Clippers Chauncey Billups is out for the season
February 8th, 2012
Chauncey Billups Los Angeles Clippers
An MRI exam Tuesday revealed that Clippers guard Chauncey Billups has a torn left Achilles’ tendon. Billups, who was injured in Monday’s overtime victory over the Magic in Orlando, Fla., will be out at least eight months, ending his season.
Billups, 35, was a key figure in the Clippers’ rise to second place in the NBA’s Western Conference this season. He teamed with point guard Chris Paul to form an extremely talented backcourt for the Clippers, who are enjoying one of their most successful starts in franchise history.
Billups fell to the court midway through the fourth quarter of Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic and had to be helped from the arena. He was unable to put weight on his left leg.
Clippers Tickets can be purchased for all road games as well as home games. Thunder Vs Clippers Tickets at the Chesapeak Energy Arena March 21st, and April 11th are onsale now.
Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder At L.A. Clippers
January 30th, 2012
THE STORY: After pulling out a gutsy 109-105 road victory at Denver on Sunday, the Los Angeles Clippers don’t have much time to celebrate as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Oklahoma City not only sports the best record in the NBA (16-3) but also has the best road record (8-2). Chauncey Billups lit up his former Nuggets team with a season-high 32 points, including 18 on 3-pointers. Chris Paul scored 25. Thunder coach Scott Brooks, a former point guard, is awed by Paul and cringes at the thought of defending him and Blake Griffin. “The guy is one of the best,” Brooks said. “He’s clever. He’s tough. He’s a coach on the floor. He will make Blake better because he finds him in the right spots.” Kevin Durant scored a season-high 37 in Oklahoma City’s 120-109 road victory against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, helping the Thunder win its fourth in a row and nine of its last 10.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (16-3): Guard James Harden is one of the early favorites for NBA Sixth Man of the Year and is producing the best statistics of his career. He leads all reserves with a 16.8 scoring average. He has started only one of 19 games this season and scored in double figures 18 times. He has also scored 20 or more points in six games and is averaging 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 29 minutes. In his last five games, Harden is shooting 58.1 percent from the field.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (11-6): Billups can only hope his return to his current home is as productive as his return to Denver, his hometown. In his first game back since a trade that sent him and Carmelo Anthony to New York last February, Billups received a standing ovation and several highlights of his Nuggets days were shown on video scoreboards. Backup guard Eric Bledsoe was called up from Bakersfield of the Development League but did not play against Denver.
Thunder Vs Clippers Tickets are still available for their showdown at the Los Angeles STAPLES Center tonight.
Preview: L.A. Clippers At Nuggets 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 29, 2012
January 29th, 2012
THE STORY: Chauncey Billups will be making his first visit to Denver since being traded by the team to New York along with Carmelo Anthony last Feb. 22. This will be more than a simple return to a former team for Billups and his Los Angeles Clippers when they visit the Mile High City for Sunday night’s game against a Nuggets team riding a six-game winning streak. Billups grew up in Denver, played at Colorado and plans to retire to Denver when his career is over. “That’s my hometown,” Billups told the Los Angeles Times. “I am Denver. That’ll never change … I love the town.” The Nuggets, who lead the NBA in scoring (105.8 points), have won nine in a row at home against the Clippers. Los Angeles has lost four in a row on the road, and is coming off a 98-91 victory over Memphis in which it almost blew a 16-point lead. “Sooner or later we’re going to learn, because these little opportunities can slip away from you,” said Chris Paul.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (10-6): Mo Williams is proving to be one of the best sixth men in the NBA this season. Williams is averaging 22.2 points in the last five games. Williams has been the speculation of possible trade rumors, possibly going to the Staples Center neighbor Lakers to team with Kobe Bryant. Guard Eric Bledsoe (knee surgery) practiced with the Clippers on Saturday and will be available against the Nuggets. Bledsoe played two games with the Bakersfield Jam of the Developmental League.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (14-5): Point guard Ty Lawson (sprained left ankle) plans to play against the Clippers after missing Denver’s game on Friday against Toronto. “It’s a big game and I want to be ready for it,” said Lawson. “I’m pretty optimistic. I’m feeling a lot better. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.” Lawson, who averages 15.7 points and 6.5 assists, will face one of the league’s best point guards in Paul.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Clippers), Altitude (Nuggets)
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Los Angeles STAPLES Center home of the Clippers
January 27th, 2012
Standing tall outside on the Star Plaza are statues of Los Angeles sporting heroes Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Oscar De La Hoya, Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, and, most lately, Jerry West, the literal “icon” for the National Basketball Association. Today 5 main sports organizations call the Staples Center property, such as the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, the WNBA L.A. Sparks, the NHL’s L.A. Kings, and now the NBA D-League’s L.A. D-Fenders. In the past, before the team’s dissolution, the AFL’s L.A. Avengers played in the Staples Center also. The Center was developed in just below a year, from 1998-1999, by the Staples corporation. There was some controversy regarding its founding, because the Los Angeles Occasions Magazine devoted an complete concern in October of 1999 to the opening in the massive new sports arena. The Times were discovered to become a “founding partner” from the Center in exchange for a hefty profit-share, cost-free advertising, and also other goodies. The question was raised: what’s the relationship among struggling print-media outlets and marketing sources that result in “profit-sharing”? 300 workers from the Occasions itself signed a petition in protest later that year, but little was ever accomplished about it plus the problem has practically been forgotten.
Aside of its controversial founding, the Center has gone on to quickly recover the $375 million dollar expense of construction. It has also been found that the L.A. Times was one of 12 profit sharing firms involved inside the founding. In truth, the Center tends to make so a lot money per occasion that it has been pretty a boon for the local community. Practically nightly it may home up to 19,000 fans with an average ticket price tag of properly over $60. The Center not too long ago got exposure inside the indie flick Drive starring Ryan Gosling, where, during a heist of some sort, makes use of site visitors from the aftermath of a Clipper game to disguise his getaway. With over 250 events year-round and more than four million visitors, the Staples Center is really a fixture for the Better L.A. region.
More recently, the Center has turn into portion of its parent company’s, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), L.A. Live complicated. Situated in downtown Los Angeles, the Live complicated is almost 6 million square feet of activity, including bars, theaters, restaurants, ballrooms, museums, and residences. A large secret to the rest from the country, L.A. Live is at the moment constructing Farmers Field, an NFL stadium set to bring qualified football back to L.A. Since the Staples Center is home to each of Los Angeles’ qualified basketball teams, the Lakers plus the Clippers, whenever the 2 teams battle for hometown dominance (a clash that has over naught ended in a Lakers victory), L.A. erupts. Bringing a competing NFL team back to L.A. would only serve to stir up even more fanfare for professional sporting events. Combined with the current promised ascension of th L.A. Clippers as “Lob City” featuring Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, Los Angeles’ prized sporting Center will feature plainly on the minds of quite a few sports fans throughout the nation for years to come.
Mo Williams: One of the greatest second rounders ever
January 24th, 2012
Maurice Williams was taken 47th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2003 NBA draft and was regretfully passed up by every single team in the NBA. After leading Alabama’s NCAA basketball team for two seasons, the shoot-first Poing Guard made a name for himself on the Milwaukee Bucks after the departure of T.J. Ford. Not only did he become a scary scorer who could score from anywhere on the court, he proved capable at running an offense. Although his style relies heavily on set shots and pick and pops, he’s been able to adapt throughout his career to fit the situation. In Cleveland, he played second fiddle to Lebron James whose abilities demanded that the Cavaliers played isolation basketball. As a result, Mo Williams began to play more off the ball and developed into a combo guard much in the mold of Damon Stoudamire and Scott Skiles. It was perhaps his destiny to become such a player.
Playing with the “King” allowed Williams to drastically improve his three point shooting. Williams has always been a solid three point threat but all of the isolation basketball with James gave him the room to blossom. In his two years as the “King”’s sidekick, Williams hit over 43% of his treys, easily surpassing his career mark of 34%. After the famous Decision to take his talents to South Beach, James left Williams behind on an awful Cavs team. However, the Clippers acquired Mo Williams and the expiring Jamario Moon for Baron Davis and an unprotected no. 1 pick, which became the Duke guard Kyrie Irving.
