Tag Archives: Los Angeles Clippers

by | May 9, 2012 · 11:43 AM

The Narrative of the Clippers

Flop!

Doyle Rader: From what one can gather, beyond their 3-1 lead over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers are not a team about basketball. Sure, they are comprised of men who run around on a basketball court and occasionally dribble or shoot an orange Spalding, but at their essence, we should believe, that is not what they are about. No, they are about flopping and doing so as if it were their birthright. Forget Chris Paul‘s brilliance, forget Blake Griffin‘s power, and forget Reggie Evans‘ muckraking. They are all floppers! That is all we need to know about them.

Travis Huse: Since when has a Los Angeles sports team been about sports? The officials are giving them superstar calls, and it’s not surprising. Last season, the Thunder won a first-round game against Denver because Kendrick Perkins got off with a clutch offensive interference (the same situation that earned Rick Carlisle a technical foul in THIS season’s opening series). With the obvious decrease in league-wide interest in the Lakers, as well as the splashy new ownership of the Dodgers, the league has to protect the market in LA. Wait, did I just say that?

DR: You did. It’s OK. I’ll let it slide. But you are right to some extent that sport is not the first thing one thinks about when it comes to the narrative of the Clippers. There’s the bigotry of Donald Sterling, the years of futility, and Billy Crystal. But this is different. Those are examples of narratives within the team and its existence…and Billy Crystal. This isn’t about calls either. Flops aren’t a foul, they are a tool used to draw them, an embarrassing one, but one nonetheless, and I refuse to believe that the league has motives to call the series a certain way. This is about a narrative, that of the flop, being superimposed on the Clippers by outside forces rather than letting the Clippers forge their own story. It’s akin to preëmptive hindsight in a way. If that even makes sense.

TH: I’ll agree with you on some aspects of what you just wrote. But not too much. The Clippers have a wonderful offensive lineup, with the best playmaker in the game in Paul, and one of the best finishers in Griffin. But for a team that relies so much on strength and athleticism, their defensive strategy has been, well, wimpy. In the regular season, they let opponents shoot 36.5% from the three, a mark that places them third worst in the league. Griffin has a vertical leap of about a trillion inches, yet hasn’t recorded a single block in the first four games, but he’s gathered 21 fouls. His biggest criticism all season long was his lack of a complete basketball game, and this team is comprised almost entirely of players in much the same vein. What happens when the Grizzlies move firmly to a hack-a-Quake strategy? He’s shooting 55.6% from the free throw line, compared to his FG% of  56.9% so far this postseason. This Memphis team is a strong team, and could still pull off this series. If they don’t, the Clippers are going to face the best offensive team in the league right now in San Antonio. They might not have the interior big men defenders that Memphis has, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable at all trading buckets with the Spurs. This is a team that should be able to use their size, agility, and speed to shut down pick-and-rolls, but it takes the thing they lack. Grit and grind.

Let them win a playoff series. It will make their second-round exit that much more humbling, and they need that. They don’t deserve a shot at the Western Conference title; don’t deserve a spot in the playoffs. I’m not ready to crown the Thunder the heralded kings of the West, let alone the Clippers.

DR: I’m not ready to crown anyone. You’re right that the Clippers are a wholly flawed team but that isn’t what their narrative is being shaped as. Nor is it trending towards their resiliency late in games thus far though the indomitable will of Paul. The overarching theme of the flopping Clippers has been propagated by entities such as True Hoop and their Hoop Idea campaign. Together they have forced a narrative on the Clippers. The idea of the flop as the embodiment of the Clippers is an idea created by others rather than letting the team forge its own image. This seems to be a larger concept that I am working towards as a whole. It isn’t the numbers or play on the court that seem to matter. It is one thing that defines them.

