NBA FanHouse

NBA Investigates Alleged Homophobic Heckler Response by Maverick

Tom Ziller — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:44:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Mavericks, NBA Fans, NBA Rumors

OutSports.com reported Tuesday that Drew Gooden made homophobic remarks to two hecklin' Clippers fans after the Mavericks' Saturday game in Los Angeles. One of the Clippers fans happened to be actor Chris Wylde (pictured, far right), who has -- no joke -- appearances on a show named Heckle U to his credit. (The plot of Heckle U, according to IMDB? Two dudes change the course of basketball games by heckling the opposing teams into submission.)

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reportedly emailed Wylde, saying the team would deal with Gooden. Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News reports that the NBA is currently investigating the matter, while ESPN's Tim MacMahon has an anonymous source who claims it wasn't Gooden who made the remark. (No word on whether that anonymous source is Gooden.)

NBA Investigates Alleged Homophobic Heckler Response by Maverick originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Donald Sterling Pays Millions to Settle Federal Discrimination Suit

Matt Watson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, NBA Police Blotter

The skeletons in Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's closet have been a poorly kept secret for years -- and now they're a matter of public record. According to the Los Angeles Times, Sterling and his wife have agreed to pay a whopping $2.725 million to make a federal lawsuit alleging housing discrimination go away.

Although Sterling, who runs his real estate empire as competently as his NBA team, officially denies any wrongdoing, the fact remains that the settlement, once officially approved by a U.S. District judge, is projected to go down as the largest ever obtained by the Justice Department in a housing discrimination case.

Even if Sterling is officially allowed to save face by calling the settlement a business decision (a "compromise of disputed claims," according to court documents obtained by the Times) instead of an admission of guilt, it's still a black stain on the NBA -- and one it needs to address.

Given the recent uproar about Rush Limbaugh's failed bid to buy a minority stake in the St. Louis Rams, where's the outrage in Sterling being allowed to maintain majority ownership of the Clippers? The worst that Limbaugh was accused of is exercising free speech. But Sterling? From the Times:

The Justice Department sued the Sterlings three years ago, accusing them of favoring Korean tenants while seeking to exclude blacks and families with children. Through their Beverly Hills Properties, the Sterlings own and manage about 119 apartment buildings with some 5,000 units in Los Angeles County, according to the Justice Department.

In court filings, Justice Department lawyers presented evidence that the Sterlings made statements "indicating that African Americans and Hispanics were not desirable tenants and that they preferred Korean tenants" occupy buildings they owned in Koreatown.

If the NBA is so concerned about its image that it doles out fines to players and coaches who dare complain about referees (players and coaches often making the exact same observations made by television announcing crews calling the games), how can the league let Sterling's transgressions -- actions that not only create an uglier P.R. disaster but also have actual negative effects on society -- go unpunished?

Several NFL players spoke out against Limbaugh, saying they'd never play for a team he owned, and at least one NFL owner said he wouldn't vote to approve him, but NBA players and owners have largely remained silent about Sterling's status. That's a shame, especially because the only difference between the two is that Sterling already belongs to the league's fraternity and isn't merely trying to gain entry.

Donald Sterling Pays Millions to Settle Federal Discrimination Suit originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blake Griffin Talks About His Injury

Elie Seckbach — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, NBA Videos

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Blake Griffin, the first overall draft pick, is staying strong after suffering a knee injury during a preseason game. In this FanHouse exclusive, he gives he gives us an update on his injury.

We also talk boxing with Griffin's teammates, as Marcus Camby, Rasual Butler and DeAndre Jordan make their picks in the upcoming Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight.

Check out the video after the jump.

Blake Griffin Talks About His Injury originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NBA Players in the Halloween Spirit

Elie Seckbach — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:53:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Lakers, Suns, NBA Videos, FanHouse Exclusive

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Halloween is one of those holiday that everyone loves ... including NBA players.

In this FanHouse exclusive, we catch up with NBA stars Amar'e Stoudemire, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, Ron Artest, Kyrylo Fesenko, Channing Frye, Craig Smith, Goran Dragic and Lou Amundson.

