Suns' Zoran Dragic playing without regrets posted by Sixers Fan

With the game already put away and the Pheonix Suns looking at a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, rookie Zoran Dragic came into the game amounting to a missed 3-pointer and a couple sprints up and back on the Staples Center floor last month.

That is all most people have seen of Suns rookie Zoran Dragic, who has spent nearly the entire season on the inactive list except for that two-minute cameo in mop-up duty against the Clippers.

It’s not necessarily surprising given that he is a rookie. In fact it was expected but perhaps not to Zoran, younger brother of Sun Goran Dragic, who played for ten years as a pro and starting for their national team on the way to the World Cup quarterfinals last summer.

Yet Zoran is keeping a positive attitude about the whole thing, or at least that’s what he’s telling himself and reporters. He says he has no regrets about negotiating a buyout from Spanish club Unicaja Malaga to come to the NBA, even if it means not seeing the floor and being relegated to developing through individual work and rare practices.

"I know it's my rookie year and that's how it is," Zoran said. "I must be patient and practice hard. When I get an opportunity, I need to show what I have.

"I am happy. Everybody basketball player's dream is to come to the NBA but my dream was to come here and stay in the NBA."

Zoran's first two weeks in the NBA were difficult. He came to the U.S. on the weekend before training camp and had to leave the country later to get a work visa. He was having difficulty adjusting to the culture and the league but living with his brother helped smooth the process.

Clippers continue to struggle on the road with loss to Atlanta posted by Clippers Fan

The Clippers lost their fifth straight road game Tuesday, falling 107-104 to the Atlanta Hawks.

“I was hoping I was going to get to tell you something different tonight…We should’ve won this game.” Chris Paul told reporters.

The should-haves are piling up for the Clippers with only 29 games into the season, each night, a different culprit seemingly getting in the way of a breakthrough.

In Denver on Friday, the Clippers should’ve won, it was a total lack of defensive consistency. Tuesday, it was a combination of too much fouling and the inevitable fatigue from a treacherous stretch of games.

“It’s always something,” Blake Griffin said. “It’s something small, something that we have to change, something that we have to do better that ends up kind of messing us up.”

When Atlanta shot its first free throws in the 3rd quarter, the Clippers led, 71-62. Over the next 4:50, the Hawks went to the line a whopping 16 times, during a 16-8 run that zapped the Clippers of all their energy.

With the needle hovering around E, the Clipper bench put together another bad stretch – a 9-0 run by the Hawks to start the fourth – and the starters never fully recovered.

Down the stretch there were chances, the Matt Barnes jump ball he couldn’t win, the J.J. Redick free throw that rimmed out, the game-tying Blake Griffin 3-point try that hit the backboard and rim.

Despite all their close calls Coach Doc Rivers said he’s actually encouraged. He believes his team is close to breaking through.

Jared Dudley goes 10-for-10 from field as Bucks rout Hawks posted by Hawks News

The Atlanta Hawks had won 14 of 15 but were routed in front of a rare sellout crowd at home to the Milwaukee Bucs, where they entered with a 13-2 record that was the best in the Eastern Conference.

Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Atlanta was coming off successive victories over Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Dallas and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The teams face off again Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Atlanta's 77 points were a season low, and the Hawks committed a season-high 23 turnovers that led to 30 Milwaukee points.

The Bucks led 58-42 at halftime, and the Hawks never came closer than 14 points in the second half. The game was never close as they trailed by as many as 32 in the fourth quarter.

"I think you've got to give Milwaukee a lot of credit tonight. They shot the ball really well, and did some different things," Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said after the Hawks shot just 40.8 percent and allowed the Bucks to shoot 50.6.

Milwaukee's bench continued its recent strong play in the second period, as Dudley, Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo and John Henson outscored Atlanta's subs 32-7 in the first half.

Other than Millsap, who made all eight of his shots in the first half to score 18, the rest of the Hawks shot 9-for-30 (30 percent).

Hawks: Atlanta's 77 points were a season low by 10. ... After scoring a career-high 25 points in the Hawks' win over the Clippers on Tuesday, forward DeMarre Carroll missed all six of his shots and went scoreless. ...

Los Angeles Clippers Preseason Report 2014 posted by Clippers Fan

Los Angeles Clippers were not considered the best league team, but they managed to come on top of the sub-contenders of Western Conference, with the exception of Spurs and Thunder. They showed good potential and were considered a contender when their defense started improving during the 2013-14 season. JJ Redick also got back in shape, which improved their chances considerably. However, during the playoffs, the incident with Sterling took its toll and the team faltered.

The Los Angeles Clippers had to usher in the offseason without knowing who was going to be the team owner, and whether drastic steps were required to remove Sterling. However, even with all the things that happened, the team developed a good chemistry, which was quite surprising. DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffing now seem more mature and even Chris Paul has learnt to trust these two players.

In the draft, Clippers managed to get C J Wilcox, who is a great shooter and quite versatile. Even though there are many good shooters in the team, it was good strategy to get new talent, as Jamal Crawford could be used in a good trade. Glen Davis was brought back even though he has opposed Doc Rivers, and struggled with his play. Spencer Hawes was another addition in the frontcourt, as he is expected to be a rebounder and spread the floor. However, DeAndre Jordan will still have to protect the rim. Darren Collison was traded for Jordan Farmar who is again a shooter and runs good offense.

