Clippers Basketball | Love The Game

[SuperNova854]

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Los Angeles Clippers
PG: Mike Taylor #4
SG: Nik Caner-Medley #24
SF: Sean Banks #33
PF: Blake Griffin #32
C: DeAndre Jordan #9

Memphis Grizzlies
PG: Marcus Williams #5
SG: DeMarre Carroll #1
SF: Sam Young #4
PF: Darrell Arthur #00
C: Hasheem Thabeet #34

​

Williams Leads Grizzlies Past Clippers, Clippers lose 85-68

[picture]Griffin soars high for the jam.

Box Score
[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=15em"]Team|1|2|3|4|Final
LAC|14|16|18|20|68
MEM|14|18|26|27|85
[/table]

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Clippers Stats

Grizzlies Stats

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Hasheem's Douche of the Game

Marcus Williams


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Record: 2-1

Streak: L1

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[SuperNova854]

Yea and EG didnt play

 

[SuperNova854]

Randolph Trade Made Official

LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers have traded leading scorer Zach Randolph to Memphis in exchange for Quentin Richardson.

The deal was announced Friday.

Richardson averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 72 games with the New York Knicks last season. He's returning to the Clippers, where he played from 2000-04 after being drafted by the team out of DePaul.

The 29-year-old guard-forward was acquired by Memphis on June 25 in exchange for Darko Milicic. Richardson originally left Los Angeles as a free agent and went to Phoenix, where he played one season before joining the Knicks.

Randolph was acquired in a trade with the Knicks in November 2008. The forward averaged 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds in 50 games for the Clippers last season.

But he had a rocky season off the court, including his father's death in March.

Randolph was suspended for two games by the team after being arrested for investigation of drunken driving in April. He was suspended for two games for punching a Phoenix player in February.

In 2003 while with the Portland Trail Blazers, Randolph was arrested after an officer noticed the smell of marijuana coming from his vehicle.​

 

[SuperNova854]

Richardson was one of the most popular Clippers players of all-time during his first stint in Los Angeles, the 29-year old Richardson has played for three NBA teams (Clippers, Phoenix, New York).

Richardson, who averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 26.3 minutes in 72 games with the Knicks in 2008-09, is returning to Los Angeles where he played four successful seasons with the Clippers from 2000-01 to 2003-04 after being drafted with the 18th pick of the 2000 NBA Draft out of DePaul.

The 6-foot-6 Richardson enjoyed his strongest NBA season in 2003-04 with the Clippers when he appeared in 65 contests, making 64 starts while averaging a career-high 17.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. Richardson moved to the Phoenix Suns as a free agent in 2004-05 where he led the NBA in three-point field goals, won the 2005 Three-Point Shootout at All-Star Weekend and helped Phoenix to the Western Conference Finals before joining the New York Knicks in 2005-06.

A former Conference USA Player of the Year and Honorable Mention All-American at DePaul, Richardson has enjoyed a 601 game NBA career, with the Chicago native averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 39.8 percent from the field in 26.8 minutes.

Richardson’s line is as follows:

NUM PLAYER POS HT WT DOB FROM YRS
3 Quentin Richardson G-F 6’6” 235 4/13/80 DePaul 9

​

 

[James2Stapleton]

thabeet is gonna be the biggest bust

 

[SuperNova854]

Yea lol. He cant even grab 10 rebounds in a summer league game. Pathetic.

 

[Big C-Dub]

Yea lol. He cant even grab 10 rebounds in a summer league game. Pathetic.

:uglyhammer:dude's like 7'3"

 

[Big C-Dub]

Q-Rich will win MVP.

:homieslol:

 

[SuperNova854]

I just cut it from the summer league website

 

[SuperNova854]

Pacific Division breakdown: Clippers have new life

The addition of top pick Blake Griffin could give the Clippers a shot at a playoff spot next season.

If you think of the entire division as a day at the beach, then the Suns, Clippers, Warriors and Kings are nothing more than sandcastles waiting to be wiped out one more time by the purple wave of the Lakers.

After so much lip service given their desire to keep the roster of the 2009 NBA champs together, it didn't take long for L.A. to hold the door open for Trevor Ariza's exit and nobody is bending over backwards to make a strong move to re-sign Lamar Odom.

Does any of that matter when the Lakers still have Kobe Bryant? The short answer is: No.