Find out who is most likely to be Hugh Hefner, Magic Don Juan, a lumberjack, Frankenstein and an Army vet.

Check out the video after the jump.

NBA Players in the Halloween Spirit originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rebounding Focus Pays Off for the Suns

Brett Pollakoff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:45:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Suns

LOS ANGELES -- Rebounding is all that Suns' head coach Alvin Gentry has been talking about during the preseason, and with his team being an undersized bunch who would rather try to run you off the floor than stand toe-to-toe and slug it out, that's completely understandable.

But the emphasis on taking care of the boards had its consequences in the team's season opener on Wednesday, as Phoenix -- yes, the extended remix of the Seven Seconds or Less Suns -- managed just two fast break points in their game against the Clippers.

The ultimate result, however, was a positive one. The Suns' focus on rebounding enabled them to hang with a big and talented Clippers' front line, and pull out a hard-fought, last-second 109-107 road victory in Los Angeles.

"We've got to get out and run more," Gentry said, when discussing his team's lack of points in transition. "We get so conscious right now of trying to guard the boards, you know, the offensive boards -- which I thought we did a good job on -- that sometimes it limits us a little bit as far as getting out on the break.

"We still got 109 points, even though we didn't get any fast break points. And really, some of the things they don't call fast break points .. if we come down and we run a drag, and we get a wide open three-pointer, we consider that a fast break point. So it's really a little bit distorted, but they did do a good job as far as getting back and keeping us from running."

Phoenix held a 22-15 rebounding advantage at the half, thanks to seven from Grant Hill, and five each from Jared Dudley and Earl Clark off the bench. They finished the game with just one more board than L.A., but the fact that they were able to compete at all with guys like Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman down there shows how serious the team is about making the glass work a top priority.

"It's never really easy to rebound against those guys, they're seven-footers," Amar'e Stoudemire said afterwards. "Both guys are great rebounders out there. But I think from a team effort we did a great job, really attacked the boards, really boxed out well. Me and [Channing Frye] were trying to keep the big guys off the boards, and Grant was coming in and getting the rebounds, so from a team standpoint we did a pretty good job."

Stoudemire and Frye combined to grab just nine rebounds, while the aforementioned Clippers' duo came away with a combined 20. But as Amar'e mentioned, as long as someone like Grant Hill can swoop in when he's doing the blocking out, things will turn out okay. Even if the fast break opportunities might not be there because of it.

Hill finished with a team-leading 13 rebounds, which is a huge number for him.

"The year we won 62 games we got out-rebounded on the offensive boards 55 times," Gentry pointed out. "But for this team to be successful, we've got to find a way to rebound the basketball."

The Suns did that on opening night, against a Clippers team that -- at least going in -- appeared to have a significant advantage.

Rebounding Focus Pays Off for the Suns originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nash's 'Old White Guy' Shot Leads Suns Past Clippers

Brett Pollakoff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:03:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Suns

LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers held a seven-point lead over the Suns with about nine minutes remaining in their home opener, in a game that was the season opener for Phoenix.

But Steve Nash made sure that his Suns left with the victory, by scoring 15 of his team's 24 fourth quarter points, including the game-winner in a thrilling 109-107 contest at Staples Center.

The shot that Nash hit to win it came on a tough drive against Baron Davis, who was tightly guarding Nash behind the three-point line, with the game tied and 11.9 seconds left on the clock. Nash made a stop-and-go move, but with Davis all over him, he had no choice but to take the ball to the rack, and finish beautifully with his left hand to carry his team to a 1-0 start on the season.

"Well, I went to the old 'white guy in the YMCA' shot," Nash said. "And I was lucky to make something happen."

Nash took the shot earlier than he wanted to, and actually left the Clippers plenty of time -- 5.5 seconds -- to tie or win the game with a shot of their own. But he and Alvin Gentry talked about it in the timeout before the play, and both understood that it might be necessary to take the shot early if the opportunity were to arise.

