4 start, coupled with the setback to Blake Griffin, might be too much for this team's fragile psyche.  Hell, it might be too much for MY fragile psyche.  The good news for the Clippers is that Dallas was nice enough to oblige as LA's first victim last season, after the team had opened 0-6.  The bad news is that the Mavs have an infusion ...

NBA Western Conference Predictions
CelticsBlog — ... is a young star in the making They should be a .500 plus team with the right coach and attitude. They have neither. Blake Griffin could change that, but I doubt it. A motivated ...

GameThread 4: @ LA Clippers
Canis Hoopus — Tonight the Wolves face off against two former teammates (well, for 1/3 of the current Wolves at least). Despite their new squad's paper talent (Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby and an injured Blake Griffin really ain't that bad) the Clippers are still 0-fer this year. But that always seems to be the Clips' scene: optimism in the offseason, disappointment in the regular season. Back to Smith and Telfair, though. I'd like to take this opportunity to lobby for calm if ...

GAME THREAD: Game 4 - Warriors vs. Clippers - The battle for the back of the pack rages on!
Golden State Of Mind — ... Rumor has it that the Clippers won the 2009 draft lottery.  Rumor has it that they selected the draft's closest thing to an instant help big in Blake Griffin, though you would not know it from watching any of their games so far.  At present, Griffin has scored no more points, grabbed no more rebounds, and logged no more minutes in NBA regular season games than I have. And while it's the general spiteful bad luck that has a an opponent's top gun get healthy just in time to face the ...

Clippers vs. Grizzlies - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... Second Overall Pick.  First overall pick Blake Griffin is sitting out with a stress fraction in his patella.  Second overall pick Hasheem Thabeet is sitting out because, well, because he's sitting out.  He's played 6 minutes in their last 3 games because he's just not a very good basketball player. ...

Timberwolves and Team Options
Canis Hoopus — ... In 1995, the NBA changed its Collective Bargaining Agreement to put players drafted in the first round on a strict salary scale based on their position in the draft.  Unlike other sports, this prevented rookies for holding out for exorbitant salaries beyond that of most veterans.  Teams can offer between 80%-to-120% of that salary scale, no more, no less.  For example, 2009 #1 pick Blake Griffin got nearly $5 million in his first year, and 27th pick ...

LeBron and the Clippers - A Theory
Fear The Sword — ... to LeBron than even New York. One such place is Los Angeles with the Clippers.  If LeBron is looking for a metropolis to help his start shine brighter, LA is much more attractive than New York, at least in terms of talent on the roster.  Of course, I am not alone, as NBA Insider David Aldridge also talks about this option for LeBron -  Actually, if LeBron wants to play in L.A., joining the Clippers, with Baron Davis, Blake Griffin, Chris Kaman, etc., and with cap room next summer to ...

GAME THREAD #6: Timberwolves vs Warriors - Battle of the Bottom Feeders
Golden State Of Mind — ... Will he even be any good playing for this cursed franchise? If you could trade all the Warriors for all the Clippers, would you do it? Do vegetarians eat animal crackers? Can fat people go skinny dipping? How does a thermos know whether a drink should be hot or cold? Let's review: Loss to the Rockets without Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady Beat down by the Suns without JRich Blowout loss to the Clippers without Blake Griffin Served by the Kings without Kevin Martin ...

Prowling the NBA: People Gettin' Hurt
Canis Hoopus — ... being (this ought to make you guys laugh...) any game between now and Christmas. Laker fans I've spoken with are admittedly worried about this, given the teams' poor track record with recovering big men. One told me there's rumors going around Laker blogs that Gasol's injury is much more serious than is being reported. Another asked if they could trade medical staffs with the Phoenix Suns. Now to check in with the Staples Center's other residents... Blake Griffin has a broken kneecap: Again, not breaking news ...