The Clippers are planning their umpteenth resurrection, this time under No. 1 overall draft pick Blake Griffin. The Warriors are heralding the arrival of their newest sharpshooter to fit into "Nellie Ball." The Kings are struggling to put together a product that could generate enough interest to get them a new building and the Suns are, well, systematically taking apart a franchise that just a few years ago was contending for the Western Conference title.

Los Angeles Lakers

Gained -- Ron Artest

Lost -- Trevor Ariza

Up in the air -- There seems to be no urgency to get Lamar Odom back into the fold with a new contract. In fact, they're playing a bit of hardball with the free-agent forward, who's now having a flirtation with his former team in Miami. That means the defending champs could spend the summer giving up the two players -- Odom and Trevor Ariza -- who gave them such tremendous advantages in terms of length on defense and on the backboards.

Early projection for 2009-10 season: What was essentially a swap of Ariza for Ron Artest might seem like an even-up deal on the surface. But while the Lakers were concerned about the possibility of overpaying if they met Ariza's original demands did they underestimate the potential of Ron Artest's prickly personality down the line? Artest will give L.A. a toughness and someone to watch Kobe Bryant's back. But he will still be the third option in the offense, also behind Pau Gasol, and that's something that could test even the Zen serenity of Phil Jackson. With Kobe and Ron Ron as a 1-2 punch, the Lakers will be right in the thick of things in the Western Conference. But if they take the floor on Opening Night missing both Ariza and Odom, the defending champs will slip back to being another team in a hunt, not the lead dogs.

Los Angeles Clippers

Gained -- Blake Griffin, Quentin Richardson

Lost -- Zach Randolph

Up in the air -- Will they reach out to sign free agent Allen Iverson and risk building a solid, steady future in a quick grab for some points? Will they resist the temptation to trade Chris Kaman? With the Clippers, it's always something self-induced that gets in their own way, so you spend the rest of the off-season waiting for the next shoe to drop.

Early projection for 2009-2010 season -- It's usually not easy to like a team that is coming off a 19-63 season. But it's hard not to feel upbeat about a summer that saw the Clippers get the real deal with No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffin and unload the big contract and me-me-me play of Zach Randolph. They got Quentin Richardson's expiring contract in return and that should give the perennial doormats even more flexibility in the future. Things already look promising with a core built around Griffin that includes Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Marcus Camby and Kaman. The bottom half of the Western Conference playoff bracket is ripe for the taking if the Clippers don't find a way to shoot themselves in the foot again.

Phoenix Suns

Gained -- Channing Frye, Sasha Pavlovic, Earl Clark

Lost -- Shaquille O'Neal

Up in the air -- What happens with Amar'e Stoudemire? When does the next trade rumor fall out of the hot desert air? Coming back from retinal surgery, now he says he wants to stay in Phoenix. But, oh yes, he wants a contract extension at the max level. They've already bought out Ben Wallace and will likely soon cut Sasha Pavlovic, the commodities they got in return for Shaquille O'Neal. Free agent Matt Barnes is not in future plans.

Early projection for 2009-2010 season -- Now that The Big Cactus is gone, the Suns are saying they want to go back to being the up-tempo, run-and-gun-and-fun circus that made them a perennial Western Conference contender under Mike D'Antoni. Of course, that was before GM Steve Kerr came on the scene to -- what? re-mold? rebuild? destroy? -- some of the best chemistry outside of a laboratory. Now the Suns have to come to grips with Stoudemire's contract demands while re-signing 36-year-old forward Grant Hill and looking to extend the deal of 35-year-old point guard Steve Nash. On the youthful side of the roster, Channing Frye is a nice pickup whose outside shooting touch will help space the floor and draft pick Earl Clark is long and athletic with good upside. If Stoudemire's head is in the game, the Suns could hope to squeeze in at the bottom of the Playoffs. But mostly next season is about team owner Robert Sarver saving money.

Golden State Warriors

Gained -- Stephen Curry, Acie Law, Speedy Claxton

Lost -- Jamal Crawford

Up in the air -- How long into the summer will anyone go on waiting for the Amar'e Stoudemire trade to go through? With Stoudemire saying he has no interest in changing address labels just for another rebuilding job, it's not going to happen and now the Warriors are back to selling the hope of even more "Nellie Ball" with Stephen Curry on the roster.