"Nash said 'if I get by him initially, I might have to go early, because if I back it up and he gets into me, it would be hard for me to get by him a second time,' " Gentry said. "So he said 'I might have to shoot it early, and if I get by him, I have to go.' "

Talk about a veteran player and an experienced coach knowing the situation -- that's almost exactly how things played out.

"Baron was playing me so tight, and I wanted to take the last shot, but he was playing me too tight, and once I got a little step on him, I had to take it," Nash said. "It was a little early, but when I got to the paint I kept going when I saw a little daylight."

As far as winning the game with a left-handed shot, Nash admitted it's something he hasn't done or even thought about in quite some time.

"It's been a while, you know, I don't play much basketball in the summer, so the left has been a little dormant," Nash said. "I made a few with the right earlier in the game and in the preseason, but luckily it woke up for me."

The Clippers did have a final crack at it, but a long three-point attempt from Eric Gordon wasn't close -- thanks to Amar'e Stoudemire stepping out to contest -- and the Suns came away with the win. And since Phoenix isn't a team that's exactly known for their defense, you can bet the part about the game ending with them holding defensively didn't go unnoticed by their head coach.

"Nobody's talking about it, but we won the game with a defensive stop, okay?" Gentry said. "That, in itself right there, is progress."

Nash's 'Old White Guy' Shot Leads Suns Past Clippers originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kaman's Backyard Is Fun, Dangerous

Matt Watson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, NBA Videos

If you've seen one NBA mixtape on YouTube, you've seen them all, right? Most of them are just flashy dunk highlights put to a profanity-laced rap beat. But Chris Kaman is a different kind of cat, both on the court and off, and in hindsight, it shouldn't have been a surprise to see that his YouTube channel doesn't feature any basketball at all.

What does it feature? Try a .50 caliber rifle and municipal-grade fireworks -- all being used in his backyard. No, really -- video evidence is after the jump, as well as his interview with Elie Seckbach in which he discusses his explosion-filled and bullet-riddled summer vacation.

I'm sure he had a permit for that, right? Moving on -- to his insane fireworks show. From the YouTube description: "NBA Center Chris Kaman and his friends light municipal sized fireworks in his front lawn. Fortunately it only cost about $6,000."

A more accurate description would have read: "Watch Chris Kaman nearly kill himself! And stay for the massive explosion at the end when Chris and his friends tie a bunch of mortars together and light the fuses without putting them in a tube!" Seriously, if you watch anything, at least skip ahead to the 2:20 mark -- it's like an outtake from a Michael Bay movie.

I hate to pass judgment without knowing all of the details, but assuming this was filmed at his Michigan home, there's absolutely no way those fireworks are legal. (And that last explosion at the end? It's stunts like that which convince Michigan lawmakers to keep those kinds of fireworks illegal. Just saying.)

/ moralizing.

And now, here's FanHouse's Elie Seckbach, who recently caught up with Kaman and talked about his summer, as well as his predictions for the upcoming season.

Kaman's Backyard Is Fun, Dangerous originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jumping to Conclusions After One Night

Matt Steinmetz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:05:00 EST

Filed under: Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Lakers, Mavericks, Rockets, Trail Blazers

Home sweet home. Well, for one night anyway. In front of a 42-inch big screen on opening night in the NBA. Let's go ahead and try to read too much into it ...

o. You can't tell me the Cleveland Cavaliers aren't going to come knocking for Stephen Jackson at some point. Looks like LeBron James is going to need some more help.

Hard as this is to say, it doesn't seem like Shaquille O'Neal can even be your No. 2 option. Apparently, the Cavs are reluctant to give up Zydrunas Ilgauskas for Jackson because Cleveland doesn't want to get smaller.

Then again, Jackson would make the Cavaliers tougher, and he would give them someone other than James who can make a play. Besides, the Warriors have Ronny Turiaf to sweeten the deal if need be.

o. With all due respect to Dallas owner Mark Cuban, this year's version of the Mavs isn't better than that team that went to the Finals in 2006. The reason: it was the pre-exposed Dirk Nowitzki in 2006.

