Los Angeles Clippers Blog – Page 43 – NBA Blog

Chris Kaman had an issue with Clippers trade

Look, people. Chris Kaman appreciates some basic communication. Is that too much to ask? Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog):

The Clippers acquired Chris Paul by trading Kaman along with Eric Gordon, Al-Faroug Aminu and a 2012 first-round pick, a move that instantly brought credibility to the organization and improved the team’s culture. And though Kaman hardly takes offense toward the Clippers shedding ties with him, he still sounded disturbed on how they handled it.

“I didn’t think they were respectful about it,” Kaman said. “After playing eight years, at least they could’ve told me what was going on. I wasn’t going to fight it. I understand it. Who wouldn’t want to make a trade to get Chris Paul. Look what it’s done for the organization. But just tell me. I would’ve appreciated if someone told me instead of finding out on ESPN.”

Clippers waive Lou Amundson

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived forward Lou Amundson. The Clippers roster now stands at 14 players.

Amundson appeared in seven preseason games (one start) for the Clippers, averaging 1.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.9 minutes of action.

Amundson has appeared in 327 career games (seven starts) for the Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets. The 6”9”, 225-pound forward finished last season with the Hornets, averaging 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18 games.

Clippers waive forward Brandon Davies

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived forward Brandon Davies. The Clippers roster now stands at 15 players.

Davies appeared in five preseason games for the Clippers, averaging 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.2 minutes of action.

Davies, 22, was a member of the Clippers 2013 Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.8 minutes of play over five games. He was undrafted out of BYU in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Clippers blocking Lakers banners in Staples Center at LAC home games

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers had the Lakers’ championship banners covered and had his players’ banners draped over them instead at Staples Center.

Rivers said it will be done whenever it’s the Clippers’ home game in the arena they share with the Lakers.

The Lakers have 12 championship banners — Minneapolis has its five titles on one banner — and 10 retired jerseys, including Chick Hearn’s microphone retired jersey.

“Well, I didn’t look at it as the banner thing,” Rivers maintained. “I just look at it as putting our guys up.”

Rivers had the banners of Jamal Crawford, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, DeAndre Jordan, Jared Dudley, Chris Paul and Matt Barnes all put up on the wall.

Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times

Darren Collison shines for Clippers in preseason game

Despite a 17-point outburst in the fourth quarter from Darren Collison, the Clippers couldn’t rally and fell, 94-84, to Portland Friday night in their Staples Center preseason opener.

Collison finished with 31 points and had six assists and two steals for the Clippers (3-2), who will play Denver Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Playing without J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes and Maalik Wayns and Willie Green, Collison took advantage of the 34 minutes Coach Doc Rivers gave him and made 8 of 16 shots from the field and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line.

Reported by Phil Collin of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Blake Griffin knee should be fine

When Clippers forward Blake Griffin went down clutching his left knee in a scrimmage Wednesday night, he said he “absolutely” feared the worst because he’s had experience with knee injuries before.

But an MRI exam revealed that Griffin had a bone bruise and no structural damage. After team doctors spent time working on his knee, the Clippers’ star realized the injury was “not even really that bad,” Griffin said Friday.

The team said Griffin participated in the full practice Friday after missing practice the day before. He said he hopes to play in the Clippers’ exhibition Saturday night at Utah.

Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times

Clippers waive Mustapha Farrakhan and JaMychal Green

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived Mustapha Farrakhan and JaMychal Green. The Clippers roster now stands at 16 players.

Farrakhan played seven minutes in last night’s 89-81 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, while Green had three rebounds in four minutes of action.

Farrakhan has spent the last two seasons in the NBA D-League with the Bakersfield Jam, Idaho Stampede, Sioux Falls Sky Force and Iowa Energy. In 72 career games (20 starts), he has averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes. Farrakhan started the 2012-13 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, appearing in three preseason games for the Bucks before being released prior to the start of the regular season. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Development League by the Jam.

The 6’4” 175-pound guard played collegiately at the University of Virginia for four seasons. He averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31 games his senior season.

Green was a member of the Clippers 2013 Summer League team in Las Vegas. In four games (all starts), he averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21.3 minutes of action. The Montgomery, Ala. native participated in training camp with the San Antonio Spurs prior to the 2012-13 season. The 6’8”, 240-pound forward spent all of last season with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, averaging 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 40 games (25 starts).

An undrafted forward out of Alabama, Green averaged 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks his final season for the Crimson Tide en route to being named All-SEC First Team.

Clippers add Lou Amundson, Mustapha Farrakhan, JaMychal Green to training camp

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed free agents Lou Amundson, Mustapha Farrakhan and JaMychal Green to complete their training camp roster.

An undrafted forward out of UNLV, Amundson was named the 2006-07 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year after averaging 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.48 blocks in 25 games. In college, he averaged 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 120 career games (68 starts) for the Runnin’ Rebels.

Farrakhan has spent the last two seasons in the NBA D-League with the Bakersfield Jam, Idaho Stampede, Sioux Falls Sky Force and Iowa Energy. In 72 career games (20 starts), he has averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes of action. Farrakhan started the 2012-13 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, appearing in three preseason games for the Bucks before being released prior to the start of the regular season. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Development League by the Jam.

The 6’4” 175-pound guard played collegiately at the University of Virginia for four seasons. He averaged 13.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31 games his senior season.

An undrafted forward out of Alabama, Green averaged 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks his final season for the Crimson Tide en route to being named All-SEC First Team.

The Clippers’ training camp roster currently stands at 18 players.

Los Angeles Clippers finalize coaching staff and front office positions

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that the organization has named Brendan O’Connor as an assistant coach on the staff of Head Coach and Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers.

It was also announced that Dave Severns and Howard Eisley will return as Assistant Player Skills Coaches and Bob Thate will return for his second season as shooting coach.

Additionally, the Clippers have named Dave Wohl as Director of Pro Scouting and Jack Nolan as an Advance Scout.

O’Connor, Severns, Eisely and Thate round out Rivers’ coaching staff, which includes Associate Head Coach Alvin Gentry, Assistant Coaches Armond Hill, Kevin Eastman and Tyronn Lue, and Assistant Player Skills Coach J.P. Clark.

O’Connor comes to Los Angeles as an assistant coach after spending last season as an advance scout for the Brooklyn Nets. With more than 10 years of NBA coaching and scouting experience, O’Connor, a New Hampshire native, began his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons as an advance scout in 2000, and was promoted to assistant coach/advance scout in July 2001. He was a member of the Pistons’ coaching staff in 2004 and 2005 on Detroit’s NBA Championship team and Eastern Conference Championship squad, respectively. He has also worked as an assistant coach for the Kings and Knicks. Prior to joining the Pistons, O’Connor coached in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), United States Basketball League (USBL), and International Basketball League (IBL). He was an assistant coach/director of player personnel with both the Grand Rapids Hoops (1997-99) of the CBA and Richmond Rhythm (1999-2000) of the IBL.

Severns returns to the Clippers for a fourth season. He served as an assistant coach for player development with the Chicago Bulls from 2008-2010 before coming to Los Angeles. Prior to his time with the Bulls, Severns spent 13 years in player development with Nike, working with college players at the All-American Camp, All-Asia Camp, Nike Skills Academies and Jordan Flight School. He also worked at Attack Athletics in Chicago under Tim Grover from 2005-08.

Eisley joined the Clippers prior to the 2010-11 season after a 12-year playing career in the NBA. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 786 games with Minnesota, San Antonio, Utah, Dallas, New York, Phoenix, Clippers and Denver. In 2005-06, he played in 13 games for the Clippers, averaging 0.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

Thate enters his second season with the Clippers as shooting coach. Previously, he spent the 2005-08 seasons with the New Jersey Nets in the same capacity. A 1970 NBA Draft selection of the Los Angeles Lakers, Thate began a four-year professional career in France (where he still holds the league’s season scoring record) before embarking on a college coaching career that included stops at Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, University of California-Irvine and Long Beach State.

Wohl begins his first season as Director of Pro Scouting for the Clippers. He brings more than four decades of NBA experience to Los Angeles, including most recently working as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009-2011. Wohl was also the assistant general manager of the Boston Celtics for two seasons (2007-2009), including the team’s 2008 NBA Championship run, and has served in a variety of capacities with Orlando, Miami, Sacramento, the Lakers and a season with Clippers (1993-94). As an assistant coach under Pat Riley, Wohl was a member of the Lakers’ 1985 NBA Championship team. Wohl was the head coach of the New Jersey Nets for two-plus seasons (1985-88), leading the team to the NBA Playoffs in the 1985-86 season. He was selected in the third round of the 1971 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and appeared in more than 400 games in seven NBA seasons as a player.

Nolan joins the Clippers as an advance scout after one season in the same position with the Boston Celtics. He started in the NBA in 1988 as a scout with the Atlanta Hawks and has worked with a number of teams in scouting and coaching capacities, including Vancouver, New York, Cleveland and Dallas.

TMZ continues to report that Lamar Odom has a serious drug problem

Lamar Odom’s crack cocaine addiction had reached such dangerous levels … even his dealer thought the NBA star had gone over the edge, and cut off his supply last week, TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the dealer tell us, the crack slinger had delivered the drug to Lamar all summer, but last week, Lamar was insatiable … calling incessantly and demanding more and more crack. His go-to dealer apparently got scared enough to cut Lamar off.

Reported by TMZ.com