Early projection for 2009-10 season -- Can the Warriors get anyone to take Corey Maggette off their hands? Or Brandan Wright? Or Andres Biedrins? Heck, can Chris Cohan get anyone to take the entire franchise off his hands? In the early summer there have already been handfuls of rumors that Cohan has had enough suffering and is ready to pull the plug on his stewardship. Cohan denies he's looking to sell. But why not, since the Warriors look like they've only got more of the same old stuff to peddle on the court. Curry should make an interesting, if undersized, backcourt fit with Monta Ellis that will keep the scoreboard flickering once more at the Oracle. Mix in Anthony Randolph with the sharpshooting Anthony Morrow and the always revved-up Stephen Jackson and you've got the same bunch that can be highly entertaining on some nights and yet underachieve over a full season.

Sacramento Kings

Gained -- Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Sergio Rodriguez

Lost -- Rashad McCants

Up in the air -- The biggest thing the Kings would like to clear up is their long-term future in Sacramento with a deal on a new arena and in the meantime the Maloof family is not pumping a lot of money into the team. Long before -- and if -- the first shovel is put into the ground for a new stadium, the Kings are rebuilding with a capital "R." This is looking like the landing spot for free-agent forward Sean May, though in keeping with the fiscal restraint, for one year at the veterans minimum.

Early projection for 2009-10 season: The team that finished with the worst record (17-65) in the league last season and then lost again in the Draft Lottery should have applied to the Obama Administration to get funds for one of those "shovel-ready" projects. There's a lot of digging to do in Sacramento. The Kings decided that Tyreke Evans was their man to carry the banner for the future and he's shined in his early performances in the Las Vegas Summer League. Israeli Omri Casspi is a tenacious player at both ends of the floor and with Evans will add an element that the Kings have been missing. Sergio Rodriguez arrives from Portland, still searching for his minutes and his chance to flourish in the NBA. The Kings should score more. But can they stop the other guys enough to climb out of the cellar?​

By Fran Blinebury, for NBA.com

 

[Big C-Dub]

I think that Amare to the Warriors deal his history. GS does not want to give up Curry, and it looks like Randolph is their big man of the future.

 

[FishStickZ]

That banner up there was sexy as feck.

 

[SuperNova854]

It was made by my long lost lover sonicsfan :wub:

 

[mike3]

damn that banner looks good as :thumbsup:

 

[SuperNova854]

Thanks, more updates later today

 

[SuperNova854]

Sterling Wants Iverson On Clippers

Clippers owner Donald Sterling wants Allen Iverson, but not many of his top basketball people are thinking along those lines.

"It's out of our control," complained one Clipper executive this past week. "This is owner-driven."

Apparently, Sterling has noted that Clippers tickets are moving as slowly as L.A. traffic. He sees Iverson as a box-office draw, even in a bench role following a disastrous season in Detroit that ended with him being sent home for the playoffs.

But it's pretty clear that Iverson, a free agent one GM called "our league's Barry Bonds," isn't in coach Mike Dunleavy's plans. Dunleavy wants to build around second-year guard Eric Gordon and No. 1 pick Blake Griffin. He has no use for a veteran superstar who can divide a locker room and cause headaches on any given night. That's one of the reasons he shipped Zach Randolph to Memphis earlier this summer for Quentin Richardson.

But it seems that the stage is being set for Iverson's arrival.

"I LOVE AI," Clipper guard Baron Davis chimed in on his Twitter page. "He is TOP 50 ... he would be a great vet for our young guys to learn from." Especially if they want to learn how to dominate the ball and how to go through the motions on defense. Nobody ever accused Sterling of paying attention to those details.​

 

[SuperNova854]

If Gordon played every game we would have went 5-0. He only plays first 2 games, we win both, he doesnt play the rest, we lose the rest :doh: We really missed his 22 a game.

 

[SuperNova854]

How Griffin can rank among best No. 1s

Blake Griffin turning the Clippers into playoff regulars would be a case of mission accomplished.

LAS VEGAS -- They were there for Blake Griffin, and they didn't even get to see him play. Fans started lining up at an autograph booth in the Thomas & Mack Center concourse before the Los Angeles Clippers' summer league game, and they stayed there until Griffin arrived some 20 minutes after the game ended, sat down and started signing jerseys, cards, basketballs, shirts and programs. The line extended past concession stands and entry portals, with more fans breaking ranks to get a glimpse of the Clippers' No. 1 pick. A team official said he's never seen anything like it for one of their players at summer league.