TH: Those are things we’ve heard all season long. I think the hype now on flopping is more a statement that they need an induction into hard playoff basketball than anything, and I wish the refs would let them take the sort of contact that they’ve received. This team should be so much tougher than they are, but there’s been too much posturing and preening. It has to feel good to bring such a historically awful team to the brink of the second round and I understand that. But watching them is infuriating because they only work half of each game. It’s been thrown around too much, but it’s there, and it shouldn’t be ignored.

DR: Obviously, the flopping can’t be ignored. It happens. We see it. It’s embarrassing for everyone, yet, the over emphasis in coverage of the flopping is verging on ludicrous. Flopping is not the embodiment of the Clippers. Lots of NBA players flop. It just happens. Perhaps what I am really trying to say is “get over it” and stop positing one act, out of the hundreds that take place during the course of a basketball game, as the end-all be-all of the Clippers playoff run. Just roll your eyes and move on.

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by | February 29, 2012 · 8:47 PM

Clippers want ‘Clipper Darrell’ to drop his Nickname

Clipped wings

The Los Angeles Clippers are a historically flawed organization. Since moving to L.A., they have been the bumbling fools of the Western Conference. From top to bottom, the team and its management has seemed completely uninterested in establishing a successful, or even relevant, second franchise in Los Angeles. Instead, they were content to let the Lakers bask in the Southern California sun.

This season seemed to be shaping up the same way despite the team drawing more attention with its young and talented core. Then Chris Paul was added to the mix in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets. Suddenly, there was hope in Clipperland. Perhaps the organization was changing its losing ways. Maybe this is the turning point that will bring the team into continued relevance. The front office finally did something good for the team.

In terms of what the Clippers are doing on the basketball court, the team is good. They are winning and Paul and Blake Griffin are leading “Lob City” to regular wins in a deep conference. For once there is hope. Only the Clippers could screw up such a good thing, and they have.

Through all the tribulation that the Clippers organization has put its fans through over the past decades, there has been on man who has stood by the organization for the past 15 years. Darrell Bailey, known to the world as “Clipper Darrell,” has been the face of Clipper fandom. For more than a decade, he has been a season ticket holder and has attended 400 plus home games. As the Clippers have been in the dumps for much of that time one would assume that they would celebrate Clipper Darrell’s dedication to the organization. However, as Clipper Darrell noted on his blog on Wednesday, that is simply not the case.

The Clippers have told Bailey to drop the “Clipper” from his nickname as it infringes on the organization and allows him to unduly profit because of his unofficial association to the team.

MediaBistro has the details from Bailey:

According to Bailey, the Clippers offered him an additional free season ticket if he dropped the Clipper nickname.

“That’s when everything went haywire and they said I was trying to make money off sponsorships,” Bailey added. “If people are going to pay me to do some things, why not do it? I don’t see any harm in it as long as I’m not hurting the brand itself. I’m going to high schools, charity events, I do it all. They told me at the end of the conversation that, ‘We would like you not to be Clipper Darrell anymore and would like you to go back to Darrell Bailey.’”

Yeah. Way to go, Clippers.

Here is their official statement, via the OC Register:

“The Clippers have done absolutely nothing wrong or inappropriate as it concerns Darrell Bailey. His claims are absurd and unfounded. He has never been an employee or representative of the Clippers organization, and therefore cannot be terminated. The Clippers have never engaged Mr. Bailey’s services. When he has been in need, the organization has regularly provided him a seat for games. No good deed goes unpunished.

We have had multiple conversations with him concerning his inappropriate use of the Clippers’ team name and trademark for his own unmonitored commercial gain. We have spoken to him repeatedly about his desire to make public appearances in ways which improperly suggest that he is officially affiliated with our organization. In all cases and over a long period of time, he has consistently rejected our efforts to operate in consultation.

In a conversation with an authoritative and tenured Clippers’ executive last week, he was asked again to either consult with the team on all public appearances and/or commercial ventures, or stop undertaking those opportunities representing himself inappropriately. His response was an offer to stop representing himself commercially in that way and his offer was accepted in principle.

