2 Oklahoma City Thunder 27-7 ~ Could be #1, won 5 in a row, 12 road wins. Dumped the Lakers.

3 Chicago Bulls 27-8 ~ Also could be #1, 14 road wins, trading for Gasol?

4 San Antonio Spurs 24-10 ~ Won 11 in a row, 9 of 10, finally 11 road wins.

5 LA Clippers 20-11 ~ Best start in a long time. Paul stepping up after Chauncey's loss.

6 Indiana Pacers 21-12 ~ Very streaky team but won last 4. 11 road wins. The Hoosier state is in love with basketball again.

7 Orlando Magic 22-13 ~ Really bad some games then great in others. Won last two and 7 of 10.

8 Dallas 21-13 ~ 6Inconsistant but won 7 of last 10. Lost to Lakers at home.

9 LA Lakers 20-14 ~ Inconsistant, won only 5 of last 10, only 6 road wins.

10 Philadelphia 76er's 20-14 ~ Leading their division but lost 5 straight. Iggy an All Star

11 Houston 20-14 ~ Crawl up out of the lottery after 3 straight wins. Only 6 road wins.

12 Atlanta Hawks 20-14 ~ Recent 3 gamed losinf steak, lost 6 of last 10. 10 wins on the road.

13 Memphis 19-15 ~ Can't make up their mind if they want the lottery or not.

14 New York 17-18 ~ Linsanity takes over NY. Won 7 of last 10. Carmelo back. Byron Davis playing.

15 Minnesota 17-17 ~ Back up out of lottery, 10 of 17 wins are on the road.

16 Denver Nuggets 18-17 ~ Suffering from lots of key injuries. Dropped 7 of last 10.

The Lottery Teams-
Boston, Portland, Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix, Golden State, Toronto, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Sacramento, New Jersey, Charlotte, Detroit, New Orleans, Washington.

I rank teams based not just on their win/loss record. I put extra weight on how they have played lately, strength of schedule, and how they are playing on the road.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

If we were using sport cliches from the past, we would say that "Showtime" is about to once again shine in LA. But that would be a Laker thing. So welcome to Lob City. One member of the press even asked Olshey if they were going to trademark the name. Our Lob City show is going to be better than Showtime. Sure, Magic Johnson was quite the show running the break. But it was nothing compared to what we are all about to experience. Sure they had fast breaks. But we will have fast breaks along with two high fly acts sailing above the rim for thunderous dunks as recipients of Chris Paul's artistic log passes. Lob City.....I like it.

Thursday night on every sports show including ESPN, they didn't talk about how much what we gave up in the trade. It was all about Chris Paul lobbing alley oop passes to Blake Griffin. It was all about how we are now the team in LA. It was all about how all the stars in hollywood who used to sit courtside at Laker games, are lining up to get their courtside accomodation for Clipper games. ESPN even ran a poll about which team in LA was the best.

We have stolen their thunder. ESPN declared that we now have the "IT" factor. The Clippers are now hip and cool. The fans will want to come. Players will want to come. The hollywood stars will be drooling to be here.

Today, Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul, along with Caron Butler, will be in LA. Training camp will be a media blitz like LA has never seen. These 3 players represent a changeover in our starting lineup. Blake Griffin is the only full time starter from last season that still remains, with DeAndre Jordon slated to fill the last spot at center.

Just try to get a seat for the scrimmage on Sunday. It will be crazy. The 2 preseason games with the Lakers now take on a whole new meaning. We are only 4 days away from tip off.

Things are so bad at Lakerland that Stephen A Smith proclaimed that Kobe Bryant will ask for a trade before this season is done. Wow.

The Los Angeles Clippers raided the NY Knicks by placing the winning big for amnesty player, Chauncey Billups, who was waived by the NY Knicks. The Knicks were to have paid him over 14 Mil this season and the Clippers engaged his services for a mere 2 Mil. What a deal!

Chauncey Billups is a 5 time All Star who many would think should be washed up by now at age 35. Last season Billups went for 17ppg and 5.4 assists while shooting a hefty 43% from the field and 40% from the 3. It just so happens that last years numbers surpass his career numbers. It could be that Billups is just like a fine wine and is getting better with age. Important for Clippers fans is that Chauncey's nickname is Mr Big Shot, because he has a history of being willing to take the big shot down the stretch and hitting game winners. This is an area that has been sorely lacking for the Clips in recent years.