Let's Talk About the Clippers' Coach - Again
Clips Nation — ... last season?  It's impossible to know for certain, but we know several potential reasons, and we know the official story.  The official story revolves around words like 'stability' and 'loyality' and especially 'injuries'.  So if the Clippers didn't fire MDsr last season because they valued stability and loyality and because they did not hold him responsible for the team's poor performance because of injuries to key players, then how is this season any different?  Blake Griffin has yet to play a game - I'd call him pretty key.  And ...

Warriors 121, Knicks 107
Posting and Toasting — ... why not. - Clyde to Mike Crispino: "I heard you like desserts". - My friend and I decided that Al Harrington should convert to Islam, grow a beard, and go by "Al-Farouq Harrington". Partly because that'd be awesome, and partly because the Knicks don't have a draft pick. - And that's really my central point- something that dawned on me this past week. After ugly losses last year, I'd make my way over to Draft Express and soothe my troubled soul with tales of Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio. Now? Nothing. I wanna kick Isiah ...

Brandon Jennings and Joe Alexander: Summer Glimpse to Fall For-Real
Golden State Of Mind — ... If Jennings gets selected as Rookie of the Year, it will be a coup for Under Armour. It could very well happen unless Blake Griffin comes back and just beasts the league like I know he can. ...

Clippers at Oklahoma City - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... explosiveness - but they were good to see nonetheless. Chris Kaman.  Clearly the Clippers felt like Kaman had an advantage in the post against the Thunder bigs last week - his 26 shots were a career high by 4.  Unforunately, whether it was the virus or just a Mr. Flippy thing, he missed way too many of them (17, which must also surely be a career high).  It seems like we say this every night, but it remains true at least as long as Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin are out - Kaman will have to have a big night for the ...

Byron Scott Fired....Who's Next?
CelticsBlog — ... . But now Donald Sterling may do the job himself. What would it take for his removal? The team is without the number one pick Blake Griffin and shooting guard ...

The Day After: Putting Jennings' Monster Night in Context
Brew Hoop — ... What makes this complicated is how Jennings got here.  It would be one thing if we were watching Blake Griffin or Derrick Rose do this.  They were near-consensus first overall picks, selected with every expectation that they should be perennial all-stars and franchise cornerstone.  If we saw them do this it would simply be confirmation of what everyone believed all along. ...

Clippers at New Orleans - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... and Blake Griffin remain sidelined) and a nice boost from Al Thornton, who is showing signs of life.  The Hornets are in disarray and are below mediocre without ...

Clippers vs. Denver - Game Preview
Clips Nation — ... (who is due back for Monday's game) and of course Blake Griffin, the two cornerstones of the future.  They lost reserve guard ...

Game 12 Preview & Thread: Nuggets @ Clippers (8:30pm MDT)
Denver Stiffs — ... What was once supposed to be a season of renewal for owner Donald Sterling's Clips has been nothing short of a grand disappointment.  After kicking off the season with an injury to first overall pick Blake Griffin, the Clippers came out of the gates losing nine of their first 13 games.  And there's no reason to believe that tonight won't be 10 of 14. ...

Why You Should Watch, Part 1: A Suns' Fan's Cheat Sheet to the Rest of the League
Bright Side Of The Sun — ... : This is a team on the verge of... something.  They've got a solid if unspectacular commingling of veteran and youth presence in the starting line-up and on the bench and it will only get better once Blake Griffin joins the mix.  Boom Dizzle and ...

Game Thread #13: Los Angeles Clippers at Indiana Pacers
Indy Cornrows — ... is listed as out for tonight's game which officially puts to rest the hope he might return to the court against his father's squad. The Clippers present a dangerous challenge for the Pacers tonight. After losing first overall draft pick, Blake Griffin the Clips started the season 0-4. Since the bleak start, however, the Clippers have managed to win more games than they've lost including their last two outings. Chris Kaman and Al Thornton have been getting it done making the Clips less reliant on the up and down results of Baron Davis. ...

The Rookie-Sophomore All Star Game And Your Sacramento Kings
Sactown Royalty — ... Taj Gibson (Chi) 7 6 reb. Blake Griffin (LAC) ...