The next thing we heard was the baseless claims he has made today and the ensuing media rush to judgment.

We hold all of our fans in the highest esteem and we have been patient and generous with Mr. Bailey. He has not returned our support in an honorable way. He is not actually a fan of the Clippers, but a fan of what he can make off of the Clippers.  We are no longer interested in that kind of association with him, and that is why we accepted his offer to remove our team name from his stage name.”

What a smug statement. One has to wonder if it was originally written on a Donald Sterling eviction notice letterhead.

Obviously, the next logical step for the Clippers’ front office is to send a cease and desist order to Bill Simmons for regularly touting that he is a season ticket holder. He is also clearly trying to profit off the Clippers’ name and product.

So, well done, Clippers management! Now that your team is relevant you scorn your most recognizable and likeable fan. Surely, no backlash will come from this. Oh, wait, the internet picked up on this story and ran with it. Not only that, but three of the biggest stars on the Clippers, yes, actual players, tweeted their support for Clipper Darrell.

Paul, Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan all issued their solidarity with Clipper Darrell. Griffin tweeted, “Bring back #ClipperDarrell.” Jordan chimed in with, “I love Clipper Darrell….#ClipperDarrell.” And Paul tweeted directly at him, “@ClipperDarrell WE GOT YOU!!!” Since the tweets initially went live Wednesday afternoon, both Griffin’s and Jordan’s have been removed from their profiles.

It was not just Clippers’ players who sided with Darrell. The Milwuakee Bucks’ Andrew Bogut also showed his support via twitter saying, “@clipperdarrell mate that is terrible. If you want to be Buck Darrell you are always welcome. The NBA needs more fans like you!”

“Am I going to go back as Clipper Darrell? I can’t. It’s kind of hard to get back into a groove again. Honestly, it tells me they really didn’t care about me from the jump. They just used me for their advertisement and that’s the hurtful situation,” Bailey told MediaBistro.

Clearly this move by the Clippers can be called boneheaded and that is keeping it PG. Was it not obvious that they would somehow ruin their success? Most probably thought it would be with player management but this is a public relations disaster. It should take a while for them to clean up this mess…about as long as it takes Donald Sterling to do the needed repairs on one of his slum tenements.

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by | January 31, 2012 · 11:45 AM

Kendrick Perkins, Welcome to Blake Griffin’s Poster

Contributor Travis Huse and I discuss the merits, historical connections, and effects of Blake Griffin‘s monstrous dunk on Kendrick Perkins last night.

Doyle Rader:  Last night, Blake Griffin threw down the dunk of the year and Kendrick Perkins became the vice president of the Timofey Mozgov Get-Thunderously-Dunked-on-by-Griffin Association. That dunk was sheer power. LeBron James‘ dunk over John Lucas was all fine and dandy but it was John Lucas. Griffin destroyed Perkins. The Thunder brought him in to be a defensive presence in the paint but there is little he can do when the Blake Show has its eyes set on the rim. Not only did Griffin demoralize the Thunder but the Clippers beat the “vaunted” Thunder.

Travis Huse:  Payton-Kemp, Stockton-Malone, those are the names that play conjures up.  The feed from Chris Paul was absolutely perfect, and I’m excited to see how defenses try to prevent the Clips from even attempting side pick and rolls.  I would like to give Kendrick Perkins some credit, though, for even trying to put his body in there.  The Thunder were down 19 on the road, in a regular season game, but Perkins aimed for the contact.  I can’t see any other center in the league who would risk the embarrassment, but Perk didn’t seem very fazed in his post-game interview.  As basketball junkies, there’s nothing better than mid-air collision combat, and this was prime beef, to say the least.

