couple items to follow up on; don't really have the time nor energy for two full-on game posts, but I did watch 2 games yesterday. First I woke up to my TIVO'd Cal-LMU final of the Great Alaska Shootout. This one was closer than the UH game, which was a certified blowout, but not quite the nailbiter as the first Marshall game. LMU came to play, especially in the 2nd half, but the Bears size in the middle and their guard play were too much. It'll be fun to see what Devon Hardin (Cal's center) can do against better competition. I think he'll have a huge year, and hopefully come back for one more (although it sounds like the pro scout vultures are already circling). Another fascinating player on this team is the freshman backup point guard, Randle. FAST, and an excellent finisher at the bucket as well as a pretty damn good outside shooter. Ubaka had a pretty good game, and our other freshman, Anderson, looked damn good too. Nice for what might have been a rebuilding year after losing Leon Powe.

Anyway, the other game was much less pleasant, watching the Clippers get BLOWN OUT in Denver. The clips just look like a complete and total mess right now, I mean, it's just painful to watch. I feel sorry for their mothers. (Ok, it's not that bad). Shaun Livingston played like complete shit. Sam, before he got injured, looked lost on defense a couple times, nobody except Maggette was doing much on offense, Brand looked tired & tentative. I think they really miss Kaman more than I thought they would. I guess it's good to get Aaron Williams some burn in while the games aren't completely huge (ie later in the year) but I hope they don't sink the ship in the process of figuring out what the hell they have. It's still really early, and I think they'll turn it around, but right now, wow, the clips really look like shit. Tomorrow night at Sacramento, against a Kings team that has just habitually kicked LA's ass (even last year when the Clips were up & Sacto was down) will be scary unless Dunleavy can get these guys to pull their collective heads out of their collective ass.

the nugg doctor

LA Clippers at the Minnesota Timberwolves, from the Target Center in Minneapolis, KTLA the CW (yup a local LA channel and I get in on my dish network here in Hawaii bwahahahahhaha, the final laugh being on me cuz I DON’T get Fox Sports Prime Ticket). Anway, as you might be able to tell from the preceding I am a ravenous LA clipper fan. Let’s just say that the USC Notre Dame football game was coming on at the same time as clips at t-wolves and it wasn’t, no never, even ever a question as to what the tivo was going to plug away at & record. Of course it’s the clips.

Well an interesting first half out in Minnie. With Chris Kaman out, due to an ankle sprain during practice yesterday, Dunleavy started Aaron Williams, a guy who had played about 2.5 minute TOTAL the whole season up to now, and he’s acquitted himself rather well, I have to say. I had to think about it, and I came to the conclusion that, yes, dunleavy has just been shifting EB to the 5 every time Kaman has been taking a seat. Fascinating. Well, Williams is doing well, getting garbage points, loose balls, rebounds here and there, I’m impressed. I’m also impressed with the t-wolves rookie Craig Smith. He looks solid. Grabbing lots of boards and just getting in the way on defense, clogging up the paint. Good pickup. Which Minnie needed, because as SO many other people are already saying, so I’ll leave it short, Kevin McHale is absolutely running this poor team into the ground. I mean, the clippers trade, getting Sam Cassell AND a first round draft pick for Marco Jaric? Who isn’t even starting? And who can’t finish on the break? Classic, classic. And did I mention that Sam has 20 at halftime?

Anyway, clips looking good, even without Kaman, I’m impressed with Williams, as I said, and EB having a pretty good game, kinda quiet on the actual stat sheet, but he’s getting boards and wreaking havoc in the lane and making KG work, which is the prime thing. I mean, jeez, this is a team that besideds KG their second best player is probably
Ricky Davis. Ricky Davis? Wow. What the hell happened here? Anyway, it’s a ten point lead, I believe, at the half, care of the clippers. More at the end of the 3rd, or, er, 4th, depending on how I feel. Aloha.

After the 2nd half:

Wow, talk about falling apart. Clips with a 16 point lead in the 3rd, with an 8 point lead with about 5 minutes left, and they cough it up. Randy Foye, the rookie out of Villanova, hit a huge 3 which ignited a run that included another 3 by our old friend Marco Jaric. You gotta give Marco credit, he had a nice game, grabbed a HUGE board down the stretch, made some key shots, played decent D. KG was, as always, efficient and deadly, seeiming under the radar the whole game but ending up with around 25 points and 13 boards, or something close to that. The bench for Minnesota came up huge and the bench for LA came up MIA. Of course, part of it is Kaman being out, but there’s really no excuse for a breakdown like this. The clips had this game in the bag, they just needed to put a bow on it, but they couldn’t get it done, and this is just the first in a 4 game road trip. They’re at Denver today (ok, I watched the 4th quarter on TIVO when I woke up this morning) against a Nuggets team they’ve had quite a bit of success against, and will hopefully be able to get their first (yes, first) road win of the young season. Plus, they’ve now lost 4 in a row, let’s see if they can turn it around. Stay tuned.

the Stick & Ball Guy