OAKLAND, Calif. -- Anyone who has watched the L.A. Clippers so far this season pretty much has the same question: what's up with Chris Kaman?
The guy's been playing some ball and doesn't seem to resemble the player of past years. But according to coach Mike Dunleavy, nothing at all is up.
"The only difference with him is he's shooting the ball," Dunleavy said before the Clippers dismantled the Warriors, 118-90, on Friday night. "And I mean literally shooting the ball. He's always been able to shoot the ball but always had this kind of mentality of 'I can't take too many shots,' or 'I need to get closer to the basket.' "
LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers held a seven-point lead over the Suns with about nine minutes remaining in their home opener, in a game that was the season opener for Phoenix.
But Steve Nash made sure that his Suns left with the victory, by scoring 15 of his team's 24 fourth quarter points, including the game-winner in a thrilling 109-107 contest at Staples Center.
Value is in the eye of the beholder. Memphis owner Michael Heisley saw value in signing Allen Iverson to a one-year, $3 million contract much like some people see a 99-cent hamburger as great value. "I remember having a good hamburger at one point; it cost me five dollars at the time. This one is only 99 cents -- value!"
It goes both ways, though. In one hand you have a fist full of diamonds. In the other, a hand full of mud.
Using the data collected by the hard-working guys over at Mock Draft Central, I'm going to identify 10 guys in the top 100 who are being overvalued in mock drafts. It's for your own good.
The NBA FanHouse team has been posting previews for all 30 teams prior to the start of the 2009-10 season. Along with each preview they examine a player to watch. In the case of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tom Ziller examined Eric Gordon. In keeping up with the theme, I decided to highlight a bench player on the Clippers who might turn into an impact fantasy player this season.
From a fantasy perspective the Clippers are an interesting team. On paper they have one of the more fantasy-friendly rotations with six players currently being drafted in the top 125 picks, according to Mock Draft Central -- Marcus Camby (ADP: 40.12), Baron Davis (ADP: 46.64), Eric Gordon (ADP: 79.41), Blake Griffin (ADP: 81.82), Chris Kaman (ADP: 97.18) and Al Thornton (ADP: 126.26).
A season ago, the Clippers began the year with a renewed sense of optimism. After losing team staples Elton Brand and Corey Maggette to free agency, the club didn't stand pat -- they went out and got some pieces they hoped would make them better.
Well, things didn't exactly work put as planed. Injuries derailed things fairly quickly, and instead of Baron Davis being the one to revive the franchise, he was merely a bystander who watched the team post its worst won-loss record in nine years.
There was a bright side to last year's debacle, however, as it landed the Clippers the number one overall pick in the draft, which they used to select Blake Griffin. With a healthy group to start the season, and some smart tweaks to the roster, L.A. once again has reason to be cautiously optimistic.
OAKLAND -- First thing you notice about Baron Davis these days is that beard. It's long, it's thick and it's got some scruff. It's back -- and all of it, too.
Now whether the Los Angeles Clippers are back remains to be seen. But the return of Davis' beard is certainly a good omen. So was the arrival of Blake Griffin.
"I want to put the work in and I want to show people again," Davis said Sunday night before the Clippers-Warriors exhibition opener. "I don't want to talk about it, really. There's nothing for me to say. I grew my beard back. That's all you need to know."
Let's get right to it. We asked for your Twitter questions and we got them. Now for some answers:
albert_kim: Is Rashad McCants going to be a good fit in Houston? I don't think Rashad McCants is necessarily a good fit for any team. We're talking about a colossal headcase here. However, if he's going to be effective for any team it would likely be a team with established veterans, an established style of play and a veteran head coach who is pretty good at dealing with players such as McCants.
To that extent, the Rockets might be less worse of a fit for McCants than many other teams. Coach Rick Adelman is one of the best when it comes to handling players who aren't easy to coach, whether it be Rod Strickland from back in the day or Ron Artest recently.
Every Tuesday this offseason, two of our NBA experts will go at it with a Debate in the Paint. This week, the topic is which team will be the most improved.
The Los Angeles Clippers are going to be pretty good this year. Yeah, OK, so my heart just skipped a little bit typing that. But I think they're going to be OK.
Just how good of a season are the Clippers going to have? Well, I'm thinking they might end up being the most improved team in the league, and, yes, that includes the Washington Wizards, who figure to improve a lot.
Both teams won just 19 games a year ago. But in 2009-10, I'm calling that the Clippers will be knocking on the playoff door. The Wizards might also. But it would be a greater achievement for the Clippers to make the playoffs in the Western Conference than the Wizards in the East.
Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
Less than 10 months after receiving a three-year contract extension worth approximately $27 million, Stephen Jackson now says he doesn't want to play for the Warriors anymore.
It's a pretty sudden turn for Jackson, who said at the time of the re-signing that he wanted to play the remainder of his career in Oakland. That kind of fickleness, when it comes from your captain and best player, can be a real headache for a team.
It got us to thinking about some of the NBA's high-maintenance players, the needy and delicate ones you must handle with extreme care. Whether it's their personality or game, here are five players who can make it very difficult for any franchise.
You know what they say. "The best laid plans of mice and men with beards and their own film companies ..."
Needless to say, Baron Davis did not have the kind of season he was hoping for in his debut with the Clippers. He essentially fulfilled every negative concern that's been posited about him during his career. Injury-riddled. Inconsistent. Poor leadership. Bails at the first sign of trouble. You know, Baron Davis before the Warriors tenure.
And in an effort to convey a sincere desire to turn things around, Davis is using some pretty blunt assessments of his own play. The buck stops at the beard, apparently.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Anyone who has watched the L.A. Clippers so far this season pretty much has the same question: what's up with Chris Kaman?
LOS ANGELES -- The 
Value is in the eye of the beholder. Memphis owner Michael Heisley saw value in signing 
The 
FanHouse 
OAKLAND -- First thing you notice about 
Every Tuesday this offseason, two of our NBA experts will go at it with a 
Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
You know what they say. "The best laid plans of mice and men with beards and their own film companies ..."