DR:  I believe that Perkins said “It happens” when he was asked about being dunked on. So, on the surface he took it in stride but c’mon, his pride has to have taken just a little hit, everyone’s would. Yes, it was commendable that Perk sacrificed his body to end up on a poster but the end result was just making the play more spectacular. Scaling a grown man is damn impressive. But back to what he said, “It happens.” That is possibly the best way to describe Griffin’s play and effect on the league. It happens and it is happening more and more. He might not have the most refined post game or is a lock down defender but Griffin plays beyond himself and above the ground. Add Paul to the mix and one can only expect more show-stopping dunks.

TH:  The moral of this story is that if you give Blake Griffin 10 feet to gain speed, he’ll plow through you every time, no matter who you are.  He knows he can dunk on anyone, so even if defenses leave him wide open, he’ll still take it to the rim.  No one in the league can truly match up with him, and he plays more like Josh Hamilton as a blitzing linebacker than any active NBA player, he truly looks the most comfortable when he’s unleashing his power.  Killdozer.

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by | December 26, 2011 · 5:24 PM

NBA Christmas Wrap

Merry Christmas

With much fanfare and an obnoxious LMFAO ad that was played almost every commercial intermission, the NBA season kicked off in superb, albeit rusty, fashion. Yes, lockout legs could be seen throughout the five games that were aired but that is to be expected with abbreviated training camps. chemistry was also an issue as many teams have a number of new players to integrate into their rotations. Nonetheless, the NBA is back and fans and players are happy. A reaction:

Boston Celtics 104 – New York Knicks 106

Carmelo Anthony looked great in this game. His 17 points in the fourth quarter were the difference and why the Knicks thought it necessary to gut their team to acquire him. Throughout his time in the NBA, Anthony has proven he has a knack for performing in the clutch and he showed it on Sunday. However, the already shaky depth of the Knicks has grown even more unstable with a knee injury to rookie Iman Shumpert which will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks.

As for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Bass, who is finally free from the tyranny of Stan Van Gundy, were the offense with Paul Pierce missing the game. Rondo continually broke down New York’s defense and got to the rim. When Pierce comes back to the lineup the Celtics should be a more rounded offensive unit, until then this will be Rondo’s team.

Naughty: Kevin Garnett choking Bill Walker.

Nice: Carmelo Anthony’s clutch play.

Miami Heat 105 – Dallas Mavericks 94

The Mavericks raised their championship banner but that is all they had to celebrate on Sunday. Dallas came out looking flat and out of sync, in essence, they looked old. That should be no surprise because their entire core is over the age of 30. Rick Carlisle is integrating Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Delonte West, who played well, and Brandan Wright into the rotation while dealing with key losses across the board. Jason Terry was the only Maverick who showed up to this one.

Miami looked like they were just rolled off of a German assembly line. They were well oiled and fine tuned. What they did to the Mavericks was scary. Say what you will about all the exhibition games this summer but they seem to have kept LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in game shape, that and their complete desire to destroy everything in their path. This was a blowout, like a brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class versus a Trabant. Not only were the Heat good but they will get better. Rookie Norris Cole turned some heads with his play in 24 minutes of action. If he continues to improve he could supplant Mario Chalmers as the starting point guard.

Naughty: The Mavs’ 37.8 percent field goal shooting.

Nice: LeBron James‘ box score: 37 points, 10 rebounds, six assists.

Chicago Bulls 88 – Los Angeles Lakers 87

Forget Showtime, these are the Slowtime Lakers. That is not a knock on them, however, not in the least bit. This Lakers squad proved to be as scrappy and gritty as any I have seen. Perhaps this is what Mike Brown brings to the team, perhaps this is what a bunch of blue-collar white guys bring to a team, or perhaps this is just what happens when you lose Odom and Andrew Bynum serving his suspension. Nonetheless, I like the Slowtime Lakers. Where they do need to improve is offensive player rotation. Too many times they reverted to Hawks-esque isolation with three players around the perimeter and one near the post.