This pick up softens the blow in case the Clippers do not get Chris Paul. On the other hand, if the trade for Paul does go through and Eric Bledsoe is included in the deal, the Clippers would still have two viable PG's in Billups and Mo Williams. It is interesting to note that Billups scoring and shooting percentages can be compared to Chris Paul's numbers last year. But as a playmaker, Paul is superior and has a lot more assists. Not to mention that Paul is 10 years younger than Billups. Either way, Paul would be a 2 year rental while Billups is one year rental.

It was a big Monday for the Clippers as they also matched the offer the Warriors made for the services of DeAndre Jordan. A four year deal at over 10Mil per season would on the surface seem to be much for a 23 year Center who only average 7ppg while starting most of the games last season. Moreover, DJ is one of the most embarrasing free throw shooters in the history of the game. Teams were starting to employ the Hack a Shaq on DJ late in games prompting the coach to have to pull him from the game at times. Let's hope that DJ was shooting 1000 free throws a day during the off season.

On the other hand, DJ is a monster rebounder, shot blocker, and can also finish on the break. His slam dunks are more like Power Slams. The earth shakes. At age 23, he has not only made steady progress each season in the league, but figures to continue to improve.

At the end of last season we started to see DJ score in ways other than the Slam. He hit a few jump hooks and utilized other spin moves scoring off the glass down low. If he can continue to develop that offensive side of his game he has the chance to become the complete player that would deserve the contract he just received.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

Fans might wonder what in the heck Clippers management is thinking. The team now has 4 point guards and only Randy Foye at shooting guard. You would have to think that they will announce that they are going to use Chauncey Billups or Mo Williams, or both, at shooting guard. This is a lot of assets to give up for a player who at best is a guaranteed two year rental.

After the Clippers made a bold move in bidding for the services of Chauncey Billups, who just so happens to one of the premier point guards in the league, you would have thought that they would be less likely to include Eric Gordon in the package. I expect GM Olshey to receive a lot of criticism from sports writers and from fans.

Monday morning it looked like if the deal goes down it will include Eric Bledsoe, Chris Kaman, Al Farouq Aminu, and Minnesota's first round draft pick. By Monday night ESPN was reporting that the deal is dead. It seems that Stern insisted that the deal included all of the original pieces and Eric Gordon. Clipper management wisely backed off citing that the price was now to high. The Clippers then announced that they have stopped negotiating the trade and have backed off just like the Lakers did..

Last week the Clippers reportedly spoke with Chris Paul for 90 minutes, and during the conversation Chris Paul apparently signaled that he would include the Clippers on his list of possibly destinations so long as the core of the Clippers lineup remained in tact. If Eric Gordon was included in the deal, then one key player would be gone. However, after that conversation, the Lakers made an offer that was eventually turned down by Stern. When the Lakers pulled out of negotiations, and with the Knicks unable to make a offer that included Amare Stoudamire work, the Clippers became the front runners to deal for CP3.

A deal that included Eric Gordon would be a tough pill to swallow for the fans and Clipper management. We would in effect be giving up 3 players who were drafted in the top 8 spots of the draft. The deal as it is currently reported gives up a premier shooting guard in Gordon, a center who is a former all star, and a 2nd year small forward who would certainly be riding the pine behind Caron Butler. Giving up the 1st round draft pick is also a very valuable asset that is being traded away because it could become the #1 pick.

I was not in favor of a package that included Eric Gordon. But a starting lineup of Chris Paul at PG, Chauncey Billups at SG, Blake Griffin at PF, Caron Butler at SF, and DeAndre Jordon at Center is a formidable lineup. Also, the Clippers can look forward to most games selling out this season.

So where is the biggest downside? Reports say that the Clippers have asked for Chris Paul to pick up the remaining option year on his contract. That would only guarantee the Clippers of having his services for two years with no guarantee that he will sign an extension down the road. The Clippers are hopeful that they can sign Chris to a Max extension a couple of years from now. But what happens if after two years, Chris decides to move over to the Lakers and play with Kobe Bryant. As Kobe heads towards retirement, Chris Paul would become the face of the Lakers. With the Clippers, Chris will have to share that spot light with Blake Griffin.