Back then, the belief was that a team with Nowitzki as its best player could win it all. But now we know better. And far as anyone can tell, Nowitzki is still Dallas' best player, a healthy Josh Howard or not.

Look, Nowitzki is a wonderful player. But after watching the Mavericks falter against the Heat in '06, then get dismantled by the Warriors in the first round the following season, it seems apparent the Mavericks aren't going to win a title (which is the only way they can be better, right?) until Nowitzki becomes his team's second-best player.

o. Didn't really notice the officiating on opening night, did you? Oh, that's right. The big boys were back.

o. Gilbert Arenas sure looked good in the opener, but Caron Butler might be the most important piece on that team. He's the Wizard most likely to do things other than score to help his team win.

And, yes, I say that even on a night he took 17 shots and had just one assist. By the way, Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld is the early leader in the Executive of the Year Award chase.

o. Pretty troubling sequence from the L.A. Clippers at the end of the first quarter against the Lakers, when they already were down 13. Baron Davis rushed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining -- just for the sake of a 2-for-1 -- and missed badly. Davis missed so badly that the ball rebounded long to the opposite-of-shy Ricky Davis.

Time to get a good one, right? Exactly. Ricky Davis then proceeded to immediately launch another 3-pointer instead of running down the clock. Banked it home.

o. Houston coach Rick Adelman had to be thinking Warriors -- tonight's Rockets opponent -- down the stretch of their loss to Portland.

Interesting Adelman wasn't even considering coming back with Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza and Luis Scola after some of his subs got Houston back within four of Portland with a couple minutes left.

More Steinmetz on Twitter: @matt_steinmetz

Jumping to Conclusions After One Night originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lakers Pick Up Their Rings -- And a Win

Brett Pollakoff — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:23:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Lakers

LOS ANGELES -- An excited, capacity crowd anxiously awaited the final chance to celebrate last season's NBA Championship with its beloved Lakers. The team held a ring ceremony, before unveiling their 15th championship banner, which was hanging behind a black curtain high on the back wall of the Staples Center.

It was an exciting start to the night, but the excitement ended there, as the quality of the opening night opponent (or lack thereof) made it easy on the defending champs and a yawner for those in attendance. The result was a lackluster, comfortable 99-92 win for the Lakers in their first game of the 2009-10 NBA season.

Lakers 99, Clippers 92: Box Score | Pollakoff: Artest Adjusting to Lakers

The Lakers' opening-night opponents, the Clippers, had the option of watching the ring ceremony on the court, but chose instead to use the time a bit more productively.

"Stretching," Dunleavy said, when asked what the team would be doing. "Yoga."

One can't fault him for making that decision, considering the fact that this Clippers team is about as far away from the goal of a title as possible. What Dunleavy and his players missed was a nice (if not overly emotional) ceremony in which the home team trotted out "legends" of previous championship seasons. Some of the luminaries included Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Jerry West, and Robert Horry -- who received as loud of a cheer as anyone, thanks to his heroics with the club earlier this decade.

One by one, team personnel, then the coaches, and finally the players were introduced, each stepping forward to receive their ring, shake David Stern's hand and make his way down the procession. Kobe Bryant was, of course, the final player introduced, and while there weren't any tears, his ear-to-ear smile was as big as any that you'll ever see him flash.

Once the festivities completed, there was the formality of playing the actual game, which, with Blake Griffin's debut being delayed for at least six weeks due to a knee injury, held little intrigue.

The Lakers led by 10 after one quarter, thanks to a quick start by Bryant, who had 13 points on nine field goal attempts in the period. The newest member of the Lakers' starting lineup, Ron Artest, didn't do much that showed up in the box score early, but he was very active, playing the role of "new guy who is trying his best not to screw things up."

The home team pushed its lead to 15 points early in the second, before the lineup of D.J. Mbenga, Josh Powell, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown allowed the Clippers to trim it to three halfway through the period. But at that point, the starters were promptly re-inserted and order was restored, with the Lakers regaining a double-digit lead at the break.