Chicago played well throughout, with the exception being the third quarter. With the game close, Luol Deng stepped up and made the big plays. It was his defense against Kobe Bryant and his steal late in the game that allowed the Bulls to go on a 7-0 run, capped by Derrick Rose‘s floater in the lane, to win the game. Rip Hamilton started for the Bulls but did not contribute much due to foul trouble therefore his time was split with Ronnie Brewer. Brewer is a solid defender with good court vision and should see more minutes this season.

Naughty: Kobe’s last shot attempt.

Nice: Rose’s floater to win the game.

Orlando Magic 89 – Oklahoma City Thunder 97

Much like the Heat Mavericks game, the final score does not do justice to the thrashing that actually occurred. Like Miami, the Thunder look ready for the season. Very ready.  Oklahoma City pounced on Orlando early and never relented. Their team is largely the same as it was last year so their learning curve is near zero when it comes to knowing each other and how to execute plays…when they are not freewheeling. Speed and athleticism are the monikers of this team and they will serve them well out of the gate. If only they could improve their shot selections *cough* Westbrook *cough*.

Where the Thunder took plenty of questionable shots when they had built their sizable lead, the Magic took even more haphazard shots throughout the entire game. I have said it many times: the Magic’s offense is terrible. There is nothing more that can be said. It looked like they thought that there was a pit of lava inside the three-point line. Get Dwight Howard the ball in the post and let him work.

Naughty: Hedo Turkoglu clearly indulged his gluttonous side during the lockout. Dude is chunky.

Nice: Kevin Durant. Need I say more?

Los Angeles Clippers 105 – Golden State Warriors 86

If ESPN had their way, this would have been a documentary about Mark Jackson and the greatness of his coaching style. Nevermind the fact Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were on the court, this broadcast was about Mark Jackson, hands down (man down). They showed a clip of him quoting Shakespeare before the game. He was the only coach shown in the huddle, mostly saying cliché motivational shit like “execution” and “focus.” That is all fine and good, but he does have a decent team that the broadcast could have talked about. I think Jackson will be a good coach but that much attention is unwarranted, especially on a nationally televised game. His first coaching milestone was the hack-a-Jordan technique he used on DeAndre Jordan.

The final score is not indicative of how the Warriors remained close for much of the game. Clearly, the Wizards of Lob are the better team but last night they showed chinks in their armor. The aforementioned hack-a-Jordan technique stymied the Clippers offense and brought it to a halt. Luckily, the Clippers have Paul, Chauncey Billups, and Griffin. All played well as they were able to outlast the Warrior. The new look Clippers are a work in progress to say the least and last night they showed it.

Naughty: ESPN’s love affair with Mark “Momma, there goes that man” Jackson.

Nice: Caron Butler‘s circus shot.

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by | December 16, 2011 · 2:12 PM

The Face and Fate of the Clippers

Captain on deck

Chris Paul is now a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers were, when the hubbub surrounding Paul’s insistence to be moved, the most unlikely of bedfellows because, well, they are the Clippers. Since moving to Los Angeles, some old sages may tell you that the team was once in San Diego, Donald Sterling’s bastard child has only made the playoffs four times and only once have they advanced beyond the first round. However, now they have Paul. He is a master on the court, finding teammates and creating for himself when the opportunity arises to carry his team. Teamed with Blake Griffin, a player who excites by carving out his domain above and literally through the rim, the Clippers, at least for now, are exciting again. Dare say, they are once again relevant.

What will come of the two years that Paul has signed on in Clipperland? Surely, the team’s fanbase will expand beyond Billy Crystal and Frankie Muniz. Bill Simmons gave up on the NBA during the lockout so he will no longer be a mainstay at their home games in the Staples Center. The spotlight will be on the Clippers to perform, fair-weather fans demand it.

