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Blake Griffin to work out for Clippers Saturday

Blake Griffin to work out for Clippers Saturday

College star forward Blake Griffin will work out for the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday afternoon.

Griffin is widely considered the best player in the upcoming 2009 NBA draft, and the Clippers have the #1 selection in the first round.

They are expected to select Griffin, but it’s still standard for the player to work out for the team, meet his future employers, let the two sides get to know each other a little better, talk about their favorite colors, etc.

And, seeing Griffin on the basketball court having him do whatever they tell him to will help the Clippers get an even better read about what he’s good at, which helps make roster decisions. Par for the course.

There are some rumblings that the Clippers are open to trading the first pick, but nothing serious. And frankly, every team in the draft is always “open” to trading any player or pick, if the price is right.

Lamar Odom loves candy

The Los Angeles Daily News (Elliot Teaford) reports: Lamar Odom’s sweet tooth is legendary in NBA locker rooms. He brings bags full of treats to games at home and away, a cause of only minor concern for Jackson and the Lakers’ coaching staff. “Well, Halloween is one of the worst nights of the year,” Jackson said. “I’ve gotten several calls and e-mails and texts from doctors who want to tell me that the sugar blues are one of the toughest things to fight, especially with kids. Lamar, as we know, is not a kid anymore. (But) he really doesn’t do that much sugar, he really doesn’t.”

WNBA teams selling advertising on their uniforms

The New York Times reports: The Phoenix Mercury’s new uniform no longer has the words Phoenix or Mercury. Instead, the W.N.B.A.’s Mercury appears to have been renamed LifeLock, with the 10-inch-by-4-inch name of the identity-theft protection company stretching across the team’s jerseys. A small Mercury logo (the planet, with an M) appears like a badge on the upper left of the jersey. Taking a cue from international sports, where displaying corporate names on jerseys is standard, the Mercury on Monday will announce a three-year deal with Tempe, Ariz.-based LifeLock that is worth at least $1 million annually… During an off-season when one franchise, the Houston Comets, folded and the remaining 13 cut their rosters to 11 players from 13, the W.N.B.A. authorized its teams to let companies place their names on the players’ jerseys as part of broad sponsorship agreements. At least one other team is close to a similar deal.

InsideHoops.com editor says: There isn’t anything surprising or shocking about this, though it’ll still be interesting to see with my own eyes for the first time. Because, while viewing it, I’ll be pondering the obvious: Will NBA teams do this, eventually?

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Clippers likely to draft Blake Griffin no.1

The Los Angeles Times (Lisa Dillman) reports: Danny Manning, Michael Olowokandi . . . and now Blake Griffin. The Clippers have twice had the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, and will get it again for a third time, having won the league’s draft lottery Tuesday night at Secaucus, N.J. “Clearly, we’re taking Blake Griffin,” Clippers General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy said in a telephone interview from Barcelona, Spain. “This guy is the No. 1 pick. We’re extremely excited. He’s the guy.” There wasn’t much of a question the Clippers would do anything other than take the dynamic, explosive forward from Oklahoma. Dunleavy, though, wasn’t about to be coy in the wee morning hours in Spain and erased any shred of doubt about the team’s intention in the draft June 25 in New York.

Darius Miles charged with pot possession

The AP reports: Memphis Grizzlies forward Darius Miles, who was suspended last season for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, was free on bond Thursday after being charged with possession of marijuana. The 27-year-old Miles was alone in his car Wednesday night in suburban Fairview Heights, Ill., when an officer pulled him over for allegedly failing to use a turn signal, police Sgt. Steve Evans said. During a search of the car, Evans said police found a small amount of marijuana in a plastic bag in the passenger compartment. Miles was ticketed for driving with a suspended license and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession because the amount of the drug was less than 2.5 grams, which would have been a felony. He was later freed on $100 bond.

NCAAP to honor Clippers owner Donald Sterling

The Los Angeles Times (Jerry Crowe) reports: Clippers owner Donald Sterling, accused of racism and embracing a “vision of a Southern plantation-type structure” in a lawsuit filed in February by Elgin Baylor, will be given a lifetime achievement award next week by the NAACP. . . . Leon Jenkins, president of the Los Angeles branch of the civil rights organization, says of the much-maligned Sterling, “He has a unique history of giving to the children of L.A.,” revealing that the owner donates anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 tickets a game to youth groups for nearly every Clippers home game. . . . Noting that the NAACP had made plans to honor Sterling before Baylor filed suit, Jenkins says, “We can’t speak to the allegations, but what we do know is that for the most part [Sterling] has been very, very kind to the minority youth community.” . . . Baylor didn’t mention that.

Derrick Rose wins Rookie of Year

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today.

Rose received 111 first-place votes (574 points) from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Memphis’ O.J. Mayo finished second with 246 points and New Jersey’s Brook Lopez finished third with 127 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Finishing fourth was Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City), fifth was Eric Gordon (L.A. Clippers), sixth was Kevin Love (Minnesota), and seventh was Michael Beasley (Miami).

Selected with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft 2008, Rose led first-year players in assists (6.3 apg) and was second among rookies in scoring (16.8 ppg), to go along with 3.9 rebounds in 37.0 minutes. Rose shot .475 from the field and .788 from the free throw line. He started 80 of 81 games (missed one game due to injury on March 24), and finished the season in the top three in several categories all-time among Bulls rookies, including total points (3rd, 1,361), scoring (3rd, 16.8 ppg) and assists (3rd, 6.3 apg).

A three-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month selection (Nov., Dec., March), Rose scored in double digits 71 times including 32 games of at least 20 points. Rose represented Chicago at All-Star Saturday Night in Phoenix, becoming the first rookie to win the PlayStation® Skills Challenge with a time of 35.3 seconds. A participant in the 2009 Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Rose finished with four points and a team-high seven assists. Rose is the third Bulls rookie to win the award and the first since Elton Brand in 1999-00 (co-winner with Houston’s Steve Francis).

The Eddie Gottlieb Trophy is named in honor of Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA’s founders who coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1946-47.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Jazz end skid with win over Clippers

The AP reports: The Jazz ended the skid with a 106-85 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, keeping alive their slim hopes of climbing out of the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. “We just needed a win,” said Deron Williams, who had 17 points and nine assists… Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Paul Millsap added 19 points and 11 boards for the Jazz, who outrebounded the Clippers 50-36 and forced 15 turnovers that led to 24 easy points… Marcus Camby had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost eight of nine. Eric Gordon scored 16 and Chris Kaman had 12 points and seven rebounds for Los Angeles.

Aldridge scores 21, Blazers beat Clippers 87-72

The AP reports: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points, Joel Przybilla added 10 points and 14 rebounds, and the Blazers beat the Clippers 87-72 on Saturday night to tie for third place in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers needed a late rally to beat the lowly Clippers, who were up by two with 7:44 remaining. The win came a day after Portland beat the Lakers at home… Eric Gordon had 18 for the Clippers, who have lost seven of their last eight. Los Angeles, down most of the game, took its first lead since the first quarter when Gordon scored on a layup to make it 68-66.