Blake Griffin Snubs Dunk Contest: Top 5 Replacements for Lob City Star
Whether Blake Griffin is out of ideas or just wants to lay low, the reigning champion doesn’t plan on defending his Slam Dunk contest title this year.
The Los Angeles Clippers star was quoted by ESPN Los Angeles saying:
As of right now I don’t plan on being in it. Those dunk contests aren’t my thing, I said that last year. There’s a lot of guys that can put on a great show and do some good stuff.
Griffin treats every game like a dunk contest so how it’s not “his thing” is anyone’s guess.
In any event, it seems unlikely that he’ll be jumping over any cars this year and somebody will have to take his place.Ironically, the best place to start looking is in his own frontcourt…
DeAndre Jordan, Clippers
The big man from Lob City is one that many people are excited about seeing throw down in the competition.
The best part is that he’s interested as long as his teammate isn’t. ESPN LA writes:
If he was asked to participate in the slam dunk contest, Jordan said he would do it on one condition. “If I didn’t have to go against Blake.”
Now all we’re waiting on is the NBA to make the call.
Paul George, Pacers
The second-year swingman actually wants to participate in the dunk contest.
George is putting together a solid sophomore campaign and starting to truly blossom for a good Pacers team.
We also know he can throw it down.George is an ideal candidate to grab now before he becomes disenchanted with the idea of hustling during the All-Star break as a potential All-Star.
LeBron James, Heat
The self-proclaimed King is on the fence about finally throwing down in a dunk contest…again. The Palm Beach Post quotes him saying:
I don’t know, I’ll be on the fence every year about it. It’s always a fence year for me. I know they’re getting tired of me, though, so I’m not even going to start up nothing.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst then quoted him saying, “If I decided to do it then I would have to win. Otherwise it would be a waste of my Saturday night.”
Maybe James will show up and try to win something for once.
John Wall, Wizards
The young point guard isn’t noted for being the most ferocious dunker, but he can jump with the best of ‘em.
Wall has already done some serious damage this year posterizing big men with every opportunity.
He’s only in his second year and will certainly attract attention to the competition.Hey, the Wizards have only won four games so far this year, it would be nice for him to win something.
Iman Shumpert, Knicks
The rookie guard is not a big name, but he can jump out of the gym and bring some pain to the rim.
There are plenty of people who love and hate the Knicks, so Shumpert would bring some appeal regardless.
This wouldn’t be a bad way for the Knicks to get their first-round pick some publicity.
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Blake Griffin Video: Watch Kendrick Perkins Get Mosgov’d in Lob City
Remember that time Blake Griffin threw down a thunderous dunk on Timofey Mozgov?
Well, he did it again, this time to Kendrick Perkins.
If you happened to miss it, you’re in luck. We have the video, and we’re willing to share. Direct your eyes to the box above this text and click play.
As you will see, Griffin took a bounce pass from Chris Paul just outside the paint and took to the air right right away. Perkins tried to get in the way, even going so far as to put his hand directly in Griffin’s face, but Griffin slammed it down anyway.
And one. There was much rejoicing in the Staples Center.
Even LeBron James approved. He tweeted this immediately after he saw it:
Dunk of the Year!! @blakegriffin just dunked on Kendrick Perkins so hard!! Wow!! I guess I’m #2 now. Move over #6
Humility from the King? That’s how we know Griffin’s dunk was awesome.
I’ll give Perkins credit for trying. Most other guys simply would have gotten out of the way, but Perkins isn’t like that. He’s typically not one to get dunked on, and he very nearly stopped Griffin from dunking this time.
Alas, Perkins just didn’t have enough girth. He never should have lost all that weight. The fat Perkins would have stopped Griffin cold.
Now, just like with the Mozgov dunk, Griffin’s fingers never actually made contact with the rim. We can therefore debate whether or not we should even call this a “dunk.” There are rules, you know?
A fair point. But since Griffin is the only guy who can throw down “dunks” like this, maybe it’s time to consider naming them after him.
Griffins? Blakes? Kia Optimas?
If you’ve got a suggestion, by all means share it in the comments section.
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Clippers vs Lakers: Loss to Lakers Proves Lob City Isn’t Elite Just Yet
The Los Angeles Clippers had a chance to beat the Los Angeles Lakers for a second time this season and put everyone on notice that they were the new kings of Los Angeles.
They had a chance to remind everyone that they’re an elite—and darn exciting—team.
Instead, they lost 96-91 and proved they aren’t there just yet.