Aside from Paul, the team added Caron Butler, the able swingman, who spent much of last season with the champion Dallas Mavericks on the bench due to injury. They matched Golden State’s offer sheet for DeAndre Jordan, who they are likely overpaying but he does have an upside. Plus, he is good friends with Griffin so that chemistry should translate to the potency of the frontcourt. Then there is Chauncey Billups. The Clippers picked him up off waivers after the New York Knicks used their amnesty clause to release him.

To get Paul, one of the best players in the league, they were forced to trade away assets that they were counting on for their future like Eric Gordon (if a team owned by Sterling ever has a future). No matter what side of the trade one may fall on, what is done, is done. Now the Clippers have two years to make it work and the Hornets have forever to rebuild.

The Clippers were Blake’s team. He was the only player that mattered to casual observers. With Paul in town, whose team is it now? Will there be an identity crisis or can the two coexist much like the players that have joined together in New York and Miami. Those relationships, however, are far from equally divided. Not one of these players needs to be the face of the franchise. Both can fill that role for the fans. Yet, on the floor one must take the lead. The likely choice is for it to be Paul as he facilitates the offense. Griffin is the highlight reel who will be on the receiving end of Paul’s decisions. In the fastbreak, which should happen frequently this season, this will be more than apparent. What Vinny Del Negro does in the halfcourt will determine the fate of the Clippers, and likely his job. 

Del Negro will likely give Paul free rein in halfcourt sets, allowing him to masterfully probe the defense, zipping through and around screens and picks, all the while Griffin lurks in  the post, or the charity stripe waiting to strike as his defender focuses on Paul for a moment too long. If Paul penetrates and the defense collapses, he has scorers in Butler and Billups to pass to. If he shoots in the lane and misses, Griffin and Jordan will be there to clean it up. In this scenario, the offense is Paul and because of this the Clippers’ offense will be dramatically improved.

As Rob Mahoney points out, the addition of Paul should be extremely beneficial to Jordan. Much of his scoring comes by means of assists or put backs because he does not have the ability to create scoring opportunities for himself. The Clippers signed Jordan to a new contract worth $43 million over four years. It is a hefty price for a player who has yet to come into his own but Paul should help that. 

Paul’s facilitation will make all of his teammates better by default. This returns to the question: Who is the face of the Clippers? It has to be Paul. He is already a well entrenched figure in households across the country. The argument can be made that Griffin, too, has attained such status. However, his meteoric leap (pun intended) to fame was more about the sheer thrill of his athleticism rather than his tactical vision. Griffin did not make the players around him better. Yes, he has a knack for being able to distribute the ball, a talent many big men do not have, but what makes him special is the ferocity in which he plays the game. Paul is calculating, he has the ability to create angles on the floor with his passes and movements that defenses have no method of anticipating. That is what makes him a great player and what makes players around him better and his leadership will be vital to the development of the entire team, not just the players.  

For the two years that Paul is under contract with the Clippers, he will be the face of a once faceless organization. Griffin will take his place beside Paul due to his ascendancy last season but this is Paul’s team. It will not be a time-share.

It is a rare occurrence that the Clippers have so much buzz going into the season. They will be a better team. Perhaps better than they have ever been. However, that is looking too far ahead. With Paul on board the team is set to return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season. Yet, something feels off. Paul is great. Griffin is astounding. It is the notion that the two are the heralded saviors of a perpetually inept organization with a questionable owner. The Clippers are on the precipice of something good, something wonderful. Only they can screw it up. Let us hope, for the sake of all invested in this team for the coming season, Sterling aside, history does not record yet another blunder for Los Angeles’ second team.  

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by | September 18, 2011 · 9:34 AM

Wake and Blake

For hoopheads everywhere Sunday has become known as the day of the “Wake and Blake.” This is because the Los Angeles Clippers were regularly scheduled early games on Sundays because Los Angeles does not have any professional football teams anymore. (So sad, right?) This clip is for you, Clippers fans. Do not let the lockout bring you completely down. You can still watch Blake Griffin dunk on anything and everything…just in digital video form.

