Denver @ Los Angeles Clippers GameThread, Nov 26, 2008 7:30 PM PST

Clippers vs. Denver - Game Preview and Open Thread

by Steve Perrin on Nov 26, 2008 5:00 AM PST in Game Previews Comment 87 comments

Denver @ Los Angeles Clippers

	vs.
2-12		9-5
Staples Center
November 26, 2008 - 7:30 PM
TV: FSN Prime Ticket
Probable starters:
Baron Davis	PG	Chauncey Billups
Eric Gordon	SG	Dahntay Jones
Al Thornton	SF	Carmelo Anthony
Marcus Camby	PF	Kenyon Martin
Chris Kaman	C	Nene

The Big Picture:

In the second game of the season, LA blew a 18 point halftime lead over the Nuggets and lost in overtime. Of course this game will be different - it will feature Carmelo Anthony, and Chauncery Billups, and Marcus Camby, and a full game of Baron Davis (who was injured in the first quarter of the earlier meeting). And one other guy. The Clippers will (for reals) play their first game with Zach Randolph tonight. Although the trade that sent Cat Mobley and Tim Thomas out of town at first seemed to leave a hole at the shooting guard, Eric Gordon served notice Monday against New Orleans that he's ready to fill the void. If indeed Randolph is in the lineup tonight, it's hard to imagine a more talented 2-12 team. I've supported really bad Clippers teams. Teams that had no business winning any games. Teams that Lamond Murray led in scoring. This team does not suffer from a lack of talent. Something else has them mired in misery. But after the pre-season injuries, and the changes, and the tough schedule, and now more changes, the excuses are eventually going to run out. They have to start winning some time, or there needs to be some accountability. There's just too much talent out there to be stuck on two wins. By the way, since Washington won Tuesday night, it's now once again the second worst record in the NBA. Thank the FSM for the Thunder (or should I thank Thor?)

The Antagonist:

Like the Clippers, the Nuggets pulled off a major early season trade. But in stark contrast to the Clippers, the Nuggets trade made sense on every level. Don't get me wrong - the Clippers had very little to lose, and it may work out for them. But the one thing the Nuggets have needed for years is a point guard. They gave the Iverson-Anthony experiment plenty of time, it didn't work, and acquiring all star Chauncey Billups for Iverson was a great move. The results so far have been impressive - the Nuggets are 8-2 with Billups at the helm, and suddenly one of the spots at the playoff table that everyone thought was empty may be filled again. The opposition hasn't been the best during Denver's 8-2 run - there have been some really bad teams in the mix - but they do have a win in Boston in there. With Nene playing the best ball of his career, the Nuggets high paid front line (perhaps the only set of three front court players in the league making more than Camby, Kaman and Randolph) is impressive. And Billups is a much better choice for getting them all involved.

The Subplots

Marcus Who? When the Nuggets traded Camby to the Clippers for nothing this summer, they were taking a gamble that Nene would come back strong from his bout with testicular cancer. The fact that Nene had a history of other injuries as well, and that the Nuggets literally had no other options at the time, made it all the more risky. To say that the Brazillian has responded does not really convey his resurgence. He's shooting 64% from the field, compared to a career percentage of 53% and a previous best of 57%. He's shooting 75% from the line, compared to a previous best of 69%. He's blocking twice as many shots as at any time in his career. He's averaging career highs in... well... everything. In short - if anyone in Denver says they expected this level of productivity from Nene when they moved Camby, they're lying.
The Disconnect. Yes, the Nuggets are 8-2 with Billups and 9-5 overall. Yes, they're leading the Northwest Division, ahead of the Jazz and everyone's darlings the Blazers. But truthfully, they're not playing very well. Aside from Nene and Kenyon Martin, the entire team is shooting poorly. Carmelo Anthony is shooting a career low 39% from the field. JR Smith, who signed a big contract in the off-season, is shooting a career low 38% from the field and 29% from the three point line - and for JR Smith to shoot a career low, it has to be pretty low. Of their six leading scorers, three of them are under 40%, and Billups is at 41%. So it's actually pretty surprising that they're 9-5.
Zach Randolph. (I get to reuse this bullet since he didn't play Monday.) Who knows what's going to happen with this? The guy's a monster on offense. And his best play (which also happens to be a favorite of MDsr) is 'Gimme the ball.' So how much practice time do they need for that?
Shooting Guard. In this space Monday I said that 19 year old Eric Gordon wasn't ready to be the full time starter. And then he went out and scored a team high 25 points, while defending Chris Paul, in his first start as a pro. Shows what I know. Gordon has unlimited range on his picture perfect jump shot, the quickness and athleticism to get to the rim, and the ability to create his own shot. He's going to be very, very good before the season is over. MDsr has already surprised me once this season, recognizing very quickly that Mike Taylor was outplaying Jason Hart and demoting the veteran to third string behind the rookie. Will he act just as quickly and decisively with EJ, and make him the permanent starter ahead of Ricky Davis? UPDATE: Missed this last night: the Pest says the Ricky is doubtful tonight. So EJ will likely start again, but we may have to wait to see if MDsr is making it permanent, or just resting Ricky's knee.
Kaman Rumors. In the wake of the Randolph trade, we now get to deal with more rumors about Kaman trades. Look, I get it. Charlotte has already inquired about Kaman. The Clippers need a shooting guard. Baron Davis and Jason Richardson had a very successful run as teammates in Oakland. Kaman for JRich is a rumor made to order. But there are a couple problems. First of all, MDsr adores Kaman. Second, I just don't see the Clippers bringing in a shooting guard owed $40M over the next three seasons when their lottery pick just went for 25 in his first start. What does JRich do to EJ's development? I'm not going to say that there's no way this trade is happening, because we all know what happens when I do that. In fact, I guarantee you this trade WILL happen. And very soon. There, that should take care of it.
Camby's Revenge. Marcus was not happy about being traded for nothing. He felt that he was being made the scapegoat for Denver's playoff struggles. He missed the earlier meetings (including one pre-season game) between the teams, so this is his first chance to show his former team that they made a mistake. Of course, with the Clippers at 2-12, one would think that he'd have plenty of incentive to play hard, but if this give him a little more focus, I'll take it.

