This is the third time I've been to the Clippers training facility as a member of the media. This one is a little more 'official' feeling - they even set up the podium style press conference with microphones and everything.
Among the media members in the house are Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld, Ben Maller of FoxSports, Mark Heisler of the LA Times, Ramona Shelburne of the Daily News, Jim Alexander of the Riverside Press Enterprise, Jim Hill of Channel 2, and lots of other people I should probably recognize.
Of couse, there wasn't really anything for the Clippers to talk about, since the pick was pretty much old news. So Shelburne and Pincus and Heisler asked the same questions that we've been asking for several weeks, and MDsr gave the same answers he's been giving the whole time.
Clippers.com will probably have all the quotes from the presser soon, but I'll bother to type one with my own ten fingers here.
On the pressure facing Griffin being the first overall pick.
MDsr: "We have already had the opportunity to have many discussions before the draft. He has a great head on his shoulders and a great attitude. Blake is a guy who has a great mindset and just by listening to him you can tell that he is very articulate."
You know what? I'm not sure if it matters, but I kind of suspect it does. And compare his post selection interview to anyone else in this draft - my mom was an elementary school teacher, so I have a natural pre-disposition against home-schooling, but Blake's mom did a fine job.
Fun tidbits...
- Shook hands with Donald and Shelly Sterling.
- Introduced myself to Ralph Lawler, and he was very gracious as you might expect.
- The talk around the press area is about all the guys who've been laid off recently. Art Thompson was let go from the OC Register a while ago. Dave McMenamin just got whacked at NBA.com. It's a great business I'm trying to break into.
- The spread, according to Eric Pincus, not so great this year. Wings and potato salad. I ate it.
- The best touch is the custom M&Ms - red, white and blue with Clippers logos. Nice.
I'll be heading home soon, and will write a recap when all is said and done. I still won't be surprised if the Clippers make a move in the second round, but they'll pretty much have to do it without me.