And frankly, they lost to a boring Lakers team. The Lakers haven’t reached 100 points in 12 straight games now. They lack a threat at the point guard position or beyond the arc. The MVP of the game was probably Metta World Peace, a sentence that really should never be written.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have sizzle. They have budding superstar Blake Griffin, established superstar Chris Paul, the exciting DeAndre Jordan and veterans like Caron Butler, Mo Williams and Chauncey Billups that make them a well-rounded squad.
People want to watch the Clippers. They’re fun. They have the opportunity to be fun in the way the Phoenix Suns used to be fun, but with the potential to do something that Suns team never did:
Win a championship.
It’s probably too early to expect the Clippers to be an elite team. Their roster is drastically different from last year, had a short training camp to come together and is being put through an expedited regular season. So this isn’t an indictment on the Clippers for not being elite just yet—these things take time.
But the Lob City honeymoon should be over now. For all of the fun dunks and crazy Chris Paul passes, this needs to be a team that realizes it isn’t elite but needs to reach that point by the playoffs. At least outside of Oklahoma City, the Western Conference is wide open this year.
It isn’t a stretch to say the Clippers could be a championship team this year.
It’s time to start proving they’re on that path.
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Billups brings his clutch threes to Lob City
LOS ANGELES They call Chauncey Billups “Mr. Big Shot” because of his penchant for hitting clutch baskets and making huge plays at crucial times.
Mr. Big Shot added to his legend Wednesday night, drilling a 22 footer with one second left to give the Clippers a 91-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks. L.A. has now won 7 of 8 at home this season and snapped a ten game losing streak against the defending world champions. The Clippers are 8-4 after winning 2 of 3 in their first back to back to back games in the shortened season, playing without injured point guard Chris Paul (hamstring, day-to-day). Dallas dropped to 8-7–2-5 on the road–and will likely be haunted by visions of STAPLES Center and last-second shots for a very long time.
Monday it was Derek Fisher hitting a three-pointer with three seconds left to lift the Lakers to a 73-70 win over the Mavericks. The shot Billups hit Wednesday night was in virtually the same spot as Fisher’s game winner, but with even less time for Dallas to try a game-winner.
The win was especially gratifying for the Clippers, who, after a great win over New Jersey on Monday afternoon. showed up in Utah Tuesday and got pasted by the Jazz, 108-79. Coach Vinny Del Negro was livid after the game, saying that his team basically embarrassed itself with a lack of effort, which Billups said was an eye-opener for the them.
“That’s what I’m most proud of,” said the Clipper guard, who finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and three assists. “It was bad for our team to go on the road and lose a game like that, then come back (home), playing our third game in three days and you’re going against the defending world champs. For us to scratch and claw and come away with a win is a great accomplishment.”
Joining Billups in leading the Clips to victory was forward Blake Griffin with 14 points and 17 rebounds and center DeAndre Jordan who compiled a season-high 19 points, with 9 rebounds and 5 blocks. The biggest difference-maker throughout, though, was guard Mo Williams, who returned after sitting out three games with a bruised foot. He went 11-15 off the bench, scoring 26 points and handing out 4 assists in 35 minutes. He also added a pair of steals. Dirk Nowitzki and Delonte West led led the losers with 17 each.
“I’ve been very frustrated,” said Williams, “because I thought I’d be back maybe Monday, then Tuesday. But the doctors shut me down.
“Tonight I knew my team needed me to give them a lift with (Chris Paul) still out, and I’m also very proud of my teammates all the way around. We came together despite the circumstances and got the job done. We never quit.”
Neither did the champs, who looked hopelessly beaten, down by five with just 41 seconds remaining and Billups with the ball. However, Mr. Big Shot made a big mistake, a bad pass that was stolen by Shawn Marion. The ball ended up in the hands of the cold-blooded Jason Terry, who calmly made a 28-foot three-pointer to make the score 88-86. After a Billups miss with 20 seconds remaining, the ball eventually got back to the clutch Terry, who once again hit the trey–with five seconds left–to give Dallas a one-point lead. But there was just enough time for Billups to inbound the ball to Griffin, get it back and hit the game-winner.
“Me getting the ball back to (Chauncey) was one of the options when the play was drawn up,” said Griffin, who collected the 59th double-double of his career. “I could have kept it, but Jason Kidd was trailing a little on the play, so I got it to Chauncey and he did what he does.”
Griffin also lavished praise on Williams.
“Mo is a great player, and we really needed him to come back and give us instant offense. He came (off the bench) and did that in a big, big way.