The game didn't reach epic blowout proportions at any point in the second half, and in fact, the Clippers trimmed the lead down to one to end the third quarter. But even then, you never got the feeling that this game's ultimate result was ever in doubt, and Lamar Odom's three-pointer with just over six and a half minutes remaining put the Lakers back up by 10.

Bryant gave the Lakers a 13-point lead with an "and-1" a minute or so later, then dished to Artest for a fast break bucket on the next possession, and the game was officially in the refrigerator from that moment on.

Inside the Staples Center, once the opening ceremonies had concluded, it was as dead as a Sunday night game in late December when the Lakers are hosting one of the league's worst teams. In that scenario, one knows the Lakers are going to win, but it's going to be a lackluster and uninspired effort, and that's pretty much what occurred Tuesday night.

But overall, it was a great start to the season, and the fans got what they came here to see: the Lakers picked up their rings, raised their banner, and picked up an opening night victory. And for a team beginning that long, long journey back to the top of the NBA mountain, that's all anyone could ask for.

Lakers Pick Up Their Rings -- And a Win originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live Tweet: Lakers vs. Clippers

Brett Pollakoff — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Lakers, NBA Live Blogging

The Lakers will open the 2009-10 season by receiving their championship rings and raising their 15th banner to the rafters at Staples Center.

Oh yeah, and they'll play a basketball game too, against the unfortunately undermanned team from across the hall, the L.A. Clippers.

FanHouse has got you covered, and we'll be there live for all the festivities. So join us beginning just after 10PM EST by following @NBAFanHouse, or simply read on to follow along below.

Twitter Updates on Lakers vs. Clippers

NBA FanHouse on Twitter

Live Tweet: Lakers vs. Clippers originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blake Griffin Could Miss Six Weeks

Matt Watson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:10:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, NBA Injuries

On the eve of yet another rebuilding season, the Los Angeles Clippers revealed on Monday night that Blake Griffin's knee injury was far more serious than initially feared: he's been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left kneecap (the patella, to be precise) and could be sidelined up to six weeks. He suffered the injury in the team's final preseason game.

The timing of the announcement is a bit curious -- and potentially embarrassing for the Clippers' training staff. Earlier in the day following Monday's practice, Mike Dunleavy told reporters that Griffin merely had a bone bruise, but added that Griffin was seeking a second opinion. Presumably, it's the second opinion that revealed the more serious ailment.

While the timing certainly puts a black cloud over the team before the season even starts, the silver lining is that the injury was discovered now, before Griffin had a chance to cause further harm by playing through the pain. In the meantime, figuring out the rotation just got easier: Kevin Arnovitz of ClipperBlog predicts DeAndre Jordan to pick up more playing time, with Al Thornton and Rasual Butler also seeing more time together.

Povtak: Griffin's a Casualty of Too-Long Preseason
Fantasy Impact: Replacements for Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin Could Miss Six Weeks originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ron Artest Is Ready, Kobe Is Excited

Elie Seckbach — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Lakers, NBA Videos

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

The Lakers open their 2009-10 NBA season against the Clippers on Oct. 27. Prior to the game, the Lakers will receive their championship rings, and Kobe Bryant tells us he is too excited. In this video we also talk to Kobe's new teammate Ron Artest, who knows the formula for success. We also hear from Al Thornton of the Clippers.

Check out the video after the jump.

Ron Artest Is Ready, Kobe Is Excited originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blake Griffin's a Casualty of Too Many NBA Exhibition Games

Tim Povtak — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:25:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Hawks

Shame on the NBA owners for being greedy, trying to milk their teams for an unbelievable eight exhibition games on top of an already marathon regular season and a taxing playoff march.

Eight is too many. Just ask Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, who now may be without his star rookie prize Blake Griffin in Tuesday's much-anticipated opener against the cross-arena Lakers.

Griffin hurt his left knee Friday night in exhibition No. 8, a game that never should have been played if the league had listened to players, coaches, trainers and even nonsensical sports writers who have said for years that there is no need for so many meaningless games.