Ridding the team of Sterling has been good for the Los Angeles Clippers and Chris Paul and Doc Rivers played a major role in his removal. The team is expected to do well and definitely reach playoffs. The chemistry of the team is good and hopefully will remain ideal up to the finals.

Tony Allen Receives Dubious Suspension posted by Brad Hurt

The NBA has announced that Tony Allen will be forced to sit out the Grizzlies' game at Golden State on Wednesday as he serves a one-game suspension for his actions on Monday. Allen was assessed a Flagrant 2 Foul and ejected from Monday night's 106-102 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers for kicking Chris Paul in the face.  The kick in my opinion was clearly inadvertent as Allen jumped and kicked his legs out in a defensive move against the driving Paul.  Such a move is a fairly common part of today's NBA game and is a natural reaction.  Players want to do all they can to impede the progress of the ballhandler and get the ball free.  I don't think Tony said, "Hmmm...I think I'll kick Chris Paul in the face."  Tony is one of the best defenders in the league and doesn't need to resort to cheap shots to get the job done.  It was just a case of bad timing and an unfortunate accident.  Paul is among the shortest players in the league.  That is the only reason the blow landed where it did and made this an issue.  I can see calling a Flagrant 1 because it's not an everyday occurrence, regardless of alleged intent, but a suspension seems a bit heavy-handed to me.  Save that for thrown punches.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flz-uF9ldls

NBA Anarchy posted by Charles Bisbee

The NBA is completely bonkers right now. With less than two weeks until season’s tip-off, players are being flipped faster than flapjacks at IHOP. Chris Paul has been perfecting his start-and-stop from the comfort of his living room. Dwight Howard can't seem to decipher his own feelings about the Magic. Lamar Odom, as collateral from the Paul fall-out, whined his way to the Mavs, who were spurned earlier in the week by Tyson Chandler (Knicks). Chauncey Billups took his frequent flier miles to the Clips (though he could be dealt again by the time I finish this sentence) and Big Baby was swapped for Brandon Bass.

Wait, there's more! The Celtics thought they had Baby's replacement in David West (Paul’s former right-hand man) but the Pacers swooped in and snagged him for a cool $20 mil. Consequently, the Hornets are trying to fill out a roster with Quincy Pondexter and a collection of ball boys. Vinsanity joined Odom in Dallas, which lost Caron Butler to the Clippers, which matched Golden State’s absurd, $43 million qualifying offer to DeAndre Jordan (he with the career 5.9 ppg). T-Mac, Rip Hamilton, Chris Wilcox, Mike Bibby and Dunleavy are on the move as well, though these names seem like afterthoughts compared to the seismic activity higher up. 

And all this happened in slightly over a week. It’s certainly enough to make the casual fan's head spin. The ramifications of this unforseen, pre-season turbulence on the regular season, though, is what really boggles the mind. With little time to mesh, little time to prepare, and a season packed tighter than Delta coach, teams should be in for a wild ride. We're staring down the barrel of the most slapdash, unforseen and chemistry-bungled season since, dare I say, 1998! Should be a wild ride. 

10 sports predictions for the weekend. Apirl 1 posted by john howard

Here are my 10 sports predictions for the weekend of April 2.  I'll try and keep track thoughout the year and reply with yours as well :)

1)  Michigan State will beat Butler.  Izzo and company has been here many times before.

2) Duke over West Virginia.  WVU is a great story, but so is Duke.

3) Charlotte over Milwaukee  friday

4) Boston over Houston Friday

5) Cleveland over Atlanta Friday

6) Atlanta over Detroit Sat

7) Portland over Sacramento Sat

8)  Denver over the Clippers Sat

9) Washington over New Jersey sun

10)OKC over Minn Sun

Portland makes the first move. Clippers--what are you thinking??? posted by john howard

In the first big move of the tradeseason, Portland acquired Marcus Camby from the Los Angelos Clippers for Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw.  This was a great move for the Trailblazers.  They have had a huge hole vacated by injuries to Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden.  Juwon Howard has filled in very well and Camby gives them the second best rebounder in the game inside.  Losing Blake will hurt some, but not as much as they gain from Camby.  Andre Miller has played very well at point guard and youngser Bayliss has shown he can be an effective backup.  They won't miss Outlaw.  He has been out since November with a broken foot and is to return soon.  Portland holds the 8th sot in the playoffs.  Camby is in his last year of his contract and will likely leave after this season since Oden and Pryzbilla will be back.

What boggles the mind is why the Clippers did it.  They are going to play 1.5 mil of the 2 mil in incentives Camby is due to make.  So, they save themselves hal fa mil, but that doesn't make since.  They don't gain anything in Blake or Outlaw. They really aren't in position to make a playoff run and all players involved are free agents after the season.  So, they give of the 2nd best rebounder in the NBA for nothing.  It wasn't even a salary loading deal. Camby was leaving anyway.  There were no future pieces acquired. This is why the Clippers watch the playoffs every year instead of being watched.  I wonder which rookie they will draft that is going to get injured this year????