“(Williams and Chauncey) made all the plays we needed them to make. And when we needed them the most.”
Billups has been the hero time and again since leading the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 NBA Championship, so game winning shots are taken in stride–most of the time. This one was bigger than many, though, because of the effect he expects the win to have on the Clipper team.
“We need to win games like this,” Billups proclaimed, “because we’re just starting to come together, learn each other’s games. For us to get to our ultimate goal, we have to win the close games and have to beat the good teams, especially the defending champs.
“If we continue to do that–and I believe we will–then you’ll see a lot of progress and by the time the playoffs come around, we’ll be ready.”
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NBA Trade Rumors: Best-Case Scenario for Dwight Howard Is Landing with Lob City
The man who seemingly controls the entire 2012 offseason has seen fit to deem one more team worthy of his presence next season.
According to Chris Sheridan, Dwight Howard has added the Los Angeles Clippers to his wish list.
SheridanHoops.com learned exclusively Monday that Howard recently expanded his list of preferred future destinations, adding the Clippers to a list that already included the Nets, the Mavericks and the Lakers.
“He’s been watching them a lot. He’s intrigued by the Clippers,” said the source, who is privy to the trade talks that have taken place between all of the aforementioned teams.
Sheridan’s source also noted that the most likely way Howard would end up with the Clippers would be in a sign-and-trade deal this offseason.
Of all of the possible scenarios for Howard, this is the most attractive. It would all but assure that Chris Paul would sign a contract extension with the Clippers, and the trio of Howard, Paul and Blake Griffin would be ridiculous.
Sure, Howard could pair up on the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant, on the Brooklyn Nets with Deron Williams or even possibly on the Dallas Mavericks with Williams and Dirk Nowitzki.
But none of those options is more attractive than the potential Lob City trio of him, Paul and Griffin.
And there is a deal out there that works both money-wise and makes sense for the Magic—the Clippers send DeAndre Jordan, Eric Bledsoe, Mo Williams and a first-round pick (or a package of picks) to Orlando for Howard.
Check out the deal for both Los Angeles and Orlando—it works. Orlando gets back solid young players in Jordan and Bledsoe, an expiring Mo Williams contract after the 2012-13 season and can compete for an NBA title this season without losing Howard for nothing.
Howard, in turn, would get the big market he apparently craves.
But if this ended up being a sign-and-trade this offseason, he would be losing quite a bit of money. Here’s why, from Chris Sheridan, who lays out Howard’s financial scenarios:
-Plays the entire season in Orlando, opts out and ends up elsewhere (either by signing as a free agent or through a sign-and-trade): $80.5 million for 4 years.
-Gets traded in February, opts out, then re-signs with the team that acquired him: $110.8 million for 5 years.
That’s the one rub in this situation for Howard—the deal is most ideal if it happens mid-season, which the Magic might not oblige.
But by not trading him this year, the team will essentially be costing him money and would be risking Howard returning the favor by opting out of his contract and not agreeing to a sign-and-trade, thus leaving the Magic empty-handed.
From a basketball standpoint, it doesn’t get better than this for Howard. From a financial standpoint, it’s the perfect move if it happens during the season.
The plot thickens.
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“Lob City” Clippers Won’t Live Up to Lofty Expectations
Last year’s most talked-about team, the Miami Heat, was met with much scrutiny and hate. This year’s team, however, has been met with excitement and new fans nationwide.
That team, believe it or not, is the Los Angeles Clippers. Once Chris Paul came to town, the Clippers instantly became better. In Paul they get an All-Star and arguably the best point guard in the NBA.
Many experts claimed the Clippers would win the Western Conference. One of those experts even went as far to say that they would make the NBA Finals. The overreaction by these so-called experts and fans alike is unbelievable.
The Clippers are undoubtedly better, but they are not what many people expect them to be. It’s their first year playing together, so they lack experience. That’s the least of their issues, though.
First of all, their bench is unreliable and lacks depth up front. It consists of the likes of Randy Foye, Mo Williams, Ryan Gomes, Brian Cook, Trey Thompkins and Reggie Evans. Does anyone legitimately believe these players can produce and be effective come playoff time?
Mo Williams might be the exception. Williams averaged 15.2 points last season as a Clipper and is the only player currently coming off the bench that’s averaging double digits in points this season.