The only ones in the NBA who actually think you need eight exhibition games (and yes, they charge full price) are those counting the cash at the ticket windows.

"I think almost everyone would agree that four games, and two weeks, is enough to get a team ready to start the season,'' said one former NBA player and coach. "You don't need a month, or eight games. I think most everyone was saying a week or two ago, `let's get this regular-season started.'''

Griffin, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 Draft, got hurt trying to put some emphasis on a dunk, came down the wrong way, and limped back down court but stayed in the game. Although not considered too serious, his knee was swollen, and he has needed treatment the past two days. He remains questionable for today's opener.

Griffin had looked impressive during the practice games, creating a buzz around the league with his performance and work ethic, much as expected for a No. 1 pick with great credentials. The Clips, who won only 23 and 19 games the last two seasons, have been promoting Griffin extensively, hoping to ride him to a quick turnaround.

Now he may watching from the bench. The Clips aren't the only one who will suffer from too long of an exhibition schedule.

The Atlanta Hawks, who played like they didn't enjoy playing basketball anymore Friday night against the Magic, may be without center Al Horford for their opener Wednesday night. Horford sprained his ankle in Friday's scrum in Orlando.

Although rookies like Griffin are trying to carve their niche early, veterans aren't playing full speed, knowing no one remembers what happened during practice games. Coaches can see from practices, and from half the number of games, who they want in their lineup for opening night.

You can feel bad for the players, who really didn't want or need the extra practice games, but don't feel bad for the teams, who simply schedule too many games to help cover their bills.

Blake Griffin's a Casualty of Too Many NBA Exhibition Games originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vujacic Gets Out of a Hairy Situation

Elie Seckbach — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Lakers, NBA Videos, FanHouse Exclusive

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

It was about a year a go when Sasha Vujacic ("The Machine") signed a three-year contact with the Lakers. One of the lines in the contract read that Sasha was not required to cut his hair. After a long season of being in a hairy situation, "The Machine" showed up at training camp with a new look.

We caught up with Sasha during a recent charity event hosted by Kobe alongside Clippers players Chris Kaman and Eric Gordon.

Check out the video after the jump.

Vujacic Gets Out of a Hairy Situation originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blake Griffin Posterizes a Laker

Brett Pollakoff — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Lakers, NBA Videos

Blake Griffin can dunk. And he's not afraid to dunk on people, as he showed pretty viciously during the Clippers' preseason game on Sunday against the Lakers.

The Laker on the wrong end of Griffin's throw-down was D.J. Mbenga, and while he's not exactly Andrew Bynum in terms of desirable dunking targets, the guy's still seven feet tall -- and has a black belt in Aikido!

The video is after the jump, and bonus points if you can identify the Laker on the bench who hides his face in shame behind the towel, after the completion of Griffin's abusive act.

Blake Griffin Posterizes a Laker originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clippers' Most Meaningful Game Is Taking Place in Preseason

Elie Seckbach — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:42:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Euroleague, NBA Videos, Interviews, FanHouse Exclusive

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

For the most part, NBA preseason games don't carry much weight, but on Oct. 20, the Los Angeles Clippers will take the Staples Center court to face one of the best teams in Europe when they meet Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

It will be the game of the year for thousands of children as the Clippers are donating all the money generated from that night to the world's largest orphanage, Migdal Ohr. Based in Northern Israel, Migdal Ohr takes care of more than 7,000 orphans. But the Clippers are not the only ones doing amazing things for the orphanage. Two days prior to the Clippers' game, the New York Knicks will host a similar event to benefit Migdal Ohr.

Check out the video after the jump.

Clippers' Most Meaningful Game Is Taking Place in Preseason originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tip-Off Timer: 14 Teams Without a Title

Matt Watson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bobcats, Cavaliers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hornets, Jazz, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Raptors, Suns, Timberwolves

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Tuesday, there are 14 days remaining.

For everything the NBA has done to level the playing field -- the draft lottery, the salary cap, the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax -- only a select handful of teams have a legitimate chance to win the championship in any given year.