Portland A+   Clippers F

Welcome! The Lakers pinky problem, awesome rookies and other thoughts around the league posted by Zach Beckmann

Welcome!  This is my inaugural post on NBABasketballonline.  I will not spend too much time initially on who I am, but will get into my thoughts and love for the NBA.  In due course you should develop a clear indication of who I am and where I am coming from. 

To make things clear right away though I am a Lakers fan.  But beyond the Lakers I am a fan of the league.  There exists no other medium where you can watch the most naturally gifted athletes battle night in and night out (well in the playoffs at least).  The majority of my time is spent rooting for the Lake Show, but by no means does that mean I do not appreciate or any less fascinated with the supreme prowess of Tim Duncan or the fierce competitiveness of KG or the ridiculous all around offensive talents of Melo.  I could comprise my entire initial blog with these adjective laden statements respecting the talents the NBA’s elite, but for our reading pleasure I will delve into more significant opinions I deem worth sharing with others. 

As far as the Lakers are concerned they are the best team in the league.  The Celtics are close, but I can’t still see a healthy Celtics beating a healthy Lakers team in a 7 game series.  The combination of the miles on the C’s legs (even though KG has surpassed all expectations from me at least this year) are just too much to hold up through June, Sheed’s refusal to do anything but throw up bricks from the outside, and the fact that I honestly can not see Paul Pierce dominating Kobe again like he did two years ago leads me to believe the Lakers win that series in five (Game 1 in Boston and games 3,4,5 in LA for those of you keeping score).

posted by Andy Charles

Allen Iverson’s sometime glittering career in the NBA could just be over after he left the Memphis Grizzlies early into his tenure with the franchise.

Although Iverson was given permission ‘to leave to attend to personal business’ late last week, his time in Memphis had already started to become a sideshow with more talk about him being asked to come off the bench than anything else.

Iverson had only played three times for the Grizzlies before leaving ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Los Angeles Clippers, and had not played badly in averaging 12.3 points and 3.7 assists despite his displeasure at not being in the starting line-up as Memphis preferred to start Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo in the backcourt.

The 34-year-old also complained at a lack of communication with coach Lionel Hollins, as he revealed: “It’s probably going to always be hard for me and him to see eye-to-eye, because we’ve never even talked to each other. Obviously that’s what you do if you’re trying to accomplish the same goal.”

Hollins was non-committal about Iverson returning to the team, issuing a ‘no comment’ and admitting he had no idea if he would be back in the short or even the long-term.

Memphis had been anticipated as one of the league’s improvers this season but have started the campaign just as in most recent years with their 1-6 record the joint worst in the Western Conference and better than only the injury-hit New Jersey Nets overall.

But it is Iverson’s future dominating the sports pages, with retirement the latest word to rear its ugly head despite comments from owner Michael Heisley that Iverson had not intimated to him that he was thinking about calling it a day.

USA romp past China in Rio basketball warm-up (AFP)

The game at Staples Center, home of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, was a preview of the teams' scheduled August 6 clash in Rio de Janeiro, in the first-round opener for each. Kevin Durant, the erstwhile Oklahoma City Thunder star who rocked the NBA with his recent decision to depart for rivals Golden State via free agency, came off the bench to lead the USA with 19 points. "We should have won, but the way we won was excellent," said US coach Mike Krzyzewski. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

AP source: Pelicans, 2nd-rounder Diallo agree on 3-year deal (Yahoo Sports)

A person familiar with negotiations says the New Orleans Pelicans and second-round draft choice Cheick Diallo have agreed to a three-year contract at the NBA minimum, with a team option in the third season. If Diallo plays through the end of the contract, it could be worth about $2.5 million. The Pelicans traded up in the second round of last month's draft, sending the 39th and 40th overall picks to the Los Angeles Clippers, to select the 6-foot-9 Diallo out of Kansas at 33rd overall. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

LA Clippers waive F Branden Dawson (The Associated Press)

The Los Angeles Clippers have waived forward Branden Dawson, who played sparingly for them as a rookie last season. The team announced Sunday they were cutting ties with the former Michigan State standout, who became expendable after its reported acquisition of veteran power forward Brandon Bass, which the team has yet to officially announce. Dawson appeared in six games with the Clippers, averaging 0.8 points and 0.7 rebounds in 4.8 minutes. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

LA Clippers waive F Branden Dawson (Yahoo Sports)

The Los Angeles Clippers have waived forward Branden Dawson, who played sparingly for them as a rookie last season. The team announced Sunday they were cutting ties with the former Michigan State standout, who became expendable after its reported acquisition of veteran power forward Brandon Bass, which the team has yet to officially announce. Dawson appeared in six games with the Clippers, averaging 0.8 points and 0.7 rebounds in 4.8 minutes. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Magic acquire guard C.J. Wilcox in trade with Clippers (Yahoo Sports)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Orlando Magic have acquired third-year guard C.J. Wilcox and cash from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Devyn Marble and a future second round draft pick. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports