Los Angeles Clippers Blog – Page 40 – NBA Blog

Knicks hope to trade for point guard

The New York Knicks are 20-33 this season, and not getting much from point guard Raymond Felton (10.3 ppg, 5.8 apg on 40% shooting and just below 30% from three-point range). They are reportedly looking to make a move. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The Knicks and Clippers have been discussing a deal centered on sending Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton to Los Angeles in exchange for Darren Collison and Reggie Bullock, sources confirm.

In order to make the deal work financially, other players may have to be involved. One name that has been discussed is Clippers small forward Jared Dudley.

Talks at this point are not in advanced stages, with one source describing the deal as “a possibility.” The teams have been talking since Friday.

A source with knowledge of the talks told ESPN that the Clippers have been reluctant to part with Bullock, their first-round draft pick from last year, who is being asked to play a larger role with starting guard J.J. Redick lost indefinitely to a back injury. Adding Shumpert would help somewhat, as he would slide into Redick’s starting role and allow Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jamal Crawford to go back to his reserve role.

Lamar Odom signs overseas, in Spain

Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom has agreed a two-month deal with Spain’s Laboral Kutxa with an option to extend the contract to the end of the season in June, the Basque club said on Tuesday.

Odom, 34, won two NBA championships with the Lakers and also played for Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat. He represented the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and the 2010 world championships in Istanbul.

— Reuters

Laboral Kutxa Vitoria reached an agreement with versatile forward Lamar Odom, who signed a two-month deal with an option to extend it for the remainder of the season, the club announced Tuesday. Odom (2.08 meters, 34 years old) had a long, successful NBA career and is set to make his Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut.

— Euroleague.net

Blake Griffin not officially retired from Slam Dunk contest

Blake Griffin remains one of the world’s most exciting dunkers. Good news for NBA fans is he has not “officially” retired from participating in the NBA Slam Dunk contest again, someday. We advise you to not hold your breath waiting, though. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Blake on comparisons with fellow All-Star Weekend participant Karl Malone

“I’m humbled by that. That’s a honor. He was one of the best power forwards to ever do it, so obviously I have a lot of work to do to get to where [I can approach] what he accomplished. That’s not a bad person to be compared to … I’ve watched a lot of tape of him. I’ve watched mostly [from] his later years after he had really developed and had really become a force scoring the basketball. And the thing I love about him is everyone I’ve talked to about him talks about his work ethic and how hard he worked. And then on top of that just how he put together a complete game and used his strength to his advantage but also could step out and knock down shots.”

Blake on his future in the dunk contest
“I haven’t retired officially. It isn’t something I’ll never, ever do again. But for right now, I try to take my rest when I can. And this year I really wanted that Saturday night rest. So not this year.”

Lakers fail to sell out another game at Staples Center

Here’s the Los Angeles Times blog reporting on the Lakers, who usually sell out their games. But this isn’t your average Laker season.

The most compelling number to watch in the Lakers’ box scores the rest of the season could be home attendance.

The Lakers failed to sell out a game Tuesday for the second time this season when they drew a season-low 18,209 against the Utah Jazz, ending a 17-game sellout streak dating to November. The previous non-sellout against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 12 ended a far more impressive streak of 270 consecutive regular-season games (and 320 including the playoffs) going back to December 2006.

The Lakers rank eighth in the NBA in home attendance, averaging 18,937 fans per game. The Clippers have sold out every game this season and rank seventh in league attendance, averaging 19,196 fans. The Chicago Bulls lead the league with an average of 21,639 fans.

Chris Kaman does not care if Lakers keep or trade him

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting on center Chris Kaman, who hasn’t been used much by the Lakers this season, even with their imperfect roster and constant injuries:

After receiving consistent playing time in all three games of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2-1 trip, Chris Kaman admitted that it was the first time he had fun playing basketball in a long time.

But he also admitted that if he doesn’t make it past the upcoming Feb. 20 trade deadline and finish out the season as a Laker, it won’t faze him.