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by | May 4, 2011 · 3:31 PM

Blake Griffin named NBA Rookie of the Year

Slam dunk

Blake Griffin receiving this award was just as inevitable as Derrick Rose being named the MVP. All that was really left was the prerequisite ceremony. Griffin is the first unanimous Rookie of the Year since David Robinson during the 1989-90 season garnering all 118 first place votes for 590 points.

This is not surprising since Griffin, the Los Angeles Clippers’ power forward, averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists (the only player in the league to average these numbers), shot 50.6 percent from the floor, and averaged 8.5 free throw attempts per game. He also had 63 double-doubles on the season. The numbers are remarkable but pale in comparison to his high-flying acrobatics and thunderous dunks. He was the slam dunk champion, after all.

Rounding out those who also received votes were John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Landry Fields, Gary Neal, and Greg Monroe.

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by | March 20, 2011 · 10:44 PM

Blake Griffin’s incredible dunk that didn’t count

Blake Griffin had a MONSTAR dunk over Phoenix’s center Marcin Gortat.

Gortat, there’s good news and bad news.  Good news is that the bucket didn’t count.  Bad news is that people will be gawking at this amazing dunk that just so happened to embarrass you.

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by | February 24, 2011 · 2:11 AM

Baron Davis traded to Cleveland Cavaliers in EPIC FAIL

How many chins will the beard hide in Cleveland?

Just when things looked like they could not get any worse for the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers, the worst possible news hits them. No, no one died but maybe they all died just a little bit on the inside after finding out that Baron Davis and all of his lack of motivation will be joining their team.

Why? What possible reason could the Cavs see in bringing in Davis? Are they fully unaware that the only reason his level of play this season is elevated is because he is on the same team as Blake Griffin? Griffin makes everyone on the Los Angeles Clippers play better and harder through osmosis. It is a fact.

Clearly the Cavs are still reeling from losing LeBron James last summer and are not thinking rationally yet. That has to be it, right? It cannot be that Dan Gilbert is really just the league’s biggest fucking moron can it? Surely not.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! first broke the story on Twitter and then released the details. Cleveland has acquired Davis as well as an unprotected 2011 first round draft pick from the Clippers. In exchange, Los Angeles will receive Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. Does Williams even know how to throw an alley-oop?

If this is Gilbert’s idea of rebuilding, it is completely unnecessary to level all hopes for a feasible roster. Davis has two years remaining of his five-year $65 million contract that he signed with the Clippers. Boom goes the cap space!

Honestly, this deal is more shocking that the one that sent Deron Williams to New Jersey. It is so shocking because it is so stupid. Do the Cavaliers honestly believe that Davis will perform at the same level he is now when he plays alongside Griffin in L.A.? Is that what they expect? Alley-oop passes to J.J. Hickson? Is that what Gilbert wants? Well, he is certainly in for a shocker!

The longer that the Cavaliers remain in existence the more LeBron James will be vindicated for choosing to leave. Cleveland is a royal mess and this trade only drives them further into the pit they have dug for themselves. Hopefully, they stop digging before they get to China because Gilbert would consider making a deal for Yao Ming at this point.

Cleveland, no one can feel sympathy for you anymore. Not after this trade. If this is the answer you can come up with in the wake of a disastrous season in the attempts to turn things around then you have learned nothing and deserve your fate. This is clearly the NBA’s most epic fail.

The only shred of hope that Cavaliers fans can hold onto right now is that Davis might fail his physical.

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by | February 2, 2011 · 10:44 PM

Blake Griffin Dunks on Kyle Korver

One has to wonder what possessed Kyle Korver to go up with with Blake Griffin, as the Los Angeles Clippers hosted the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, in an effort to block his shot. Korver averages 0.3 blocks per game. Maybe he was watching a Mutombo highlight reel before the game. Who knows? What we do know is that this was the end result:

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