These days playing in “Lob City,” Mo Williams comes off the bench to relieve both Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups. He fits right in the with mentality of the Clippers as they would like to play small and create situations for Blake Griffin down low. During crunchtime, the Clippers may look to play Billups, Paul, and Williams together throughout the season in order to spread the floor, creating offensive mismatches in certain situations. Williams also gives the Clippers much-needed depth at guard since the departure of Eric Gordon. During the last two weeks, he has been playing heavy minutes (28) each night and shooting a killer 60% from the field. He has been striking from downtown as well, averaging 2 treys and a sizzling 19 points each game. Although Chris Paul will return from injury sometime soon, Williams will use this fast start to gel with his teammates and make a name for himself as a top tier sixth man. His skills may be slowly deteriorating, but the former second round pick in the NBA draft is determined to prove naysayers wrong by becoming arguably one of the best second rounders of all time. This determination fuels his hot-hand nightly in “Lob City.”
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Free Clippers vs Memphis Grizzlies Tickets Staples Center 01/26/12
January 23rd, 2012
Toronto 91, L.A. Clippers 103 Staples Center 01/22/12
January 23rd, 2012
Mo Williams scored 26 points and Blake Griffin added 18 to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 103-91 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 16 rebounds and Caron Butler and Randy Foye recorded 15 points apiece as Los Angeles played without star point guard Chris Paul (hamstring) for the fifth straight game at the Los Angeles Staples Center.
Leandro Barbosa scored 19 points and Linas Kleiza added 16 for Toronto, which lost its eighth straight game.
The Clippers built an 18-point first-quarter lead and had little trouble against the Raptors, who were without leading scorer Andrea Bargnani (calf) for the sixth straight game. Los Angeles is just the second team to score at least 100 points against Toronto this season.
The trend was set early when the Clippers ran off 13 consecutive points to take a 22-6 lead just nine-plus minutes into the game. Jordan already had a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) at halftime as the Clippers led 49-37.
Toronto trailed 86-73 early in the fourth quarter before Williams scored seven straight points to put the game away with 7:22 remaining.
Chauncey Billups had 14 assists for Los Angeles.
DeMar DeRozan added 15 points for Toronto, which shot just 35.8 percent from the field.
Mr. Big Shot Chauncey Billups Shows His Worth Thursday
January 21st, 2012
After star Point Guard Chris Paul missed his third consecutive game in a row, Chauncey Billups, for Finals MVP for the Detroit Pistons, stepped up to give the Los Angeles Clippers something they have rarely ever seen: a clutch three pointer with one second left on the clock to beat the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. Without Chris Paul, the Clippers are likely a borderline fantasy team reliant on scoring from a pair of over-the-hill point guards in Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams. Blake Griffin would, of course, supplement as needed with points and boards. With Paul, the Clippers are likely a top 4 seed in the Western Conference and have a chance to win it all within the next few years. Chauncey displayed Thursday what the Clippers are going to need a lot of come playoff time: grit. Showing grit without Paul, Chauncey Billups displayed the leadership qualities he has come to imbue for the various teams he has played on throughout his career.
After winning the NBA Championship in 2004, the Detroit Pistons, led by Chauncey Billups, attempted to build a dynasty. Over the next four-ish years, Detroit GM Joe Dumars was only able to get back to the finals once (where they lost in 7 games to the Tim Duncan led Spurs). In a desperation maneuver, Dumars sent Billups packing for his hometown in Denver. Dumars received the aging Allen Iverson and his giant expiring contract in return. However, Billups was angry. He loved Detroit and Detroit loved him. He loved his teammates and they had been through hell together. Bitter and motivated, Billups and Carmelo Anthony pushed deep into the playoffs together but were unable to reach the Finals. Billups was sent packing yet again. Arriving in New York, Billups, Anthony, and Amar’e Stoudemire formed a “Big 3″ that hoped would flourish under the offensive-minded Coach D’Antoni. During the offseason, the Knicks amnestied Chauncey’s contract, thus placing him on the waiver wire. From there, Los Angeles claimed him for $2,000,032, a bargain amount for a player of Billups’ caliber. The now-famous trade for Chris Paul made the Clippers an instant threat. Billups slid over to SG, perhaps a position more suited for him in his slower old age, thus pairing him with Paul, arguably the best PG in the league.