“I don’t care, I honestly don’t care,” Kaman said when asked if he has thought about the possibility of the Lakers trading him. “It’s not something that I want to do, but it’s not going to make me go to sleep at night and have to stay awake all night tossing and turning thinking about it. I don’t care. If they want to trade somebody, trade me, trade the next guy, it don’t bother me. It’s part of the business. The sooner that you realize it’s a part of the business, the better off you’re going to be. Just let it roll and let it happen. I’m not going to try to stop anything.”

Terrence Williams wins D-League Player of Month

Los Angeles D-Fenders guard/forward Terrence Williams was today named NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in January. The award is the first of Williams’ career.

Williams (6-6, 220, Louisville) averaged 21.5 points on 42 percent shooting from the floor to go with 6.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds in January, appearing in 12 of the team’s 13 games. For the month, the D-Fenders were an NBA D-League best 10-3.

Williams scored in double figures 10 times in January and set a D-Fenders record with a 50-point outing against the Idaho Stampede on Jan. 31.

For the season, Williams is averaging 21.8 points, good for seventh in the NBA D-League, along with 5.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 36.9 minutes in 13 games, 12 starts. His 50-point outing was the second-highest single-game point total this season.

Additional players considered for the award included Austin’s Josh Howard, Delaware’s Tiny Gallon, Idaho’s Pierre Jackson, Maine’s Frank Gaines, Rio Grande Valley’s Troy Daniels, Santa Cruz’s Cameron Jones, Sioux Falls’ Justin Hamilton and DeAndre Liggins, Springfield’s Darius Johnson-Odom, Texas’ PJ Hairston and Tulsa’s Reggie Williams.

Clippers sign Sasha Vujacic to 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed guard Sasha Vujacic to a 10-day contract.

Vujacic, a seven-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 476 career games (29 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Jersey Nets. A native of Slovenia, the 29-year old holds career averages of 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He has also appeared in 65 playoff games, capturing two NBA Championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.

The 27th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Lakers, Vujacic has been playing professionally since the age of 16. Most recently, he played for Anadolu Efes in Turkey for two seasons (2011-13), averaging 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 40 games (23 starts).

Vujacic will wear uniform number 18 for the Clippers.

Los Angeles D-Fenders sign Shawne Williams

The Los Angeles D-Fenders have acquired former Los Angeles Lakers forward Shawne Williams, by way of a successful waiver claim, it was announced today by General Manager Nick Mazzella.

Williams (6’9” / 230) was selected in the first round (17th selection) of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. Most recently, he spent 32 games (11 starts) with the Lakers this season, posting averages of 5.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.2 minutes. The Memphis native has appeared in 247 career NBA games (34 starts) with the Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and Lakers. Williams has also played for Guangzhou Liu Sui, of the Chinese National Basketball League.

An alumnus of the University of Memphis, Williams averaged 13.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his lone season with the Tigers (2005-06). Williams led Memphis to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament, along with Conference-USA regular season and tournament championships in 2006. The Laurinburg Institute graduate also earned Conference-USA Freshman of the year, All-Conference-USA third team and Conference-USA Tournament MVP honors.

Hedo Turkoglu joins Clippers

You remember Hedo Turkoglu. He did fun things on the Orlando Magic years ago, but has largely been forgotten about for a couple seasons now.

Well, he’s back, and actually in a pretty good situation, jumping on board with the Los Angeles Clippers, who can use him in very limited minutes to keep their flow going. It’s a low-risk addition.

Full news: Clippers sign Hedo Turkoglu, keep Darius Morris, release Maalik Wayns

Clippers sign guard Maalik Wayns to 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed guard Maalik Wayns to a 10-day contract.

Wayns, 22, was previously on the Clippers roster this season and was waived by the team on Jan. 6. Wayns did not appear in a game this season, missing the first 33 games of the season due to a torn left meniscus.

The former Villanova stand-out appeared in six games with the Clippers last season and averaged 3.3 points and 1.2 assists. Overall, Wayns has played in 27 career NBA games with the Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.