This is different.

And this goes against everything I've learned since the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and provided us with a quarter-century's worth of bad draft picks, loafing centers, point guards on 10-day contracts taking last-second shots, and Donald Sterling's ownership serving as the lone constant, but I believe Griffin can change this team.

If he does, if he turns the Clippers into regular playoff residents instead of occasional visitors, he'll go down as one of the greatest No. 1 picks ever. That's the magnitude of the challenge, and that's how monumental that accomplishment would be.

There have been other moments of hope: the "Space Cowboys" group of past-their-peaks Norm Nixon, Cedric Maxwell and Marques Johnson; the head-pounding young squad of Quentin Richardson, Darius Miles, Elton Brand and Lamar Odom; and the team that got to within a game of the Western Conference finals. You don't need to be an NBA historian to know how those promising stories ended. Just look at the upper reaches of the Staples Center. You won't find a single piece of Clippers fabric. No retired jerseys, not even so much as a division championship banner.

When the Clippers won the draft lottery and selected Griffin with the top pick, I didn't think this one would turn out any different. It would be just the Clippers' luck to go first in what's viewed as a weak draft. They never get this chance when there's a Shaq or a LeBron to be had.

Then I saw Griffin flying around the court in a summer league game against Memphis, soaring over everyone in the paint to throw down a tip dunk, running down an opponent to pin his shot against the backboard. The fact that it came while the No. 2 pick, Memphis' Hasheem Thabeet, was turning in an Olowokandian performance and disappearing for stretches made it even more jarring. For once, the Clippers wound up with the player you'd want if you had the choice. This wasn't Lancaster Gordon instead of John Stockton, or Yaroslav Korolev instead of Danny Granger.

(That reminds me, my favorite moment of summer league came when Korolev, playing on the Knicks' squad, blocked Sacramento forward Jason Thompson's shot from behind. Thompson seemed willing to accept it as part of the game until he turned around, saw who got him, and said, "Oh, s---!" He looked as shocked as he would have if someone had just walked on the court and served him a subpoena.)

This time the Clippers got exactly what they needed, even if it didn't seem that way on draft night. They already had a surplus of frontcourt players, with Zach Randolph at power forward and Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman at center, with Camby the only one with a contract that seemed easily tradable. Then, miraculously, the Clippers got the Memphis Grizzlies to agree to take Randolph and the two years and $33 million left on his contract in exchange for Quentin Richardson in a trade that was finalized over the weekend.

One league executive said that losing Randolph might be the best thing about getting Griffin. That's cold. The reality is that the best thing for the Clippers is they're getting someone who cares, who's fully invested in this, who arrives with no checked baggage, only a carry-on.

It's hard to get worked up over big scoring performances in summer league because they're coming against players who won't be in the NBA next season (not to mention players who have been hanging out in Vegas for a week). And it's silly to get discouraged when opponents swarm Griffin, as the Washington Wizards did Saturday night, because he isn't surrounded by players such as Baron Davis and Eric Gordon to keep defenders honest.

If there's one thing to take away from Griffin's play in Las Vegas, it's his effort. He boxes out. He's the first one down the court on fast breaks. And even though it makes you wince to see him put his body at risk in a meaningless game, he'll dive on the ground in pursuit of loose balls.

Can this be the new standard for the Clippers, a squad that seemed disinterested and disconnected at times? Rookies rarely set the tone for teams, just as the last name added to the law firm doesn't call the shots. It's even more difficult for a power forward. Transformative rookies are usually either point guards who control the ball or giant centers who control the paint.

"I can bring energy, bring excitement, athleticism, defense, stuff like that," Griffin said. "Hopefully those are things I can help out with.

"I know my boundaries. I know what I need to do. My thing is just to lead by example. We'll have guys that have been in the league for a long time. They know what to do. My thing is to come in here and work as hard as I can and do the right things."

He doesn't have the charisma of Baron Davis, who had his fashion flair (beard, hat, Malcolm X glasses) and personality on full display Saturday when he watched the Clippers play and made a boisterous tour of their locker room afterward. It will be interesting to see just how much of the light he allows Griffin to have. Davis did consent to an interview that Griffin conducted for NBA TV.