Once on the Clippers, analysts began to worry about replacing the production of the now-departed Eric Gordon. However, looking closer at Billups’ more recent numbers suggest that he is an apt replacement, albeit a temporary one because of his advanced age and Gordon’s youth. In each of the past four seasons, Billups has been among the elite of the league in True Shooting Percentage, possession one of .590 or better each year. The only other noteable players to do the same were Andrew Bynum, Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard. Impressive company. Last year, Billups shot just over 40% from downtown, higher than his career average, thus showing that he’s still a capable shooter off the dribble and from spotting up. One criticism of the Paul-Billups backcourt is that they cannot shut down opposing backcourts. While that may be true, and indeed Billups has not been a strong defender in many years, Eric Gordon would have been an equal liability. Clippers fans would assuredly, then, rather have a backcourt of Paul-Billups than Billups-Gordon. As shown by Thursday night’s gritty win over the Mavericks, Billups, in the twilight of his career, still has a few Big Shots left in him. And he is more than capable of maturing Paul to mold him into a leader for the future.
Lob City Los Angeles Clippers
January 15th, 2012
Imagine being a Clippers fan on December 7th 2011. On that day, Clippers fans had the unfortunate task of watching Sports Center announce that the LA Lakers had won the Chris Paul sweepstakes. One can imagine the collective sighs, moans, groans and rearrangement of living room furniture from the Clippers fan base upon hearing that announcement. After years of having to deal with Lakers duos such as Magic-Worthy and Kobe-Shaq, the CP3-Kobe duo appeared to be a reality.
Then David Stern stuck his nose where it didn’t belong. However, The Clippers are better for it.
The arrival of CP3 has put this long-suffering franchise on the fast-track to being a championship contender. Last year, the Clippers were only worth watching to see Blake Griffin fly through the air with the greatest of ease. It was attractive and entertaining, but it didn’t translate into good basketball.
In the early part of the regular season, we have seen an increase in the entertainment value as well as the basketball IQ. This was seen in the Clippers OT win against the Heat in which Chris Paul scored 27 points, 11 assists and a +13 in the plus/minus column. Chris Paul’s mental fortitude and leadership will be a huge asset to Blake Griffin. Despite Blake Griffin’s statistical impact last season and this season, his game is still mostly raw and unpolished. If Griffin can develop his post-game and 16-foot jumpshot, he will be a match-up nightmare for opposing power-forwards.
Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups could be considered the X-factors for the LA Clippers. Both men would pay huge dividends if they could stay injury-free. But considering that both men finished their respective seasons sidelined with injuries, these free-agent pickups carry a significant amount of risk as well. Vinny Del Negro was smart to put Chauncey in the starting line-up at the 2 spot. Chauncey’s shot-making ability makes his transition to shooting guard easier. It also eliminated any potential controversy that could potentially have affected Chauncey’s morale. After all, Billups was very frustrated after his release from the Knicks.
DeAndre Jordan’s athleticism and shot-blocking ability are off the charts. Dwight Howard may be the only other center with more agility at the center position. However, he needs to develop an offensive game ASAP. One could only benefit from CP3’s lobs for so long. The Clipper’s lack of scoring depth off the bench is a concern. Mo Williams fits the role of sixth man perfectly, but Randy Foye and Bryan Cook will not scare opposing head coaches. Considering the longevity concerns of Butler and Billups, it would behoove Clippers GM Neil Olshey to add some scoring punch off the bench before the trading deadline.
One cannot help but love the chemistry of the Clipper’s starting lineup. A pure point guard, a 2 guard appropriately named Mr. Big Shot, a small forward that could penetrate and slash to the basket, a power forward that could put up 20 points and 10 rebounds at will, and a center that could alter shots at the rim.
The Lakers may need to sleep with one eye open. The Clippers are coming.
Lob City is in full effect!