I know optimism is supposed to reign supreme in October, but here's a harsh dose of reality: in the past 26 years, only seven different organizations have hoisted the Larry O'Brien, and six of those teams have won more than once. In fact, in a league where fluke success is rare and dynasties are the norm, there are 14 teams that have yet to win a title.

Will any of these perennial losers buck their unfortunate losing streaks in the near future? While the Lakers, Spurs and Celtics (winners of nine of the last 11 titles) would disagree, it's a very real possibility.

While many expect the Lakers to repeat -- and at least one Celtic has predicted Boston will win 72 games -- the Magic and Cavaliers have re-tooled through trades and free agency after finishing last season as the two strongest teams in the East.

In fact, this might be Cleveland's last chance in a long time -- if LeBron James can't close the deal this year, he might bolt via free agency (surely you've heard, right?), adding a sense of desperation to their usual motivation. If the Cavs can't separate from the pack early, don't be surprised to see Danny Ferry make wholesale changes by the trade deadline.

The Magic are somewhat better positioned for long-term success, although they mortgaged their future by swapping the promising Courtney Lee in a package for the aging Vince Carter. It also remains to be seen how they perform with the expectations of being an elite team now that they're no longer able to play the underdog role, although you can never accuse a Stan Van Gundy team of being unprepared.

But if Cleveland and Orlando fall short, are we destined to watch yet another dynasty stamp their name in the NBA record book? The Denver Nuggets, who took the eventual champion Lakers to six games in the Western Conference finals last year, beg to differ, as do fellow non-champions like the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets.

As for the Clippers, Grizzlies and Timberwolves? They all fall into the never-were and never-will-be categories (or at least not-anytime-soon). Same goes for the Suns, who don't seem to know if they're building for the future or playing for today, as well as the Nets and Pacers, who have some interesting building blocks but not much else.

The Raptors and Bobcats hope their rebuilding process is nearing completion, but they'll be considered a success if they simply reach the playoffs, let alone win a game or two in the first round. And if there's anything we can learn from past champions, it's that the real winners are built to last and are never content to simply be there.

Tip-Off Timer: 14 Teams Without a Title originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tip-Off Timer: Two Teams Start Season With 17 Losses

Tom Ziller — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Heat

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Saturday, there are 17 days remaining.

We have already discussed the historic indignity of 23 straight losses in an NBA season, a record shared by two awful teams, one of which was an expansion club. The story of the longest winless streak to open an NBA season is similar in that two squads share the misfortune. One had the built-in (but hardly comforting) excuse of being new to the league: the 1988 Miami Heat, who jumped in with 17 straight losses before earning a victory.

But the L.A. Clippers had been around decades when its commencement futility record sprung up. In the lockout season of 1998-99, the Clippers also began 0-17.

It was all the Clippers could do to avoid resetting the mark at 18 straight losses back in March of 1999. Most of the league was mediocre at best due to a shortened preseason and a long lay-off between meaningful games that summer as team owners dealt with a labor dispute by delaying the start of the season. The Clippers' 17th loss came, unfortunately, at the hands of the Kobe-Shaq Lakers.

After the game, when the next loss would have launched the Clippers past the expansion Heat into sole possession of the undesirable record, LAC guard Darrick Martin told the Associated Press that his team would "come out like a wounded animal fighting for its life" against the Webber-Divac Kings.

The Clips did just that, with Martin scoring 18 and L.A. defeating the Kings to bring their record to 1-17. The Clippers went on to win nine of 50 games, earning the fourth pick in the draft, in which the team selected Lamar Odom. Those '88-89 expansion Heat ended up at 15-67 after ending their season-opening losing streak at 17 games by beating -- who else? -- the Clippers, in Los Angeles.

