Note - I'm not sure if this should have been a fanpost or a fanshot, but it's simply too good to ignore (and I'm completely sick of all the noise about the artist formerly known as Clipper Darryl so I decided to put it on the front page. Nice work by C. lovinglosangeles. You'll find the original transcript and links to the podcast on Grantland here... J.Raffo 12:14p - 3/1/12

In case you missed it, President Barack Obama sat down with Bill Simmons to discuss issues related to sports. It appears that the President has been watching the Clippers.

He thinks Blake Griffin could become the best power forward of all time. Obama talked about a phone call he had with Clippers guard Chris Paul shortly after a fundraiser, and the conversation quickly turned to Griffin.

And I said, man, Blake Griffin is unbelievable, and you guys seem to be really clicking. I said, the only thing is you got to tell Blake to just take that 12-, 15-footer when he gets it because he's got a good stroke, but he always looks like he's hesitating a little bit because he wants to go inside. And if he starts getting that shot like Karl Malone, he'll be unstoppable.

According to Obama, if Griffin developed that mid-range game, he could be the "best power forward ever." Also: it's pretty cool to just be able to pick up the phone, call Chris Paul, and give your input on the NBA team he plays for. The perks of being a sports fan POTUS, I guess.

By the way, the President also had this to say about Chris Paul:

Not that the First Fan hasn't had a few brag-worthy moments of his own on the playing field. During the interview, Obama boasted about swishing a three-point shot in front of 3,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, besting women's basketball player Maya Moore (who was wearing a skirt and high heels) in HORSE at the White House, and fooling all-star NBA guard Chris Paul on a crossover dribble during a pickup game.

"He claims that he could have stolen the ball," Obama said. "Everybody who was there knows that that's not true. The second time, he might have stolen the ball. The first time he didn't know I had that move on me."

"So you surprised him with it?" Simmons replied.

"I did, yes," Obama said. "My crossover is solid."