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Yes ClipperSteve

….please no more guarantees. Every time I see ClipperSteve make a guarantee I cringe, drive home, and cry…. because I know the opposite is going to happen…

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 7:08 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Somwhere, someone

is citing ClipsNation as confirmation that a Kaman/Richardson trade WILL happen.

I’m sure HoopsHype will have it tomorrow.

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 8:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

yeah im pretty sure its going to happen, and not just because CS is denying it. Maybe it’ll end up being camby but its happening…

by andrewexd on Nov 26, 2008 9:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope not.

Keep Camby

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 9:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I hope you are right, Steve.

Don’t trade Kaman for J Rich.

Also, if we do trade for J Rich or VC.
Who is available in 2011?

by Qlippers on Nov 26, 2008 8:52 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I can't find the list right now, but it's some of the older guys.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 9:27 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I deleted some useless ones.

Contracts that run until 2010/2011:
Paul Pierce ($21,513,521)
Kirk Hinrich (9,000,000), plus 8,000,000 (2011/2012)
Jason Terry (10,650,000) plus 11,437,500 (2011/2012)
Nene (14,200,000)
Carmelo Anthony (16,378,325), plus option for 2011/2012 (17,686,100)
Tayshaun Prince (11,148,760)
Jason Richardson (14,444,444)
Shane Battier (7,354,500)
Yao Ming (17,040,000)
Troy Murphy (11,968,253)
Mike Dunleavy (10,561,984)
Chris Kaman (11,300,000) plus for 2011/2012 (12,200,000)
Pau Gasol 17,822,187
Michael Redd 18,300,000 (player option)
Richard Jefferson (15,000,000)
Predrag Stojakovic (15,336,000)
Tyson Chandler (12,750,000 player option)
David West (8,287,500), plus option for 2011/2012 (7,525,000)
Samuel Dalembert (12,200,000)
Kyle Korver (5,536,303)
Boris Diaw (9,000,000) plus player option for 2011/2012 (9,000,000)
Leandrinho Barbosa (7,100,000) plus player option for 2011/2012 (7,600,000)
Zach Randolph (17,333,333)
Tony Parker (13,500,000)
Andrea Bargnani (8,485,738)
Andrei Kirilenko (17,822,187)
Caron Butler (10,561,960)

PLayers who could opt out in 2010
Josh Howard (Team Option for 2010/2011)
Dirk Nowitzki (player option for 2010/2011, for $21,513,524)
Kobe Bryant, LAL (player option for 2009/2010, 2010/2011)
Amare Stoudemire (player option)
Chris Bosh (player option)
TJ Ford ($8,500,000 player option)

by andrewexd on Nov 26, 2008 9:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nothing appealing....

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 9:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

there are some guys that may be good

seeing as we have moved out of the 2010 race we could hope Dirk or Amare or Bosh don’t use their option then we could make a run at them. But I think we may be one of the few players in 2011 but we will see what happens.

by bestclipfan on Nov 26, 2008 10:41 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

maybe kaman can get dirk over here ha.

by andrewexd on Nov 26, 2008 10:56 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Dirk probably changed his mind after how Kaman played in the Olympics...