Tip-Off Timer: Two Teams Start Season With 17 Losses originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobe Bryant Gets Friends, Teammates Together for a Good Cause

Elie Seckbach — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Lakers, NBA Videos, Interviews, FanHouse Exclusive

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Kobe Bryant is the national spokesperson for After School All Stars, a nation-wide, one-of-a-kind, after-school activity for students living in rough areas. From sports to music to arts, After School All Stars is free. In this FanHouse Exclusive we visit the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo, where we catch up with Kobe, his teammates Sasha Vujacic and Derek Fisher, and two of Kobe's friends from the Clippers -- Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman. The stars were there as 2K Sports handed ASAS a check for $25,000 and set up video games for the students and basketball stars.

Check out the video after the jump.

Kobe Bryant Gets Friends, Teammates Together for a Good Cause originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Player to Watch: Eric Gordon

Tom Ziller — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The 2008 draft class ended up having a collectively surprising rookie season. Four players, by my count, had legitimate claims to the Rookie of the Year award. Derrick Rose, the eventual winner, was a consensus pick, but O.J. Mayo led the race much of the year, with Nets center Brook Lopez getting late consideration.

But one other rookie, eventually only an All Rookie second-teamer, deserved dap in the big award discussion: Clippers gunner Eric Gordon. If you're looking for the next underrated, unheralded magnificently efficient scorer in the mold of Kevin Martin and Danny Granger, this is your dude.

By "in the mold of Kevin Martin and Danny Granger," I don't mean "in the style of." Because Gordon is different -- he's not as likely to draw fouls as Martin, and he's not as big as Granger. Gordon is an undersized two-guard, a factor that kept him from being selected by a couple teams who picked higher than the Clips. But he's pure two-guard. (And you thought only point guard could be pure! Ha!)

He has been compared to Mitch Richmond -- a physical slasher who can bomb from across oceans. Gordon's a surprisingly athletic player given his college reputation and deceiving physique. But, of course, while Richmond was surprisingly athletic, everyone remembers him for his jumper. His deadly, filthy jumper.

And that's Gordon. When he pulls up from 28 feet, it looks perfect. Every time.

I took a look at the stacked 2008 rookie class to find out where Gordon rated in terms of efficiency and usage, which are the two factors of scoring prowess. Converting a higher percentage of your shots is important (there's efficiency -- I use True Shooting percentage, which is just points per shot attempt halved) as is being able to create shots (I use usage rate, which is the percentage of team possessions used by a player when he's on the court, with the idea that if a team were completely egalitarian, everyone's usage rate would be 20%).

I wanted to find out which rookies scored at an efficiency level better than the league's average. I also wanted to separate out the high-usage rookies (like Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo) from the low-usage rookies. After all, if you score at a hyperefficient conversion rate, but you never take shots, you're just Erick Dampier or Fred Hoiberg.

So where does Gordon end up?

You'll find Gordon in the Double Awesome quadrant, where high usage and high efficiency combine to form Double Awesomeness. Gordon is one of only four rookies last season who scored at a rate more efficient than league average while using at least 19% of his team's possessions while on the court. The others were Greg Oden (more efficient than Gordon but barely meeting the usage threshold), Brook Lopez (less efficient and prolific than Gordon) and D.J. Augustin, who actually rivals Gordon in this study by scoring slightly more efficiently on a slightly smaller share of possessions.

Notice where the more heralded rookies fall: Mayo was less efficient than the league as a whole, despite taking up so many possessions. Ditto for Beasley. Russell Westbrook had the distinction of being rather inefficient while taking up a bunch of possessions; call it the "Modern McGrady" role (though Westbrook is an insane defender). Rose, unmarked, susses out in the high usage/less efficient pack. Donte Greene was terrible.

If Los Angeles plans on building its future on Gordon and rookie Blake Griffin (who projects as another high-usage, high-efficiency player), it will be in good offensive shape. Before that future, of course, Gordon and Griffin might not get the opportunities they deserve. Baron Davis would be Culprit No. 1 here, but don't forget for a second how truly inefficient Al Thornton has been, too. If Gordon eventually gets freed to up his usage while maintaining or improving his efficiency, he'll be a All-Star before his career ends.

Not bad for an undersized two-guard.

Player to Watch: Eric Gordon originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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