"A rookie can just provide that energy that we need, and that's going to be crucial," Davis said. "We're ready for it. We're ready for everything he's going to give us."

(Just as noteworthy as Griffin's performance was Davis' sitting courtside with Clippers general manager/coach Mike Dunleavy and assistant GM Neil Olshey as the three talked, laughed and made dinner plans. New harmony in Clipper Country?)

Of course, one thing that hasn't changed is the owner. This is still Sterling's team, which means it's still subject to his eccentricities, such as his apparent infatuation with Allen Iverson. While Dunleavy & Co. would prefer to pursue Milwaukee Bucks restricted free-agent guard Ramon Sessions, who is also drawing interest from the New York Knicks, Sterling thinks Iverson is the guy to help ticket sales, regardless of his impact on the win-loss record. Dunleavy even asked the Detroit Pistons for their assessment of the Iverson experience. You never know when Sterling will intrude on personnel matters and bring his own brand of bad decisions to the forefront.

When people talk about the Clippers' losing culture, it's really on Sterling, since he's the one who's been there through all of the front-office changes, through a baker's dozen of coaches, through 22 losing seasons since they moved to L.A. It's why I always say that despite Larry Brown's championships in college and the NBA, his greatest accomplishment is coaching the Clippers to a winning record in his two years there. He's the only full-time coach in the franchise's history who can make that claim.

The same weighted standards apply if Griffin plays out his career as a Clipper and emerges as a winner. That should merit inclusion on this short list of all-time great No. 1 overall picks. (Caveat: They must have done great things for the teams that drafted them. For example, Shaq's glory days were in Los Angeles, not Orlando, which keeps him off this list.)

That could be the company that awaits Griffin. Ridiculous? No more absurd than Dunleavy's saying Griffin combines elements of Tim Duncan and Charles Barkley.

Dunleavy is shifting from scouting to coaching mode on Griffin now, nitpicking, saying, "Every night there's certain things you see that he needs to learn. There's also things you say, 'Wow. He can do that. That's great.' Right now he's out there doing well but going through a lot of learning."

OK, we'll try to show a little patience and understanding. It's the least we can do for someone trying to do the unprecedented.

He has until January.​

By J.A. Adande, ESPN.com

 

[SuperNova854]

The Best No. 1s

Can Blake Griffin join the illustrious company below of No. 1 overall picks who elevated the team that drafted them?

Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
Five years before Oscar: 133-230 record, one playoff appearance. First six with Oscar: 266-213, five trips to playoffs, two conference finals.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee Bucks
Of his NBA-record 38,387 points, he scored 14,211 in only six seasons in Milwaukee. (That alone would make put him in the top 140 all-time). Milwaukee's two trips to the NBA Finals and only championship came with Kareem on the squad.

Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers
One Most Valuable Player award and Portland's only NBA championship … and that unforgettable hair.

Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
Showtime, Winning Time … whatever you want to call it, he put five banners in the Forum and did it with unmatched style.

Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets
Greatest testimony to his career: You never hear the Rockets ridiculed for taking him two spots ahead of Michael Jordan.

Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks
Franchise leader in 14 major categories … including steals.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Easy to forget: He came into the league after Kobe and got four championships before him.

LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Single-handedly made the team relevant.​

 

[SuperNova854]

Clippers to acquire three Wolves

Looks like Q won't be returning to LA

The Los Angeles Clippers agreed to trade Quentin Richardson to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Sebastian Telfair, Mark Madsen and Craig Smith on Monday.

Madsen spoke to his agent on Monday to confirm the deal.

The trade is expected to be announced later Monday after the teams complete a trade call with the league.

The trade will give the Clippers a solid backup point guard behind Baron Davis and give them some depth at the power forward position.

For the Wolves this essentially saves them some money next season and clears up a potential logjam at the point guard position. New Wolves GM David Kahn is currently in Spain trying to negotiate a buyout for Ricky Rubio. If Kahn can get an agreement, he will have both Rubio and their other lottery pick, Jonny Flynn, as the team's point guards.

Madsen spent six seasons in Minnesota. His playing time waned as his career progressed, but he remained a valued leader in the locker room.

Smith was a capable scorer off the bench for the Wolves, but the power forward had trouble getting consistent playing time behind Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.

Richardson averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds last season.​