A team needs role players to come in and contribute come playoff time. Think back to last year’s NBA Finals: You will remember Jason Terry coming off the bench and making clutch shots for the Dallas Mavericks, but you won’t remember anyone doing that for the Heat. For instance, Terry came off the bench and scored 27 points in the decisive game six of the finals. Dallas’s bench outscored the Heat’s bench in all but two games.
Star players matter. Paul will produce. Blake Griffin will produce. But role players make the difference in the playoffs, especially deep in the playoffs.
The questions with the Clippers this year are whether they can play championship-caliber defense and whether they have the bench to make a deep playoff run. A simple ‘no’ is the answer to both of these questions.
Trading for Paul was, without question, a step in the right direction for an organization that has always been in the shadow of the Los Angeles Lakers. Having Paul there means their other star, Griffin, will stay and the Clippers will be a desired destination for free agents. The future is bright but it’s a work in progress.
The Lakers are still the better team in Los Angeles. However, Kobe Bryant is in the latter part of his career, which means the Lakers are going to have to start rebuilding soon.
It’s the perfect opportunity for the Clippers to rise as a contender in the Western Conference and take control of the Pacific Division, which has been in the Lakers’ control for most of the past decade. “Lob City” will be exciting and fun to watch, much like Mike D’Antoni’s “seven seconds or less” Suns teams, but exciting and fun does not translate into winning championships.
As alluded to above, the Clippers do not have the necessary defense to contend. They are currently ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency. The top five teams in defensive efficiency this season—the Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers—have a combined record of 44-16.
One could argue against this and say that the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team with the best record in the Western Conference to this point, is ranked 24th and still winning games, but their porous defense will hurt them eventually. It’s not a secret that defense leads to wins. And all sports fans know the saying of ‘defense wins championships.’
Aside from bench play and defense, another glaring issue for the Clippers is their coaching situation. Vinny Del Negro has never coached a team to a record better than .500. The Clippers, if they maintain their starters healthy, will win more than half of their games, but their poor coaching situation will hurt them in the playoffs. You need good players, but you also need a good coach.
Look at the coaches of recent championship winning teams. These coaches include Rick Carlisle, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers and Gregg Popovich. Vinny Del Negro cannot be put in the same category as any of them.
Paul, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are nice pieces and a solid core group. Unfortunately, to be able to contend for a championship, that’s not enough. Many people thought that Paul alone would make the Clippers instant contenders. Those people did not look at the bigger picture, at the bigger issues. There’s more to basketball than just star players.
Star play. Bench. Coaching. Defense. All of this comes together for only one team every year. Last year it came together for the Mavericks.
It’s not going to come together for the Clippers.
Not this year.
Not any time soon.
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Lakers vs Clippers: Blake Griffin Must Find Consistency for Lob City to Succeed
Before Lob City can go from a preseason gimmick to a postseason contender, Blake Griffin must produce on both ends for four quarters. That is also the case for their hopes of dethroning the Lakers as the featured attraction in Los Angeles.
The Lakers have history and an unquestioned star in Kobe Bryant, who is playing out of his mind right now.
The Clippers have been inconsistent this season, which is to be expected with so many new key additions and no real training camp. Still, Griffin’s scoring late, and his defense throughout needs to improve for the Clippers to take the next step.
Can the Clippers become the team in L.A. or even beat the Lakers head-to-head without a strong performance from Griffin? I don’t see how it’s possible.
Griffin has only attempted 13 shots with under four minutes remaining in the game. He has made only two of them, and 15 percent shooting from your leading scorer in crunch time is rarely a recipe for success.
You can bet Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will be converging on Griffin with their size and athleticism to limit his impact.
On defense, Griffin is not yet a factor, despite his tremendous athleticism. He doesn’t take many charges, nor does he block shots. Through eight games, he has blocked only four shots this season.
Who does Griffin guard against the Lakers. Will he play physical against Gasol? Could he hold Bynum enough to protect DeAndre Jordan from foul trouble?
Griffin will probably never be a top-notch defender, but improvement would rescue Jordan from the secluded island of interior defense he’s stranded on nightly.
The fact that he is the only true center on the roster, and that he gets virtually no help inside, contributes to his foul trouble, as much as his lack of discipline does.
When Jordan is out, the Clippers’ suffer defensively. Jordan is the league’s leading shot blocker; his presence is vital to the Clippers defense, and he often ignites the transition play that the Clippers thrive in.
Griffin could help shoulder some of that load on defense.
Griffin’s game is aggressive and effective, but it’s limited and a bit impractical in late-game scenarios. Defenses are guarding against the lob plays late, and his bullish drives are thwarted by swarming double teams.