The opportunity of playing with Blake has been cited as one of the main reasons Chris Paul was interested in the Clippers. You might have noticed that even though there were other big name teams interested in Caron Butler, he decided to come to LA as well. In the past, Donald Sterling and the Clippers history of futility, were two big reasons why players wouldn't come here. That is no longer the story. That story changed with the emergence of Blake Griffin.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

They had to work fast because the top 3 players would likely go fast. So they met early in the week with Caron Butler. There were several other teams interested including the Nets and the Spurs. Reports say that the Net had an offer on the table for 4 years and 30 Mil.

This time the Clippers won a free agent battle. Caron Butler agreed to a 3 year deal for 24 Mil instead of the deal the Nets had offered. We will probably hear more later on about why Caron decided on the Clips but one report suggests he was excited about playing with Blake Griffin. Face it, with the Clippers he has a guaranteed starting job and the opposing defenses will all be focusing on Blake. That just opens up the floor for Caron. Expect his numbers to go up.

This signing is a return to LA for Butler. He was the 10th player drafted in 2002 by Miami and spent his 3rd season here in LA with the Lakers. That season he averaged numbers that were similar to his career totals of 16.6ppg along with 6rpg while shooting a career 44% from the floor.

The Clippers can always use more outside shooting but Caron has never been that good of a shooter from the 3, hitting on only 32% of his attempts during his career. Oddly enough, last season in 29 games before he got hurt, he hit his career best of 43% from the 3.

Many Clippers fans thought if they couldn't trade for a top small forward they would just rent one for one year. Next summer that have Minnesota's first round pick and it should be at least a top 5 pick if not the top pick. 4 of the top 5 players in that draft are small forwards and one of them is being touted as the second coming of Christ himself.

Another option was to go shopping next summer with cap space to buy a franchise player. They are under the cap now and with Kaman's expiring contract along with others, they would have the funds to offer a max contract to the player of their dreams. They have now gone in another direction. The 3 year deal eats up part of that cap space. The offers that DJ is reportedly getting will also eat up some more if the Clippers match.

So, it seems more likely than ever that Kaman will get traded now. His expiring contract won't mean quite as much to the Clippers because they will no longer be in Max contract territory next summer. If they trade Kaman now, then for who? If the team can keep DJ the lineup is now solid at every position and the bench is pretty good as well. Don't be surprised if the Clippers try to package Kaman and Minney's #1 pick in an attempt to bring in one of the top players in the league. That way they keep their core players in tact . If that trade is for a center, then DJ is gone. That will only happen if the center is Dwight Howard. If they can't get Dwight, they probably match unless some team just goes crazy and offers DJ over 10Mil a year. The answer just might come pretty soon.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

So how did the Clippers lose? The other starters, Kaman, Davis and Gomes, only hit 8 of 35 shots. Byron Davis looked like a very average PG. His defense was just a token effort, and he only had 3 assists to go along with 4 TO's. Kaman had 11 rebounds but missed several chip shots around the rim, a problem he has had for some time. Gomes only hit 1 of 6 shots and only had 3 rebounds.

The only other bright spot was Rasual Butler, who hit for 16 points on 4 of 6 from the 3. If Rasual could do that every night instead of disappearing at times like he last season, he will be a valuable part of this lineup.

One of the Clippers most glaring problems is their bench. Except for Butler and Craig Smith, we have a bunch of unproven and very young players who can not be relied on to produce. Randy Foye is being called upon to be the backup PG, but he can not even come close to carrying Steve Blake's shoes. DJ will do a yomens job as back up center, but the rest will need a lot of time to mature into a cohesive unit. It will be on the job training. In the NBA, our bench is going to be chewed up and spit out.

Last night, Butler actually made the case to be the starting SF. However, if he was moved into the starting lineup, then we wouldn't even have one reliable outside shooter off the bench. Craig Smith, who did not play last night, scores his points in the paint.

Somehow, Blake Griffin, a rookie, will have to find a way to motivate this team to rise up and play way beyond their immediate potential. He will do this by example. He will play with wreckless abandon. Unfortunately, that is the scariest part of the Clipper's nightmare. Blake's high fly act puts him in a vulnerable position to get hurt again. Without him, this team can not, I repeat, can not make it. If he stays healthly, he is a double double machine waiting to happen. He is now one of only 4 players in the history of the NBA to have a double double in his first game as a rookie. He is likely to be Rookie of the year.

Blake Griffin is now the new face of the Clippers. Where he goes, the Clippers will follow.

Don Allen
aka JamFan

Even though GM Niel Olshey made comments that would lead you to believe that he was leaning towards Dwayne Casey, the interview process seemed to favor Del Negro. Dwayne Casey received an office visit and a cup of coffee, while owner Donald Sterling, President Roeser, and GM Olshey took Del Negro out on the town. So, maybe the fix was in from the beginning.

Vinney took over a Chicago team that had a poor record the previous year finishing 33-49. He then took a young squad of Chicago players with lots of injuries to the playoffs twice before being fired. But it seems that he was fired for having conflicts with the front office, not for his lack of success on the court. So, he doesn't seem like a guy who is just going to roll over to the whims of the owner and GM. He will establish himself as the coach of the team.

In Chicago, Del Negro went 41 and 41 two seasons in a row to reach the playoffs, only to be knocked out in the 1st round each time. His first year he was knocked out by the Celtics. This year he lost in the 1st round at the hands of Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks asked Lebron if the signing of Amare Stoudemire would keep him from coming to New York. So one has to wonder if the Clippers asked Lebron whether or not the hiring of Vinney Del Negro was a deal killer in their attempts to bring Lebron to LA? Or, if you combine the Del Negro hiring with the proposed signing of Big Sofo, does it fortell that the Clippers have given up on their quest to bring Lebron to LA? Only time will tell.

JamFan
aka Don Allen

He did all this while having to switch away from his normal SF position to play PF in his second season, because of team needs. With his 7'4" wingspan, he rebounds and blocks shots with great skill. His motor allows him to constantly get out on the break where he finishes with scary alley oop slam dunks.

This season he had some really monsterous games. He posted 23 points, 17 rebounds and a career-high six blocks at UNC Greensboro. Also grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds vs. William & Mary. Managed to tally 26 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks vs. Xavier. He opened the year with 25 points and 13 rebounds vs. Oral Roberts. Also, registered 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks vs. Maryland.

Even though Aminu shot nearly 50% from the field during his 2 years in college, he only hit 27% from the 3 last year. Clippers GM Niel Osshey leaked out that they had actually worked out Aminu on June 1. It was not reported. Upon receiving a promise from the Clippers, Aminu stopped working out for teams. This means he really wanted to be in this town and on this team and sacrificed the chance to be drafted even higher. Instead, he started personal workouts just up the road at Cal Lutheran with legendary shooting coach David Hopla. Video workouts show much improvement in his outside shot. He already has all of the other tools to be sucessful in the NBA.

Al-Farouq means "the Chief has arrived." He is the decendent of Nigerian Kings, and Clipper fans are praying that he will show is royal stature on the basketball court.

The big surprise of draft night for the Clippers was a trade that brought highly touted 19 year old Eric Bledsoe to LA. Playing in the shadow of PG John Wall, the #1 pick, and 4 other Kentucky players drafted in the first round, Eric is a player who could have easily been a top 10 pick. We only gave up a future first round draft pick that is heavily protected. The Clippers have an extra future 1st round pick anyway because of the MInney pick that we own.

Eric played SG for Kentucky but was an All American PG coming out of high school. At Kentucky he deferred to Wall as the starting PG. For the Clippers he will likely move back to his normal PG position where he displays a high intensity, fast paced game.

Eric showed much improvement late in the season on his outside shooting and finished with 46% from the field and 41% from the 3. With his shooting ability, and his ability to run the break, is he the future starting PG for the Clippers? If he manages to cut down on turnovers and play better under control, the answer could be yes.

Deep in the second round the Clippers were fortunate to draft Willie Warren. Rated as a late 1st round pick on a few mock drafts and at one time rated to be a lottery pick, Willie is another young 20 year old with a lot of promise. He shows great skills creating shots in one on one situations hitting 52%, and shot 48% from the field in half court sets. He finished the season shooting 52% from the 2, but only 31% from the 3.

Coming out of Oklahoma, he should be a favorite of Blake Griffin whom he played with as a freshman. Will he make the team and be reunited with his old team mate? I bet Blake hopes so.

Overall, it was a big night for the Clippers. Aminu and Bledsoe will be great players for them for years to come and Warren just might be the biggest surprise of them all. I have a feeling we are going to have an awesome Summer League Team as we unite these 3 players with Blake Griffin. It should really be something to watch. If DJ and Eric Gordon play as well, we could be seeing the future starting lineup for the Clippers a few years down the road.

JamFan
aka Don Allen