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 11:30 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's much too early to tell

who or what we’ll need in 2011, but hopefully we will just be adding a complimentary player to a strong contender.

by ClipCat on Nov 26, 2008 11:32 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

That would be the ideal situation

but who knows a lot can change in a couple of seasons just ask the Celtics.

by bestclipfan on Nov 26, 2008 12:39 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bill simmons article

ACD found this. Great stuff on the Dunce:

by FireDunleavy.com on Nov 26, 2008 12:51 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Link

by FireDunleavy.com on Nov 26, 2008 12:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That is a funny article and a good read.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 1:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Easy Money

There’s no getting around it, we have to be the easiest team to pick on, but Simmons definitely pulls out all the stops. OKC, Washington, etc. just aren’t as interesting. We’ve had some real drama.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 3:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

nice articile

basically sums up how are season has been so far

by bestclipfan on Nov 26, 2008 1:27 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

according to the LA times

Randolph is set to play 30 mins. this game after only a couple of practices. Although as CS stated there is not much for him to learn since his favorite play is “gimme the ball”.

by bestclipfan on Nov 26, 2008 1:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

So many turnovers...

DeAndre Jordan is on the court!

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 8:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

The Clips are alive.

Wow, down by one at halftime against a decent team…..things are improving. There’s been some good passing going on. Paul Davis once again with solid play and not making mistakes. Doesn’t look like Gordon will be coming off the bench anymore.

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 8:53 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Where's Dumbleavy?

Not that I’m complaining… this is the best the Clips have looked in a long time. Maybe an audition for Hughes as HC.

by blowbyability on Nov 26, 2008 8:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Attending Father in-Law's Funeral

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 9:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hughes

Seemed to make a lot of questionable calls early, especially when he left the big 3 out there too long, but he kept BD out there with 3 fouls early in the 2nd which turned out to be the key decision in getting us back in the game.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 9:11 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Thornton

Needs to stop shooting from outside, he couldn’t suck more from outside, and he couldn’t be any better driving to the basket. Can someone tell him this?

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 9:11 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Kaman?

Where’s Kaman?
Please not hurt!

by Citizen Roy G Biv on Nov 26, 2008 9:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Sore Foot

Out for the rest of the game…

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 9:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Denver is pulling away again

It’s amazing how a few key plays in a game decide the whole game. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bring in Jordan during a crucial part of the game and him Turnover the ball and miss a pass…..

Kaman is injured…sore foot…will not return. Cortisone shot.

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 9:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Despite what Milph say...

…the Clippers have got to have the worst conditioning team in the league.

by Citizen Roy G Biv on Nov 26, 2008 9:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

DeAndre is messing up....

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 9:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I heard someone yell...

“GET THE RE DJ!!!!”

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 9:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

14 points......great 3rd quarter!

by saxmanager on Nov 26, 2008 9:33 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

at least its only a single digit lead

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 9:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

sorry...16

I’m watching Courtside Live

by saxmanager on Nov 26, 2008 9:37 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Free Throw Differential

Denver: 31-37
LAC: 17-25

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 9:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

When your team is bad, you get all the bad officiating breaks.

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 9:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Zack makes a poor debut.....

…..that was a big help

by saxmanager on Nov 26, 2008 9:57 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

ANYBODY STILL THINK WE NEED JRICH?

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 9:58 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Or, I should say

anybody still think we need a shooting guard?

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 9:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe a Small Forward

If AT can’t figure out what he’s good at….

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No way, Gordon might be our best player

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 9:59 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Gordon IS our best player

The offense needs to run through Gordon…He needs to touch the ball on EVERY frigging possession…Right now our two rookies; Taylor and Gordon are the life of the team. They bought us back from 13 down tonight, TWICE, after Zach and Mardy put us down.

by MichaelCage on Nov 26, 2008 11:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I never did mikey

What we do need is for Thornton to step it up.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:00 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

AT has been disappointing

too inconsistent

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 10:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

can we makes ome free throws pleasee?

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:00 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

black hole Zbo

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

its been an exciting game....

got to make free throws

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 10:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Y-E-S

God, please let us finish this one…

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

ejjjjjjj

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:07 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

it HAS been fun...

no more Dunleavy!…ok im just getting carried away.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:07 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Hire Hughes full time?

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 10:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Gordo...what a good draft picl

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 10:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

what just happened?

WTF? Did we not have another timeout? another bad final possession…..

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 10:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I liked it that they ran without the timeout

BD just got stuck and had to pass it out. Camby should have passed to EJ, or down low to Z.

They did rush that part.

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 10:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

im gonna watch a replay.....

If I see Z open down low when cambby took that shot Im going to scream.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Another 1 pt loss

But they are getting closer, which is good news.

The team looked good on offense, bad on defense.