If Griffin can work to make defenders respect his jump shot, it will do wonders for his game. It will make him nearly unguardable in isolation while adding a new element to the pick-and-roll/pop plays with Chris Paul.
Lob City is indeed exciting, but Griffin’s growth and maturity are the keys to beating the Lakers and reaching the pinnacle of the sport.
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Thunderstruck: 6 Reasons Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City Are Ready to Take over
The song “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC is an unbelievable heavy metal hit that brings high energy and has a tendency to pump up even a 77-year-old grandmother.
The Oklahoma City Thunder brand of basketball is similar. They’ve been highly explosive for three seasons now and are ready to challenge the Miami Heat for the NBA crown this summer.
After a devastating loss in the Western Conference Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder now have higher expectations. They are experienced, talented and ready to meet those lofty expectations set up not only by themselves, but by the media and the city.
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Oklahoma City Thunder’s Eric Maynor Season Ends with Torn ACL
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost backup point guard Eric Maynor to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. OKC’s general manager Sam Presti said that the injury occurred in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s 98-95 victory against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Maynor has been with the Thunder since 2009 when he first entered the league, though he did have a brief stint with Utah Jazz during his rookie season.
Maynor’s injury leaves the Thunder with Royal Ivey as the new backup behind All-Star Russell Westbrook. Ivey has averaged 3.5 points and 1.1 assists per game during his seven years in the NBA. He has played with the Atlanta Hawks (2004-07), Milwaukee Bucks (2007-08, 2009-10) Philadelphia 76ers (2008-09, 2009-10), and now Oklahoma City.
Rookie Reggie Jackson, out of Boston College, is the current third-string point guard behind Ivey and is currently averaging only 4.7 minutes per game.
Russell Westbrook has been averaging over 33.8 minutes per game this season and has been carrying the load at the point, but this injury leaves the Thunder with limited options in the back court. Whether or not the team will make any moves to acquire another asset at the 1-position has yet to be determined.
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Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder Are Being Crowned Too Quickly
Of all the hoopla that surrounded the start of the NBA season on Christmas Day, perhaps the most interesting was the arrival of a possible new favorite in the Western Conference this season: the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Due to Kevin Durant and the Thunder’s run to the conference finals last year, many pundits claimed the team as favorites to reach the NBA Finals and Durant as a possible MVP.
However, what is being ignored is the fact that championships are won on the defensive end of the floor.
Whether it’s the Mavericks, Lakers (pre- and post-Shaq) or the Celtics, the cliche that defense wins championships has held true to form.
Early in the season, the Thunder are off to a hot start with a 6-2 record, but I don’t think anyone would have doubted their ability to put up a high win total given their roster full of offensive weapons.
The Thunder are the fifth highest scoring team in the NBA, but defensively, the team falls flat.
Through eight games, the Thunder give up the seventh most points and are ninth worst in defensive efficiency rating (points allowed per 100 possessions).
They are ahead of only six teams in defensive rebounding percentage (percentage of secured defensive rebounds available).
The only major defensive category they are not in the bottom third of the league in is opponent field goal percentage, but given the amount of points they give up, this statistic can be attributed to the rapid pace of any game the Thunder play in. (The Thunder are 14th in offensive pace this season.)
These type of defensive numbers cannot be something that Kevin Durant, widely considered a top five NBA player, is proud of as the leader of a franchise with high expectations.
It is never fair to rely totally on stats when judging a team’s capabilities, which is why we have to look at the Thunder’s performance game by game, but more specifically, how well Kevin Durant defends his position.
The Thunder rely heavily on their ability to control the pace of the game, and when playing against a team who has playmakers that can inhibit that ability, the team struggles.
Their losses against the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers were due to giving up over 100 points and the fact that both teams didn’t allow for a run-and-gun style of play the Thunder thrive at.
Kevin Durant is a tall, lank, athletic player…he can be a shot-blocking force.
His weakness is his slight frame…evidenced by by the fact that he only averages 5.6 defensive rebounds per game, even though he is much bigger at 6’10″ than most of the guys he matches up with.
The Thunder may continue on their pace in the regular season and end up advancing to the NBA Finals.
However, I do believe it is too early to consider them the favorites to win the West.
In a grind-it-out seven game series, such as the one they had versus Dallas in the conference finals, defensive stops win games.
If they don’t start now with an extreme focus on the defensive end like the ’08 Celtics, this talented roaster could end up being very similar to the Mike D’Antoni-coached Phoenix Suns of years past.
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