LA Clippers Outlook for the 2012 Season
January 10th, 2012
Blake Griffin’s dynamic ability nearly single-handedly led the Los Angeles Clippers to a 32-50 record last year despite winning the Rookie of the Year award. This year, however, the Clippers’ roster figures to take full advantage of the young dynamo’s talent with the addition of All World Point Guard Chris Paul and former NBA Finals’ MVP PG Chauncey Billups. Paired with DeAndre Jordan in the front line of Vinny Del Negro’s offensive scheme, already in this young 2011-2012 season the media is calling the Paul/Billups to Griffin/Jordan frontcourt “Lob City,” in reference to the enormous number of impending, highlight-reel ally-oop dunks that are sure to awe NBA fans from Game 1 to Game 66. Most appealing about the Clippers now, though, is the potential they now possess. Unlike in previous seasons, the Clippers now possess a pre-made NBA playoff team. Although Chris Paul is arguably the best point guard on the planet, other key additions (and subtractions!) to the Clippers’ roster make them infinitely dangerous, with the potential to compete for a title every year for the foreseeable future as long as their young players continue to grow all-around games.
The creation of “Lob City” may have begun oddly enough with the trade of Baron Davis’ departure to the Cleveland Cavaliers last year. Interestingly, along with Davis and his scruffy beard, the Clippers traded their first-round pick in exchange for much maligned Mo Williams and defensive-minded athlete Jamario Moon. The draft pick eventually helped the Cavaliers land two top-five picks, including the number 1 overall pick in PG Kyrie Irving and Texas hot-prospect PF Tristan Thompson. Clippers fans may rejoice, though, as it was this exact deal that enabled the Clippers land Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, and Caron Butler. Baron Davis is known as a shoot-first big point guard who had all of the potential in the world. However, due to injuries and a somewhat lazy disposition towards passing the rock to younger players, Davis’ departure should be seen as a boon. Eric Gordon, a future top 10 guard in the league, can fill up the stat sheet with his insane offensive ability. But Gordon has become an injury risk and is too small to defend top-tier shooting guards and not strong enough to slash to the hoop to take the game over in the 4th quarter like Dwayne Wade. In short, it was never sure that Eric Gordon or the pick that became Kyrie Irving would develop into world-class talent, so the gamble for Chris Paul at this moment should be seen as a success. Through trading Davis for reliable veteran Mo Williams the Clips cleared out a head-case and acquired one of the best PGs of this generation.
Shortly before the CP3 trade was finalized, the Clips reached an agreement to sign Chauncey Billups for the league minimum, as the New York Knicks bought out his contract. Billups is a one of a kind combo guard with tremendous experience and leadership abilities. So far in the young season he has been starting at the SG position and hitting a ton of three pointers. Most importantly though, Billups can mentor a young CP3 into maturity as the backcourt is sure to experience numerous long playoff battles before Billups retires. In addition to signing Billups, the Clippers acquired SF Caron Butler and PF Reggie Evans, two signings that have gone under the radar.
Caron Butler is fresh off winning an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks and brings a solid all-around game to the burgeoning Clippers. He defends well and plays the passing lanes on defense leading to steals and fast break opportunities, a situation in which CP3, Billups, and Griffin will undoubtedly shine. He can also hit the open jumper and move the ball unselfishly, an important trait for a starting SF on this type of roster. Reggie Evans is another veteran player who has made the most out of his career despite an unfortunate size. Known around the league as one of the best rebounders, Evans brings a type of hard-nosed approach to the glass that DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin will benefit from. He will not eat a lot of minutes but when he does see time in the playoffs, his quirky maneuvers to acquire offensive boards can treat fans to even more opportunities for CP3 to Griffin dunks.
So far the Clips are 3-2 but have been coming on strong as of late. As the team gels together and each player finds his role, the lack of backcourt size will become less noticeable as the team finds creative ways to play the passing lanes using Paul and Butler’s speed. Most importantly, in addition to likely making a strong playoff run this spring, the team has the flexibility to add front-court depth via free-agency and still draft a serviceable backup SF to take the reigns from Butler. Fans should watch the development of this team from embryo to contender in less than two years.
