Moments after learning that his team had won the 2009 NBA Draft lottery, Clippers president Andy Roeser had a look of euphoria. Within an hour later, he was already back to work taking questions from reporters in a post-lottery conference call.
Roeser didn't come right out and say the Clippers were going to draft Blake Griffin, but he certainly didn't hold back any compliments when talking about him, either.
For a full transcript of his comments, from his thoughts on Mike Dunleavy's job security ("We have every intention of opening camp with Coach Dunleavy this year -- although I think that we have every intention of approaching some things differently, too.") to his not-so-vague comments about which veterans need to improve ("Baron Davis did not have a particularly good season. He knows that; we know that."), keep reading.
Putting a "games played" incentive on the contracts of oft-injured players is a great idea. Marcus Camby, through his career, has definitely qualified as oft-injured. But he's actually been mostly healthy for the past couple years, with only oddball maladies (like an ear infection) and relatively minor ankle sprains shelving him during the Clippers' awful 2009 campaign.
But those issues have added up to leave Camby two games short of his 60-game incentive, which would boost his salary a few hundred thousand dollars. Camby won't play Saturday in Denver, and in an interview with Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times he doesn't seem concerned he could miss out on the extra cash.
NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.
-- [Zach] Randolph laughed when I asked him if he felt the Knicks made a mistake in trading him away. "Yeah," he said with a big smile beaming. "It was definitely a mistake." [...] If they wind up with LeBron, Zach says he can understand moving him. But Chris Bosh? "I'm better than Chris Bosh," he said. -- Alan Hahn on Newday
-- "I retired," Arenas said in the home locker room before Washington's game against Charlotte. "No more blogging for me." [...] "It's just like the double-(edged) sword thing: Eventually your words is going to kill you," Arenas said with a smile. -- Gilbert Arenas
As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, Fork 'Em figures out what went wrong.
No team has been as disappointing in 2008-09 as the L.A. Clippers. At least one or two teams have been worse in quality, but the phenomenal ability to fail with this much talent seems unprecedented. An All-Star level point guard, a D.P.O.Y. level center, two strong big men, a R.O.Y. candidate, an experienced coach ... what happened to the playoff hopes? What happened to 2008-09?
You could listen to me toss out some jokes, or you could read a completely sober(ing) dispatch from a guy who has watched it all, ClipperSteve of Clips Nation. I think you'd prefer the latter. ClipperSteve's words, after the jump.
NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.
* Check out Glen Davis waving in the background, doing his best to let Ray Allen know he was open at the end of Thursday night's loss to the Lakers. And if Allen had passed it to him, what exactly did he think was going to happen? Hilarious. -- Hermitology
The official announcement of who will start the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 15 in Phoenix is due Thursday night at 7 PM ET on TNT. But word of who at least one of the starters will be has leaked early, and it really was the only position that there was even a question about.
Amare Stoudemire has reportedly beaten out Carmelo Anthony for the second starting forward spot in the West. The last returns that were released on January 8th had shown 'Melo ahead of Amare by less than 10,000 votes, but it appears that either Stoudemire's campaign or Carmelo's injury inspired the fans to put Amare back in the starting spot.
Shaquille O'Neal is a distant second behind Yao Ming in All-Star voting among Western Conference centers, and there's virtually no chance that he'll catch him before the final results are revealed on January 22nd. But unlike last season, when Shaq's streak of 14 consecutive All-Star appearances came to an end largely because he was battling through injuries (and also because frankly, he just wasn't playing very well), the voters won't be able to keep him out of the game this time.
Shaq is having a resurgence of sorts, playing at a level we've not seen from him in years. Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, for example, he was dominant from the very start, and put on a show that was reminiscent of his days in Los Angeles.
As Tom Ziller pointed out over the weekend, rumblings of a three-way deal between the Knicks, Blazers and Clippers surfaced a few days ago. Exact details of the alleged trade were never clear, but it seemed to hinge on David Lee (and potentially Eddy Curry) heading to Portland, Marcus Camby returning to New York and, well, someone going to the Clippers.
Now that a couple of days have passed without movement, the trade appears to be dead in the water -- and if you believe the parties involved, it may not have ever been alive in the first place.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Rule: if you drop 30 points on Boston, you get special consideration for Doing Lines. Welcome to the club, Wilson Chandler. The spiritual guide to D'Antoni Ball in the Big Apple dropped 31 points on 19 FGAs, and added eight rebounds and no turnovers. The hardest things to do against Boston: shoot efficiently and protect the ball. You're a man, Mr. Chandler. (Al Harrington also dropped 30.)
Making Up Lost Ground:Nicolas Batum has been cold as a starter in Portland, but Sunday's loss to the Lakers featured a break-out of sorts: matched up against clone Trevor Ariza, Batum had 17 points on perfect 6-6 shooting, along with five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers. Batum's starting because of his defense and his willingness to stand in the corner and hoist up open threes. It's a boon when he can make those shots.
Property of Camby:NBA Rule 34a, Section 3: All rebound opportunities belong to Marcus Camby(20 rebounds, averaging 21/game over last four) by default. In the event another player lays claim to a rebound Camby could capture, case will go to arbitration. Maybe soon they'll replace Camby's cousin as the rebound arbiter. Seems a little unfair.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Many people across the globe will be ringing in 2009 in style, and naturally that includes NBA players. In this video we talk to Marcus Camby, Al Thornton, Eric Gordon, Paul Davis and more about what they have planned for the new year. But most importantly, find out which player's plans for 2009 include some salty fish, a shot of Jack, and starting a new clothing line.
Moments after learning that his team had won the 2009 NBA Draft lottery, Clippers president Andy Roeser had a look of euphoria. Within an hour later, he was already back to work taking questions from reporters in a post-lottery conference call. 
Putting a "games played" incentive on the contracts of oft-injured players is a great idea. 
As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, 
The official announcement of who will start the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 15 in Phoenix is due Thursday night at 7 PM ET on TNT. But word of who at least one of the starters will be 
As Tom Ziller pointed out over the weekend, rumblings of a 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. 
Many people across the globe will be ringing in 2009 in style, and naturally that includes NBA players. In this video we talk to 