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 10:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

WTF

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

call a time out

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Camby shooting a 3? We were only down by 1

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

EJ had a Quad 4

24pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 4 stls, 2 blks, 4 3p fgs

Stud!

F-Elton!

by mikey p on Nov 26, 2008 10:17 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

he should have taken last shot.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Definitely

He earned the right to take the last shot. We’ve been horrible at the end with the ball in BD’s hands….it was time to change it up.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Lawler's Law

It’s over

by saxmanager on Nov 26, 2008 10:20 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

one way or another

they always manage to find a way

by saxmanager on Nov 26, 2008 10:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

At Least

You can say pretty unequivocally say it was our best loss of the year. I’d be surprised if we lost to Miami.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

how come

every time a good player comes to the Clippers, they start sucking?

by highriser on Nov 26, 2008 10:25 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Dude

It’s just one game. He had some brutal defensive sets, but at least I saw him get a steal and make that down court pass down to Gordon.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

thats what we said about Ricky Davis...

…we are still waiting for his “break out of slump” game.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Randolph

Was 20 times better than Davis(2) tonight.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

that's not saying much lol

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:32 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

True

I was just thinking that myself. But Randolph’s too proven a commodity, and at 27 he’s at his physical prime so that’s comforting as well.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

no I agree...I think he's proven

…we’re just tired of optimism around here.. remember RD has been very consistent in his career too…

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Randolph should get his act together

It’s one game….he had a few nice shots…other than that abysmal turnover in the 4th…it wasn’t that horrible a start. He should be set to go the next game.

Then again, “it’s the Clippers”…and Kamen seems to be getting banged up already.

I love LAC.

by oasisman on Nov 26, 2008 10:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Looks like Davis(2)'s been playing injured

Well, that explains a lot.

From Ramona’s blog:

http://www.insidesocal.com/clippers/

Ricky Davis has been a bit of a mystery this season, averaging career lows pretty much across the board and shooting a frigid 27 percent. Wednesday he provided a glimpse of what might be wrong.

Apparently the tendinitis in his left knee has been flaring up a lot this season, making it painful to jump, shoot and cut. He’s tried to play through it because the team needed him, and he knew he had an opportunity to play a lot in the early going. Unfortunately the pain, he said Wednesday, has gotten to be too much and he’s going to shut it down for a little while to try and get things back in order.

``It’s awful. We’re probably looking at about two weeks,‘’ Davis said, when asked how much time he’d miss. ``I haven’t really put a time on it yet. It was just a lot of pain going on.’

Why is he shutting it down now?

``I feel like I’m out there like 60 percent,‘’ he said. ``I’m kind of hurting the team more than anything. I decided to sit down and get it right. I thought I could play through it a little bit. I’d rather get it right.’’

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe he's trying to save his rep?

But I think this is good news if true. It means hopefully once he gets back at 90-100% we will have a good backup to EJ.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe more importantly

We’ll have a backup for Thornton. How can you not like getting Taylor out there w/ BD.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 10:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Taylor...

I almost forgot how great he was out there tonight. A real spark. I think he’s limited to 10-15 bursts though. He goes at it 100% and runs out of steam quick.

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Things looked great this game.

Gave me some hope, let’s see if this club can make its way back to .500. Am I being too optimistic again?

by Newtybar on Nov 26, 2008 10:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you mean

can we go .500 from here on out? Asking for 41 wins is definitely club optimism talk. But I would have probably been down to join if we could’ve won tonight.

Missed free throws really came back to bite us tonight, aside from D. But Carmelo was about as hot as anyone’s been against us all year.

by ghost_ride on Nov 26, 2008 11:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Realistically we probably can't get back to .500...

We will have to go 39-26 the rest of the way…which means we have to win 2 out of 3 from here on out. Can this team win 2 out of 3 starting Saturday against Miami, then on the road to Houston and Dallas?

It’s hard to imagine right now, unless Gordon really steps up and becomes the go-to-guy on this team and takes the Rookie of the Year award from Derrick Rose. If he can maintain his 25-30 points output the rest of the season, he has a shot at it.

Since we have a .15 record right now, we will have to play 4 times better the rest of the season to finish a bit below .500 mathematically, and that’s a huge improvement for any team. If we were the Spurs and we’re going to get Manu and Parker back, then it might be possible, but off the top of my head, I can’t think of any team in modern NBA history that made the playoffs after a 2-13 start.

For this reason most coaches gets fired after a .15 start (Carlesimo and Eddie Jordan)…as most NBA franchises figure that if your team is eliminated from the playoffs before Thanksgiving, it’s best to get a new coach in so that he will have the rest of the season to implement a new system and build for next year.

by MichaelCage on Nov 26, 2008 11:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs