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Los Angeles Clippers forward Craig Smith will miss a minimum of two weeks due to a herniated disc in his lower back.
Smith received an epidural this morning and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
In 24 games played this season, Smith has averaged 5.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 13.8 minutes per contest.
Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman will miss a minimum of three weeks due to an aggravated bone bruise and deltoid ligament sprain of his left ankle.
Kaman was examined by team physician Dr. Steven Shimoyama after undergoing an MRI on Dec. 6. He was then was re-evaluated on Dec. 9 by Dr. Richard D. Ferkel.
Kaman will wear a protective boot when not participating in assigned rehabilitation.
The 2010 All-Star has appeared in 10 games this season and is averaging 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Kaman originally injured the ankle on Nov. 9 in New Orleans.
Brian Cook of the Los Angeles Clippers has been suspended two games without pay for his Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two against Joel Przybilla of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Andre Miller of the Trail Blazers has been suspended one game without pay for making excessive and unnecessary contact with Blake Griffin of the Clippers, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations. Upon postgame video review by the league office, Miller was assessed a Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two for his actions.
The incident involving Cook occurred with 4.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Portland’s 100-91 win over the Clippers on Sunday, December 5 at Rose Garden. The incident involving Miller occurred with 7:06 remaining in the fourth quarter of the same game.
Cook will begin serving his suspension tonight when the Clippers host the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center. Miller will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Trail Blazers host the Phoenix Suns at Rose Garden.
UPDATE: THE BOY DIED
Police say they are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy who fell 50 feet from a Staples Center luxury suite after a Lakers game.
Officer Julie Sohn said Monday the child abuse unit is investigating because of the boy’s age.
The Los Angeles Times, citing unnamed people familiar with the case, says the parents of Lucas Anthony Tang of Garden Grove had been searching for him when they learned he had fallen Sunday night.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports:
A young boy fell from a luxury suite after the Lakers’ game Sunday against the Golden State Warriors, tumbling into the lower bowl at Staples Center.
The boy was believed to be from 2 to 5 years old and was transported to an undisclosed hospital. The boy was moving his arms and legs as he was moved onto a stretcher, according to a witness who declined to be identified.
Wednesday in Indianapolis the Pacers, despite missing a few key players, beat the Los Angeles Clippers 107-80.
The Clippers have now lost eight straight games and have one win, 12 losses. They’re a mess.
Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times reports:
The Clippers’ rookies, as well as Craig Smith and Eric Gordon — another Indiana homecoming ruined — had the glazed look of survivors who had stumbled away from a car crash, wondering where to go next.”
Something has got to change,” said Blake Griffin, who had 12 points and eight rebounds. “After a while, you can’t just say — we do have to keep working — but you can’t just keep working and keep losing. It comes down to who wants it more, a little bit of heart. We just need to find that.”
He wants to be an agent of change. The most obvious form of assistance, of course, would be getting center Chris Kaman back in the lineup. Griffin can do many things, but he’s not a medical miracle worker.
Any other suggestions?
“We’ll work on it tomorrow,” Griffin said. “I’ve got some ideas.”
The problem here is, I’m not sure what there is to change. Aside from Griffin, Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman, there’s simply not a lot of talent on the roster. Rookie guard Eric Bledsoe has looked good, stepping up while Baron Davis sits around being old and washed up, but that’s about it. The struggles may continue.
But, on the bright side, there’s individual players worth keeping an eye on here. Griffin, Gordon and Bledsoe should only keep improving and are worth attention.
Colin Stephenson of the Newark Star-Ledger reports:
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Harris, the Nets’ floor leader and leading scorer, was ejected from the game for a hard foul on the L.A. Clippers’ young star, Blake Griffin with 6:42 remaining in the first half. But even without him, the Nets were still able to get their West Coast trip off to a winning start, as they grabbed an early lead against the Clippers and cruised to a 110-96 victory Monday night in Staples Center…
Harris, one of the Nets’ co-captains along with Lopez, grabbed Griffin, the Clippers’ exciting rookie, from behind on what would have been a breakaway basket and pulled him to the floor. For that, Harris was assessed a flagrant-2 foul, which will bring with it an automatic review by the NBA and could lead to a suspension.
“I was kind of looking up at the ball when I saw I couldn’t get it I tried to make sure he couldn’t get his arms up,” Harris said. “I didn’t think it was that bad when I did it, but once I came in the back and looked at it (on video), it looks pretty bad.”
The Los Angeles Clippers today waived forward Marqus Blakely.
In two preseason games, Blakely tallied 4.0 points and 9.0 minutes per game.
The Clippers roster now stands at 14 players.
The AP reports:
Los Angeles International Airport police say three-time NBA all-star Steve Francis has been arrested for public drunkenness.
Airport spokesman Albert Rodriguez says Francis was arrested at 11:30 p.m. Thursday because he was intoxicated, unable to care for himself and combative toward staff. Sgt. Belinda Nettles says the arrest took place in the Terminal 7 lobby near the United Airlines ticketing counter.
Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times reports:
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Smith was asked if Griffin was 98.9% back after having missed all of last season because of a stress fracture in his left kneecap.
“159.7531 percent,” he said, smiling. “Blake’s looking real good. He’s determined. I’m happy for him. Happy he’s back on the court. You know he’s going to do some special things this year.”
A few minutes later, he got much more specific about Griffin’s considerable talents.
“I can say this. I never played against Karl Malone,” Smith said. “But he has the strength of Karl Malone but can run and jump like LeBron James.
“He can definitely make LeBron plays, defensively. Out in the open, he can make something special happen. He’s kind of like a specialist. He has the best of both worlds. The physical strength, the power and he can run like a deer.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was running a 40-yard dash with a car in the way, if he wouldn’t hurt the car versus hurting himself.”
Smith, who had off-season knee surgery, came out near the end of practice because of a tight back, Coach Vinny Del Negro said.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Don’t be surprised to see Griffin average around 17 points and eight or nine rebounds this season. And that may be a conservative estimate.
Have stuff to say? Share your thoughts on the Los Angeles Clippers forum.
The AP reports:
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Eric Gordon got a whole lot more than a gold medal from his summer in Europe with the U.S. national team.
The Clippers’ soft-spoken guard also learned with certainty that he really can play with the world’s best. Gordon was the fourth-leading scorer and a key defensive player for the U.S. team, silencing critics who wondered if the Indiana product belonged in that uniform.
“It was a good confidence-booster,” Gordon said on the first day of Clippers training camp. “It shows where I am in my career. I really know what I can do now.”
The Clippers are counting on him doing plenty for them this winter. Gordon has been a steady pro in his first two NBA seasons, averaging 16.4 points and 2.9 assists for two terrible teams, but general manager Neil Olshey wants and expects more when Los Angeles returns with a new attitude under new coach Vinny Del Negro.
“Eric’s aggressiveness at this level hasn’t been commensurate with his skill,” said Olshey, the longtime personnel executive who succeeded Mike Dunleavy. “He’s going to get that into his game now, and I’ll put him up against anybody in his draft class, and anybody with three years left on his deal. I think he’s as good as any of them, but in his first two years, he has deferred a lot to veterans.”
